New Blood

by Starra_Uchiha44

Summary:

Blair has been on the run for 400 years, trying to escape her past. She never stays in one 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.

Warning: This story will follow some of the canon, but not all if it, there will be changes along the way. Also, I will only be doing the first two seasons of the Originals but that is because of personal preference. I enjoyed the first two seasons but anything after that was just depressing so for that reason I won’t be writing anything after season two.

Chapter 1

Running.

That was all Blair knew how to do. She had been running for a long time as she tried to escape from her past before it caught up with her. Blair never stayed in one place long enough to make connections with people – many had tried and failed. She felt as if it was easier for everyone if no one got close to her. It was a lonely life to lead but one that was necessary. At first, she had resented her situation and had tried to make connections, despite the situation but it always blew up in her face and then she had to run again. It was just easier to be on her own because then she didn’t have to worry about anyone else other than herself. However, there were times she would meet people on the run and who were in similar situations to herself. Katherine Pierce was a woman Blair had met nearly 200 years ago and they had travelled together for nearly 60 years before splitting up. They had met by chance and then kept bumping into each other until they decided to travel together. Blair hadn’t liked Katherine at first, she thought her to be shallow and rude. But, Blair found herself charmed by the woman and thought her to be refreshing to all the other people she had met over time. She had never met someone like Katherine before and she soon became a dear friend. Blair could sympathise with her because of how similar their pasts were and it was something they had bonded over. However, other than Katherine, Blair wouldn’t say she had many friends. She wasn’t allowed to speak with her old friends so they had more than likely forgotten about her.

One of the upsides of her situation was that she got to see the world. After being trapped inside for many years, she had craved freedom and she now had it. It wasn’t how she would have liked it, but in Blair’s eyes, it was better than nothing. Blair had been to many places, but England, Japan and France had been her favourites and she would love to visit them again if she could. She had seen the most beautiful hidden treasures but she had also seen the ugliest and horrible parts of the world. For 400 years, Blair had never stepped foot in America but she knew that it was time for a change. She needed to be unpredictable and never create a pattern because that is how people got caught. Blair had already decided that she would pick a place at random and go there – that’s how she ended up in half the places she did. Blair had picked up a knife and threw it at a map of America, deciding that wherever it landed, she would head to next.

And New Orleans was the next destination.

Blair arrived in New Orleans around midnight. Blair always preferred to travel at night because fewer eyes were watching her. However, there would be occasions when she would travel in the day, just to mix things up. She could never be predictable.
On her arrival, Blair was happy to see crowds of people, all partying away with loud music playing. Seeing as they were distracted, Blair had made her way to the nearest hotel and managed to snag herself a room, curtesy of her magic. The human at the reception desk didn’t even notice her take a key and sign herself in. Her magic made sure that no one would even notice anything wrong with a new name appearing out of nowhere. Blair silently laughed to herself as she walked into her temporary room, humans were so gullible. Blair looked around her room, it wasn’t much, but it would do for now since she didn’t plan on being there for long. She had stayed in worse places before and so it didn’t bother her anymore, and besides, there wasn’t anything that she couldn’t fix with magic.

Blair moved her suitcase further into the room and set it by the bed. Her suitcase contained everything she would need. She had called odd for having a suitcase on the run, but Blair liked her things and she could be materialistic when she wanted to – that was something Katherina had understood. Looking around the room once more, she noticed a mirror that hung on the door. Blair hardly looked in a mirror anymore as she was more preoccupied with other things going on her life.

She was beautiful by human standards. She wasn’t blind, and even with her glamour in place, she was what humans would describe as pretty. In this glamour, Blair was an average height, her pale skin was smooth and she was curvy in the right places. Blair had long brown hair that reached her hips and her eyes were a light blue colour. She was wearing dark blue skinny jeans with black heeled ankle boots, a black crop top with a black leather jacket. Blair felt happy with her appearance this time around, she felt it was more her. She liked to change her glamour with every place she went to keep herself hidden. She tried to make sure she didn’t look the same. In some places, she could be a man, other places she could be an old woman. It all depended on what she was feeling that day but she liked this glamour and planned to keep it for her stay in New Orleans.

Feeling happy with her appearance, Blair left the room, locking her door with magic. This way, no one could enter her room without her permission and it was very unlikely she would ever grant it.

The first thing Blair did was find a bar, feeling parched after a long day of travelling. She soon found Rousseau's, noticing that it wasn’t very busy. A few people were playing at the pool table and the darts board, and only one other person sitting at the bar. However, Blair paid this no mind, ordering a rum and coke before choosing to sit at a booth in the back of the room.

After a few minutes of sitting alone, a woman sat down adjacent Blair, one that she recognised. “What are you doing out of your cage, Chloe?” Blair said, unimpressed that someone was interrupting her drinking. She wanted to watch people for a while longer, but it seemed as if she wasn’t going to be allowed this.

Chloe was a tall woman with dark smooth skin. She had short dark hair with brown eyes, staring at Blair with an equally unimpressed look. “I see you’re still alive then,”

“No thanks to my own kind,” Blair sneered while rolling her eyes.

Chloe frowned and sent her a pointed glare, “You know why we couldn’t help,”

“Doesn’t make it hurt any less,” Blair said while taking a sip of her drink, enjoying the coconut rum. She was always partial to a rum and coke, particularly a Malibu and coke. After so many years, Blair found that alcohol could numb some of her pain after being abandoned by her own kind. But it would always come back to haunt her in her nightmares.

Chloe fell silent, knowing that nothing could be said to make the situation better.

Blair placed her glass down on the table, “What do you want? Has she sent you on a mission or something?” Blair knew that the quicker she found out why Chloe was there in the first place, the quicker she would leave Blair in peace. They were hardly ever let out in the first place because it was far too dangerous for them, especially with how many Vampires there were in New Orleans. It was weird there were so many Vampires, but Blair chose to ignore it as she didn’t want to get involved with anything.

Peeking around the room, Chloe leaned in closer. “Rumours are going around within our community, rumours that the Hybrid got a Wolf girl pregnant,”

For a moment, Blair didn’t react. She knew exactly who they were talking about. Katherine had told her all about Klaus Mikaelson and him wanting to break the curse – including wanting to use Katherine’s blood to do so. As far as Blair knew, Klaus had managed to break the curse on himself by using another Doppelganger and now he was both a Werewolf and a Vampire that could shift at will. This had been a very big thing that shook the supernatural community and Werewolves hid in fear of him. However, the pregnancy was something she wasn’t expecting. Instead of reacting, Blair took another swig of her drink, “And this includes me because?” She asked, arching a brow at the woman before her.

“The Queen is asking for your help,” Chloe said, moving away from Blair.

Blair clenched her jaw and her eyes flashed purple in anger. Chloe looked away, knowing that this would anger Blair. Even just a slight mention of the Queen sent Blair reeling. Blair’s grip of the glass became so tight it nearly broke the glass, not that she cared at that moment. “You can tell that woman, that she can get off her fat arse and do it herself,” Blair hissed lowly, her eyes blazing in anger. The Queen dared to ask for her help when the Queen offered no assistance when Blair was in trouble. As far as she was concerned, the Queen could rot in her forest and Blair wouldn't care.

“You can’t stay that!” Chloe hissed in astonishment. She glanced nervously around the room before looking back to Blair, “You know she can’t risk any of us coming out. She was risking so much by sending me here in the first place.”

Blair smiled sarcastically, “And I’m not at risk?”

Chloe shook her head and her shoulders slumped in defeat, knowing that she couldn’t argue with that. “She just wants you to keep an eye on the Wolf girl. Report anything back to us. This child is new – nothing we have ever seen before. We don’t know what it is capable off and it scares the Queen,”

Blair rolled her eyes, “Everything scares her. Besides, it doesn’t matter anyway. I am not going to be here long. I can never stay in one place long, remember?” She sent Chloe a pointed look as if reminding her of the situation.

Chloe winced at her words, knowing them to be true.

Having enough, Blair easily downed the rest of the drink and stood up. “Tell the Queen to kiss my arse,” With that, Blair walked out of the bar, needing some fresh air to calm herself down.

Chloe watched Blair leave, her eyes glazed over in sadness.

Blair walked down the street, her heels echoing as they hit the stone ground. Her hands were in her leather jacket and she was breathing deeply. She was trying to calm herself and stop this burning fury that was inside her. Blair had been on the run for 400 years, and not once had anyone from her community got in contact with her, but now the moment they needed something, they sent Chloe. Blair thought it to be a low blow since Chloe had been her friend growing up. The Queen had known what she was doing by sending Chloe. If it had been anyone else, Blair wouldn’t have even spoken to them and just left the bar. However, Blair couldn’t help but feel slighted by her friend of many years and that hurt her.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and this snapped Blair out of her daze. There were three sets of footsteps behind her. Blair instantly knew that she was being followed and she looked around. There was still a group of people dancing away in the street. Glancing around, Blair knew that she needed to lose whoever was following her so they didn’t know where she was staying. Her first instinct was to run, but she decided to kill two birds with one stone. Get rid of the stalkers and also get rid of her anger. Now, Blair just needed to make sure there were no witnesses to what she was about to do.

With a plan in mind, Blair sharply turned right into the next alleyway and walked down it. She stopped when she was about halfway into the alleyway and stayed there. She listened to the footsteps following behind her, and then they stopped. Blair turned around, “Not very nice to follow a lady,” She said, her eyes watching the three people in front of her. They were blocking the exit – not that it mattered. Blair looked at each of the men and could instantly tell that they were Vampires. Blair mentally cursed at this, knowing that the scent blocker had worn off and she needed to reapply quickly.

“But you smell so delicious,” The first man answered, black veins flickering underneath his eyes, his thirst evident. As he spoke, his fangs began to show and he seemed to crouch slightly, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

“Yeah, we just want a bite,” The second man said, the black veins also prominent.

Blair glared at them before smirking. “Then come and get me,” As she spoke, she took her hands out from her leather jacket.

The first man charged, appearing in front of her so quickly it would have thrown off a human. But Blair wasn’t human and she had been expecting this. She raised her right hand and clenched her fist, watching as her magic worked. The Vampire crumped to the ground, gasping in pain, placing a hand over his head. Blair felt a presence behind her and she flicked her left hand, causing the second man to fall to the ground, hard. Blair clenched her left hand and the first man grunted in pain. Blair looked at the third Vampire, the one who hadn’t said anything, “Are you going to try anything?” She asked, arching a brow at him.

The Vampire shook his head, fear in his eyes.

“Smart boy,” Blair said, walking over to the Vampire, “What’s your name?” Her hands were still clenched, not minding the two Vampires in pain on the ground.

“R-Ryan.” The Vampire whispered lowly, fear in his eyes. Ryan was young – very young. Blair wouldn’t have placed him any older than sixteen.

Blair watched him for a moment before relaxing her hands, “You saw nothing,” She said, waving a hand over his head and watched as Ryan crumpled to the ground, her magic taking effect. Now, Ryan would not remember her at all. Blair looked at the other two Vampires on the ground and saw that they were unconscious. Satisfied with her work, Blair walked away, heading back to her hotel.

Luckily, Blair made it back to the hotel without any further incidents. Once inside, she magically locked the doors and the windows twice, just to be safe. Blair mentally cursed herself as she dived for her suitcase, looking for her perfume. Finding the medium-sized blue bottle, Blair sprayed her neck and wrists, rubbing the insides of her wrists together. Once happy with the application, Blair relaxed on the slightly lumpy bed and sighed in relief.

Blair knew that she should have been more vigilant – she was in Vampire territory. Usually, Blair wouldn’t have even entered the same areas Vampires stayed but she felt confident that the Hunter wouldn’t know where she was. The Hunter would never expect her to willingly enter Vampire territory and neither would he. Blair knew the risk, she knew that the scent of her blood was irresistible to Vampires and that’s why she had sought out the help of a Witch that owed her a favour from long ago. Blair had saved one of the Witches from death, and so the line owed her a debt and she had come to collect. A Witch had made her this perfume to protect her as it would hide her scent from all Vampires. It just needed to be applied every eight hours and then she would be fine. But, there were times where her mind would be preoccupied and things like that would happen.

Deciding that she had enough excitement for one day, Blair changed into a large white t-shirt that hung off her shoulder and a pair of panties. Blair pulled the duvet over herself and let her body relax, her mind wandering off as she fell asleep.

THE ORIGINALS

Davina paid no mind to anything around her, painting the canvas in front of her in bright colours, soft music playing in the background. It was late, but she didn’t mind. Davina couldn’t sleep anyway and she needed something to keep her mind occupied about the fact she was in an attic and the Witch community was after her. She was so absorbed in her work that she didn’t notice Marcel was stood at the doorway.

Marcel watched Davina, affection in his eyes as he smiled. He enjoyed watching her work as she seemed to really adore her art, reminding her of a certain someone. But he knew he needed to interrupt her sooner than later. “I could be condescending and ask why you’re not in bed, young lady,” Marcel said, a playful smirk on his face. He knew how much Davina hated being treated like a child, but he couldn’t help himself.

Davina jumped slightly, not expecting Marcel to appear tonight. She turned to him and smiled, “I couldn’t sleep,” She said simply before turning back to her art. There were nights that she just couldn’t sleep and she would spend them drawing. Art soothed her and it was her little escape when things became too much.

Saying nothing, Marcel walked further into the room to look at Davina’s artwork. He had been expecting to see a face, but instead, he saw a landscape of fields. “It’s impressive,” He complimented, hiding his disappointment.

“It’s not finished,” Davina quipped back.

Marcel watched Davina for a moment, instantly knowing that Davina had no idea about someone using magic in the Quarter, otherwise she would have told him. Davina always told him if someone had used magic and would draw up their faces, just like she had done with Jane-Anne Deveraux. This was how he controlled the Witches in New Orleans and she had never been wrong yet.

“Someone used magic in the Quarter today,” Marcel said, after a beat of silence.

Davina immediately stopped drawing, “What?” She turned to look at Marcel, her eyes widened by the news. She thought she had misheard him for a moment, but the serious look in his dark eyes made her realise she hadn’t.

Marcel looked at her, “Someone took down three of my guys. Knocked them unconscious and wiped their memories clean. They don’t know what or who did it, but it seems like magic.” He was hoping that maybe Davina knew something about this. He knew that Davina would always draw who it was, or say a name. But it seemed as though she had no idea about this attack.

“I-I didn’t sense anything!” Davina exclaimed, worry in her eyes. Usually, she could feel when someone used magic and she had never been wrong before. She had been helping Marcel keep the Witches under control for months – she was his secret weapon.

Marcel placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, “Hey, it is okay. Maybe it wasn’t a Witch if you didn’t sense it,” He wasn’t even certain it was a Witch, it could have been another Vampire for all he knew. His guys didn’t remember what happened but Marcel was certain that magic was involved, one way or another.

Davian slowly calmed down, “Yeah, maybe it was something else. I’ll keep an eye out.” Davina said, determined to make sure that if it was a Witch using their magic, they would get caught.

“And any news on our guest?” Marcel asked, looking at the coffin a few feet away. Inside contained Elijah’s desiccated body that Klaus had gifted him. He had asked Davina to find a way to kill an Original because there was no way he trusted Klaus.

Davina looked at the coffin. “I am still looking. It would be easier if I had a grimoire…” The French Quarter Witches had many grimoire, but she didn’t have access to them at the moment. If she did, then Davina was sure that she would find a spell to fight against the Originals. Instead, she had taken to researching out of books, but they weren’t yielding many results.

Marcel sighed, “I know. But no Witch is willing to share one. I am looking for one,” Davina had been asking him for a grimoire for a while and he had yet to deliver. No Witch was willing to part with their grimoire and had taken to hiding them because he was asking.

“I know,” Davina said, turning back to her drawing.

Seeing this as his queue to leave, Marcel left the attic with one last glance at Davina before he was gone.

Once alone, Davina stopped drawing. She looked around the attic, a sense of loneliness filling her. For months she had been hidden away – to keep her safe from the Witches – but she couldn’t help but miss some of the younger Witches, the ones that used to be her friend before they were sacrificed for the Harvest.

THE ORIGINALS

Klaus strolled into the plantation mansion with a devious smirk on his face. “Darlings, I’m home!” He exclaimed, a slight spring in his step with the news he had. He had spent the day with Marcel, trying to find the creature that had knocked three of Marcel’s guys out. Marcel didn’t fully trust Klaus, but after Klaus had given his blood to cure one of his lackeys, Marcel has been a bit nicer. However, they couldn’t find the creature responsible. It hadn’t been a Witch because Marcel’s little weapon hadn’t sensed anything, but the magic had been involved, that was something Klaus was certain about. He had felt the magic in the air when he and Marcel visited the alley the attack took place, not that Klaus shared this observation with Marcel.

Rebekah appeared in front of him, looking unimpressed. “Have you found Elijah?” She demanded. She had spent her day looking around, trying to remember the location of Elijah’s body only to find nothing.

“Better,” Klaus answered with ease, the smirk growing bigger as he spoke. “Someone used magic in the Quarter today, and Marcel had no idea.” This news has surprised Klaus and had made him extremely curious. Marcel was supposed to have an iron tight grip on New Orleans, but that had slipped slightly and so Marcel was not happy. Whatever made Marcel unhappy, made Klaus very happy.

Rebekah crossed her arms over her chest, “And how does that bloody help us?”

Klaus rolled his eyes at his sister’s attitude and lack of vision. “Marcel didn’t know, which means that person can use magic. This means, we can use them to find Elijah,” They knew exactly who Marcel’s secret weapon was – a Witch. But Klaus couldn’t get any Witch to use magic because they were too fearful of getting caught. But, if they had someone who couldn’t be detected, then they could find Elijah.

“How can we even be certain it was magic that was used?” Rebekah asked, still not convinced with this idea. She had heard about the attack, and if Davina hadn’t been able to sense any magic, it was a possibility that the attacker hadn't used magic at all. They could have been a Vampire or even a Werewolf. Klaus had demanded to know if it had been her who attacked the three Vampires, but Rebekah had adamantly denied the accusations. She had made her entrance into New Orleans and she didn’t need to draw any more unnecessary attention onto herself when she was supposedly babysitting Hayley.

Rolling his eyes, Klaus walked over to his sister, “Because, the creature that used magic was a Fae.” The Fae had not been sighted in over 800 years and most thought them to be extinct, so to sense a Fae in such a large city was an exciting prospect. Klaus had to find that Fae before anyone else did.

Rebekah’s eyes brightened at the news that they found a way to help Elijah. “We need to find them, now.”

“We will, love. We will.” Klaus answered, a calculating gleam in his eyes.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

The next morning arrived and Blair was up with the sun. Her body was used to waking up at odd hours and not getting a lot of sleep so this didn’t bother her much. Often, she didn’t have that luxury of sleeping in but she would sometimes award herself some extra sleep when she needed it. Her room had an ensuite bathroom and she had spent the better part of an hour in the bath, enjoying her time relaxing while she could. Blair was laying in the bath, with loads of bubbles and the smell of strawberries in the air. It wasn’t often that she could get a bath as most places had showers, but she much preferred the bath. This was one of the very few times she could relax fully. As she laid there in the deliciously smelling bathwater, Blair began to think of her next plan of action. Blair knew that she couldn’t stay long in the city, she would need to move on eventually and she was already mentally making plans for her next move. Typically, if she liked a place, she would stay for around a week unless the Hunter was close on her tail. If she didn’t like a place she would leave within two days but that didn’t happen often. However, a part of her wanted to enjoy her stay for a while. Deciding to ignore this issue for a while, Blair closed her eyes and relaxed further into the bathtub.

Her thoughts strayed to Chloe and the message that she had passed on. Chloe had asked her to spy on the child between a Wolf and Hybrid and this unsettled her immensely. It would be very easy to dismiss this rumour that Chloe claimed was going around, but Blair knew how well informed her kind where, even if they had been in hiding for centuries. It didn’t help that she didn’t like to think about what the Queen would do to this baby once it was born. The thought of her kind harming this child made her heart feel heavy.

Blair mentally shook her head. She refused to get involved with this – it was nothing to do with her in the first place. Just because the Queen wanted her help didn’t mean she was going to do it. In fact, because the Queen had asked, Blair was going to do the opposite and not get involved at all.

Just thinking about the Queen made her restless and annoyed to the point she couldn’t even enjoy her bath. Sighing heavily, Blair stood up from her bath, walking on the towels she set on the floor to the bedroom. With a flick of her wrist, a warm wind blew into the room, drying her in minutes as well as her hair. Completely naked, Blair walked over to the wardrobe, full of the clothes she had unpacked that morning. Looking at her clothes, Blair picked out a sunflower print mini dress, a pair of white gladiator sandals and a thin white cardigan. Grabbing her perfume, Blair sprayed her wrists and neck, blocking her scent from Vampires. Blair grabbed a pair of rose gold sunglasses with a matching purse and walked out of her room, making sure to lock the room with her magic once more.

Blair headed to a nearby café to grab some breakfast, feeling famished after not eating for a while. Blair sat at the back of the café, wanting to stay away from people and the massive glass window. The fewer people that could see her, the better. After travelling for such a long time, Blair had taken a liking to an English fry-up and she was always full for hours afterwards. As she tucked into her breakfast, someone sat down in front of her, one whose presence wasn’t welcomed. Blair groaned and placed her plastic cutlery down. “Will you leave me alone?” She glared at Chloe, who had interrupted her again.

Chloe frowned, “You know I can’t.” She reached over to Blair’s plate, stealing a piece of toast and munching on it without remorse.

Blair glare hardened, she hated it when people stole her food. One time, when someone tried to steal her food, she had stabbed their hand with a fork. To say Katherine learnt her lesson was an understatement. Instead, Blair drank her coffee, “I have already given you my answer. I am not changing it.” She refused to do the Queen’s dirty work and no one could change her mind on this. As far as she was concerned, the Queen would rot away in her forest and she would be very happy.

“You don’t understand,” Chloe shook her head, “This baby is rumoured to be powerful. You know the whispers about the Mikaelson’s firstborn children being too powerful.” In the supernatural community, the Mikaelson family were almost treated like royalty. Their name sent chills down people’s spines and made people wary, especially the name Niklaus Mikaelson. However, a baby changed things and it made people cagey.

Placing her coffee mug down, Blair leaned forward. “And what does the Queen want with a baby like that?” Blair was dreading the answer though her face betrayed nothing. She was well aware of the Mikaelson bloodline, her kind had met Esther and Dahlia before, a thousand years ago, and to say the Fae hadn’t been impressed was an understatement.

Chloe finished the toast and was about to swipe another piece, but Blair slapped her hand away. “It is said that this baby will be the Witches’ end.” Her voice was low, her dark eyes darted around the room to make sure there weren’t any eavesdroppers. Glancing around the room, Chloe noticed that there was no Vampires present, or Witches either. However, this still didn’t calm her nerves.

Blair said nothing and her face revealed nothing. However, this news did shock her – and she found it a little ironic. This news did not distress her at all, in fact, she hated Witches. The Fae and Witches did not get along at all. There was resentment on the Witches side because of how the Fae were more in touch with nature and their magic was stronger. The Fae hated the Witches for many reasons and it wasn’t easy to just point out one reason alone but Blair could say confidently that she hated Witches because of their arrogance. They believed they owned magic and hated it when someone else came along and used magic better than them. There was hardly any Witches that Blair got along with and there was no love lost between them. “That doesn’t answer my question. What does she want with the baby?” Blair asked again, her eyes trained on Chloe. Her grip on the coffee was tight and she could feel it start to crack under the pressure.

Chloe avoided Blair’s eyes, shifting in her seat nervously.

“If she is planning to harm this child then you need to tell me,” Blair demanded, her tone like steel. The hairs on the back of her neck were stood on end at the thought. She knew the Queen was power-hungry – she always had been from what she could remember. But Blair thought that she held some morals about harming children.

Looking at the ground, Chloe refused to say anything.

“Chloe!” Blair hissed lowly, her eyes flashed purple as the mug in her hand cracked under the pressure.

“I don’t know,” Chloe whispered softly, “All I know is that she is interested in this child. None of us knows why and she won’t explain why.” The Queen had not given a reason and she had been too scared to ask.

Blair’s lips thinned at this news. She didn’t like this news at all. She had known the Queen long enough that if she was being secretive to her own kind, it was never good. “She asked me to spy on the child, what else did she want?” It was never just one thing with the Queen, she came with a long list of favours and was high maintenance. Blair had learned that in the past if the Queen asked a favour then it morphed into two, then three until they ended up serving the Queen. The other issue laid with the favours themselves, they were never simple ones but almost complicated and time-consuming – so damn troublesome.

Chloe looked at Blair as though she had been caught, “How did you know?”

Blair rolled her eyes, “I know her, remember? What else if she after?” Blair looked at the mug, noticing that the coffee mug was completely ruined and coffee had spilt on the table. Blair hissed a few curses under her breath and waved her hand. Within seconds, the mug repaired itself as though it had never been broken and the coffee was gone from the table. She may act blasé most of the time but she didn’t need people noticing that she had broken the mug because then that would blow her cover. She would rather not have any extra attention from people she didn’t know just in case the Hunter had informants hidden away.

“Your magic has improved,” Chloe commented in awe, watching the mug as it repaired itself, not a single crack insight.

“It had to. Without it, the Hunter would have caught me years ago.” Blair answered blandly, not caring that Chloe flinched at her words. “Now, spit it out. What else does she want?”

Chloe sighed deeply, “She wants you to glimpse into the future. Tell her the fate of this child and what is to come,”

“She can kiss my arse!” Blair hissed, her eyes glowed purple in anger. She couldn’t believe the audacity of this woman. Blair vowed that when she next saw the Queen, she would hex her for a hundred years. How dare that woman ask her for favour as steep as this one? The audacity of the Queen was outlandish and completely unreasonable.

Chloe’s dark eyes scanned the room frantically, hoping that no one had overheard this. Luckily, it seemed as though no one was paying attention to either of them.

Blair closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She would not lose control in front of mortals, this was the last thing she needed. When she was calm, she opened her eyes again and they were back to blue. “My answer to both things are no. I refuse to be used by her. Tell her to ask someone else.” Blair was aware of another member of the Queen's Court that could see visions of the future – not as accurately and clearly as Blair – and so the fact the Queen had asked meant that she was desperate. If the Queen was desperate then that made Blair happy because finally, karma was biting that woman in the arse.

“But she needs you.” Chloe pleaded.

Blair looked Chloe dead in the eyes, “She hasn’t needed me for 400 years. I’ll pass.” She said, tucking back into her meal, refusing to let Chloe ruin her breakfast any more than it already had been.

Chloe sighed deeply, knowing that they weren’t getting anywhere. “How have you been?” She asked, almost hesitant to even ask this question to begin with since it had been a long time since they spoke.

Blair stopped just as she was about to shove a mouthful of food in her mouth. “You’re joking, right? You’re really asking me how I’ve been after all this time.”

“I am just trying to be your friend,” Chloe argued back.

Sitting back in her seat, she put down her plastic cutlery once more – albeit reluctantly. “Okay, since you wanted to do this. I have been crap. I am constantly on the run and I can never stay in one place because if I do, he will kill me. I have received no help from my community – in fact, I was cast out. How do you think I am doing?” Blair sarcastically smiled, a murderous and deadly glint in her eyes.

Chloe stared at Blair, sadness in her dark eyes. “You’ve changed,”

Blair scoffed, “Of course I have changed. I wouldn’t have survived if I didn’t change.” Blair did not like her past self and would often try to forget about what she had been like. Blair’s younger self had been naïve, blind and stupid. However, this soon changed when she went on the run. Looking back, Blair was surprised that she had even lasted that long. Her magic had been weak since she had not been allowed to train that much. It was on the run that she had learned how to use her magic and after 400 years, Blair was quite impressed with how far she had come.

“I’m sorry,” Chloe said.

“Aren’t we all?” Blair said blankly, her voice void of any emotion. Not saying anything else, Blair turned back to her slightly cooled down food and began eating. Though it didn’t taste as nice as it would have done warm, she continued to eat with gusto. Blair completely ignored Chloe, not caring as she left the café.

After having breakfast, Blair decided to reward herself with some retail therapy as she needed to take her mind off this Queen and buying things always made her feel better. She was a fan of fashion and constantly liked to see what the shops had to offer. She needed some new clothes after the Hunter had managed to ruin a few of her outfits over the years when she had let him get too close. Finding the nearest clothing shop, she went inside and grabbed she liked or caught her eye. She grabbed more blouses, dresses and a few jeans. As Blair looked around the shop, she noticed some shoes that she adored and also snatched them so no one could get them before her. Blair looked around when she had something in her hands that she liked, and when she saw no one, she clicked her fingers and all the items she had disappeared – into her room and neatly put away. Blair smirked, walking away from that store, satisfied with the items she had pinched. Blair stole what she got and what she wanted, and that’s how she got by. Nearly everything that she had accumulated over time had been procured this way, but some items had also been gifts that Katherine had got for her – also probably stolen through compulsion.

With a skip in her step, Blair walked down a street, intending on heading back to the Rousseau's for another drink – one that hopefully wouldn’t get ruined. However, that plan changed as she passed a shop and she stopped to look at it. It was a simple shop, one that usually wouldn’t have caught her attention. Blair could sense magic in the shop and this intrigued her. She may have no love for the Witches, but she had noticed there was something strange going on in the French Quarter. She hadn’t seen any Witch or Warlock perform any magic and she hadn’t sensed any Wolves within the area which she thought to be odd. It seemed as though the Vampires ruled New Orleans. So, seeing a shop that radiated magic was suspicious and made Blair want to look around. Mentally shrugging to herself, Blair decided that there would be no harm in looking. With that in mind, Blair walked over to the door and opened it, listening as the bell chimed. She looked around with guarded eyes – it was dark and the shelves were packed with loads of stuff. Random things, but one thing that stuck out to Blair was the herbs. They were common herbs that were used by Witches and nothing too special to look at.

A petite girl walked out from the back, a polite smile on her face. The girl had curly dark hair and warm brown eyes, “Good morning, is there anything you need help finding?” She asked kindly.

Blair flashed a fake smile, “No, I’m just browsing at the moment,” She looked at the girl, noticing her plain-looking clothes and a name badge that said, Katie. Blair could sense magic in the girl and she knew that Katie was a Witch. Not a powerful one but not an amateur either.

Katie stared at Blair for a moment, confusion on her face, “Okay.” Katie nodded her head. With that, she turned back around and went into the back, but was still in view so she could see what was happening in her store.

Blair moved around the store, looking at what the shop had to offer. There was nothing in the shop that she wanted nor needed as potions were not her speciality. There hadn’t been any need to work at her potions skills so she never sharpened them while on the run. For a moment, Blair considered walking out of the shop because there was obviously nothing there but then she stopped and she wrinkled her nose at the smell, there was sage burning in the air. Katie was trying to cast a privacy spell but it hadn’t been done right because Blair could hear Katie talking in the back. Blair moved her hair out of the way and listened in on the conversation, curious to know what Katie had to hide. No one used a privacy spell unless they had something to hide and this caught her attention.

“Thierry, I am telling the truth, I swear,” Katie mumbled softly, a phone pressed up against her ear. “Someone came in asking for Aconitum, they said it was to kill a Werewolf,”

This piqued Blair’s interest but nothing gave this away as she kept her poker face in check. Aconitum was another name for Wolfsbane, a deadly plant for Werewolves but harmless for everyone else. As far as she knew, there was only one wolf in New Orleans – and that was the one that got knocked up by the Hybrid.

“It was a girl but I didn’t catch her name. She didn’t tell me too much,” Katie said, answering the question from who Blair assumed was Thierry.

Blair continued to browse the shelves, pretending as though she was interested in what they had in stock. Stealthily, she moved around the shop, never getting close so Katie would think she was trying to listen in. Feeling a gaze on her, Blair feigned interest by picking up some herbs and looked at it closely. Only when she felt Katie's gaze leave her did she put the herb back. A shiver went down her spine, could it be possible that Chloe had come in asking for the Wolfsbane? Had the Queen ordered the baby’s death? Usually, Wolfsbane could be used to subdue a wolf and it could very painful for them hence why it was used offensively. But, if a pregnant wolf were to ingest some Wolfsbane, it would cause a miscarriage. Whoever had asked for the Wolfsbane was looking to get rid of that baby, that much Blair was certain.

Katie sighed deeply, “No, I don’t know who attacked those Vampires. No one in the Coven owned up to it and they all seem surprised by the attack too. Whoever it was, they don’t belong to the French Quarter Coven,”

Blair smirked, they were looking for her. She made sure that the Vampires wouldn’t remember her at all, keeping her identity a secret. However, she was curious to know why someone wanted to know who attacked the Vampires. Usually, when she came across Vampires and beat them, people never investigated as to why this happened. It was a curious thing and it made Blair wonder if this situation had to do with the fact no Witch was openly performing magic.

“Tell Marcel that I’ll be keeping an eye out for anything suspicious,” Katie said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I love you, bye.”

For a moment, Blair frowned and began to ponder. The name Marcel sounded familiar but she soon dismissed this thought. Not wanting to hear anymore, Blair left the shop as a casual place. She didn’t want Katie to get suspicious that she had just left the shop. Katie couldn’t know that she had been listening in on the conversation because that would cause more complications than needed.

Now out of the stuffy shop, Blair walked along the street, a bad feeling bubbling in her chest. Her eyes scanned the area – there weren’t many people around – most of the people were Vampires. Typically, Vampires didn’t walk the streets because the sunlight would burn them. But these Vampires were walking in the sun and acting like normal people. Blair was aware that daylight rings existed – though they were rare because Witches didn’t like to help Vampires. Blair knew that something was up with this city, but she didn’t realise how bad it was. Vampires ruled this city – and Blair had a feeling that a person called Marcel was the Vampire behind this.

Blair entered a park, needing more time to think about her situation. This was all very confusing and she didn’t like being caught unaware. Spotting a nearby bench, Blair sat down and watched as children ran around, with happy smiles on their faces. Everyone in the park was human making Blair relax slightly.

However, this peace didn’t last long as Chloe sat down on the far end of the same bench, “You need to get out of here.” She said, staring ahead and not looking at Blair.

“What the hell is going on here?” Blair demanded, also not looking in the other Fae’s direction. If anyone else had said this to her, she would have perceived this as a threat but she felt inclined to believe Chloe. But she wanted to understand what was going on first.

Chloe frowned and sighed deeply. “A war.”

“What the bloody hell does that mean?” Blair asked as she looked to Chloe in annoyance and confusion. She hated it when people spoke cryptically, that’s why she hated speaking to other Fae. They liked to speak in riddles because it amused them. She much preferred it when people just spoke bluntly and to the point.

Shaking her head, Chloe looked to Blair. “You don’t get it. The Mikaelson’s used to rule New Orleans and when they fled, Marcel took over. Now the Mikaelson’s have returned and Niklaus wants his throne back and will stop at nothing. This place will become a warzone and if you’re not willing to spy for the Queen, then leave before things get ugly.” Her voice became pleading towards the end, practically begging her friend to leave New Orleans.

Blair cursed under her breath. “Of course the one place I picked would become a war zone,” She cursed her rotten luck. She was certain that the Fae were meant to be lucky, but she wasn’t. “I take it Marcel is a Vampire then?” Blair asked, her eyes scanning the park once more. She noticed that the number of people in the park was getting smaller as the children and their families left.

Chloe nodded her head. “Yes. He commands the Vampires and keeps the Witches on leashes. That’s why you need to get out before he finds out.”

Blair frowned. It all clicked in her brain as to why the name Marcel was so familiar. She had heard all about him chasing out the Wolves of New Orleans, which used to be their territory and had them cursed to stay in their Wolf forms. What he had done had spread through the grapevine quite quickly and it had reached her informants, who passed it onto her – not that Blair had actually been paying attention. Blair mentally cursed her lack of interest and reminded herself to contact her informants again to get more information.

“Attacking those Vampires was reckless, and now Marcel is looking for you,” Chloe said, her voice scolding.

Blair looked at her and glared, “They tried to take a bite out of me. They got what was coming.”

Chloe shook her head, “It doesn’t matter. Just get out before it’s too late,” With that, Chloe stood up and left the park, not looking back.

Watching her go, Blair sighed deeply. She realised that she couldn’t stay in New Orleans if it was going to become a war zone. She had only been in New Orleans for a day and was already having to leave, but this hadn’t been the shortest she had stayed in one place – that record belonged to Jamaica. Blair knew that Chloe wouldn’t lie to her about this, even after not seeing each other for 400 years. Blair knew that it was never safe for a Fae to be near a war because they always got dragged in – and if a Fae did get involved, they liked to be on the winning side. Knowing that she would need to pack, Blair stood up but then a sudden wave of dizziness and sickness hit her. “Shit,” Blair muttered under her breath as bright colours took over her vision – her powers were acting up. A burning pain hit her as her anxiety flew through the roof. She couldn’t be getting a vision now, in a public open space. Blair forced herself to stand, stumbling everywhere but that’s when her vision went white and she gasped.

Visions of a woman filled her brain and she was beautiful. She had long brown hair, olive skin and stunning green eyes. There was a bump – she was pregnant. Blair could hear whispers of the woman’s name, Hayley. Visions of the Witches trying to harm Hayley filled her brain and the screaming echoed loudly. Images swarmed her brain of another person, a sixteen-year-old child, the whispers calling her Davina. Another flash appeared and next, Davina was having her throat slashed. Hayley had her throat flashed, the baby was taken away and all Blair could hear was screaming that belonged to a man. Other images filled her head of different people, people who Blair had never seen before but the whispers gave away the names of each member of the Mikaelson family. The whispers grew louder but the name that rang out the loudest was Niklaus Mikaelson. Then, it all changed when she heard shrill screaming. The Harvest, the Originals and the Wolves.

Eventually, the images faded away and soon her sight came back along with her hearing and sense of touch. Blair gulped in the air, finding herself unable to breathe. She hated it when her powers took over because it left her weak and vulnerable. When she was in a vision, she could not defend herself and all her senses went numb as the visions assaulted her mind. One of the advantages of her visions was how detailed they were and she has them detailed to memory. Blair tried to stand up but she found that she had no strength as her whole body felt like jelly. After a few weak attempts, Blair fell back to the ground and her vision became spotty and soon she saw nothing as exhaustion took over her.

Hours passed and Blair remained unmoved as the world moved around her. Soon, night time came and that’s when Blair roused from her state of unconscious. She groaned as she rolled over onto her back and she tried to open her eyes even though they felt extremely heavy. As her vision cleared, the first thing she noticed that it was night time and that made her panic. She was still out in the open where anyone could find her and it appeared as though she had been there for a long time – too long. She didn’t know what time it was but she knew that she needed to get back to her room and reapply the perfume before a Vampire made her a snack. Blair stood up with major difficulty – her bones still felt jelly week her vision was doubled.

Blair was so out of it, she didn’t notice that a figure appeared behind her until it was too late. When Blair did notice, she turned around, she could barely make out the figure, “Who are you?” Her voice slurred and her eyes unfocused.
The man looked at her and smirked, “Klaus,”

Before Blair could even register what he said, Klaus appeared in behind her and hit her head with such force it felt like her head was cracked open. A loud crunch echoed as Blair fell to the ground limply. Klaus looked at Blair’s unconscious body before picking her up and tossing her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. Within a blink of the eye, he and Blair where gone.

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Blair groaned as she felt herself come back to consciousness. Her head was pounding and her ears were ringing, it felt like she had been in a fight and had lost miserably. She slowly opened her eyes and winced when she saw the sunlight bleeding into the room. It took a few moments for her sensitive eyes to adjust to the new lighting and when it did she did not recognise anything. Blair didn’t know where she was, but she did know she was sitting in a chair and her neck and back were in a very uncomfortable angle. Once her sight and bearings came back to her, she saw she was in a very fancy house – fashionably decorated and everything looked expensive. If she wasn’t in this situation she probably would have liked it but this was not the time for such fancies. Blair tried to move her hands and feet but found that she couldn’t move them and this made her frown in confusion. Looking down, Blair noticed the ropes wrapped around her wrists and ankles, binding her to the chair. A bubble of panic fluttered in her chest. Could the Hunter have found her already? Blair mentally shook her head and shot down this answer. It wasn’t the Hunter that found her – if it had been then he would have killed her on sight like he had tried multiple times in the past. He wouldn’t have brought her to a fancy house and tied her to a chair as that wasn’t his style. No, the Hunter wasn’t behind this, this much she was confident about but that made her even more confused. If it wasn’t the Hunter, who was it? Blair tried to mover her hands to get the knife strapped to her thigh, but she found she couldn’t even move it much and this made her curse loudly in frustration.

Blair cast her mind back to what happened last, remembering how she had a vision and she had been too weak to protect herself. She knew someone had snuck up on her but she couldn’t remember who it had been. Blair mentally cursed her powers, after having visions she was always weak for at least twelve hours afterwards, which is why she hated using them and would only use them sparingly. She used them when she was in a safe space and never out in the open. Her powers hardly ever activated without her foreknowledge but this time it did and now she was paying the consequences. There hadn’t been any warning signs of an impending vision either and so she couldn’t prepare for it. She wasn’t given much time to ponder anything more as footsteps gave away that someone was heading her way. Two figures walked into the room, one male and the other female. The moment Blair saw them, she instantly knew who they were based on her visions.

“Well, look who decided to wake up,” Klaus smirked as he walked further into the room with Rebekah right behind him.

Glaring at the Hybrid, Blair asked. “What the hell do you want?” Mentally, Blair was cursing her rotten luck. Of all the people she had to be kidnapped by, it had to be Niklaus Mikaelson. She had decided that New Orleans was cursed and she needed to get out as soon as possible – if she survived this encounter. Not too many people lived after meeting Klaus.

Klaus looked to his sister in amusement. “At least she isn’t asking the boring questions,” Most of his hostages would ask the typical questions so it was nice for a change, straight to business. Though, most never made it that far because he usually killed them beforehand.

Rebekah rolled her eyes, “Just get on with it Nik,” She wanted to find Elijah already so she didn’t care much for the dramatics.

“Fine,” Klaus said before looking to Blair. “I need you to do something for me, love.”

Blair stared at him for a moment, unimpressed. She had heard many things about Klaus Mikaelson – none too kind, but she thought he would have been taller and a bit bulkier considering his reputation. She wasn’t going to lie, Klaus was an attractive man but not her type. “Why should I do anything for you?” She asked, arching a brow. The grin on his face was the feature Blair noticed the most and even then she wasn’t impressed. She had no idea what Katherine saw in him.

Klaus slowly smirked, “I am glad you asked.” He took a knife out from his pocket and walked over to Blair before he placed the blade onto her face.

Blair’s eyes widened when she felt the familiar burning sensation. The blade was made out of iron. Blair locked her jaw, her teeth grinding together as the burning pain got worse. Her body convulsed, trying to get away from the iron, but Klaus was stubborn and would press the metal harder onto her face, burning the flesh below it. Just as Blair was about to scream from the agonising pain, Klaus pulled the blade away. As the blade was moved away from her, Blair sagged in the chair, almost thankful for the rope otherwise she would have fallen to the floor. Mentally, Blair was cursing Klaus because of how much she hated iron being used against her. It was vile stuff that left her feeling weak and drained.

“She really is a Fae,” Rebekah said, staring at Blair and the burn mark with wide eyes. She was only aware of one species that iron could injure and that was a Fae. Rebekah had never met a Fae before but heard loads about them. She, like everyone, thought them to be extinct. It was almost unreal to think that one was in front of her because she didn’t look like a Fae.

“Yes,” Klaus said, looking down at the iron knife, “Makes one curious as to why you’re in New Orleans,” He tilted his head as he began to ponder the idea himself. He knew very little about the Fae and it was concerning that one of them was in his city.
Blair glared at them, “Bite me.”

“Is that an invitation?” Klaus asked, mischief in his eyes. He couldn’t deny that the Fae in front of him smelt divine and he didn’t mind sinking his teeth into her neck to taste her blood. He had tasted Fae blood once before and it had been the most delicious thing he had ever consumed in his thousand-year life. Nothing else compared to the euphoria he felt and just thinking about Fae blood made his mouth water.

Blair grit her teeth, her glare hardening as she looked at Klaus. All the rumours she had heard about him were true. He was a sly, malicious bastard who took what he wanted. A whole list of negatives about Klaus was going through her thoughts and she had half a mind to shout a few of them at him. Blair could feel the burn on her face slowly healing, the iron had slowed down her healing abilities.

“Enough!” Rebekah exclaimed, moving her brother out of the way. “We need you to perform a locator spell. Our brother’s body has been taken and we want him back.” She knew that if she let Nik have his way, they would be at this for hours before anything was achieved and she was getting angsty.

Turning her attention to the blonde Vampire, Blair looked her up and down. At least this one was prettier. Maybe in the next place she went, she would be blonde. “I was kidnapped because you need a spell? Go ask the Witches.” She dismissed, turning her head away from the Originals.

Blair felt something touch under her chin and her head was moved to the other side so she was now facing Klaus, his face inches away from hers. “Help us, or I will kill you.” He hissed lowly under his breath, his eyes wild and dangerous.

Blair’s eyes glowed purple as fury filled her. “Do not touch me!” She yelled, flicking her finger as she felt her magic awaken. She did not take kindly to people touching her without her permission, and Klaus did not have her permission.

Klaus backed away, his own eyes blown wide. An unbearable pain filled his brain, and he fell to his knees. His eyesight and hearing were gone. He couldn’t touch, smell or taste anything. It was a terrifying experience. Even as he screamed, he couldn’t hear anything or feel anything. In his thousand years alive, he had never felt anything like this before. He had always been the predator, but now he felt vulnerable.

“What are you doing?!” Rebekah yelled out as she watched her brother writhe on the floor in agony. “Stop it!”

“Untie these ropes, now!” Blair ordered, her eyes still glowing purple.

Klaus continued to scream in agony, blood now pouring from his ears and nose.

Rebekah grabbed the knife that Klaus dropped and pressed it against Blair’s face, “I said stop!” She yelled out, pressing the iron blade deeper into the Fae’s face.

Blair hissed loudly, the blade hurting even more than before. Feeling herself weaken, Blair stopped her assault on Klaus, and only then did Rebekah remove the blade from her face. Blair breathed in deeply, the pain still wracked her body as the aftershock hit her. Her glamour shook but held in place due to her own stubbornness. Luckily, it seemed no one noticed this.

Slowly, Klaus stood up, the blood on his face making him even more menacing than before. “I was going to be nice, but not anymore.” He took the iron knife from Rebekah’s hand and stabbed it into Blair’s left thigh.

Blair screamed loudly, pain flooding her system. She could feel the iron inside her thigh, burning away everything it touched. She struggled in her bindings, trying to get her hands free so she could get that iron blade out of her, but it was no use. All it did was cause the rope to burn her wrists the more she struggled. The burning iron was cauterising the wound, so she couldn’t even bleed to death after being stabbed.

Klaus moved closer to her, “Ready to reconsider, love?” Using his sleeve, he wiped away the blood and Rebekah sent him a concerned look.

“Go to hell!” Blair shouted back in pain, her body convulsing in agony. The pain was only fuelling her anger against him and she swore to every deity on the planet she would make him pay.

Sighing, Klaus moved to stand behind Blair and snapped her neck with a flick of his wrists. A loud snap echoed through the room as Blair’s head dropped limply and her body sagged.

Rebekah watched in annoyance. “Nik! We needed her.”

Klaus dismissed her, “She’ll wake up in a few hours, and then we can begin again,” He said, removing the blade from Blair’s thigh before leaving the room.

Sparing one last glance at the Fae, Rebekah left the room.

Hours passed before Blair groaned. Her spine fully healed so now she was alive once more. Her neck, thigh and head ached very badly. Blair rolled her head back and moved her shoulders, wincing at how stiff they were. Her whole body was stiff and she was in a foul temper. Blair vowed that when she was free, she would make both Klaus and Rebekah pay for what they did. As soon as she was free, she was going to leave New Orleans so she didn’t have to even look at their faces.

Blair snapped out of her thoughts when Klaus stepped back into the room. He had a smug smirk on his face, “Are you ready to reconsider my offer?” He asked, walking further into the room until he stood in front of her.

“Go fuck yourself,” Blair spat, glaring hatefully at the man.

Within a blink of the eye, Klaus appeared in front of her, “You would do best to watch that tongue of yours,” He hissed lowly, his eyes like blue steel.

“Says the man trying to make a deal with a Fae,” Blair sneered as she leaned forward.

Klaus shrugged his shoulders. “Well, that’s what I thought Fae’s were for. That and snatching children.” His smirk was condescending as if he knew this to be a fact.

Blair rolled her eyes. She hated those stereotypes against her kind. Since the Fae hadn’t been seen in such a long time, people had taken liberties when it came to describing them. Fae was not small or pixie size – they were the same height as ordinary humans, though some smaller than others. However, because some of her kind used to help people in exchange for a favour, people assumed that this is what the Fae did. As for snatching the children, that was not the case either. It was the Witches that demonised the Fae, spreading lies to make themselves out to better than they were. It quickly dawned to Blair that she could use this situation to her advantage. “So, you wish to make a deal with me. But what do I get out of this?” She asked, looking at Klaus with an arched brow. Blair didn’t like to play into the stereotypes but if it meant she could get out of this situation, then so be it.

“How about I don’t kill you,” Klaus suggested, a sly smirk in place. Blair threw her head back and laughed, causing Klaus to frown. “You find your potential death amusing?” No one had laughed in his face when he threatened their lives so this was unexpected.
“No,” Blair shook her head, “But if you want to kill me, you’re going to need to get in line.” She answered, a smirk in place. In her 400 years on the run, Blair had made some enemies, ones that would love to see her dead. But the biggest one was the Hunter and she was pretty sure the Queen would also be happy to see her dead.

Klaus stayed silent, observing the Fae quietly.

“How about this, I help you and then you owe me a favour,” Blair suggested.

“And what pray tell would I owe you?” Klaus asked, intrigued by the offer before him. No one had asked for a favour from him in exchange so this made him curious.

Blair shrugged, “Don’t know yet. But if I need you, I can call it in.” She didn’t see this as a bad deal. Surely there could be nothing wrong with having an Original owing her a favour. She could think of a few things she could do with that favour.

Klaus and Blair stared at one another, a silent battle of wills taking place. Blair wasn’t going to back down, and neither was Klaus. Klaus knew that he could easily take the Fae’s life by just removing her heart from her chest cavity – something that Blair was also well aware of. But he was curious to know what a Fae could do. He hadn’t seen one in a long time and he was very curious. Also, it would give him an advantage as the Fae would be on his side since no one else knew this fact, giving him the element of surprise. The benefits did outweigh the bad, but Klaus hated being told what to do.

Rebekah walked into the room, rolling her eyes at the pair of them. “Oh, just bloody agree to it. There isn’t much you haven’t done anyway,” This was taking far too long for her liking anyway and it appeared the Fae was far too stubborn than they had anticipated.

“Fine,” Klaus said begrudgingly, “You have a deal,”

“Good, now untie me,” Blair demanded, glaring at Klaus. The fact she had been tied up was just insulting. It was a bruise to her ego that Klaus had caught her at a bad moment when she was weak. It was a moment she vowed would never happen again because she hated being weak. If the vision hadn’t caught her off guard she was confident she could have fought him off and make her escape.

“I quite liked you tied up,” Klaus smirked, causing Blair to scowl. Without another word, Klaus pulled at the ropes and snapped them apart with ease.

Once free, Blair rubbed her wrists. There was no mark there but they ached, as did her thigh where Klaus had stabbed her. However, she refused to show weakness in front of two Vampires, especially not Klaus. Blair stood from her seat and looked at the siblings, “I’m going to need a map of New Orleans,” She said, walking out of the room, heading somewhere with more light and the two Originals followed behind her.

Minutes later, Klaus, Rebekah and Blair were sat in the living room. Blair noticed that the living room was even grander than the other room and she could see the expensive Persian rugs on the floor with priceless vases in place. Blair could tell this place was a mansion. Though she doubted that the Mikaelson’s ever did anything by halves. In front of her was a map of New Orleans, something that Rebekah had grabbed for her. It was sat on the table, facing Blair as she was sat on the couch, with Klaus and Rebekah sat adjacent to her.

“Remind me why you need my help again? Surely your brother can get himself out of this situation.” Blair asked, curious as to why an Original would need help getting out of a situation. The legends said that the Originals were basically unbeatable – except if a white oak stake was involved. However, none of them had been spotted in years, except for some in Mystic Falls but she had been told by her informants they were all gone.

Klaus leaned forward and hissed lowly, “That is none of your concern,”

Rebekah rolled her eyes, “Oh shut up. You will find that my dear brother, bargained my other brother’s body. He is desiccated but still very much alive,” As she spoke, she glared at Klaus, still not happy that he had given Elijah’s body to Marcel.
“And as I said, dear sister, I needed to gain Marcel’s trust if I am to regain control of my city,” Klaus replied back, a slight bite to his tone.

Ignoring the siblings, Blair looked at the map. It was a good map that showed all of New Orleans, now the only way she wouldn’t be able to find their brother is if he wasn’t in New Orleans but then she would need another map. “I need your blood. Just a few drops on the map and then I can locate him,” Blair said as she looked at the two Originals.

Klaus and Rebekah looked at one another, silently debating who would give up their blood. Eventually, Rebekah sighed, “I’ll do it.” With her sharpened nails, she sliced a small wound on her wrist and let the blood drop onto the map. After a few drops of blood, Rebekah pulled away from her wrists as it healed up immediately.

With the blood in place, Blair then waved her open hand over the map, hissing a few words under her breath. Klaus and Rebekah stopped talking when they heard Blair hiss in an ancient language, one that they hadn’t heard before. The blood rippled on the map and seemed to congeal into a more solid form before it moved at a slow pace. They watched as the blood began to travel until it stopped and circled around a location: St. Anne's Church.

“That’s where your brother is being kept,” Blair announced, looking at Klaus and Rebekah. Locator spells were easy enough and she couldn’t believe she had been needed for this.

Rebekah stood up, ready to retrieve her brother, but was stopped when Klaus grabbed her arm, stopping her, “Nik! What’s the issue? We know where he is.” She said, looking at him in confusion and frustration.

“No need to be hasty. Now that we know where he is, we need a plan. I can’t just take him. I have already asked Marcel and he said no. So now, it’s time for war. The issue is I still need to gain his trust more so he doesn’t suspect me of anything.” Klaus explained calmly, his mind calculating a plan that would work in his favour. In his mind, this was now war since Marcel had refused his request.

Rebekah huffed and sat back down, not happy with the turn of events.

“Save his life,” Blair said, after watching the two of them.

Klaus and Rebekah looked to the Fae, “What are you talking about?” Rebekah demanded. She hadn’t expected her to talk again and was annoyed when the Fae had spoken up.

Blair rolled her eyes at the attitude. “Look, you need to gain Marcel’s trust. The easiest way is to usually save that person’s life. Set a trap where a Witch uses magic or something, show them that you have his back,” Blair had purposely suggested a Witch. Vampires were still looking for the person who took down three Vampires and that blame could easily be passed onto a Witch since no one knew about her. At least this way, Vampires would stop sniffing around long enough for her to get out of New Orleans.
Slowly, a smirk spread across Klaus’ face. “I knew there was something I liked about you,”

Rolling her eyes, she asked. “Can I leave now?” Blair really needed to change her clothes and soak in a bath for hours to get the grime off her. She didn’t like being unclean and she felt absolutely filthy after passing out on the grass and being stabbed with an iron knife.

Klaus nodded his head, signally that she could leave. As soon as he did that, Blair stood up and left the mansion, not looking back once.

ORIGINALS

Hours had passed since Blair had left the Mikaelson’s place and she had spent that time pampering herself as much as possible. She had spent two hours in the bathtub, scrubbing away the grime on her skin. She had to change the water a few times until it no longer changed colour and she scrubbed her skin until it was raw. After the bath, she had leisurely spent time moisturising her entire body while listening to soothing music and wine she had stolen on the way. She then spent the time magically cleaning her sunflower mini dress, not happy that there were grass stains and blood on the white material. It was one of her favourites and she wasn’t about to lose it now. Blair had also found her bag in the park, amazed that it hadn’t been stolen but she was happy to get her belongings back. Perfectly clean and her skin soft, Blair was dressed in a large t-shirt and a pair of panties, getting ready for bed. She had also sprayed her scent blocking perfume on herself, decided to carry it in her bag instead. She had been caught off guard twice and that didn’t sit right with her. Usually, she wasn’t this bad. It was due to this that Blair started to think that New Orleans was cursed. That was why Blair had decided to leave first thing tomorrow morning. Her suitcase was already packed as well as all her other stuff. Now, she pondered on what her new glamour would look like and had decided to not go blonde. Maybe this time she might be a middle-aged woman just to mix it up a little bit. It had been forty years since she had made her glamour a middle-aged woman.

Just as Blair was about to settle into her bed for the night, there was a knock on her door. Blair looked at the door cautiously. It was nearly midnight and it seemed suspicious that someone was knocking on her door at that time.

“It’s me,” Chloe said from the other side of the door.

Groaning, Blair stood up and opened the door, lowering her magical shields around the room, “What?” She demanded, unhappy with the intrusion. She had wanted to drink her wine in peace before going to bed but it seemed that wasn’t going to happen.
Chloe attempted to walk into the room but was met with resistance. She looked to Blair confused, “Can I come in?” She asked, curious of the magic Blair had in place. She had never seen magic like this and it made her wonder what else Blair could do.
For a moment, Blair considered turning Chloe away but something inside her told her not to. Sighing deeply, Blair nodded her head. “Yes, you can come in,” She took a step back and allowed Chloe to walk into her room. Once she was inside, Blair closed the door and checked to make sure her magic barrier was still in place, which it was. With that checked, she then placed a privacy spell around the room – a habit she had got into many years ago.

Chloe started to pace around the room anxiously, “You were right,” She said, her voice low and her whole body tense.

“I usually am.” Blair agreed, nodding her head as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Chloe stopped pacing and looked to Blair, “The Queen wants the child. She was furious when she found out that Hayley nearly aborted the child with aconite.” Her eyes were darting around the room. Years of secrecy making Chloe jumpy and paranoid.
Something inside Blair relaxed. She was relieved to know that it hadn’t been Chloe that purchased the Wolfsbane and she understood why it had been Wolf Girl. If she was pregnant with Klaus’ child, she would have done the same thing. But, she wouldn’t have slept with him, to begin with – she had standards for goodness sake. However, the name Hayley rang a bell, it had been the name of the Wolf girl that she had a vision about. Blair repressed a shiver at the vision. It hadn’t been a pleasant vision to see.
“She is going to send someone to kidnap Hayley and the child saying that she couldn’t trust Hayley not to do something stupid. I don’t know when, but she plans to send Tumas after her,” Chloe said, fear seeping into her eyes.

That name caused Blair to curse out loud. She knew that the Queen was serious if she sent Tumas after Hayley. Tumas was the Queen’s, right-hand man. He was strong – his speed and agility were unrivalled by any Fae. Tumas was also the leader of the Queen’s Royal Guards and he trained any young Fae willing to fight for the Queen. His devotion to the Queen was borderline creepy and terrifying. Brushing this off, Blair asked, “And what does this have to do with me?”

“You have to help her.” Chloe pleaded, “You’re the only one that can,” She had not seen any Fae with magic like Blair’s and she knew that Blair was the only person that could help her. She was confident that Blair could help protect that child from the Queen.
Blair shook her head, “I am not doing anything. I am leaving New Orleans tomorrow and going somewhere else,” She hadn’t decided where she was going to go, but anywhere was better than New Orleans at this point. There was no way she was getting involved with a war and meeting Klaus had only solidified this thought.

Chloe stared at Blair with pleading eyes, “Please. You know what the Queen will do to this baby once it’s born,” Her voice was barely above a whisper, but desperation was laced into it.

Staying silent, Blair looked away from Chloe. Blair knew exactly what the Queen would do to the child – she did know that woman best after all. If the rumours were true about the baby being the downfall of the Witches, the Queen would use that baby as a weapon. The Queen would mould the baby into her own image and use that child to destroy the Witches. All Fae hated Witches and all Witches hated Fae. Vampires and Werewolves were mortal enemies, just like Witches and Fae were enemies. However, the Witches had been unchecked for a while and the Queen would use that child to bring all Witches to their knees.

“You do it,” Blair said, not wanting to get involved.

Shaking her head, Chloe looked at the ground, saddened. “I can’t. I am taking a huge risk by even being here and warning you. If anyone were to know I was warning you, I would be killed. As far as they know, I am still trying to convince you to spy for the Queen.”

“Something I will never do,” Blair said, adamant about this.

Chloe nodded her head, “I know, you’re stubborn,” She said with a weak smile. She hadn’t told the Queen anything about Blair’s responses, knowing that they would upset her. Chloe was aware of how badly Blair had it and she didn’t need the Queen as an enemy too. However, the Queen was starting to become impatient and there wasn’t much Chloe could do.

Blair smirked, agreeing with her statement.

“But you know what she’ll do to the child if she gets her hands on it,” Chloe said, “I am begging you to not let that happen. Just stay a few days longer,” She could not in good conscious let anything happen to that baby. The baby was innocent and didn’t deserve what the Queen had planned.

Blair frowned and sighed deeply, “I’ll think about it,”

Chloe sighed in relief, “Thank you,”

Shaking her head, she motioned to do the door, “Now go before she gets suspicious,” Blair said, waving her hand to bring down her seals around the room so Chloe could leave. She knew that if Chloe didn’t leave soon then it would look suspicious and she didn’t trust the Queen to not have people watching Chloe.

Without another word, Chloe left the room, leaving Blair on her own. Blair waved her hand, putting back all her locks and seals around the room.

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

A few days had passed since and then and Blair was still in New Orleans. She was surprised by her decision to stay longer and she was mentally cursing Chloe. She had agreed to give it a few more days and then go from there and see what happened. The only reason she was staying was to keep an eye out on things and make sure everything was okay but everything seemed normal. Chloe’s warning had put her on edge, she was constantly looking out to see if Tumas had been sent out but he hadn’t arrived so she was happy for that small kindness. She had even taken to walking around New Orleans more often as if she was patrolling the area just to make sure she couldn’t sense any of her own kind around, but she had sensed nothing so far. Something that struck Blair as odd was that she couldn’t sense Chloe around anymore either. Blair dismissed any concerns about Chloe, she could handle herself and the Queen needed Chloe so she was confident that Chloe would be fine. She was certain that Chloe would turn up soon and everything would be well.

Blair was sat in the café near her hotel, munching on her full English breakfast. This was not the same café she would visit and instead, she went to the one in the next road. The people there had acted too friendly and had guessed her order before she came in and Blair knew that it was time to leave. They were becoming familiar with her and she didn’t want to be predictable so she found a new café.

For that day, Blair wore a camel crepe check pinafore mini dress, with a thin white long-sleeved top and a black belt around her waist. She had a pair of black high heeled ankle boots with rose gold sunglasses and a small black bag. As she was nearly finished her breakfast, she saw someone walk past the window, catching her immediate attention. Turning her head, she watched as a woman walked by – one that Blair recognised. The woman was beautiful, she had olive skin hazel green eyes and long dark brown hair. She was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, a pair of black boots, a car key green shirt and a black jacket. It was Hayley, the pregnant werewolf.

Feeling curious, Blair stood up and left the café, following after the Wolf girl. She was interested to see what all the fuss was about in the first place. It took a lot to set the Fae world a flutter and this one woman and baby had managed to do it to the point the Queen was sending people out of hiding. In all her time on the run, this had never happened before and so she wanted to learn more. Blair followed after Hayley, keeping a large distance between them, making sure that it didn’t seem as though she was following the girl. Blair looked around, watching as Hayley would browse past the shops but never actually went into a stores. It didn’t seem as though she had a destination in mind, but as if she was there to window shop.

Blair watched the woman and found herself disinterested. She wasn’t doing anything interesting and now Blair felt like she was wasting her time. There were a few instances Blair would go into shops because Hayley was boring her so much but she reminded herself to be patient. It did strike her as odd that Hayley was out in the open with no destination in mind and it made Blair wonder what she was doing out. As Blair continued to watch Hayley, she felt another presence flicker onto her radar and it made her stand straighter.

Another Fae was watching Hayley and it wasn’t Chloe.

As she searched for the other Fae, a sense of dread filled Blair. Chloe had been right, the Queen was here to collect Hayley and take the child for her own. She was going to extreme lengths to ensure that she got that baby before anyone else did. Eyes scanning the crowd, Blair tried to pinpoint where the presence was coming from but it wasn’t easy because of how many other supernatural creatures there were in the immediate area. Witches and Vampires were present, mingling with the humans and so this made it harder to pinpoint just one person from the other. There was a moment where she considered not getting involved and she could walk away from this situation right now, after all, she didn’t need to add anything else to her to-do list. If she got involved she knew it would make her an enemy to the Queen, and as much as she didn’t like the woman, she didn’t want to make an enemy out of her.

As much as Blair didn’t want to get involved, she knew she didn’t have much of a choice in this matter anymore. She didn’t want the Queen to have this child and no one else was going to stand up to the Queen in the Fae community because they had all been brainwashed. With her mind made up, Blair mentally groaned and continued to follow after Hayley while trying to make a plan of action of how to deal with the Fae. Blair knew that she needed to draw the Fae out as it was impossible to pinpoint them in this crowd. Instead, she watched as Hayley window-shopped, keeping an eye out for anyone that came too close to the Wolf girl but no one did.

For what seemed like hours, Blair was tailing Hayley and so was the other Fae. Their movements confused Blair as it seemed they were waiting for something and she assumed they were waiting for Hayley to be alone so they could kidnap her. Sometimes, the other Fae would get too close and there were a few times Blair had nearly jumped in too soon but then the other Fae would pull back. She wondered if the other Fae was aware she was even there but she dismissed this. However, it seemed an opportunity came up when Hayley walked into an alleyway and a figure followed soon after. Seeing her chance, Blair sped walked over to the alley and watched the scene in front of her while also remaining hidden. She didn’t want to give her presence away and lose that element of surprise. Blair looked at the Fae – she vaguely recognised him and she relaxed when she saw it wasn’t Tumas, but it was someone Tumas had trained. Seeing that it wasn’t Tumas made her sigh in relief, if it had been him then this would be completely different.

Hayley turned to face the Fae, “You want to tell me why you’ve been tailing me?” She demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. She had felt someone following her for the past couple of hours and it had been annoying. She had managed to sneak out of the house and now she was being tailed. For a moment, Hayley had thought Klaus had sent someone to follow her and make sure she was okay.

“Hayley Marshall, you are to come with me at once,” The Fae said in a robotic voice.

Hayley glared at him in defiance, “No,”

As quick as lightning, the Fae was behind Hayley and went to hit her, but she ducked at the last second and kicked the Fae in the stomach. The Fae winced at the kick, not anticipating for Hayley to retaliate with such strength. Hayley then began a barrage of attacks, hitting and kicking, never allowing the Fae to rest or get a hit in.

Blair watched this all happen, impressed by the Wolf girl’s skill in fighting. It was obvious to anyone that Hayley could defend herself. But Blair knew that the Fae was just playing with Hayley, testing out her strength before he attacked. This Fae hadn’t fought a Werewolf before, so he was testing to see how much strength she possessed and how much force he could use in return. It was only when Blair saw the Fae reach into his pocket that she reacted.

Magic sparked at her fingertips as she waited for the right moment to intervene. She had a vague idea of what the Fae was reaching for but she didn’t give him the opportunity. Blair waved her hand and a blast of energy was sent in the Fae’s direction, the force of the energy sent the Fae flying into the wall of the alley. A sickening crack echoing in the air as his body fell to the ground limply. Once safe, Blair casually walked over and checked on the Fae, kneeling down next to him. She pulled off his mask and saw it was Raphael, a low levelled Fae within Tumas’ ranks. Checking on him, Blair found that Raphael was unconscious and he hadn’t seen who attacked him, meaning she was still in the clear. The Queen would never know of her involvement.

“Why did you help? I was fine,” Hayley demanded after she snapped out of her shock. She didn’t understand why she was attacked in the first place. It was bad enough that the Witches were after her, now there was another person.

Blair stood and looked to the Wolf girl. “He was trying to kidnap you,”

Hayley blinked slowly in surprise, “What? Why would he do that?” She asked, looking at the unconscious Fae in confusion.

Blair looked at Hayley’s stomach – which showed hardly any signs of pregnancy. “Your baby,”

Hayley’s whole body stiffened, “Excuse me?” Hayley demanded, a low growl in her chest. She was could feel herself becoming defensive. No one was meant to know about the pregnancy – no one outside a small group of individuals.

Blair rolled her eyes, “You need to get out of here, somewhere safe. He isn’t going to be the last,” She said, turning around to walk away. If she got away now then maybe she wouldn’t need to get involved any more than she already had.

“Wait!” Hayley yelled, causing Blair to stop in her tracks and mentally groan, “You’re the one who helped Klaus and Rebekah locate Elijah.” Hayley had been wondering why the woman’s scent had been so familiar, and she realised it was because she had been in the mansion she was currently staying at. Hayley had been confused by the new scent as Klaus didn’t often let people into the mansion.

“I am,” Blair said, nodding her head, “Now leave,” She knew that she and the Wolf Girl needed to get out of here before the Fae woke up. She didn’t need Raphael knowing that she was involved and inform the Queen and Hayley needed to get far away from him.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” Hayley snapped back, her form tense as if she was ready for a fight.

Blair arched a brow at her defensive attitude, not impressed. “Fine, next time he attacks I won’t help you,”

Hayley frowned for a moment as examined the woman in front of her. She couldn’t deny that the woman smelt fantastic and it made her curious as to who and what she was. “Are you a Fae too?” She asked cautiously.

Smirking, Blair ignored her question. “Go home before he wakes up,”

Just then, Raphael groaned and Blair tensed, he was waking up a lot sooner than anticipated. The sound caused both Hayley and Blair to be on edge and Blair instinctively took a step closer to Hayley as if ready to protect her. They needed to get out of this alleyway soon before Raphael woke up completely. Formulating a quick plan in her head, Blair held out her hand, “Take my hand,”

Hayley looked at her in confusion, silently asking her why she needed to take her hand.

Rolling her eyes, Blair answered. “I can use my magic to teleport us. Just take my hand and I’ll do the rest,” With her magic, she could teleport places, but she didn’t like to use it often. Teleporting via her magic was strenuous and she hated being low on magic. However, Blair knew that she didn’t have much of a choice at this point since she needed to get Hayley back home before Raphael woke up.

Hesitantly, Hayley placed her hand into Blair’s open hand.

Blair closed her eyes, remembering the living room of the mansion. That was the catch with teleportation magic, Blair had to have been to the place before to teleport anywhere. Then the world around Blair shifted, the floor disappearing below her and she felt Hayley’s grip on her hand tightening to the point it was going to break. Suddenly, they were back on solid ground and Blair opened her eyes. They were now in the living room.

“We’re here,” Blair announced for Hayley’s benefit.

Hayley let go of Blair’s hand and groaned. “I feel sick,” She said, sitting down on the couch. She was paler than before, even looking slightly green.

Blair looked down at her in disgust, the thought of her vomiting made her uncomfortable. “Yeah, I probably should have said something,” Blair said, not feeling guilty. It took a while for anyone to feel comfortable with teleporting – the first time was always the worst and most people actually threw up.

Looking up, Hayley glared, “You think?”

Blair nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders.

“Hayley!” Klaus’ voice rang throughout the room, seemingly coming from everywhere.

Blair looked around, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. In the blink of the eye, Blair was shoved into the wall, a hand at her throat. Her head throbbed as it hit the stone wall and her vision doubled for a moment. Blinking, Blair saw Klaus in front of her, a furious expression on his face.

“What are you doing here?” Klaus growled lowly, his eyes flashing gold.

Fury welled up inside her and she thrust her hand on Klaus’ chest as she pulled magic into her hands in anger. In a split second, Klaus was sent flying across the room, crashing into the next adjacent Blair. “And I said, do not touch me!” She hissed, rage in her eyes. This was the second time Klaus had touched her without her permission and she hated him for it.

Klaus was up in seconds, about to pounce again when he was interrupted. Rebekah and Elijah walked into the room, intrigued by all the noise. They had been discussing Hayley and the Harvest before they had heard Hayley’s voice and felt a shift in the air. Klaus had been the one to investigate but he was taking far too long for their liking. Elijah looked at the newcomer and frowned, “What is going on here?” He asked, looking to Klaus and Hayley for answers.

“She kidnapped Hayley,” Klaus accused with a venomous expression. This statement caused both Rebekah and Elijah to be on their guard, staring at Blair cautiously. They had noticed that Hayley had snuck out, but Klaus had one of his compelled Vampires watching over her when Hayley disappeared.

Blair rolled her eyes. “I did not kidnap her, I brought her back.” She couldn’t help but feel a little offended that they were accusing her of this. Why would she want to kidnap a pregnant Wolf? She was not the Queen.

“She’s right,” Hayley said, standing now that she felt better. The wave of nausea had faded and now she didn’t feel like she was going to throw up every two seconds.

Elijah, Klaus and Rebekah shared a look with one another, “Then what is she doing here?” Rebekah asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She was certain she would not see the Fae again, she assumed that she would have run far away from New Orleans – that’s if she was smart – but she hadn’t.

Hayley looked to Blair, hoping that she would say something, but Blair turned her head away. She declined to say anything, deciding to leave it to the Wolf Girl as she refused to get involved. Sighing deeply, Hayley looked to the Originals, “She helped me. Someone tried to attack me in the alley and she knocked him unconscious,” Hayley explained, her pride bruised that someone had to come and help her.

“Who was it? I’ll kill them,” Klaus demanded, furious that someone would touch Hayley when she was carrying his child.

Hayley glared at him, “I don’t know, I didn’t get a chance to ask as he was attacking me,”

All eyes turned to Blair, causing her to scowl. “It was a Fae,” She said plainly. She wondered if Raphael was awake yet, and what he was now planning. She guessed that he would be licking his wounds and hiding somewhere, no doubt trying to figure out who attacked him. If he was smart, wouldn’t report back to the Queen as she did not take failure very well.

Elijah arched a brow, “They’ve come out of hiding?” In his long life, Elijah had met a handful of Fae, but not in the last eight hundred years. As far as he was aware, they had all went into hiding, for what reason was unknown to him.
Blair looked at Elijah, now noticing how handsome he was. Her eyes trailed up and down, taking in his strong jawline and the fine suite that fit him and his body perfectly. There was nothing she liked more than a man in a suit and she was definitely appreciating the view in front of her. Elijah caught her eye and she winked at him but he looked away from her, unimpressed by her candour. Blair grinned and licked her lips, he was definitely her type.

“She said they were after the baby,” Hayley said, unconsciously placing a hand over her flat stomach.

Huffing, Klaus ran a hand through his hair, “Great, another creature after my unborn child,” Klaus said sarcastically. It was bad enough the Witches were holding Hayley and his child hostage, but now the Vampires were looking for a Werewolf. This list was getting too long for his liking.

Rebekah sighed deeply, “Can you explain what the bloody hell is going on?” She asked, looking to Blair.

For a moment, Blair considered saying nothing and just walking out but she assumed it wouldn’t be taken very well. She doubted she could run out before they caught her and so she knew she needed to play nice – for now. Blair sighed deeply, “Look, all I know is that the Fae’s want the Wolf Girl’s child. The child is believed to be the end of all Witches and the Queen wants the child for herself.” She knew the quicker she said this, the quicker she could leave. She didn’t even want to be here in the first place but she had needed to make sure that Hayley got back safe.

The room was silent for a moment. The statement alone had been a lot to take in for everyone. Hayley looked down at her stomach, the horror set in. So many things were after her baby that she feared what would happen when it was actually born.
Rebekah looked to Klaus, annoyed. “Of course an offspring of yours would bring the end to Witches,”

Klaus rolled his eyes, “And how do we know this to be true?” He asked, staring at Blair with suspicion. He didn’t believe a word that was being said, everything seemed a bit too convenient for his liking.

“And why would you help us?” Elijah followed up, curious as to why Blair would betray her own kind. He had known the Fae to stick together, something he had admired about the Fae.

Hayley looked up, curious for answers.

Blair pressed her lips together, annoyed. “Look, I am only telling you so you are aware. I am not getting involved. I have my own issues to sort out.” She had to keep moving around so the Hunter didn’t catch up with her. She couldn’t risk staying in one place too long, and she didn’t want to help in the first place. It was a complete spur of the moment kind of thing and she hoped it would never happen again.

Klaus smirked, “I think you owe us since it’s your kind that is after Hayley and my child,”

“I can protect my child,” Hayley protested, but she was largely ignored.

Blair glared at the Hybrid, “I owe you nothing.” She hissed lowly, still remembering how he had burned her with an iron knife. That was something that would never be forgotten – she didn’t take kindly to people torturing her. Her magic bubbled under her skin, itching to make him pay for what he did to her but she knew it wasn’t time. She wouldn’t get him when he least expected it and make him beg for mercy.

“But you know what they’re planning,” Rebekah commented.

“Not exactly,” Blair admitted while shaking her head, “I no longer run with them.” When she had first been cast out, she had been devastated. But now, she didn’t care. In fact, it was better because she was free from their control, but she didn’t care much for the Hunter chasing after her.

“Oh, do tell,” Klaus asked, amused.

Blair scowled, “That is none of your business,”

Elijah had mostly been silent, watching the interaction between the Fae and his family. He had been silently assessing whether she was a danger to his family and he had yet to make up his mind. “Then why are you here? You have served your purpose.” He was rather curious about this Fae in front of him but now was not the time.

“To warn you,” Blair answered, watching Elijah closely. She had heard much about him, he was supposedly the honourable one. But she had never come across a Vampire that was honourable yet – not even Katherine who was her friend for many years. However, she did agree with Katherine’s assessment of Elijah and mentally clapped her on the back of bedding him. “They will be back to collect Hayley. Raphael was there to test Hayley and your defences.”

Hayley looked to the Fae, “And what if you’re lying?”

Blair shrugged, “I don’t care if you believe me. But no one can say I never tried,” At least now, Chloe couldn’t say she didn’t try, because she did. Either way, she didn’t care what happened. Blair didn’t want the Queen to have the child, but at the same time, this issue didn’t affect her at all in the slightest.

“Yes, well you’ve delivered your message so you can leave,” Klaus said, unimpressed with the potential threat. He was confident that he would protect his unborn child, he didn’t need a warning.

“Gladly,” Blair said, leaving the house with her head held high.

Elijah watched her leave, unable to find himself looking away from the Fae. She intrigued him, he hadn’t met anyone like her before.

ORIGINALS

Blair arrived back at her hotel room, feeling her body relax as she locked the door magically. She put her bag down along with her sunglasses on the side and walked further into her room. Blair only made it three steps into her room before she stopped. Blair looked around her room, something was off. She could feel the magic in the air – magic that did not belong to her. Turning around, Blair looked at her door and waved her hand, muttering a spell under her breath. As she did so, colours appeared around the door. The colour was mostly white, indicating her magic. But then she saw another colour around the doors and windows of her room and her suspicions had been confirmed.

Another Fae had attempted to enter her room.

Blair walked over to the windows and then the door, trying to understand if the Fae had managed to get inside her room. After a few seconds, Blair waved her hand and got rid of the colours in the room as she found no evidence that the Fae had made it into her room. If she wasn’t as paranoid as she was, she would have assumed that the foreign magic belonged to Chloe but she was not a fool. Blair could tell from the magical signature that it wasn’t Chloe and that unsettled her. She didn’t like this. This meant they knew where she was staying. With this in mind, Blair grabbed her suitcase and began packing. She was going to leave New Orleans now and decide where to go next. Blair refused to get any more involved in this than she already was. If she left now, maybe the Queen wouldn’t notice and it wouldn’t go any further than it already had. As Blair packed, she began cursing Chloe for pulling her into this in the first place.

Just as she was finished packing, there was a knock on the door.

Blair looked at the door, cautiously walking over to it on the tip of her toes so no one would hear her approach. Blair slowed down her breathing, forcing herself to stay calm – a technique she had developed over the years of being on the run. Panicking never solved anything and it only made the situation worse. Blair listened in, using her advance hearing, and she could hear nothing. She stayed like this for twenty minutes, not moving a muscle just in case someone was outside and waiting to attack her. After waiting for a little longer, Blair slowly opened the door and saw no one there but her guard was still up. Opening the door wider, Blair peeked her head out and saw no one in the halls – it was completely deserted.

That’s when she looked down and she saw a box sitting outside her door.

Glaring at the box, Blair slowly picked up the box, noting how heavy it was. The bottom of the box was also warm and that made her frown. She did a quick spell to see if there were any traps around or in the box but she found none. Seeing no harm, Blair closed the door and placed the box on the bed while also placing all magical locks back in place. She didn’t want to risk anyone trying to sneak in while she was distracted. Looking at the box, Blair noticed a red tag on the bow and flipped it over to read it.

To Blair,
Love, your Queen

Blair felt a sense of dread fill her as her blood turned to ice. The Queen had sent her something and that usually wasn’t good. The Queen wasn’t known for her generosity. There was a part of her that wanted to throw out the box and set it on fire but she was curious to know what the Queen had sent her. Slowly, Blair lifted the lid to the box and her eyes widened when she saw was inside. In the box was Chloe’s severed head. Blood was spattered all over the bottom and the expression on Chloe’s face was pure terror, her eyes widen in fear and her mouth still open. Chloe had died screaming.

Dropping the lid on the ground, Blair felt nausea hit her fast. The smell alone had her retching. The more Blair stared at the severed head of her friend, the angrier she became and her eyes turned purple. Magic vibrated in the room and the room shook until the windows cracked and glass exploded everywhere.

This meant war.

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Barely an hour had passed and Blair was on the streets of New Orleans. It was evening time and the sky was a burning orange colour. As she walked, her eyes were darting around the streets, searching for someone. She was Fae hunting. She would find Raphael and make him pay for what he did to Chloe. The image of seeing her friend’s severed head was burned into her brain and Blair knew that only the blood of the Queen would quench this thirst for revenge. Blair wasn’t stupid and she had easily deduced what had happened. The Queen has discovered that Chloe wasn’t on her side anymore and decided to get rid of her, while also sending Blair a message that the Queen still had a hold on her. The Queen was malicious and evil – something that no one else in the Fae community noticed because of how much she had brainwashed them. Blair’s magic was bubbling under her skin, begging to be unleashed on something. Blair was livid at the audacity the Queen had. She knew it wasn’t Raphael’s fault, but it was closest she could come to hurting the Queen, so he was going to have to do.

Blair stepped into Rousseau's and felt Raphael’s magic inside the bar. She had been trying to find him for the past hour and now she had found him. It annoyed her how he wasn’t even hiding his magic and this only fuelled her anger further. He was baiting her but she didn’t care. Blair’s eyes swooped the bar, noting that there was a more people tonight, not too many where it was crowded but it was enough where there was loud chatter in the air. It didn’t take long for Blair to spot him, and when she did, she walked over in his direction.

“Raphael,” Blair said, announcing her presence to him.

Raphael looked up to her. He was a tall, handsome man of Asian descent. He had dark hair that fell down to his neck and dark eyes. He was wearing a simple pair of dark jeans and a red t-shirt with black trainers. When Raphael saw her, he smirked. “Well, if it wasn’t the little runaway,”

“Says Tumas’ pet,” Blair answered back, a slight bite in her tone.

Raphael shrugged his shoulders, “Better a pet than a runaway,”

“We’ll see about that,” Blair said, sitting down opposite him. For the plans that she had for him, there was no way he would want to be Tumas’ pet after this. It was these thoughts alone that kept her sane and not jump over the table to stab him.

Leaning back in his seat, Raphael looked to her. “Now, what can I do you for?”

Blair wanted to stab him there and then. She hated how cocky he was, disappointed that this is how he turned out. “You killed Chloe,” She said, her tone blunt and harsh.

“Direct orders, you know I can’t disobey,” Raphael replied, no regret for what he had done.

Blair’s face became blank of any emotion. This had surprised her but she refused to show it. Chloe and Raphael had been close – really close. Chloe had feelings for Raphael and Blair had been certain that those feelings were mutual. It made her curious to know what had happened in her 400 years away. “Why?” Blair demanded.

Raphael shot her a smirk, “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

This is where her control snapped, her patience was well and truly gone with him. Grabbing a knife from the holster on her thigh, she stabbed the blade into his hand that was resting on the table. Raphael screamed in pain and tried to retract his hand, but Blair dug the knife in deeper. Blair looked around her room – her glamour around the booth was working. No one could see or hear anything and that gave her a chance to do whatever she wanted to him. None of the humans would ever notice a Fae was getting tortured and neither would any Vampires that walked in. They wouldn’t even smell the blood either and so wouldn’t be tempted to come forward. Though there were no Vampires in the bar yet, Blair didn’t want to take any chances.

“That wasn’t an answer,” Blair said, digging the knife in deeper. Raphael hissed lowly, his whole body scrunched up in pain, only slightly satisfying her blood lust. His glamour flicked for a moment before it returned to normal.

Looking at the situation in front of her, Blair wasn’t happy. Being sat in the booth restrained her from doing what she really wanted and it soon became an annoyance. Deciding that she needed more room to play with, Blair muttered a spell under her breathe and then blew into Raphael’s face. Raphael’s eyes began to droop until his face slammed down onto the table, unconscious. Blair poked him a few times to make sure he was asleep and when she was satisfied, she retracted her knife, putting it back in her holster. It was a special knife that she had created by a blacksmith 200 years ago. The blade was iron so it could be used against Fae but the handle was brass so she could hold it. The holster was also specially made so the iron wouldn’t hurt Blair when it was in place. Standing up, Blair grabbed Raphael and put his arm around her neck. She was making it look like he was too drunk and needed help home – something she briefly mentioned to the barmaid as she left. Once out of the bar, Blair dragged Raphael into a nearby alley before throwing him against the wall, using her magic to pin him in place. She stepped back, mentally wondering what pain to inflict in him first. But first, she needed him awake.

Walking over to Raphael, Blair raised her right hand and slapped Raphael across the face as hard as she could. Raphael’s eyes snapped open as he hissed, the slap had nearly dislocated his jaw. “Oh good, you’re awake,” Blair said with a sarcastic smile.

Raphael glared at her, “What the hell did you do to me?!” He yelled, struggling to move but found that he couldn’t move. His arms and legs were pinned to the bricks behind him but he couldn’t see what was pinning him down.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Blair asked, using the exact words that Raphael had used moments ago.

Raphael growled lowly, “Let me go, now.”

Blair reached for her holster, grabbing the iron knife once more. When Raphael saw the knife again, his eyes widened, he could practically smell the iron and it scared him. No Fae liked to be touched with iron or even be in the same room as it. Blair didn’t like being around iron either, but she needed the knife so she had slowly built up a tolerance to it like Katherine had built up a tolerance to Vervain. They had helped each other get used to their weakness but it was not a good time to reminisce about her old friend.
“You wouldn’t,” Raphael said, his gaze locked onto the knife in Blair’s hands.

“Watch me,” Blair said as she raised the blade to lightly touch his arm. Raphael struggled harder than before, but there was no way to get out of the binds that Blair had placed him enough.

“Enough,” A new voice said.

Blair and Raphael looked in the direction of the new voice. Elijah stood at the entrance of the alleyway, still dressed in his impeccable suit. Blair frowned when she saw him, “What do you want?” As much as she appreciated the sight of him, he was ruining her fun and revenge, something she didn’t delight in.

Elijah walked further into the alleyway, his face passive. “Your presence is required elsewhere.” He stopped walking when he was a few feet, staying back at a respectful distance. Since Blair had not put up a scent blocking spell around the alleyway, he could smell the blood in the air, but from whom he didn’t know. He had only arrived moments ago but had watched the scene in fascination, almost forgetting why he had come in the first place. The smell of Fae blood was intoxicating and if he didn’t have the level of self-control that he did, Elijah would have been tempted.

Blair arched a brow, “By whose orders?”

“Niklaus,” Elijah answered, his eyes scanning the scene in front of him. He paid no attention to the Fae attached to the wall, his gaze solely focused on Blair.

Raphael’s eyes widened. “The Hybrid?”

Blair glanced at him, irritated that he had even spoken in the first place. She had actually forgotten he was even there, too focused on Elijah. Turning to face him, Blair stretched her palm and blew into his face, intending to put him to sleep for now until she could get her affairs in order. Raphael cursed lowly before his eyes dropped and his head fell forward.

Elijah watched in interest, “What crime has he committed to offend you?” He asked, curious to know what happened. He had never seen magic like that before, not even the Fae he had encountered in the past used magic like that.

“This is the Fae that attacked Hayley,” Blair answered plainly.

Elijah’s face darkened at this information, “Then I will deal with him,” He stepped forward, but he stopped when Blair stood in front of him, preventing him from touching Raphael.

“He is mine,” Blair said, her eyes meeting Elijah’s. This was her revenge that she would enact and she refused for anyone else to take this away. Vampires were possessive but so was the Fae.

Elijah frowned, not too happy with the outcome. He had wanted to deal with the Fae that was after Hayley and the child. But he had more pressing matters to attend to at this point and knew that he couldn’t linger. “If I leave him alone, will you come with me?” Elijah bargained, more for her sake. If she refused, he planned on knocking her unconscious and bringing her to the mansion anyway, but he would have preferred to get her consent on the matter first, unlike his younger brother who would have handled this situation with less decorum.

Blair crossed her arms over her chest, “To do what?” She didn’t care if it Klaus’ orders, she wanted to know exactly what she was needed for before she agreed to anything. She had been tempted to decline immediately after hearing this but her curiosity won out.

“Hayley is unwell. The Witches found out that the baby could be their end and now they’ve planned to get rid of the child. We need your help.” Elijah explained as shortly as possible. He took note of the colour of the sky, it was now getting darker and he knew they didn’t have long. Sophie was being difficult, not giving them straight answers which were very frustrating. She had sent them on a wild goose chase trying to find herbs for this spell and then she never came through on her end and had gone into hiding.

Blair frowned, this news unsettled her. At first, she was going to reject this offer, but then she stopped herself. Chloe had wanted her to protect this child, even going as far as risking her own life for this child and a sense of guilt filled her, something she hadn’t felt in a few hundred years and she despised it. “I’ll help,” Blair said after a few moments of silence.

Elijah nodded his head, “Then we need to act quickly,”

“Grab him and I’ll come with you,” Blair said, referring to Raphael, who was still unconscious. When Elijah nodded his head in agreement, Blair waved her hand and the magic attaching him to the wall disappeared. Raphael fell to the ground and Elijah picked him up with ease, throwing Raphael over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

ORIGINALS

Elijah and Blair arrived at the mansion soon after and she sneered in contempt at the sight of it. She didn’t think she would ever come back to the mansion but here she was again and she didn’t like. She had been tempted to teleport to the mansion considering how urgent this matter sounded but Blair knew that she needed to converse her magic and transporting three bodies would be too much, even for her. She had only just regained her magic from the teleportation earlier that day. Elijah had placed Raphael in the cellars below and was then stuck there courtesy to Blair’s magic. With that issue sorted, Elijah led Blair to Hayley’s room. As Blair walked in, she saw Hayley laying on the bed with Rebekah by her side, cooling her down with a cold clothe and water. Hayley looked horrible, she was practically glowing with how much she was sweating, and she was pale and appeared to be in a lot of pain. Blair could practically taste the magic in the air – and not the good kind. This was lethal magic that had been used and this angered her.

“How is she?” Elijah immediately asked as he walked over to Hayley’s side. He hadn’t wanted to leave Hayley’s side but he knew he needed to collect the Fae. It had been decided that the Fae would react less violently if she saw Elijah instead of Rebekah. She had told him what she and Niklaus had done to the Fae and to say Elijah was not surprised was an understatement.

Rebekah shook her head, “Her fever hasn’t gone down,” She looked up and saw Blair at the entrance of the door, “So you found her then,” Contempt shined in her pretty blue eyes but Blair was not offended by their suspicion.

“I’m here to help,” Blair explained simply as she walked into the room. “She’s connected to a Witch, isn’t she?” She asked, looking to the Originals in the room. She could sense the connection when she met Hayley earlier that day but as she got closer, she could practically taste it. Elijah had then explained the situation along the way to the mansion so now everything made sense.

Elijah nodded his head, “She is,”

“I’m going to need that Witch’s blood,” Blair said, kneeling down beside Hayley, not happy with her condition. She knew that if something wasn’t done soon then it wouldn’t end well. She placed a hand over Hayley’s head, whispering a spell under her breath. Blair watched as Hayley relaxed and her breathing was less shallow. Within seconds, the pain had receded to the point she looked like she was just sleeping and not under a curse.

Both Elijah and Rebekah watched in fascination, “What did you do?” Elijah asked, curious to know what she did.

“I’ve brought down her temperature for now. But without that Witch’s blood, I can’t untie them.” Blair explained, stepping away from the Wolf Girl. Dark magic had been used to bind the two together and so she needed to be creative. Breaking dark spells required a price, and the Witch’s blood would be the price.

“I’ll find her,” Rebekah said before she flashed out the room.

Slowly, Hayley opened her eyes. “Elijah…” She muttered weakly, her voice hoarse. She turned her head and saw Blair and recognition flashed in her eyes, “It’s you,” She was surprised to see the Fae again, after their last encounter, she didn’t seem willing to stick around.

Blair smirked, “Yeah, me.” She spotted a glass of water at the bedside and picked it up. “You need to keep your fluids up,” She said, pressing the glass to her lips. Hayley greedily drank the water, suddenly parched. Once the glass was emptied, Blair put the glass down. Blair hissed another spell and blew into Hayley’s face, causing her to instantly fall asleep.

“Thank you,” Elijah said. He had been watching everything closely to make sure that the Fae didn’t harm Hayley. However, it would seem as though his caution wasn’t needed for once but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t remain vigilant.

“I made a promise I would help protect the child. I don’t break my promises,” Blair said shortly, the images of Chloe’s severed head burned into her memory. Promises were sacred in her community and they must be upheld no matter what. Fae were fickle creatures and could be quite mischievous, but a promise is revered and isn’t easily broken. Chloe’s last request had been for her to look after this child and Blair would honour this regardless of any fuss this would cause even if Blair hadn’t made a promise. It was close enough in her mind and she refused to let Chloe’s sacrifice be in vain.

Elijah considered her words. “Honouring a friend’s last request.”

Blair nodded her head, “Her name was Chloe. Raphael delivered her head to my door by orders of the Queen,” Her magic bubbled under her skin, urging her to go downstairs and torture Raphael for what he had done. Maybe she would send his head to the Queen as retribution.

Elijah frowned at the theatrics of the act. “I’m sorry,”

“Don’t be,” Blair shook her head, “I plan to get my revenge,” A smirk spread across her face, a malicious glint in her eyes. When she planned revenge, she made sure it stung and that it would last for a long time.

Elijah didn’t question her on this, deciding it was better not to. “You never told me your name.” He said, realising now he didn’t know what to call her.

She looked at Elijah, “Call me Blair.” She had taken many names over the years, never keeping the same one as to make sure the Hunter didn’t find her. She hadn’t even uttered her birth name in 400 years and she didn’t want to. As far as she was concerned, she had shed that name when she left the Fae community. But, Blair was a name she kept coming back to, quite liking it.

“A lovely name, Blair.” Elijah smiled slightly, his gaze was soft.

It took everything in her to not shiver at the way he said her name. It rolled off his tongue so smoothly and his accent made it even worse. It didn’t matter anyway as Rebekah stepped through the door with Sophie in hand. “She was annoying, so I brought her,” Rebekah said, looking smugly at have kidnapped the Witch. She had been a nuisance this entire time so it was nice to get a little payback.

Sophie struggled but to no avail. “Let me go!” She had tried to hide away from the Originals hoping they wouldn’t find her. But, before she got the chance, Rebecca had shown up out of nowhere and grabbed her.

“Rebekah,” Elijah scolded lightly.

Blair stood up, “It’s fine. I can work with this,” She walked over to Sophie, noting how nervous the Witch was. “Give me your hand,” Blair instructed, her own hand outstretched.

Sophie looked at her confused, “What?”

Having enough, Rebekah grabbed Sophie’s hand and gave it to Blair. Blair took Sophie’s hand and instantly felt something. Hissing a spell under her breath, Blair began to get a clearer picture of what was going on. There was poison in Sophie’s blood, but it was slowly travelling down to the uterus. Blair noted how the poison was harmless to Sophie, but that didn’t concern her. What concerned Blair was the fact Sophie was linked with Hayley. “You were pricked with a dark object that causes miscarriages. It won’t affect you, but it will affect Hayley and kill her child,” Blair explained her diagnosis in disgust. One thing she hated about Witches was their dark objects. They were horrible and completely unnecessary, in her long life she had destroyed many dark objects just because a Witch had pissed her off. However, the fact it was being used against a pregnant girl rubbed her the wrong way.

Both Elijah and Rebecca’s face darkened at the diagnoses and turned to Sophie with accusing gazes. Sophie stared at Blair in alarm, “You’re using magic, but you’ll get caught!” The last thing she needed was it being found out what her Coven had done.

Rebekah rolled her eyes, “She’s not a bloody Witch you moron,”

Sophie looked at the female Original confused, but Rebecca refused to answer her. Instead, Rebecca snuffed up her nose and sent the Witch a condescending smirk. Blair was about to speak but she was interrupted when Hayley let out a pained cry. All eyes turned to her and saw her convulsing in bed.

“What’s happening?” Elijah asked as he turned to the Fae.

“The poison had fought against my magic,” Blair answered quickly as she appeared by Hayley’s side, “We need to get her to water, now,” She had only used a low dosage of magic when she used it on Hayley in case she had a bad reaction but it seemed as though the dark object has fought against it very quickly. Those Witches has really wanted to get rid of Hayley’s baby.

“We have a swimming pool,” Rebecca said quickly.

Elijah gently picked Hayley up from the bed and carried her bridal style, “Let’s go,” He said as he sped towards the swimming pool. He looked down at Hayley’s pain riddled face and he was swarmed with guilty. He had promised to keep her safe and he had failed.

Minutes later and they were all by the pool. Rebecca still had hold of Sophie as she refused to let the Witch run off and Elijah and Blair were with Hayley. If Blair had the time, she would have marvelled at how beautiful the pool was but she noticed how high the moon was and knew that it was near its apex. They would need to act soon otherwise Hayley would lose her child. Blair had noticed that Klaus was nowhere in sight but she decided not to question it.

“I need someone to hold her in the water,” Blair said as she looked around. The pool would have to for now.

“I’ll do it,” Elijah said as he placed Hayley down so he could jump into the pool. He took off his suit blazer and shoes quickly before throwing them somewhere in the area, not watching where they went. Once he was in the water, he gently picked up Hayley, who whimpered at being moved. Hayley squirmed in Elijah’s arms as the pain came back. Blair watched this with a keen eye. It may have been inappropriate but she watched as Elijah’s wet shirt clung to his welt built body and she had to mentally slap herself out of her daze.

Rebecca watched them sceptically, “How is taking a bath going to help her?” She demanded, wanting to know what was happening.

“Water amplifies my powers,” Blair explained simply as she looked at the chlorinated water and sneered. She would have preferred fresh water and hoped that the chlorine didn’t ruin her outfit as she liked this one. Pushing that thought aside, Blair walked into the pool after she removed her shoes.

Nodding her head in understanding, Rebecca looked at the Witch she still had a hold on, “What do you want me to do with the Witch?” Rebecca asked. If she had a choice, she would kill the Witch as soon as she was no longer bound to Hayley.

“When I give the signal, I need you to pour some of her blood into the pool. Around a pint of blood should do it,” Blair instructed calmly as she stared at Hayley, who wasn’t getting any better.

Elijah stared at her dubiously, “Won’t that harm Hayley?” From what they understood, anything that happened to Sophie happened to Hayley and vice versa. He didn’t want to put Hayley threw any more pain.

Blair shook her head, “While my magic is in this pool, Hayley’s connection to Sophie is muted. Any damage dealt in here will not be felt by the other person but that doesn’t stop the needle’s curse,” Blair was aware that Hayley had already been through a lot and saw no need to cause the Wolf Girl any additional pain.

Sophie protested loudly but no one listened to her. “And afterwards?” Rebekah asked curiously.

“Keep her there. We can’t have her running off,” Elijah answered as he sent a dark look in the direction of the Witch. Silently, he was blaming her for everything that happened because if she and Hayley weren’t linked then they wouldn’t be in this situation. Sophie visibly gulped nervously and kept her eyes trained on the ground, knowing better than say anything to an angry Original.

Hayley let out a pained groaned.

Ignoring them, Blair set out to work. Muttering a spell under her breath, she spread out her hand and waved it over the water. The pool water shinned a light purple colour until the shine disappeared. Instantly, Hayley calmed down and her breathing slowed down so it was no longer laboured.

“What did you do?” Elijah asked out of curiosity. Before coming into the water, he had been worried about how he felt calm and relaxed. It was a weird sensation considering the situation and he knew that feeling wasn’t naturally coming from him.

“I put some of my magic into the water so it would soothe her but its only temporary.” Blair answered clearly as she set out the next phase of the plan, “Now, I need you to hold her still. Unbinding them isn’t going to be easy,” She said she as looked to Elijah.
Elijah nodded his head as he tightened his grip on Hayley.

Blair looked over to Rebekah and nodded her head giving the signal. With no hesitation, Rebekah grabbed Sophie’s wrist and bit into the vein, the sound akin to biting into an apple. Sophie screamed out in pain as her wrist was opened up and didn’t even notice as Rebekah dragged her to the edge of the pool. Blood poured from Sophie’s wrist and until the pool. Once she was happy, Blair began to chant in an unknown language and her eyes flashed purple. Sensing that it was enough blood, Rebekah forcibly moved Sophie away. Despite the pain, Sophie watched from the side-lines with her eyes widened, she had never seen magic used like this before and it scared her to know what the Originals had on their side. Rebecca watched in interest as she had never seen a Fae before let alone seen them use magic so this was a new experience for her. Elijah watched Blair carefully. Being so close to her, he could feel the magic in the air it was almost suffocating. Hayley cried out in pain once more as the magic from the dark object travelled through her.

“Hurry!” Sophie shouted out in pain and panic as she felt the moon about to reach its apex. She knew if anything happened to Hayley’s baby, they would make her pay. She had already been bitten once by a Vampire, she didn’t want a repeat of this again as it was extremely painful. Rebekah had not been gently when she bit into her.

Blair’s chanting became louder as she pumped more of her magic into the spell. She grabbed Hayley by the hand as her words become harsher and her eyes glowed a brighter shade of purple. Blair could feel the link between Sophie and Hayley and it was like a knot, the blood in the water only clarifying this picture further. With her magic, she was unscrambling the curse thread by thread. As she did this, Blair easily noticed how messy this spell was and she could tell that it had been done in a rush. Blair did not like Witches but even she could admit when she saw talent – and there was no talent here. Hayley let out one last pained scream when Blair uttered the final word and unscrambled the final thread that joined Sophie and Hayley together.

Blair breathed in deeply as the magic around the pool dropped and vanished, “It’s done,” She said as she exhaled deeply, feeling drained from the extensive magic she had used. This hadn’t been a simple spell, as it had to be precise and perfect otherwise something could wrong.

Elijah looked down to the Wolf Girl, “Hayley, how do you feel?” It had been a tense few moments and for a moment, he thought Blair wouldn’t be able to unbind them in time.

“I… I feel good,” Hayley said slowly as she tried to mentally assess the damage. She, Elijah and Blair looked over to Sophie and Rebecca, silently asking her to test this out.

Sensing her queue, Rebecca yanked Sophie’s hand and pricked the palm of her hand with her nail. Sophie winced as a drop of blood came out but otherwise said nothing. Blair gently took Hayley’s hand and looked at it. There was no blood and no mark on the skin.

“It worked,” Hayley said as a sense of relief hit her. She turned to the Fae, “Thank you, for saving my baby,”

Blair bowed her head in acknowledgement, “No problem,”

Elijah turned to face Blair and examined her. He didn’t know what to make of her but he found himself intrigued with her. Her magic was fascinating and her presence alone was confusing. Feeling his gaze on her, Blair met his eyes and arched a brow at him as if silently asking him what he was looking at. The edges of Elijah’s lips twitched at her cheekiness and he silently bowed his head in appreciation for what she did. Blair gaze softened for a moment and so did her smile. Hayley coughed awkwardly, breaking their silent staring match. Snapping back into reality, Elijah gently guided Hayley to the edge of the swimming pool so she could get out. Blair went to the other side and pulled herself out and sneered at her outfit. It was soaked through and even if she dried it, it would stink of chlorine.

As Elijah got out of the water, Sophie walked over to him, “Elijah, as soon as your brother finds out I am no longer linked to Hayley he’ll kill Agnes. I know you don’t owe me anything. But please, don’t let him kill her,”

Elijah sent her a dark look, one that promised pain. In a flash, he was out of the pool and he grabbed his blazer jacket.

“Elijah!” Sophie pleaded, “She’s out only access to the power we need to survive. Promise me that you’ll stop him.”

Saying nothing, Elijah pulled out his phone from his jacket and dialled a number. “Where are you? Don’t hurt her, I’ll be there shortly,” He hung up the phone and looked at Sophie, “I’ll make you one last promise. I won’t let my brother kill Agnes.” He sent one last glance to Hayley before he picked up his shoes and walked away before he disappeared from sight to get a change of clothes with Rebecca following not too far behind him.

Blair watched him go with an arched brow and then she smirked. She did not miss the loophole in his words and she found it amusing. Whoever Agnes was, Blair knew that she must have had a hand in this plot to kill Hayley’s child otherwise Elijah wouldn’t have looked so murderous.

Hayley walked over to Sophie and grabbed her arm, “I know you were just using me to save your people. But, try it again and I’ll kill you.” The dark look that Hayley sent to Sophie sent a shiver down the Witch’s spine. She had no doubt that Hayley would keep her word.

“And if she doesn’t, I’ll gladly kill you instead,” Blair said with a sadistic smile. It was no skin off her nose if another Witch died – in fact, she would probably delight in it.

Sophie glared at the newcomer, “What the hell are you? Don’t you know if you use magic it will get you killed?!”

Blair rolled her eyes, “Oh, shut up,” She waved her hand wand watched as Sophie fell to the floor unconscious. Sophie’s head hit the ground and it bounced once but otherwise, she fell like a led balloon. Blair smirked when she realised the Witch would probably wake up with a headache seeing how hard she went down.

Hayley looked at her in astonishment, “What did you do?”

“She’s having a little nap. She’ll wake up sooner or later,” Blair said dismissively, “Now, let’s see what room I’ll be staying in,” With a spring in her step, she began walking towards the mansion with the intention of taking a room. If the rooms were anything like the rest of the house, she was going to enjoy her stay in the mansion.

“Wait, you’re staying?” Hayley asked with widened eyes as she followed after the Fae.

Blair sent her a look, “Of course. I need to make sure no Fae comes to get you,” If there was anyone that knew how to deal with her kind, it was her. Raphael was just a tester but the Queen would eventually send Tumas and when she did, Blair would be ready.
Hayley glared at her defiantly, “I can protect myself,”

Blair stopped walking and turned around to face the Wolf Girl. “I am not saying you can’t. They’ll be expecting that. However, what they won’t except is me on your side,” As long as Raphael didn’t return, the Queen would view this case as risky. Raphael was just a pawn in the Queen’s game and Blair intended to play that game, but with her as the victor.

For a moment, Hayley said nothing and watched as Blair walked away. Sighing to herself. Hayley followed after the Fae deciding to head back inside so she can change her clothing. The smell of chlorine that stuck to her skin was making her feel sick.

An hour had passed and it has finally quietened down. Feeling thirsty, Hayley walked in the direction of the kitchen, now showered and dressed in dark jeans a dark tank top and a chunky brown cardigan. Just as she passed the front door, someone knocked on the door. Sighing deeply, Hayley opened it and saw Josh on the other side.

“What?” Hayley demanded.

Josh looked around nervously, “Where is he? I have been trying to find him all day. Marcel knows he lied about where he lived.”

“I am not his damned keeper, Josh,” Hayley replied back while rolling her eyes.

Josh frowned, “Can you just tell him to call me, please?”

“Okay,” Hayley agreed.

Josh nodded his head and walked away as Hayley closed the door. She only got a few steps away before the door knocked again. She groaned, assuming that it was Josh but was stopped when Blair walked by.

“I’ll get it. Go have a lie down,” Blair said as she noticed the bags under Hayley’s eyes.

“Thank you,” Hayley said in relief before walking to her room.

Watching her go, Blair walked over to door and saw a man she had never seen before. When she opened the door, the man gave her a strange look. Blair examined him and couldn’t deny that he was handsome. Before she had even opened the door, she knew that the man stood in front of her was a Vampire – the scent of blood hung on him like a second skin.

“Can I help you?” Blair asked with a blank expression.

“Hi there. I don’t think we’ve met. My name is Marcel.” Marcel asked with a kind smile. However, Blair could see in his eyes that the sincerity was just a show and there was anger in his eyes. Blair also took notice to the apple in his hands and it reminded her of the apple tree that grew right next to the mansion.

Blair arched a brow and crossed her arms, “And? I am supposed to care because?” The moment he said his name, she knew who he was. Marcel – the Kings of New Orleans that took over after Klaus fled the city. She also recognised him from her visions and she knew to be wary of him.

“Is Nik around?” Marcel asked as his eyes roamed the area from behind Blair.

Blair frowned, “Sorry, I don’t know anyone named Nik. You’ve got the wrong house,” She said as she shut the door in his face. She knew he was asking for Klaus and she gathered that was another nickname for him considering what his full name was. However, she wasn’t lying because she didn’t refer to him as ‘Nik’.

Walking away from the door, Blair stopped when the door knocked not even a minute later. Wordlessly, Blair walked over to the door and stopped before she grabbed the handle. The presence on the other side of the door wasn’t human – but it also wasn’t Marcel because whatever was behind it wasn’t just a Vampire. Cautiously, Blair opened the door and found a teenage boy on the other side. The boy had tanned skin, short black hair and dark brown eyes. He wore black jeans with a green t-shirt and a black jacket.

“Can I help you?” Blair asked politely.

The boy was about to say something when Hayley came down the stairs and her eyes widened when she saw who it was. “Tyler?”

Tyler’s gaze snapped over to Hayley and anger shined through, something Blair did not miss. Blair watched as his body language changed and he tensed, ready to pounce and his eyes flashed yellow. Seeing this, Blair hissed out a spell and watched calmly as he crumpled to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

“Oh my god, Blair! What did you do?!” Hayley yelled as she ran over to the now unconscious Tyler.

Blair rolled his eyes, “He was about to attack. I stopped him. Now, let me take him away so I question him later,” Waving her hand, Blair levitated Tyler’s body and took him downstairs into the cells.

Hayley ran after her, trying to convince her to let him go.

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Two hours had passed and Hayley had failed to convince Blair to let Tyler go. True to her word, Blair had brought Tyler down to the cells – a makeshift basement that now housed two prisoners but Blair wasn’t complaining. While she was down there, she had watched as Raphael snored, she had yet to lift that sleeping spell on him and so he wouldn’t wake until she was ready for him. During this time, Blair had picked out her room and had gone back to the hotel to collect her stuff. Now, she was set up in the mansion and she was sure her bedroom was near Hayley’s room, just in case she needed some help. She was waiting for Klaus and Elijah to return before she did anything to Tyler because Hayley had already mentioned that Tyler and Klaus had a past and so she didn’t want to get in the middle of that. Blair was sat down having a cup of coffee feeling better. She had a long bath and washed her clothing so they no longer stunk of chlorine.

Just as she finished her coffee, Klaus and Elijah walked back into the mansion. The moment they stepped into the mansion, Hayley rushed out. “Tell her to let Tyler go,” She demanded with a fierce look.

Elijah and Klaus looked over to see Blair sat in the kitchen. When she saw them, she waved at them and smirked. She was dressed in a long white t-shirt and a pair of pink very short shorts that could barely be seen underneath the shirt.

“And what are you doing in my house?” Klaus demanded as he arched a brow, his eyes taking in the sight before him. Elijah said nothing as he watched the scene before him with mild interest. He thought he wouldn’t have seen the Fae again after she helped him but it appeared he was wrong.

Blair jumped up from the kitchen stool gracefully, not caring that was showing off quite a bit of leg, “I live here now. I am helping to protect Hayley and her unborn child,”

Hayley scowled, “I don’t need protecting. How many times do I have to say this?” She had been on her own for many years looking out for herself, she would continue to do so. The fact everyone seemed to be babying her was getting on her last nerve and no one seemed to listen to her.

Blair rolled her eyes, “Yeah, say that to the Hybrid downstairs that tried to attack you,” She was starting to get sick of Hayley’s attitude and if she didn’t stop soon, she would place a silencing spell on the Wolf Girl. If it wasn’t for Chloe then she wouldn’t have even been there in the first place but she wouldn’t let Chloe’s sacrifice be in vain.

“Oh?” Klaus’ eyes lit up at this piece of information, “I wondered why I could smell the Lockwood boy,” As he had got closer to the house, he had picked up another scent, one that he thought he would never be near again, but he was wrong.

“He wasn’t going to attack me! He is my friend,” Hayley argued back.

Blair rolled her eyes, “He looked so friendly when his eyes flashed yellow. He looked downright murderous when he saw you and your bump,” Blair sarcastically said as she looked at Hayley’s stomach. The cardigan shielded it away but there was a slight protrusion – hardly visibly but still there with how skinny she was.

Hayley sent her a glower and it was one Blair ignored.

“Why would he be here?” Elijah questioned, directing his question to his brother.

Klaus frowned, “He probably wants revenge because I went after his girl.” His thoughts strayed over to Caroline, someone who he thought about often.

Elijah sighed in vexation, “Why do I suspect this is the least of your offences?”

Klaus sent his brother a glare, “Back when I had the means to sire Hybrids, he was my first. Although I didn’t give him much of a choice in the matter. He was loyal in the beginning but then he grew insubordinate and turned my other Hybrids against me with this one,” He sent a glare over in Hayley’s direction, who at least had the decency to look away, “I couldn’t have that, so I massacred the lot of them. Tyler ran like a coward before I could finish him off.”

Knowing his brother, Elijah detected that wasn’t the end of the tale. “Anything else?” He asked in exasperation.

Klaus smirked, “Well, there was this business with his mum.” His thoughts strayed back to Carol and how he had held her head down when he drowned her.

“You killed his mother. Wonderful,” Elijah rolled his eyes. He expected no less from his brother and now understand the boy’s anger.

“He needed to be taught a lesson,” Klaus said as he tried to justify his actions.

Elijah frowned, “And what lesson will you be taught, Niklaus? He tried to harm Hayley. If Blair wasn’t here then who knows what would have happened,”

Klaus opened his mouth to argue but Blair sensed this wasn’t going to get them anywhere. She faked a cough and gained the attention of the two Originals, snapping them out of their dispute. Klaus and Elijah looked at her and she motioned to Hayley – who looked very uncomfortable with this situation. “He is in the basement if anyone is interested,” Blair answered simply. It was the best place to leave him as there was no way out and he was still unconscious. She could feel with her magic that he was still asleep and she planned to keep it that way until it was necessary to wake him up.

Klaus smirked, “Well, why don’t we pay the little Hybrid a visit,” He turned around and marched over to the basement with Elijah, Blair and Hayley following behind him. Hayley was yelling at him not to harm Tyler but she was largely ignored by everyone, even Elijah. Once down in the basement, Klaus walked over to Tyler and saw he was asleep. With his foot, Klaus kicked him but Tyler never roused.

“I assume you had a hand in this?” Klaus asked as he looked over to the Fae.

Blair smirked, “I may have,”

“This is ridiculous! Just let him go!” Hayley demanded sharply.

Klaus sent her a severe glare, “You can do either of two things Hayley; shut up or leave,” After the day he had, he was not in the position to put up with Hayley’s mood swings. He would rather find out why Tyler Lockwood had paid Hayley a visit but it seemed as though she was going to put up a fight.

“Niklaus,” Elijah scolded slightly before he turned to Hayley, “If you say he is of no danger to you, there is no harm in asking him a few questions. If he is innocent, he may leave,” He could see neither Klaus nor Hayley would give up on this matter and so it was best to come up with a compromise that suited both parties.

Hayley frowned and eventually sighed, “Fine.”

Blair rolled her eyes but said nothing. If she had her way, she would have already killed the boy, it was obvious that he was a threat to the baby but Hayley refused to acknowledge this possibility. Something Blair had learned over the years was to not trust blindly.

“Excellent,” Klaus said with a grin before he turned back to Tyler. In a flashed, he had the boy tied up with spare chains in the room and only when he was secure Klaus stepped away. Klaus shook Tyler for a moment but the boy didn’t wake. Klaus frowned and smacked Tyler’s head, “Why isn’t he waking up?” He demanded as he turned to Blair for answers. She was the last person to have contact with him and had strong suspicion magic was involved.

“He won’t wake until I wake him,” Blair explained as she crossed her arms over her chest. That was how Fae magic worked, especially the sleeping spell which she found she was using a lot more than usual.

“Then wake him,” Klaus commanded.

Blair glared at him and was about to argue back but then she spotted Elijah. He shook his head, silently warning her not push him on this. Sighing deeply, Blair rolled her eyes, “Fine,” With a wave of her hand, Tyler’s eyes opened as he gasped.

“W-what happened?” Tyler stuttered out, looking dazed. He didn’t remember how he got to the basement, his joints were very sore and he didn’t know why.

Klaus grinned, “Hello Tyler,”

The moment Tyler laid eyes on the Original Hybrid, he growled angrily and struggled in his chains, “You!” He shouted accusingly.

Having enough, Hayley got closer, much to the chagrin of both Klaus and Elijah. “Tyler, tell them you weren’t here to hurt me. You wouldn’t do that,” She didn’t want this drawn out any more than it already was. As soon as he told them this, Tyler could be let go and everything would go back to normal.

Anger flashed through Tyler’s eyes and his silence said enough.

Hayley’s eyes widened, “What the hell, Tyler?!” She yelled as realisation dawn on her. She felt she knew Tyler enough to know when something was wrong. If Tyler hadn’t been there to hurt her, he would have protested but he didn’t and that silence hurt her more.

“Called it,” Blair said with a smug look, ignoring the looks that were sent her way by both Hayley and Elijah. It gave her vindication that her instincts weren’t wrong – she had survived this long because of them.

Tyler said nothing but continued to glare at Klaus and Hayley. Blair could see the anger and betrayal in his eyes and it made her wonder what had happened. From what Klaus had explained earlier, she could understand why Tyler hated Klaus, but that didn’t clear up the issue between Tyler and Hayley.

Elijah walked up to Tyler, “Tell us or we will not be kind,”

For a moment, it seemed as though Tyler wasn’t going to say anything, but he gave in knowing they would keep to their word. “The baby,” He muttered lowly but everyone in the room heard him.

Subconsciously, Hayley placed a hand over her stomach, “What about it?” She demanded.

Blair rolled her eyes, bored out of her mind. This was not going how she imagined and quite frankly she was bored. While they were preoccupied she looked around the basement and noticed Raphael. Realising that he was in the same room as Klaus caused her to frown. If Klaus saw Raphael then he wouldn’t be too happy and she knew he would demand to deal with him. Deciding to save herself the trouble, she flicked her wrist and Raphael disappeared from view. Blair turned back to the situation and Elijah staring at her, she smiled innocently but he didn’t seem to buy it.

Having enough, Klaus watched over to Tyler and grabbed him by the throat. Not sufficient to crush his windpipe but with enough force to let him know how serious he was. “Tell us why you’re after my child and maybe I won’t kill you.”

In pain, Tyler looked Hayley in the eye as he spoke, “A Witch has had visions about your baby. Apparently, that child can sire Hybrids.”

The confident smile on Klaus’ face fell at the news and Elijah looked at the boy sharply. Blair’s eyes widened, whatever she had been expecting the boy to say it wasn’t this. Now, she understood even more why the Queen wanted this baby. If the Queen had the chance, she would make a Hybrid army herself to fight against the Witches. With an army at her command, the Queen would be one of the most deadly people in the world and this unnerved Blair.

“It’s just a baby!” Hayley screamed back. She was sick of people telling her how dangerous her baby was. Her baby was not dangerous and she wished people would just leave her alone.

Ignoring her reaction, Tyler smirked, “But you already knew that,” He said as he looked directly at Klaus before he turned to Hayley, “You really think he wants to be a father? He just wants to create more Hybrids, he doesn’t care about your baby,”
Elijah cast his brother a severe look, “Is this true, Niklaus?” His whole form tensed as if he had just been told the worse news possible.

Klaus stepped back, “I knew nothing about this.” He turned to face his brother, shock and hidden delight shinned in his eyes.

Not believing him, Elijah pressed on. “You said that every King needs an heir. Is this what you were referring to?” He thought back to every encounter he had with Klaus as if to try and distinguish any moments that could have given his true intentions away, but he only came up with one moment.

Hayley glared him accusingly.

Blair coughed, breaking the rising tension in the room. Everyone looked at her, “As much as I love a good drama, shouldn’t we deal with him first?” She asked gesturing to Tyler. She didn’t need her powers of future sight to know that Elijah and Klaus’ argument would result in physical violence and she would rather not be here when it happened.

For a moment, no one said anything, but it was Klaus that broke the stalemate, “What were you planning on doing with this knowledge?” He demanded, a dangerous look in his eyes.

Tyler said nothing and glared at his sire.

In a flash, Klaus was in front of Tyler once more and yanked his head to the side with his hair, “What were you planning?!” He snarled, his eyes flashed yellow in anger and impatience. Looking back, Klaus knew that he should have dealt with Tyler months ago as now he was becoming a thorn in his side.

Genuine fear flashed in Tyler’s eyes, “I wanted to take that ability away. So you couldn’t make any more Hybrids.” He knew that if Klaus got the means to make more Hybrid, the city would be overrun with them within hours. There would be no stopping him because they would all be sired to the Original Hybrid.

“You wanted to kill my baby?!” Hayley yelled out as she held her stomach protectively.

Elijah visibly reacted to his words and flashed forward to Tyler and thrust his hand into the Hybrid’s chest cavity. Klaus took a step back, impressed with his brother’s reaction. It wasn’t often Elijah would become overly violent but when his family was threatened, they faced the beast. “What would dear Caroline say if she saw what you become? Perhaps I’ll ask her when I call her to tell her of your demise.” Klaus taunted with a smirk.

Tyler smirked smugly despite the pain he was in, “No matter what happens to me, Caroline is never going to stop hating you,”

Blair watched with interest as hurt flashed through Klaus’ eyes. It made Blair wonder who this woman who that had attracted the attention of the Original Hybrid. She had heard many rumours about Klaus but none of them has described how he had fallen for a woman. Usually, it was the women falling for him.

Elijah’s grip on Tyler’s heart tightened, causing him to gasp in pure agony. All it would take was one simple action and Tyler would be dead and he knew it. Tyler had expected his end to at Klaus’ hand, not Elijah’s hand.

“It’s a really good job your mother didn’t live long enough to see you become like this,” Klaus taunted further with a smirk. “It’s a pity really, I thought I made you better. But, it turns out you’re quite the disappointment,”

Tyler glared at him in hatred, “Then I guess I am another one of your failures. Like, how you failed at making Hybrids and how you failed your family. Now, it looks like you’re even going to fail your own kid,”

Temper flaring, Klaus control had reached its end and he snapped Tyler’s neck with a blink of the eye. Tyler’s body slumped forward as he was killed temporarily until his spine healed. Seeing there was no need for his intervention, Elijah retracted his hand and carefully grabbed a handkerchief from his front pocket to wipe away the blood from his hand.

The room was silent for a moment but Blair broke it, “I’d say kill him,” She said as she ignored the scathing glare Hayley sent her way.

Klaus and Elijah turned to her, “And that brings me onto another matter, what are you doing here?” Klaus asked, his gaze narrowed in suspicion.

“I’m here to help protect Hayley and her unborn child,” Blair answered simply, meeting his gaze with ease.

“I don’t need protecting!” Hayley exclaimed, sick of people claiming to be there to protect her.

Blair rolled her eyes and chose to ignore the pregnant woman.

“We don’t need your assistance, so you can kindly go away,” Klaus snapped back with false politeness but Blair knew he just wanted to rip her throat out.

Blair sighed deeply and shook her head at his stubbornness. “I am your best shot when it comes to the Fae. You have no idea what they’re capable of,”

“Well, neither do you,” Elijah countered back. He remembered her words from before when she stated she no longer ran with them. Their encounter had been burned into his brain by pure curiosity and he wondered what else the Fae would reveal.
Blair glared at him but did not argue against his point, “Regardless of that, I still know more of the Fae than any of you will. I can also use magic without being detected,” Just to prove her point, Blair raised her hand and summoned a flame and then quickly extinguished it. Fire was not her best element because of how much it clashed with her preferred nature; water.

Klaus considered her words for a moment before he scowled, “Fine. You may assist us. But I warn you, I do not care for any personal dramas you may have with your own kind.”

“Fine by me,” Blair shrugged.

Elijah’s attention turned back to the unconscious Hybrid, “Now, what do we do with him?” He pondered. He had many thoughts about the situation and most of them were about killing Tyler and making him suffer, something he was sure Klaus would be on board with.

“I don’t care. Just get him out of here before I kill him,” Hayley announced before she stormed off, hurt in her eyes. She had considered Tyler a friend and he had turned on her. She knew he wouldn’t be happy about her sleeping with the man who killed his mother, but to kill an innocent child took things too far.

Blair watched her go and mentally sighed in relief. “So, are we going to kill him?” She asked out of curiosity.

Neither Klaus nor Elijah got to answer that as Tyler made his presence known once more. He groaned as he woke up and his spine fully healed but sore. His newly healed chest cavity felt sore also, where Elijah had plunged through his chest and held his heart in his hand. He lifted his head and saw who was present and he cursed lowly, but it was loud enough where everyone with heightened hearing caught every word.

For a moment, Klaus seemed to consider Blair’s words but then his thoughts strayed to the perky blonde from Mystic Falls. He grabbed Tyler by the head and forced his first Hybrid to look him in the eyes, “You are to leave New Orleans and never return. You will never attempt to harm Hayley or her unborn child and you will tell no one about this,” Klaus instructed through his compulsion. Tyler’s eyes glazed over as the compulsion took effect and Blair watched in keen interest. She had seen compulsion be used from Katherine but the ability always fascinated her. Klaus unchained him and watched as Tyler walked out of the building to never return.

Once he was gone, Elijah turned to his brother, “Niklaus. Is what he said true?” He asked imploringly.

Klaus frowned, “You tell me. You have already formed your own opinion. I mean, why else would I show any interest in my own flesh and blood?” Annoyance filled Klaus’ face and Elijah frowned at his words, “A heartbroken, little cry-baby points his finger at me, and my own brother falls in line, eager to believe it. How quickly you assume the worst,”

“Niklaus, can you blame me?” Elijah answered back, “You have committed a number of wrongdoings in the name of creating more Hybrids. You have shown no regard for Hayley and her baby until now.”

Klaus lazily smirked, “And finally, there it is, the real reason. You have become close to Hayley, haven’t you? You never could resist a pretty face in need. Well, have at her brother, I have tasted what she has to offer and she is exquisite,” He had been watching his brother and had noticed how his gaze lingered on Hayley a few moments longer than necessary. Klaus had seen Elijah besotted with many women over the years and he could recognise that his brother was attracted to Hayley.

Elijah’s jaw set at this proclamation and he looked ready to argue but was interrupted when Blair faked a cough and gained the attention of both Originals. “If I can interject,” Blair said as she raised her hand, “Klaus is telling the truth,”

Klaus’ accusing glare faded away in an instant and Elijah stared at her in surprise, “And how can you possibly know that?” Klaus demanded impatiently.

Rolling her eyes, Blair answered him, “Fae have a way of spotting liars. We like to twist the truth and so we became quite the master at spotting liars. There is a saying, ‘You can’t kid a kidder’ and that applies to us,” This was an art that she had perfected over the years because of being on the run and was one of her many skills that needed to survive on her own. This was one of the reasons she had hated Katherine at first because she lied a lot but Blair understood her reasons.

For a moment, neither brother said anything, but then Elijah sighed deeply, “Perhaps I was too willing to condemn you. In the thousand years, we have been together, you have committed numerous unspeakable acts, but then again so has Rebekah, Kol and even I am not blameless.” It spoke volumes that a complete stranger could see Niklaus’ point of view yet he, as his brother, could not. It was definitely food for thought and it made him reconsider his words and actions.

Klaus’ gaze on Elijah softened, “And perhaps I was quick to anger. Know this, brother, I will protect my child no matter what,”

“And I will help you,” Elijah replied with conviction in his eyes. There was a very brief moment he had doubted Klaus’ intentions for the child but they no longer existed. Looking back, he saw the hurt in Niklaus’ eyes when accused and Elijah realised his mistake.
Blair smirked and slowly backed out of the basement to leave the brothers alone.

ORIGINALS

The morning had arrived and it had been Blair’s first night staying with the Mikaelson family. She had been extra vigilant and had strayed more of the scent suppressor on her wrists and even on her neck. She didn’t want to be attacked by any of the Mikaelsons just because they couldn’t keep their hunger under control. That morning, after soaking in the tub for hours, she was dressed in a black crop top, black with white stripe shorts with a matching belt. Along with her outfit, she wore a black leather jacket and black keen high boots with her hair looking fashionably tossed back.

“Good morning,” Blair greeted with a smirk as she walked into the living room. It was only Elijah at breakfast and he was dressed in another dashing and expensive dark suit that fit him perfectly.

Elijah didn’t look up from his newspaper, “It is nearly the afternoon,”

Blair looked over to the clock and noticed that he was right, “Well, afternoon then,” She said as she sauntered into the kitchen to make herself some breakfast. As she walked into the kitchen, she waved her hand and set some of her magic to lose. Instantly, the coffee maker came alive, bread flew over to the toaster and jam flew out of the draw with a knife. She watched this all with a content smile, she loved magic.

Watching all this happen, Elijah became curious, “You use your magic quite frequently,”

“Why do anything when you have magic,” Blair answered back with a smirk. Her magic was like an extra set of hands, it was a part of her. If she didn’t have her magic, she wouldn’t have made it as far as she did.

Elijah said nothing as he turned back to his newspaper.

Once her toast was done, Blair used her magic to spread the jam and stir milk and sugar into her coffee. She then had it levitate over to her as she settled down to eat. It didn’t take her long to finish her two pieces of toast and coffee. Once she was done, she began walking to head back upstairs but was stopped when Elijah cleared his throat. She turned around and saw he was now stood up, watching her carefully. “Yes?” Blair said with an arched brow.

“There is just a small matter I need you to assist in,” Elijah said with a blank expression, “There is a young Witch in need of some tutelage,”

Blair’s eyes narrowed when she realised where this was going, “No,”

Elijah arched a brow, “No?”

“Yes, I said no,” Blair answered hotly, “Fae and Witches do not get on. I refuse to teach a Witch. Besides Fae magic and Witch magic are two different things,” Witches claimed that they drew their power from the earth and Fae’s drew their power from the light – two completely different elements. A Witch would never be able to comprehend Fae magic and Blair refused to willing spend time with a young Witch.

“Is that so?” Elijah commented lightly, “You are being allowed to stay here out of the courteousness of Niklaus with the only exception you do not allow your personal life to get in the way. I would say you do not get a say in the matter,” His stare was intense as if he was silently challenging her to go against his word.

Blair glowered, “I am protecting Hayley and her unborn child,”

“Yes but she doesn’t need your protection twenty-four-seven,” Elijah said dryly.

Blair’s lips thinned at his words as she knew them to be true. If her knowledge of the Queen was still correct, she would wait at least a week before she sent someone else. However, it would seem her only leverage is gone.

Taking steps towards her until he was inches away from her, Elijah’s stare became even more intense and it sent shivers down her spine. “Your reasons for coming here may be honourable, but I do not trust you completely. If you do anything that puts Hayley or that child in harm’s way, I will kill you myself. Do I make myself clear?”

Clenching her jaw, Blair nodded her head stiffly. “Crystal,” She could tell that he meant every word and he would kill her. Blair was no fool, she knew he could kill her in a single heartbeat. He was an Original and one that was underestimated because he was seen as the honourable one but Blair could see the beast before her.

“Good,” Elijah said before he disappeared in a flash.

Once she was sure he was gone, she cursed out loud at her luck. She really regretted coming to New Orleans now but there was no way she could leave. Chloe wanted her to protect the unborn child and so she would.

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Around an hour later, Blair stood outside the Church that housed Davina. It was a sunny day and so she had brought a pair of black cat-eye sunglasses. She stared at the Church in disdain, noting how dirty it seemed and almost regretted even coming there. However, she had no choice but to attend because Elijah had made his feelings very clear and she was smart enough not to get on his bad side. Blair knew that if she took even one step out of line, Elijah would make his feelings known and put her back in her place – but he would most likely kill her before she could even blink. But, she was determined to keep an eye on Hayley and so she had cast a little spell on the Wolf Girl. Now, Blair knew where Hayley was at any given moment and she could use her magic to transport herself to the location if she sensed there was danger. Blair walked into the Church, deciding to get this over with. She didn’t want to teach a Witch how to use magic but she had little choice. She found that she didn’t want to poke the beast that was Elijah Mikaelson.

As her heeled boots walked across the wooden floor, the sound echoed through the room as she made her way up the stairs. She sauntered up the stairs and stopped when she came across an opening that headed into a room – it didn’t even have a door. Blair looked in and saw a sixteen-year-old child, drawing on a canvas with pure concentration, her strokes short and long. She was half tempted to turn around and walk away but she knew she couldn’t. Mentally sighing, Blair was about to break the child’s concentration when something stopped her – she could feel very powerful magic coming from the girl. This detail caused Blair to watch the girl with a more critical eye. The child was young, far too young to be having that much power inside her and this sparked her interest. Blair easily recognised this child from her vision of the future and knew that she would play an important role in everything.

Blair knocked on the side of the open doorway and watched as Davina’s head snapped up to look at her. Davina stiffened when she saw Blair, causing the Fae to smirk. “Who are you?” Davina asked in fear as she took an instinctive step back.

“Elijah sent me,” Blair said as she ignored her question, “He said there was an untrained Witch that needed some help with magic,” Elijah had told her a few details before she left, though Blair would fully admit she didn’t listen to everything he said, she had tuned out after a minute of him talking. The only thing Blair knew was the girl’s name and that was because of her vision. She liked to make her own opinions about people because she found others to be too biased.

At the mention of the Original’s name, Davina relaxed. “Oh, are you a Witch?” She asked with wide, innocent eyes.

Blair smirked, “No,”

Davina looked at Blair in confusion, “Then, how can you help me?”

“Don’t be so ignorant to assume Witches are the only creature that can use magic,” Blair replied back dryly. That was the one thing she hated about Witches, they always assumed they owned magic and they were the only people who could use it.

Davina at least had the decency to look sheepish, “So, what does that make you?” She asked curiously. Her Coven hadn’t told her about any other creature that could use magic so this had caught her off guard.

“I’ll leave that to your imagination,” Blair answered with a smirk.

Realisation soon hit Davina as her eyes widened, “You’re the one that’s been using magic!” She exclaimed accusingly. This had been on her mind for ages as she couldn’t figure out who had used magic in the Quarter. Marcel had been asking and she had yet to give him an answer and she didn’t want to disappoint him. It was already bad enough she had let Elijah go when Marcel had entrusted her to find a way to kill an Original.

The smirk on Blair’s face grew wider, “Of course,”

“Then how come I can’t sense it?” Davina asked. She could sense whenever magic was being used except when it came to this woman who she had never met before.

Blair rolled her eyes, “Your Coven relies upon ancestral magic. I do not.” In the four hundred years alive, she had come across two other Covens that used ancestral magic and both had left her with a bad taste in her mouth. This kind of magic rubbed her the wrong way, hence why she stayed away from them.

“Oh,” Davina said dumbly, showing just how inexperienced she is.

Blair walked further into the room, taking in the possessions Davina had with little interest. “So, how skilled would you say you are?” Blair asked, trying to assess where to begin with the child. She may have been ordered to complete this task but when she did something it was never half-arsed.

“It’s really good,” Davina lied, not wanting the woman to think of her as weak.

With an arched brow, Blair sent her a look filled with scepticism, “Really?” She wasn’t lying when she told Klaus and Elijah that she could spot liars. Everyone had a sign that gave them away – Klaus’ was harder to find than normal people but Davina was not a good lair, so her tell was more obvious. For starters, Davina bit her lip and averted her gaze which was the biggest signal of all. It was practically a flashing beacon, begging for Blair to expose her on her lie.

Davina nodded her head, “Yeah, it is.”

“Then do something,” Blair challenged with a bored expression, one that irked Davina.

Thinning her lips together, Davina narrowed her gaze and threw her hands up, sending the hoard of books in Blair’s direction. Blair sighed deeply and watched as the books flew towards her as if she was uninterested – which she was. Blair flicked her finger and the books stopped dead in mid-air uselessly. Davina looked at her and gasped.

“How did you do that?” Davina asked with wide eyes. No one had managed to stop her power before, especially not so easily.

Blair flicked her wrists and sent the books back to their original place, “Your control is weak which is why my magic was able to overpower yours.” The spell held a lot of power inside it and if she hadn’t intervened, the books would have hit her and done actual damage. If Davina was able to harness the full capacity of her powers then she would be dangerous.

For the first time in months, Davina felt powerless and she didn’t like this feeling. “Teach me,” She demanded with determination in her eyes. She wanted to learn how to utilise this power so she could fight back against her own Coven if they found her.

“In time, young one,” Blair said, “But first, I want you to tell me how you got three others Witch’s power inside you,” From her time spent with Davina, she had been grasping at her magic as if trying to distinguish it. Blair could differentiate four magical signatures that presided inside of Davina, one of them being her own but the other three were foreign and didn’t belong to her. They were subdued for now but Blair had a strong suspicion it wasn’t going to stay like that for long.

Davina’s gaze narrowed, “How do I know you aren’t going to get the Witches?”

Blair scoffed, “Yeah right, I hate Witches. You’re lucky I am even here.” If she had a choice in the matter, she would have spent the day shopping or torturing Raphael but instead, she got to spend the day with a child. Fun.

“Then why are you here?” Davina demanded.

“Because I was forced to,” Blair answered back dryly.

For a moment neither one said anything and just stared at one another. Blair could see the defiance in Davina’s eyes and was amused by it. For a young one, she had spirit. Eventually, it was Davina that looked away first and she sighed deeply. “I am a Harvest girl. The Harvest Ritual is a ceremony that is performed by my Coven to strengthen the connection between the living Witches of New Orleans and their deceased Ancestors, from whom they draw their magical power. It is such an honour to be picked and I was so happy when I was chosen,” Davina scoffed at her own ignorance of the subject, “Four girls are chosen and we are sacrificed. When I found this out, I freaked out and I didn’t want to go through with it. Marcel stopped the ritual by taking me away but the other three girls had been sacrificed and their magic passed through me, thereby interrupting the ritual. Marcel has hidden me away ever since,” Davina’s eyes welled up with tears as she thought about her three friends that had been murdered mercilessly.
Blair was silent for a moment as she took in her words. Everything Davina had said made sense considering what her vision had shown her. Blair had seen the Harvest Ritual completed when Davina died – something she knew would need to happen if the events she had seen did come true. With her gift, Blair had realised her visions were never set in stone because people’s decisions can change very easily but more times than not, her visions came true.

“So, are you going to teach me,” Davina said as she shook off her tears.

“No,” Blair said as she turned around and walked away. She ignored Davina’s shouting for her to come back and even the huge spike of magic as she left the Church.

ORIGINALS

Blair arrived back in the manor, where she had sensed Hayley was presiding. Through her magic, she had felt how Hayley had visited the Bayou but she was reassured when Elijah had gone with her. The moment Blair walked into the manor, Elijah appeared from another room and when he saw Blair, he arched a brow at her questioningly.

“That wasn’t long,” Elijah commented as he looked down at his expensive wristwatch. He had assumed that Blair would take much longer in training up Davina and now he wondered if the Fae had even paid the little Witch a visit.

“She can’t be taught,” Blair said as she made her way past the Original and tried to head towards the basement. However, she only made it two steps before Elijah appeared in front of her again, blocking her way with his larger frame.

“What could that possibly mean?” Elijah inquired curiously.

Blair’s lips thinned, “Her magic is unstable because she had three other Witch’s power inside her. Her own magic is messed up because of this sudden boost and so training her would be useless. She’s like a ticking time bomb ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

Elijah opened his mouth to answer but he was interrupted when Klaus waltzed in. “But that’s why we need her, love.” The smirk on Klaus’ face unnerved Blair because she could see the mischief behind it.

“She is a child,” Blair shot back.

In a flash, Klaus was in front of her, the amusement in his eyes now gone and all that was left was cold wickedness. “You are all children to me. I am a thousand years old and if I want her power, I will have it,” His hands twitched as if he was ready to put a hole in her chest cavity, something Blair didn’t doubt he would do.

“Niklaus,” Elijah tensed, ready to intervene if his brother became violent.

However, Blair wasn’t one to back down easily and instead, she glared fiercely. “I am not here to do your dirty work. I am here for that child and to make sure the Queen doesn’t get her hands on the child or Hayley.” Magic pulsed under her skin as she readied herself for a fight. She refused to back down to an overgrown child or bow to his whims as he wasn’t her leader – she was ruled by no one but herself.

Klaus smirked, “Oh yes, I remember Fae are meant to have a weakness for children – not just iron.” The way his blue eyes flashed in cold fury warned Blair about the veiled threat in his words. He knew her weakness and he had no qualms about exploiting them when it suited him.

Blair scoffed, “Goodness no, I hate children. I just have morals,” She flashed him a sarcastic smirk. Klaus’ words weren’t wrong, Fae did love children and this was where rumours had surfaced about them stealing children. This wasn’t the case but of course, Witches had twisted the Fae’s story into something evil.

“Enough,” Elijah stepped in as he stood between Klaus and Blair knowing that a fight was imminent with the way they were going. The moment he stepped in, Klaus and Blair took a step back from one another but they still continued to glare at one another. “We have more pressing matters to contend with, Niklaus,” He shot his younger brother a meaningful look, one that made Klaus smirk and relax.

 

Huffing to herself, Blair turned around to walk away but stopped and turned her head. “If you want Davina on your side then you need to be more cunning. Ruling people by fear will get you nowhere and it just drives people away,” She shot one last glance in Elijah’s direction before she walked away and entered the basement.

Klaus frowned at her words as a wave of anger filled him whereas Elijah watched her leave in interest as his lips curled into a smile. He could count on one hand the number of people that had stood up to his brother had lived to tell the tale. However, Elijah could not deny that her words were true and only wished that his brother would listen. Just when he thought he had her figured out, she surprised him.

Blair arrived down in the basement and vanished the concealment charm over Raphael, no longer needing it as Klaus and Elijah had left the manor so she didn’t need to fear them coming down. She didn’t know what they were doing but it must have been something big for Klaus to look that excited. Blair could feel that Hayley was in her room and Rebecca wasn’t even in the manor to begin with – something she had noticed for a while. It seemed as though Rebecca was doing something behind Klaus and Elijah’s back but she didn’t care as she refused to get involved in their drama. Blair was there for the baby and that was it. She would sooner see Klaus perish than help him but unfortunately she couldn’t have her way.

With a wave of her hand, Blair’s magic picked up Raphael’s body and stuck it to the wall like she had done in the alleyway a few days ago. With the second wave of her hand, Blair lifted the sleeping spell that she had cast on him and watched as he slowly came out of his comatose state with glee.

Raphael groaned as he heavily opened his eyes, “W-where… am I?”

“In a basement,” Blair answered blandly as she watched him struggle. The feeling in his body would be coming back to him and she watched as he struggled in his binds only to be unsuccessful.

At the resistance of his movement, Raphael became more alert. “What’s going on? Why have I been bound again?” He demanded as he glared at Blair, waiting for her to answer his questions impatiently.

Blair smirked, “We’re going to have a little fun, Raphael,” Her smirk grew wider as Raphael’s eyes filled with horror and fear. She had a lot of ideas and a lot of pent up rage – from the Queen or Klaus, she wasn’t sure. Either way, she was going to vent those feelings.

“I won’t break. I was taught by Tumas,” Raphael spat out.

“We’ll see,” Blair said as she casually shrugged her shoulders. She was counting on this fact and he just made this even more enjoyable for her. Tumas always trained his warriors to be able to withstand torture in case they were captured by enemies – but what they weren’t expecting was for a Fae to administer the torture. Blair knew all the weak points of a Fae and she planned to exploit that.

Raphael shivered on the wall in fear. Blair reached to her thigh and pulled out the iron knife from under her shorts. The moment Raphael saw the blade, he tensed as he hissed in fear. “How can you withstand it?!” He shrieked in pain and yet he hadn’t been touched by the iron.

“I’ve built up a tolerance,” Blair answered smugly. It wasn’t easy, but after many years she had finally built up enough tolerance where she could have it strapped to be her thigh and not be bothered by it. However, it still affected her if she ingested it or if it touched her directly. Raphael looked at her in disbelief and it was one Blair revelled in. Blair walked up to him and waved the knife around teasingly. “What, they haven’t taught you to resist iron yet?” She asked tauntingly even know she already knew the answer.
Glaring at her, Raphael spat out, “You bitch, you already know the answer!”

Blair hummed in agreement, not deterred by his answer. In the Forrest the Fae community had made their home, there was no iron for miles. It was completely free of iron and thus made their tolerance for the substance non-existent. “Well, I suppose they should have prepared you better,” She said as she pressed the iron blade onto his face.

Raphael screeched as the iron made contact with his skin, the iron burning him viciously. His whole body sung in agony as it begged to be away from the iron. It was bad enough it just being near him, the smell knocked him sick but to have it touch him was torture.

Blair counted in her head to ten before she removed the blade and watched in satisfaction as he slumped forward as much as her magic allowed him to. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” She asked mockingly.

Looking up, Raphael glared at her, “What do you even want?!” His voice was sharp in anger and pain, something that pleased Blair immensely.

“You killed Chloe,” Blair answered back plainly, “You have to pay,”

Raphael scoffed, “She deserved it. She betrayed the Queen, you know what happens when Fae do that,”

Blair nodded her head slowly, “I do, but sending it to me in a box was overkill,” The fact Chloe had been killed was a tragedy and one that Blair mourned. But even she knew there would be consequences for Chloe when she was found out. Blair knew better than anyone what the Queen was like but the fact the bitch had sent the severed head of her childhood friend was another matter altogether. That was a power play, the Queen was trying to show that she was still in control and Blair refused to relinquish that back after so long away.

“Good move though, you’ve got to admit,” Raphael replied back with a smirk as if he was heavily amused.

This caused Blair to pause for a moment. “What has she done to you?” Blair asked softly, her rage instantly leaving her. This was not Raphael – at least not the one that she knew before she was excommunicated. The Raphael she had known was shy, a dork and a loveable idiot but the Raphael that hung before her was completely different and quite frankly, a douchebag. The more she thought about it, the more she realised that something wasn’t right about this whole situation. Before she hadn’t seen the obviously glaring signs because of her rage but now that she had a few days to think and stew over the matter, Blair realised how wrong it was.

Raphael frowned, “What do you mean?”

Putting her blade back in its belt on her thigh, Blair moved forward until she was inches away from Raphael. Raphael attempted to struggle when she got closer but she ignored him and grabbed his face with her left hand. Blair held his face and looked into his dark eyes but saw nothing. She was about to move away when she saw it which caused her to gasp. “That bitch!” Blair shouted out in anger, the rage coming back once more and it was all directed towards the Queen.

“What?” Raphael asked in confusion.

However, Blair could not answer as she was too angry. Just when she thought the Queen couldn’t sink any lower, she outdid herself. Not every Fae had a special ability but some did and they were usually unique to that Fae but there had been instances were Fae had similar powers but not exactly the same. Blair’s power was clairvoyance and half the time she could command when she had visions but it came at a cost. Usually, gifted Fae was considered more highly compared to none gifted Fae. Chloe did not have a gift and neither did Raphael but the Queen did. The Queen’s power was completely unique for a Fae as she could control people’s minds which were very similar to Vampire’s compulsion. Her power was not common knowledge, at least it wasn’t when Blair left but it made her wonder what else the Queen had been up to in her absence. Instead of answering him, Blair stretched out her hand until it touched Raphael’s head. “Sorry about this Raphael, but it needs to be done,” Her magic pulsed under her command as she forced it into Raphael’s mind. The moment he felt Blair’s magic touch him, Raphael screamed out as he tried to get away. It felt like someone was forcing a metal bar into his head and the pressure was too much, it was painful.

Hours passed before Blair re-emerged from the basement. In that time, she had spent a lot of time in Raphael’s mind, trying to undo all the damage that the Queen had done. Raphael’s mind had been a mess and it was a wonder he was able to function at all. The poor Fae didn’t even know who he was anymore and Blair made it her mission to rid him of the Queen’s control. However, Blair had spent her magic for the day and now she was feeling exhausted, something she didn’t like. Blair didn’t like overextending her magic because it was dangerous especially in her situation but she had little choice. Knowing that she just needed to sleep it off made her feel better and that’s what she intended to do. She didn’t care that it wasn’t night time yet, she would go for a nap. However, when she came up from the basement, she wasn’t expecting to hear shouting.

Blair turned her head and listened. Her hearing wasn’t as advanced as Vampires but was better than humans. She could hear Klaus shouting – no surprise there – but she could also hear Rebekah shouting and Elijah’s voice. Blair frowned, she had thought Rebekah left but it appeared as though she was wrong and that’s when her eyes rolled. From her visions, Blair had seen Rebekah gallivanting with Marcel and she assumed that’s who they were arguing about. Blair turned around and headed towards the door, not wanting to risk any one of them noticing her while they were so fired up. When Blair opened the door, she noticed Hayley sat on the steps.

“Didn’t want to be near the fighting?” Blair asked as she closed the door behind her. She stood on the mansions large stone porch, placing a hand on her hip.

Hayley turned her head, not surprised to see the Fae. “No, they’re too loud,” With her advance hearing, she could hear every word that was being exchanged and it exasperated her. It was moments like these that really made her reconsider her choices.
Blair spared a glance into the house with a frown, “Anything interesting?” She was sure there was loads of animosity between the siblings. She didn’t know them but she knew of them, they were famous in the supernatural community. However, because most of them hadn’t been seen for a long time, they were believed to be a myth.

“Apparently, Rebekah has paired up with Marcel, the King of this city,” Hayley explained with an unimpressed expression, “He’s an old flame of Rebekah’s and someone who Klaus considered a son. They conspired against Klaus to have him locked away but it didn’t work.” When Elijah and Klaus had come back from Marcel’s, they had been covered in blood. From what she could gather, there had been a fight for control and they had won. However, the siblings had seen Rebekah hidden in the back and now Rebekah was trying to apologise for her mistake, but it wasn’t being received very well. Elijah was trying to mediate but it wasn’t working.

“Damn,” Blair muttered, “I knew they were complicated but this is a mess,” She was aware that they had their issues, Katherine had taken to telling her about all the things she had learned about the Originals and Blair had concluded that they were all screwed up. However, seeing it happen in person was very different from hearing stories about them.

Hayley grinned slightly but didn’t argue her words.

Just then, the front door slammed open and Klaus walked out with Elijah right behind him. Blair was about to say something but stopped when she noticed how thunderous Klaus’ expression was and how wary Elijah seemed. “You’re coming with me, little Wolf,” Klaus said as he walked over to his car.

Hayley looked at him in exasperation, “Why would I go anywhere with you?”

Klaus stopped for a moment and turned around, his expression cold, “Because Hayley, that child that you carry is the only thing on this earth that matters to me. Now, you can fight me on this, but you will lose,” He turned back around and opened the car door, “As will anyone else that will stop you getting in this car,” He sent a pointed look to Elijah and then to Blair, who arched her brow at him.

Elijah sighed lowly, “Hayley, would you please get in the car? We are moving residence,” He explained, hoping this explanation may calm any nerves she may have. In the mood, Klaus was in he wouldn’t explain anything and just demand.

Hayley hesitated for a moment before she stood up and got into the car. Klaus shut the car door and then looked to Blair, “If you claim to be here for Hayley then I suggest you get in this car also,” The glower that Klaus sent in her direction was fierce, almost as if he was challenging her on her intentions.

Blair smirked, not one to shy away from a challenge, “Of course,” With her head held high, Blair walked over to the car and got in on the other side. Not too long after she got in, Klaus got in the driver’s seat and Elijah in the passenger seat in the front. As they drove off, Blair turned her head and looked back. She could see Rebekah looking out the window with a forlorn expression. Ignoring the female Original, Blair mentally noted how she would need to move Raphael into their residence soon.

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

The next day

It was the next evening and Blair was in her new room in the French Quarter organising everything. Klaus had been very generous in sending the movers over to collect all their stuff but Blair didn’t like the thought of people touching her stuff so she did it herself. Blair had gone back and moved Raphael so no one found him. Now, he was tucked away in the basement of their new house protected with magic so no one could find him. Looking around her new room, she noted how the space wasn’t as large as the one she had commandeered in the mansion but it was elegant and she liked it. It had a king-sized canopy bed with multiple wardrobes to hold all her clothes and a huge mirror. The walls were a white brick colour and the carpets were soft and red. However, Blair’s favourite part of the room was the balcony and double glass doors that led onto it. The balcony overlooked the city, giving her a great view and one she couldn’t wait to appreciate with a glass of wine. She knew she probably should have taken for a room with less window space in case the Hunter found her but she loved it too much to change it. She may hate Klaus and he may act like a brute but he did have taste and she could appreciate that.

It had been a busy day ever since Klaus and Elijah had taken back New Orleans, not that Blair cared. Elijah had informed her about the Vampires visiting the home and Blair had stayed away, not leaving her room. She had made sure to reapply her scent blocker because she didn’t want any rogue Vampires finding their way to her because then she would have to kill them. Klaus had only just got his city back, she didn’t need to kill off any of his subjects because they got curious – yet. Also, Klaus had been very clear that he wanted very few people to know of her existence as he still wanted that edge in case anything happened. Blair had no idea what was going on down there but nor did she care so she didn’t ask. She was sure she would find out what he was planning soon enough.

Sitting on her bed, Blair pulled out a burner phone and dialled a number. The phone rang a few times before someone picked up. “Almost thought he caught you,” The voice said making Blair smirk.

“He wishes,” Blair answered back haughtily, “Got anything for me?”

“Hm,” The male voice hummed to himself before he answered. “Depends on where you are,”

Blair rolled her eyes, “You know I can’t tell you, Callum,” Blair couldn’t really make any connections due to her situation but Callum was persistent and he was useful. He seemed to want to help her so she let him. One of the lessons Katherine taught her was to build a support network who can act as her eyes and ears around the globe and Blair had managed just that. Callum and his group worked for her and she paid them generously for their service. Through them, she had managed to evade the Hunter for a long time and she had managed to put a lot of distance between herself and him. She had met Callum nearly 150 years ago by complete accident but it had worked out in her favour. The deal was that she would pay him generously but he could never know where her exact location was. The fewer people that knew the better.

“Worth a shot,” Callum sighed on the other line. Vaguely, Blair could hear him typing away at his computer, “Well I have some good news and bad news, which one do you want first?”

Frowning, Blair closed her eyes, “Give me the bad news,”

“The trial you left back in India didn’t last long and he’s realised you’re not there,” Callum answered.

Blair held back a curse. She thought the clues she left was a good one but it appears it wasn’t good enough to fool the Hunter. Every so often, Blair would leave false trial along the way to confuse the Hunter to give her more time in some places and allow her to build the gap between them. She liked to stay at least three steps ahead of him, anything less made her feel uncomfortable. “And the good news?” She needed some good news after that.

Callum seemed to grin over the phone, “He bought the trial you left in Sydney. That should take him some time to decode,”

Blair laughed, feeling a sense of triumph, now this really was good news. “That’s amazing. Just what I needed to hear. I’ll send over double, you guys deserve it,” The trial she left in Sydney should keep the Hunter occupied for a while, at least a few months a best. Even then, it would take the Hunter some time to realise where she was and America was a big place. As long as everything went to plan, she could actually relax for a little bit. This also gave her a chance to focus on her other issue – protecting Hayley and the unborn child.

“Always good to hear. I’ll update you in a few days if anything changes,” Callum said before he hung up the phone.

Falling back into the bed, she stared up at the ceiling and smiled widely. She felt a sense of freedom that she didn’t get to feel often. Blair didn’t like setting too many false clues because then that would be predictable and he would learn her patterns. The less the Hunter knew about her the better and then he wouldn’t be able to predict her movements. This was why she always changed her glamour every time she arrived at a new city and picked her new residence at random. She didn’t want to unconsciously make a pattern that he might detect. She considered this news as a win. However, Blair kept in mind that she couldn’t be arrogant about this small victory. She needed to air on the side of caution because the last time she became complacent it resulted in her nearly getting caught and left her with a scar on her hip that no magic could heal. That scar only added to the collection that she had on her real body and not the glamour she used.

A sudden and sharp knock on the door alerted Blair back to earth as she looked at the door. The door handle jingled as someone tried to enter but the door never gave way. “Blair, it’s me,” Hayley said from the other side.

For a moment, Blair considered not answering the Wolf Girl. She could hear the frustration in her voice and mentally debated if she wanted to deal with it. As time had gone on Hayley seemed to think that Blair cared about her problems and it was so exhausting listening to her complain. With a wave of her hand, Blair used her magic and opened the door. Hayley stood on the other side, clear frustration on her face. With the door now open, Hayley attempted to step into the room but found that she couldn’t. She looked at the doorway with a frown and tried to walk in again but she was met with resistance. It felt like there was a force field stopping her. She looked to Blair, “Why can’t I enter?”

“Magic,” Blair answered simply as she sat up in bed, “I cast a spell on the door so no one can enter my room unless I give them permission,” It worked very similarly to how Vampires couldn’t enter properties without permission from the owner. It was a spell of her own creation and one that she was very proud of. However, one of the downsides of this spell was that permission couldn’t be rescinded so Blair was very cautious about who she let in her room. She could count on one hand how many people had this permission and it was Katherine and Chloe.

“Well let me in, I need to talk with you,” Hayley demanded.

For a moment, Blair considered not letting her in but then decided against it because she had a feeling Hayley would throw a massive tantrum and she didn’t want to deal with that because it would alert Elijah. She had noticed that Elijah was acting as Hayley’s protector and it repulsed her. Eventually, Blair sighed and rolled her eyes, “Fine. Hayley, you can come in,”

Cautiously, Hayley stepped her foot in and was not met with any resistance. Happy, she walked further into the room and closed the door behind her. “I need your help,” She said, looking down at the Fae on her bed.

Blair resisted groaning, “Whatever it is, my answer is no,” She had a feeling Hayley was coming to ask for a favour, everyone always did at some point. She was the only person there that could use magic freely and so would be asked to do anything that required magic.

Hayley glared at her, incensed. “I haven’t even said anything.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Blair said dismissively.

“Klaus has ordered a wolf hunt as some jacked-up peace offering to Marcel’s crew. You have to help them,” Hayley argued. When she was in the Bayou the other day, she had found the book that noted down the birthdays of Werewolves, and one of the names matched her birthday. She knew that they were her people and there seemed to be a Wolf following her, almost as if it was protecting her. She needed to protect them from this assault otherwise she would never fully understand her connection to the Wolves.
“And what’s your position in all this?” Blair asked, warily. This hunt could spell trouble and could make protecting Hayley an issue. If Klaus wasn’t aiding in protecting Hayley then she needed to think of a new plan – may be getting her out of New Orleans and hiding her somewhere safe. Blair specialised in hiding from malicious creatures and felt confident she would hide Hayley from Klaus.

Hayley rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, “I have been deemed safe by the all-mighty Klaus,”

“Then I don’t care,” Blair replied.

Hayley glared at her but then her gaze softened, “All my life, I’ve wanted to know who my real family were, and just as I find out where they are, in the Bayou, Klaus orders to have them killed. Elijah and Rebekah have already agreed to help. Please, help my people,” They had approached her after the meeting and had wanted to whisk her away somewhere safe after they had deemed Klaus too unstable. Hayley had refused but asked them to protect the Wolves but she knew their chances of succeeding would be even greater if they had magic on their side.

Blair’s face was a complete blank of emotion. “I do not care what is going to happen to them. All I care about is making sure the Queen doesn’t get that baby,” She looked down at Hayley’s stomach where the miracle baby was.

“And what happens to me after the baby is born?” Hayley demanded her from tensing. She’d had a similar conversation with Klaus and it only further infuriated her.

Blair shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t care what happens to you after that.”

Hurt flashed in Hayley’s eyes for a moment before she stormed out of the room in a huff, nearly tearing the door off its hinges.

Blair sighed, “You could have at least shut the door!” With her magic, the door closed on its own. For good measure, Blair magically locked the door. She had a feeling she had just got on Hayley’s bad side, not that she cared, but she’d rather not take her chances. The sooner Hayley realised they were not friends the better.

ORIGINALS

Around an hour had passed and Blair was wandering the Quarter. Hayley had locked herself up in her room, no doubt sulking and that gave Blair a chance to get a break from the woman. She was going to head down to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat when she walked past one of the many bedroom doors and she sense a new magical signature in the house, one of which she recognised. Peeking inside the room, Blair saw Davina with loads of boxes surrounding her as if she was moving in. Seeing the Witch made her mentally groan and she felt the need to dash off before Davina saw her but she decided against it. Now, she was curious to know what the little Witch was doing in the French Quarter. The last she was aware, Davina was hidden away in the attic by Marcel but it seemed Klaus had wanted the Witch closer so he could watch her.

“What are you doing here?” Blair asked as she sauntered into the room.

Davina looked up and her eyes widened, “What are you doing here?!” She hadn’t expected to see the woman again, though she really wanted to. There was no other person who could teach her magic and she would have run after Blair but she couldn’t leave the Church.

Blair rolled her eyes, “I live here and it looks like you do too,” She looked around at all the moving boxes with disdain. She had half a mind to move out because she didn’t want to be near the young Witch but she needed to stay close to Hayley and the baby.

Davina fell silent for a moment, she seemed to be contemplating something and eventually made up her mind. “Is it true?”

“You’re going to need to be more specific, kid,” Blair replied back with an arched brow. She could see the tension in Davina’s face and knew something was eating her up inside.

“Is Agnes dead?” Davina asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Before, Hayley had come into her room and had dropped this bombshell and she hadn’t believed it. Davina had a very hard time trusting people and she thought Hayley was just there to stir up trouble and make her doubt Marcel but she needed to know the truth. Even Josh had confirmed this but she was still sceptical.

For a second, Blair said nothing. The name sounded familiar and made her think back as to why. Blair snapped her fingers when realisation dawned on her. “Oh, the Witch Elijah killed. Yeah, she’s been dead for a couple of days,” Agnes was the Witch that had pricked Sophie with a dark object and nearly lost Hayley her baby if Blair hadn’t intervened. She was pretty certain that Elijah killed Agnes, he had heavily implied that he would before he went to join Klaus. Then, she had smelt blood on him when he came back to the mansion.

Davina paled at her words. “T-then I am safe. Agnes was the last living Elder. Why didn’t Marcel tell me?” She sat down on the bed, the news had shocked her so much she felt numb to everything. She was free to leave, she didn’t need to fear the Elder Witches because there weren’t any.

“Because you’re his secret weapon against the Witches.” Blair answered bluntly, her tone making Davina flinch, “He’s using you, just like Klaus is going to use you.” The Hybrid had made it very clear that he planned to use Davina’s powers no matter what. Blair suspected that the only reason he hadn’t come for her powers yet was that she fought back whereas Davina was a sitting duck, just waiting to be manipulated by the next tyrant. She did have her suspicions it wouldn’t take long before Klaus made his demands.

At her words, Davina wanted to argue back and defend Marcel but she stopped herself. The woman in front of her had not lied to her before, she’d been brutally honest to the point it stung. The woman had magic so there was no need for her to manipulate Davina. However, it was the reality of her words that hurt the worst. “I can’t stay here. I am not going to be their puppet anymore,” Tears stung her eyes but she tried to force them away, not wanting to appear weak in front of this woman.

With a frown on her face, Blair saw the utter betrayal in Davina’s young eyes and it resonated with her. Once upon a time, she had been in Davina’s position and it made her uncomfortable. Blair wanted to walk out but she found she couldn’t – she didn’t want to. “I’ll help you,” Before she could stop herself, Blair blurted this out and then she mentally cursed herself.

Davina stared at her in surprise, “Really? Why would you help me?”

Slowly, Blair smirked, “Klaus has got his way for too long, it’ll be fun to mess with him,” This was not the only reason but she wasn’t going to spill her guts to a foetus that she barely knew. She wanted to prevent what she saw happening in her vision and she thought getting Davina out of New Orleans and Ancestral magic would do the trick. “But you need to leave this place. You’ll be a sitting duck here,” She began to think of places to go, wondering where Davina could hide in the meantime. She needed to be far away from Klaus and Marcel’s influence.

“I know a woman who might help me,” Davina said, her eyes lighting up when she remembered Camille. Camille had been really lovely to her in the past, Davina knew she would help if she asked.

Blair nodded her head, “Pack a few of your belongings, we’re heading out now,” The quicker she got Davina out the better. There was no time to waste, there was no telling what could happen if they delayed this any longer. If Klaus found out what she had planned then she didn’t doubt for a moment that he would kill her.

At such a fast pace, Davina was up and packing a bag of the essentials she would need. One of her essentials was her precious violin, luckily Josh had brought that over when he visited her. Davina would have asked him to leave with her but he couldn’t risk being seen by Klaus. As she packed, she realised she would need to leave her other stuff behind or come back for it when she was settled elsewhere. Blair watched as she did this and made a mental note to magically lock the door when she left so all the stuff Davina left behind was safe.

Thirty minutes later, Davina had lead Blair to where Camille lived using some low level magic. It was dark and now the Vampires without daylight rings had come out to play and so Blair needed to play it safe. Using her magic, Blair had cloaked them both so no one would detect that they had left the mansion. This cloaking magic gave Davina peace of mind that no Witches could see them and this made her feel safe. Eventually, they made it to an apartment and Davina knocked on the door frantically, nervously fidgeting at the door.

“Maybe she isn’t in,” Davina said when no one answered the door.

Blair was about to agree and take Davina to her old hotel room but then she stopped. She could hear someone on the other side of the door. “No, I think she is in.” With her supernatural hearing, she could hear music playing in the background, it was soft and delicate.

Davina knocked on the door louder but still, no one answered the door.

Impatient, Blair waved her hand and the door was forced open. She couldn’t be away too long from the mansion otherwise others would be become suspicious, especially when they discovered Davina was no longer there. Davina stared at Blair in shock but she just shrugged her shoulders and walked into the apartment as if she owned it. Davina quickly followed behind her, closing the door behind her.

“Camille?” Davina called out as she walked into the apartment. The woman appeared to be in her early to mid-twenties, an attractive face possessing green-blue eyes, dark lashes and blonde hair. Her shoulder-length hair was pulled back, exposing her strong jawline. Blair mentally cursed when she saw the woman, it was another person from her vision. It seemed she really couldn’t escape her vision.

The moment Davina saw her, she ran up her. “Camille! I need your help!”

Camille looked down at the young Witch and frowned, “I’m sorry, do I know you? And how did you get into my apartment?!” Her voice raised in panic as she stared at Blair and Davina in bewilderment. She had been packing to leave New Orleans when she heard someone calling out for her. The fact that she lived alone made her panic and she rushed to find out what happened.

“You’ve been compelled,” Davina said, disappointment in her voice, “But I can fix it. But it’s going to hurt,” She raised her hand at Camille who looked at her in confusion. She didn’t want to hurt Camille since she was one of the only people that had been genuinely kind to her but there was no other way to break the compulsion.

Blair stepped up behind Davina, “You can do it in a way that doesn’t hurt her completely,”

Davina looked at her, “Can I?”

“Yes,” Blair answered, “I want you to use that magic and peek inside her brain but don’t touch anything,”

Turning to face Camille, who seemed too shocked to say anything, Davina raised her hand and peaked into Camille’s mind. It was foggy, just like Josh’s had been when she tried to erase Klaus’ compulsion. “It’s like there is a shadow in her mind,” Davina said as she closed her eyes.

Blair nodded her head, it was a fair assessment. “Now, with your magic, I want you to gently touch that shadow,” Blair instructed, her eyes trained on Camille. With her magic, she had silently frozen Camille in place so she didn’t run or make any sudden movements. She didn’t need anyone or anything distracting Davina while she was inside Camille’s brain. The brain was a very fragile organ and any sudden movements could accidentally cause irreparable damage. Davina was powerful and the damage she could accidentally do was concerning.

Following Blair’s instruction, Davina gently cast her magic towards the shadow and lightly touched it. The shadow shuddered under her touch but didn’t move any further. “It’s not working,” Davina said in frustration. Before the Harvest fiasco, her control over her magic had been excellent but now she felt like a fledging again and she hated it.

“That’s okay, the fact that it hasn’t moved just shows how powerful the compulsion is. Add a little more force,” Blair said as she watched everything with a critical eye. In the past she had removed compulsion from minds plenty of times, it had taken her some time to find a method that wasn’t painful and she wanted to spare Davina that trouble of trial and error.

Taking in a deep breath, Davina pushed against the shadow and finally, it seemed to move. Camille gasped at the uncomfortable sensation in her head as her memories started to come back to her. Feeling the shadow recede made Davina feel a sense of triumph and accidentally made her push harder than she should have.

Blair placed a hand on Davina’s shoulder. “Pull back,” She hissed lowly when Camille screamed out in pain.

Davina’s eyes snapped open as she pulled back in shock. She hadn’t realised she had pushed too hard until Blair’s words pulled her back. Once she felt like she was back in control, she went back to pushing back the shadow in Camille’s brain.

As she did this, Blair looked at the nearby clock and noticed how late it was. She needed to get back to the mansion and cover Davina’s tracks. She needed to at least give the young Witch a few hours head start before Klaus and Marcel hunted after her. No doubt they would tear up the city to look for her and she did not want to be caught up in the crossfire. As long as she stayed out of the way she would be fine. If they attacked she would handle them. “Keep going like that. I’ll send Josh to you,” Blair said as she backed away. Davina had mentioned the Vampire on the walk there and knew he would be the best companion for her. She couldn’t stay with Davina but she could give her a chance to get out. From what Davina had told her, Josh had no loyalty to Marcel or Klaus and that made him the perfect companion.

Davina stopped and turned to her, “But I need you!”

Blair shook her head, “You’re doing just fine on your own. Just remember to be patient, compulsion is deeply rooted in the brain and it cannot be rushed. To help jog her memory, grab some of the items in her apartment,” She felt like she should complement the girl but it felt weird and so she decided against it. Instead, she reached into her pocket and passed her a burner phone, “Use this if you need me.”

Davina watched as Blair walked out of the apartment feeling a sense of sadness. She had wanted Blair to stay, she had enjoyed the woman teaching her magic as she had been a good teacher, better than some in her Coven. But, she understood Blair wouldn’t watch her constantly. Inhaling deeply, Davina turned back to Camille and pocketed the phone, determined to give back her memories that Klaus stole away. Once they were safe, Davina would call Blair and update her on what was happening.

Chapter 9: Chapter 9

The next morning had arrived without incident and Davina had yet to be discovered missing. However, Blair knew it wouldn’t take long before it was revealed. Marcel was protective of the young Witch and Klaus would be able to smell her absent scent when they realised she wasn’t sulking away in her room like they all assumed. Blair had made sure to stay out of their way, but not too much to make it look like she was avoiding them because then that would look suspicious.

For the day, Blair was dressed in a pair of blue skinny jeans with white crochet, a white off the shoulder and a pair of brown sandals. She walked out of her room and near the courtyard of the Abattoir and noticed Hayley and Rebekah stood around talking lowly to one another. Hayley seemed to be holding a dress, one that was meant for the Annual Harvest Girls Festival and Rebekah was looking for one of her own. This conversation did not look pleasant and Hayley appeared uncomfortable – so naturally Blair wanted to be included.

“What’s going on?” Blair asked, watching as loads of Vampires paraded around the Abattoir. There wasn’t usually this amount of people in the compound and she had a suspicion as to why they were there.

Rebekah turned to the Fae, “Davina is missing and it’s Hayley’s fault,”

Blair glanced at Hayley, who refused to even look at her. “Oh?” Inwardly, she smirked at her luck. No one knew that she had been involved with Davina’s escape. “How do you lose a Witch?”

“Walked right out the front door, apparently,” Rebekah said with a frown as if she couldn’t believe it either.

“All I did was tell her that Agnes was dead,” Hayley crossed her arms and huffed. “I was just telling her the truth,”

“And now she’s gone,” Rebekah replied back dryly and then glanced back. Klaus and Marcel were stood next to each other, talking amongst one another. “Just look at them. The boys are back together,” There was a bitterness in her tone, one that was filled with jealously, especially the glare she was sending to Marcel. “Just wait, Elijah will join them and then they will be unstoppable,”

Blair said nothing as she watched them. There was a tension in the Abattoir that was palpable and it was almost uncomfortable. Klaus appeared ready to tear someone’s throat out and Marcel seemed concerned – genuinely concerned. This expression of emotion made Blair frown and then scowl.

Rebekah sent the Fae a glance, “I am surprised they haven’t come to you yet,” Blair was the only person in the area that could use magic. Rebekah would have assumed that Klaus would have demanded her services beforehand.

“A missing Witch is not my concern,” Blair scoffed. What she had done for Davina was a one-time thing, she didn’t plan on helping any other Witch. She wasn’t running a charity and Davina had spunk. If she could help her get away from Klaus then it was a win for her.

A small grin quirked on Rebekah’s face but then she turned back. “If the boys are together, that means us girls need to stick together,”

Hayley huffed and walked off whereas Blair stayed where she was. She watched as the Vampires walked around with their heads held up high, almost as if they were important. Blair inwardly scoffed at their superior attitude, finding it annoying.

“Where do you think she’s gone?” Rebekah asked, her voice cutting through Blair’s thoughts.

“If she was smart, she’d get out of New Orleans,” Blair said dryly. She hoped that Davina would have some sense about her and Josh would get her out. After leaving Cami’s apartment, Blair had cornered Josh and forced him to go after Davina. It hadn’t taken much convincing, he immediately agreed as soon as he found out she could be in trouble. It was refreshing to see such a pure friendship. Blair had given him specific instructions to get out of New Orleans and she only wished they were long gone.

Rebekah nodded in agreement.

Blair sent her a sideward glance, “Why didn’t you leave when you had a chance?” She was aware that Rebekah was going to leave several times but she always seemed to come back. Blair could see how much she resented Klaus at times, why wouldn’t she want to be free of them?

Instead of answering, Rebekah walked off, not giving her a reply – not that Blair cared.

Blair walked off, deciding to head out and do some shopping. If she stayed away then maybe Klaus wouldn’t demand that she help hunt down Davina. She walked back into her room and grabbed her bag and sunglasses and just as she was about to walk out the front door of the Abattoir, she was stopped when Elijah appeared behind her.

“You have something to do with Davina’s disappearance,” Elijah said, his voice low but pointed.

This statement caused Blair to pause for a moment. “What makes you say that?” Blair turned around and arched a brow in a challenging manner. She had suspected that someone would accuse her but she hadn’t expected Elijah to be the one pointing the finger.

“You were the one that was against her being used by Niklaus,” Elijah said as he met her challenging stare with his own.

Blair rolled her eyes, “And why would I do that? I hate Witches,”

Elijah smirked, amusement dancing in his eyes, “But you hate Niklaus more,”

Now, this was something she couldn’t deny and he knew it. “Do you plan on passing on your suspicions?” Blair asked, her eyes scanning the area. Throughout their entire conversation, she had been keeping an eye out for anyone who could be eavesdropping. There was no one within hearing distance but she could never be too careful.

“No,” Elijah shook his head, “I have no evidence to bring forth, just a hunch.” Silently, he agreed with Blair’s actions and it was something that should have been done beforehand. Davina did not deserve to be used and manipulated by Klaus, she was a child and one that had already been through so much. “But I think you should be aware, if Niklaus perceives a threat then he will eradicate that threat as he sees fit,”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Blair said as she walked away. She had received his warning loud and clear, whether she would listen to it was another question altogether.

Elijah watched her go with a frown. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to get the Fae out of his head. All her actions made no sense and he hadn’t expected her to take such actions or protect Davina. She confused him – she was an enigma that he wanted to work out.

ORIGINALS

Hours had passed and night had fallen on New Orleans. Blair had spent most of the day out of the Abattoir and out in the city, away from all the Originals and Hayley. She was aware that Klaus was looking for her, no doubt wanting her to join in on the search for Davina – something she refused to join in. Using her magic, she had snuck back into the compound and had another session with Raphael. The Queen had stuck her claws deep in his mind and so she needed to dig even deeper. The Queen had four hundred years to manipulate her subjects and so it was a battlefield inside Raphael’s mind. Blair couldn’t push too much in one session and she had no choice but to go down the painful route because of how badly he had been brainwashed.

When Blair was done, one of her burner phones rang in her pocket. Blair answered the phone, having an idea of who it was. “What?”

“I need your help!” Davina cried out over the phone. There was a mix of anger and pain in her voice, something that made Blair pause.

“What’s happened?” Blair asked as she put Raphael back to sleep. She stepped away and focused on the phone call.

Davina let out a dry sob, “It’s Klaus. He’s kidnapped Tim and is demanding that I come back to the compound,” During their short time together, Davina had mentioned Timothy a few times – not that Blair had fully listened – but she understood enough to know that Davina had very strong feelings for the young man.

Blair fell silent as she mentally cursed Klaus. “Are you even out of New Orleans?”

“No,” Davina said, her voice low.

Blair sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She was annoyed that she has allowed Davina to get away and she hadn’t taken it. “Where are you?”

“I am on my way now,” Davina said, determination in her voice.

Blair groaned in aggravation and hung up the phone. She was about to get involved in something she really didn’t want to. It was tempting to let Davina deal with this on her own but she had a feeling she needed to be there. With her mind made up, Blair sped walked out of the basement and that’s when she heard talking. As stealthily as she could, she made her way to the courtyard and that’s when she saw Klaus, Elijah, Marcel and Davina. Sticking close to the shadows, Blair watched everything unfold. In the corner of her eye, she spotted a young boy – who she thankfully didn’t recognise. The boy had a violin in his hand and she assumed it to be Timothy.

“How can you make it right? You threatened my friend,” Davina glared at Marcel with hate in her eyes. She had trusted the man and he had betrayed her.

“Actually, that was my idea. Apologies.” Klaus said, “I’ve been known to go too far to make a point, but I always get results,” There was a smug smirk on his face, one that only served to annoy and exasperation everyone in the room.

Davina scoffed at his attitude. “You always pretend to be so confident, but I know the truth.” Klaus sent her an amused look but this spurred the Witch on, fuelling her anger, “You’re afraid everyone can see what you really are. An animal,” Davina raised her hand and pulled it down, her magic flaringly alarmingly.

Klaus instantly fell to the ground and his bones crunched from under the magic. Klaus screamed out in pain from this assault and it made Blair smirk, finally, someone was teaching Klaus a lesson. Elijah and Marcel attempted to intervene but Davina lifted her other hand and stopped then in their tracks before she brought them to their knees with magic.

Davina looked down to Klaus and moved her hand, “A beast,” When her hand moved, Klaus’ body convulsed in agony as his bones broke. “Why don’t you show us your real face?” Davina asked, her eyes glazed over with bloodlust and anger.

Klaus looked up at Davina and his face morphed from the pain. His fangs elongated, black veins flickered under his eyes and his eyes glowed a horrifying yellow colour. Pure agony shinned in his eyes as Davina broke his back.

“That’s enough of you,” Davina waved her hand dismissively and broke Klaus’ neck. His body fell limp to the ground, but it would no doubt be back when he had healed.

Blair watched this all with a keen eye. From what she could see, Davina was using her magic on instinct, not talent. Davina was using her anger to focus her magic and this made her deadly. Blair frowned when she noticed how Davina’s magic would flicker in an unstable manner and it made her feel uncomfortable. If she continued to use her magic like this then she was going to lose control and Blair had a very bad feeling.

“Davina, you don’t have to do this,” Elijah said from his position on the floor.

Davina’s dark eyes focused on Elijah, “And you. You claim to be the noble one but you’re a liar. You’ve fed on innocent blood for a thousand years. Why don’t you choke on it,” She clenched her hand and her magic flared up. She fully intended to make her words come true and she could feel her magic grow stronger.

That’s when Blair intervened. With a wave of her hand, Blair knocked Elijah and Marcel unconscious and stepped towards Davina, “You need to calm down, now.” Blair said as she walked closer to the Witch.

Davina glared at her, “Why did you stop me? I had them exactly where I wanted them!” She wanted to make them all pay for using her – they deserved it. She had been scared and terrified when she found out Timothy had been kidnapped but that was gone and now all she felt was anger.

“Your magic is becoming more unstable by the minute. If you don’t stop you’re going to lose control,” Blair said as she stopped when she was in front of Davina. She raised her hand and tapped her forehead, forcing her magic to push Davina’s magic back. She needed to intervene before something bad happened, all her instincts were screaming at her to interfere before anything else happened. Blair had allowed her to get her revenge on Klaus – it had been very satisfying for Klaus brought down a peg but that was enough.

The moment Blair’s magic pushed hers down, Davina relaxed and felt all the tension leave her shoulders. She hadn’t realised how tense she had become. “Why didn’t you stop me beforehand?” She asked curiously.

“It was funny to see Klaus get what he deserves,” Blair smirked, one that made Davina laugh. Blair looked down at Marcel, “You can speak to him later, preferably when your toy boy isn’t be held captive,” She said as she looked up at the terrified Timothy.

Davina’s eyes widened when she realised she had forgotten about him. He stared down at her from his vantage point, very much confused as to what was happening.

“Don’t forget about me,” Rebekah said as she walked into the courtyard with a cautious expression. She had been watching from the shadows with interest and had waited for her time to intervene. She had been fascinated by Davina’s strong magic but what made it even better was the fact Blair seemed to be able to control her without any struggle.

In an instant, Davina was immediately on edge and Blair sent the female Original a sideward glance. She had sensed Rebekah’s presence and wondered what she was doing. She thought Rebekah would have helped Klaus but she hadn’t that had surprised Blair.

“Isn’t it time for us girls to have a chat?” She sent a glance at both Davina and Blair. “That was very impressive and it was well-deserved in my opinion.”

Davina bristled under her stare and she shifted uncomfortably.

Rebekah held up her hands, “Now, before you turn on me, I have a surprise for you,” She looked to the entrance of the compound and watched as Josh walked in.

Arching a brow, Blair stayed silent and watched this all play out.

Josh, what are you doing here?” Davina asked in confusion, “Get out of here!” It was dangerous to be here at the moment and she didn’t want him anywhere near here.

In a flash, Rebekah was in front of Josh and held him up by the throat, his feet dangling in the air. Davina cried out in shock and fear, fearing for Josh.

“What are you playing at Rebekah?” Blair asked calmly.

Rebekah ignored her and stared at Davina. “Now, if I were Klaus, I would rip Josh’s head from his neck and feed it to a nightwalker. Then, that would be the end of your friend,” Josh struggled under Rebekah’s grip, gagging under her strength but it didn’t last long before Rebekah lowered her hand and retracted her hand, “But hurting people is such a boyish thing to do, like how Klaus compelled your fiddler on the roof,” She said as she looked up to Timothy. “And, while I am many things, I am certainly not my brother,”

Blair felt the need to disagree but held back due to curiosity. From the rumours that she had heard about Rebekah, she had just as bad a temper as Klaus. Blair knew that the blonde Original had an agenda – they always did – but she was interested to see where this was going to lead.

“You can come down now, no one is going to hurt you,” Rebekah said as she looked up to Timothy.

Timothy looked down with fear in his eyes, “He told me I couldn’t climb down off this beam,”

Blair rolled her eyes and waved her hand, using the wind to pick Timothy up. He cried out when she was moved and wriggled around in fear but soon he relaxed when he wasn’t plummeting to the ground. Within seconds, Timothy was on the ground safely and Davina jumped at him, wrapping her arms around him, happily. Timothy hugged her back in relief, happy that he was no longer in danger but he was very much confused.

“Davina, what’s going on?” Timothy asked.

Davina’s smile was watery as tears threatened to fall, “I’ll explain everything later,” She sent a grateful look in Blair direction, one that the Fae ignored. She then turned to Rebekah, “Why are you doing this?”

Seems to be that you’re the one holding all the cards,” Rebekah answered, “But you don’t know who to trust. I’ve just proven that you can trust me. Now, I’d like to show you one more thing. It won’t take long and you can bring your friends,” She glanced at Blair, Josh and Timothy in a meaningful manner before she walked off.

Davina looked to Blair for advice and the Fae nodded her head. Blair couldn’t feel any malicious intentions behind Rebekah’s actions. If anything went wrong, she and Davina could take down the Original.

It didn’t take long before they reached the Garden. It was a spacious area and at first glance, didn’t seem like much but the more Blair looked around, the more she noticed that something wasn’t right. Only she and Josh had a lamp to light the way in the dark underground and they led the way, with Davina and Timothy staying by Blair’s side. It took her a few seconds before she realised there were people pinned to the wall in bricks. All the people pinned down where Vampires and appeared to be mostly desiccated.
Timothy looked around and saw people who appeared as though they were dead.

Josh grinned weakly, “It is okay. They’re not really dead, just really hungry,” When Timothy paled dramatically and gasped, Josh winced awkwardly. “I am not helping,”

Rebekah looked around the Garden with a grim expression. She hated the Garden and loathed it, even more, when Marcel had revealed that this was the foundation of their home he was going to build. She despised it. “You think my brother, Nik is awful? Marcel learned from the best. This is how he treats his so-called friends who betray him,” Rebekah motioned to the desiccated bodies attached to the walls, “Most of what these poor souls did is no worse than what Josh did,”

Blair looked around, her expression blank of any emotion. The whole Garden was fascinating and she wondered any many Vampires were currently imprisoned.

Pointing over to the nearest wall, Rebekah continued. “Take Thierry for example. He was Marcel’s most trusted friend,”

Blair looked over at the nearest Vampire and noticed how well he seemed compared to the other Vampires restrained. The name rang a bell but she didn’t care to remember from where exactly she had heard the name. Davina walked closer and nearly gasped when she recognised him. She had seen Thierry a few times while she was still under the care of Marcel.

“Nik tricked him into breaking one of Marcel’s rules. Marcel knows this and yet he keeps Thierry locked here day after day suffering.” Rebekah explained.

Timothy looked around, “This is insane,”

“Why are you telling us this?” Blair asked with an arched brow.

Rebekah took a few steps forward towards Davina and Blair, “Because you need to know who you’re dealing with, who you can trust,”

“And what do you gain from this?” Blair asked the blonde, sceptical of her intentions.

Timothy walked over to Davina, noticing how devastated she looked. He consoled her before offering her a drink of water from the bottle he had with him. Josh stood nearby, also comforting Davina. Davina took a sip from the bottle, sighing in relief, the water helping to calm her nerves.

Staring directly at the Fae, Rebekah answered her. “Davina and I have been lied to and taken advantage of by Marcel and Nik. Maybe together we can get a little payback. It’ll only be a matter of time before he tried to use you too,”

Davina frowned and Blair said nothing, silently annoyed by her words.

Suddenly, Timothy started to cough until it became violent. He dropped the bottle in his hands and he lost his grip on his violin case, the case and bottle falling hard into the ground. He fell to his knees and Davina cried out his name in worry. Josh looked up to Blair, “What’s going on?!”

Blair and Rebekah where by Timothy and Davina’s side in an instant. Blair spotted the bottle and picked it up, quickly sniffing it. “Poison,”

“Nik must have given it to him,” Rebekah said. In the past, Klaus had to poison some of the enemies that went against him. It was something he would do with no hesitation.

“H-he made me do it… I didn’t even know what I was doing…” Timothy coughed violently, struggling to breathe. It felt like something was burning his throat and his stomach was clenched viciously. He felt like he was going crazy, he couldn’t remember how he had even got there in the first place. It felt like there were holes in his memories and he hated it.

Blair immediately set to work, Josh laid Timothy down while she got to work. Using her magic, she detected that Klaus had used a potent poison, something that didn’t surprise her. Blair knew that she needed to act fast otherwise he wouldn’t make it. As she got to work, she felt Davina’s magic flare in anguish. “Davina, control your magic,” Blair said, her focus completely on the mortal in front of her. She refused to let the poor child be pulled into Klaus’ horrible games. Klaus was doing this to punish Davina for her defiance and Blair refused to let him win.

Davina was about to reply but then she groaned and started to cough. She fell to the ground, besides Timothy and her eyes closed.

“Damn it, Klaus!” Rebekah cursed as she pulled out her phone. She was going to call Klaus and ask for the antidote, though she doubted he would give her it.

“She’ll be fine,” Blair said as she poured more magic into Timothy, “The magic inside her body is pushing out the poison. She’ll survive,” The whole time she had been in Davina’s presence, she had kept a close eye on Davina’s magic. Her magic was reacting to the poison in her system, destroying it before it could do any damage, but Timothy wasn’t that lucky.

“Can you save him?” Rebekah asked, lowering the phone in her hand.

Blair nodded her head, “I can. Just keep an eye on Davina,” She continued her task in destroying the poison inside Timothy’s body. It was concentrated in his stomach and his throat and so she was focused on those two areas. Luckily, it hadn’t had long to spread and do any permanent damage and so she could save him. If the poison had been in his body too long then she wouldn’t have been able to save him.

Minutes later, Davina gasped as she woke up. She frantically looked around the room and spotted an unconscious Timothy lying beside her. “Timothy!” She shot up and kneeled beside him, “Is he okay?” She asked Blair, desperation in her voice.

“Yes, he’ll be fine.” Blair answered, her tone softer to the ear, “He just needs some rest,” She didn’t know what it was but seeing Davina so devastated made her feel something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She felt protective of the young Witch. It wasn’t fair that Davina was being used and her future wasn’t fair either.

Davina slumped in relief before she flung herself at Blair and hugged her tightly. Blair blinked slowly in shock and tensed. It had been a long time since she had been hugged by anyone and it was a foreign feeling. After a few seconds, Blair relaxed and awkwardly patted her on the back before pulling her off.

“He needs to be put somewhere safe where Klaus can’t get to him,” Blair said.

“He won’t strike against him so soon afterwards,” Rebekah said confidently. She knew her brother well enough to anticipate his actions, “He’ll wait for us to lower our guards. But he does need to be hidden.” If Klaus found out that his plan to break Davina had failed then she would flip. It was lucky she had hidden the daggers so they couldn’t be used against her. Klaus would wait and then get his revenge, making sure it stung.

Blair looked to Josh, “Get Timothy out of here. Hide him and keep him safe,”

Wordlessly, Josh nodded his head and picked up Timothy’s unconscious body. Within seconds, he was gone and Blair silently hoped Josh managed to hide him well enough.

When Timothy was gone, Davina slumped forward, exhausted from the day she’d had and soon she fell into an uneasy sleep. She had exerted a lot of magic today and something didn’t feel right. There was a restless inside her but she felt exhausted at the same time. It was confusing. However, her body’s exhaustion caused her to crumple the moment she knew Timothy was out of harm’s way. Davina slumped against Blair, who effortlessly picked the young girl up and carried her out. Rebekah silently offered to take Davina but Blair refused.

Minutes later, they arrived back at the compound. They walked through the courtyard and found Marcel and Klaus arguing with one another. Elijah stood at the side of the room, exasperation on his face. The moment Blair saw them, anger roared to life.

“Enough!” Blair roared out, magic crackling in the air.

Klaus and Marcel fell silent as they turned to see Rebekah, Blair and Davina. When Marcel saw the young Witch, concern filled his eyes but he stayed where he was because he was cautious of the Fae. Elijah turned to face her, waiting to see what she would say.
Quick to recover, Klaus smirked lazily, “Well, it looks like we have another traitor,” His gaze solely laid on Blair, he already knew about his sister’s treachery but Blair’s surprised him. She had claimed to hate Witches and yet she was holding one in her arms.

Blair sent him a glare, “How can I be a traitor when I was never loyal to you?”

Klaus’s eyes narrowed in anger and took a step forward.

Within a flash, Elijah stood between Blair and Klaus. “You will not harm them,” He squared his shoulders, ready for an altercation. Davina had been through enough and he would protect her and Blair from Klaus.

Rebekah stepped in front of Blair and Davina also, “We won’t let you,”

Klaus growled lowly in the back of his throat but did nothing.

“How is she?” Marcel asked Blair, his eyes filled with concern.

“Devastated and exhausted,” Blair replied bluntly, her tone not kind, “I am going to take her up to her room,”

Marcel tried to get closer, “I’ve got her,”

Blair’s eyes flashed a menacing purple colour and magic crackled in the air. “You will not touch her,” Using her magic, she pushed Marcel back – not enough to injure but enough to send a point. After everything that he had done, Blair was not letting Marcel anywhere Davina.

Pain flashed in Marcel’s eyes but he backed off, knowing not to push the matter.

Wordlessly, Blair stalked off with Davina in her arms. She easily found her room and gently placed the young Witch onto the bed before covering her with the duvet. Blair stared down at Davina’s exhausted face and she brushed a loose lock of hair from her face.

“You saved her,” Elijah said from the doorway of Davina’s room. He had followed after the Fae to check up on her.

Blair turned her head, “I did.” She had known he was following her, he hadn’t hidden this from her and she had allowed it.

“Thank you,” Elijah said, his voice low, “She didn’t deserve this,”

Blair said nothing but mentally agreed with what he was saying. Davina did not deserve this fate and it made her curse the Fates in her head. They were horrible people that liked to play games with people’s lives.

Elijah stared at her for a moment, “I thought you hated Witches,”

“I do,” Blair answered back, her voice low and soft, “But she is different.” She couldn’t explain what it was but she felt extremely protective of Davina. She wasn’t too fused on children and would often avoid them when she could. But Davina stirred up the maternal instincts that she thought had been long dead.

Elijah walked into the room until he was right beside Blair. “You saved me from Davina,” He had woken up confused. He could remember how angry Davina was and thought he might suffer the same fate as his brother but it never happened. Vaguely, he remembered her scent before he fell to an unconscious state.

Blair snorted, “Klaus got what he deserved. She had made her point, any more would have been overkill,”

Grinning, Elijah silently agreed with her words. Suddenly, his eyes were drawn to the drawings nearby and he lost his grin. “What are these?”

Looking over, Blair spotted the drawings and frowned. She examined them more closely before she answered. “They appear to be prophetic drawings. They have bad energy about them,” There was a subtle pulse of power from the drawings, it wasn’t enough to draw her complete attention but she had acknowledged it in her mind.

Taking a step closer to the drawings, Elijah picked them up. “I’ll return these in a moment,” He said as he took them out of the room.

Blair shrugged her shoulders, not bothered by this. However, as she watched him leave, she had a bad feeling. It was like something heavy had set in her stomach and this made her mentally groan. This sense of foreboding made her uneasy and she just hoped it would go away.

Chapter 10: Chapter 10

It was the next morning and Davina had yet to wake up. Blair had kept an eye on Davina for most of the night and was happy when she wasn’t disturbed. To make sure no one disturbed Davina, she had magically locked the door so Marcel couldn’t sneak in without her knowing. She left the young Witch alone and had come down to the sitting room, where Elijah, Hayley and Rebekah sat. In front of them was the drawings that Davina had done and they had been assembled to reveal a face – a very beautiful face. The moment Blair saw the woman, a shiver ran down her spine – and not the good kind. She didn’t like this picture, there was something wrong with it and she had a strong urge to burn the paper.

“Have you found out who it is?” Blair asked as she walked into the room. She ignored the glare Hayley sent her way.

Elijah turned to face the Fae, “Her name is Celeste.”

“She was also one of Elijah’s many lovers,” Klaus walked in with a smirk as he looked down at the drawing, “She was quite a beautiful woman and a portent of evil according to our volatile artist in residence,” Marcel had already explained to them that when Davina drew these pieces, she felt a lure to evil – a great evil and she hated drawing it but couldn’t stop.

Ignoring his brother, Elijah continued to stare at the drawing, “Perhaps Davina is mistaken to what she calls evil for power. Celeste was certainly very powerful in her day. But she’s been dead for over two hundred years.”

Blair hummed in thought as she sat down on a chair, far away from Hayley. “I am not too sure about that.” When her clairvoyant powers first came in, she used to draw what she had seen to channel her powers. Her powers were too much for her in the beginning and often times left her very ill until she found this medium. Luckily, she got stronger as she got older and no longer needed to use paper to draw her powers but she hadn’t forgotten where she started from. She had no idea if this could be a similar case but she wouldn’t discard this notion so easily.

Elijah shook his head in thought and he took a seat, “I don’t understand why all these sketches now,”

Klaus rolled his eyes, “Why does any Witch do anything?”

Suddenly, there was the violent sound of crashing pottery against the wall. Everyone turned their heads, knowing where the sound came from. Blair smirked, knowing that it was Davina that made the sound. When Blair had locked Davina’s door shut, she had spelled it to only open for who Davina allowed it. She must have allowed Marcel to enter the room but it didn’t seem to be going his way – much to her delight. She could hear Marcel trying to placate her but to no avail.

“Well, that’s going well,” Klaus commented with a sarcastic grin.

“If you were trying to win the girl’s trust, perhaps poisoning her one true love was not the most splendid idea,” Elijah sent him a look, one that was filled with exasperation.

Blair smirked and shared a look with Rebekah who was sat nearby. Luckily, Timothy was very much alive otherwise Davina’s wrath would have been much worse.

Klaus shrugged, “Oh, are there any more inopportune deaths you’d like to wave in my face?”

“Give me a month, I’ll get you a list,” Elijah replied back dryly.

Klaus chuckled lowly, a grin on his face. Even Blair smirked, silently surprised that Elijah had a sense of humour.

There was another crash, one that sounded more violent than the last. With their supernatural hearing, they could all hear Marcel trying to reason with Davina but she was pushing back, not allowing him to get any further with her. The sound seemed to ruin Klaus’ good mood and Blair decided that she had given Marcel too much time alone with Davina. He was obviously upsetting her and she could feel Davina’s magic flaring in an unstable manner.

“Young, old, dead or alive, Witches are a pain in the ass,” Klaus said as he stormed out of the room, following after Blair, who was going to check up on Davina.

As Blair walked to Davina’s room – with Klaus at her heels – she could feel a disturbance and this made a cold shiver run down her spine. Doubling her speed, she arrived at Davina’s room and saw the young Witch hunched over her bed, throwing up actual dirt from her mouth.

“What did you do?” Blair asked immediately as she rushed over to Davina’s side.

“Nothing!” Marcel defended as he stared at Davina in concern.

Davina looked at Blair, “I don’t know what’s happening to me,” She was scared, she had never heard to seen anyone throw up dirt before. She felt unwell like something was wrong but she didn’t know what.

Klaus stormed into the room, “What’s all this racket?” He took one look around and the room and noted the dirt on Davina’s bed. The door had been left wide open so he walked in completely fine.

Before anyone could say anything, Davina made a gagging sound before she started to throw up more dirt. Blair slowly rubbed soothing circles on Davina’s back, trying to push lightly against the unstable magic inside of Davina with little success. Her magic was too unhinged at this point. If Blair wanted to subdue her magic then she would need use a lot more magic.

“Bloody hell,” Klaus muttered as he watched, along with a scared Marcel.

Another flare of magic sparked in the air and made Blair look around in concern. Just as she did this, the earth began to shake violently, very much like an earthquake. Klaus and Marcel made sounds of protest and Blair clung onto the bed frame to keep herself steady. She watched as things fell to the ground and eyed the bookshelf wearily as it seemed as though it was about to collapse. Davina continued to whimper and cry out in pain, the magic was physically hurting her. Blair took note of this and decided that she needed to stop this before Davina was hurt even worse. She placed a hand on Davina’s head and forced her magic into Davina and forced her into a state of unconsciousness. Working immediately, Davina fell backwards onto the bed and Blair vanished the dirt from the bed.

Moving back downstairs, the Vampires and the Fae moved back down to the living room – joining Elijah and Hayley. Rebekah volunteered to stay with Davina in case she woke up but Blair knew that she wouldn’t wake up for at least an hour. Once they were back downstairs, they all began putting things back in order. The only people who weren’t helping was Blair and Hayley. No one was letting Hayley do any heavy lifting while she was pregnant with her miracle child and Blair was just lazy.

“This is madness,” Klaus said, “How can a sixteen-year-old shake the entire French Quarter? I’ve seen her rock the Church but nothing like this. How did you control her?” He asked, looking to Marcel who was pacing around the room.

“I didn’t have to,” Marcel said in frustration, “But then, I never killed her boyfriend,”

Klaus sighed in exasperation, “Yes, yes. We’ve been over this part already. The point is, in her present state, she’s useless as a tool against the Witches,”

“She is not a weapon,” Blair glared at him.

Marcel nodded his head in agreement, “Something is wrong with her,”

“She has too much power, that we already knew,” Elijah commented contemplatively. “But why is it manifesting in such an aggressive manner?” He then turned to the Fae, “You said her magic was unstable, that’s why you wouldn’t tutor her,”

Blair sighed, “Yes. How long ago was it when you saved Davina?” She asked, looking to Marcel for confirmation.

Marcel frowned thoughtfully, “Around eight months ago,”

“Does it matter?” Klaus interjected.

Ignoring him, Blair pursed her lips together. “It’s the Harvest. She has the power of three Witches inside of her and that magic is unstable. Her body has reached its breaking point and can no longer hold it in anymore. One person was never supposed to hold that magic inside them,” She knew that it was going to happen at some point – it was inevitable. If they didn’t do something then Davina was going to be destroyed and she would take the French Quarter down with her.

Elijah stood up and grabbed his jacket. He made his way to the door and Klaus frowned, “Where are you going?”

“This is a Witch problem. We need a Witch,” Elijah said as he walked with purpose. Hayley followed closely behind him, apprehension in her eyes.

Blair watched him go and mentally agreed with him. She never voiced this but she knew the Harvest needed to be completed otherwise it was going to kill Davina. She had seen it in her vision that Davina would need to be sacrificed, as much as she didn’t want it to happen. She knew it was inevitable.

Elijah had worked quickly. Within thirty minutes of him leaving the compound, he returned with Sophie on his heels. Sophie did not look happy to be dealing with the Originals and the moment she saw Blair, she paled dramatically. Elijah did not look pleased – in fact, he looked silently furious which looked very attractive on him in Blair’s eyes. They were all sat in the living room once more, looking over at the picture of Celeste. The only person missing from this session was Hayley, who seemed to have disappeared to her room with tears in her eyes. It had made Blair wonder what had caused Hayley to become so emotional but she found that she didn’t care so she discarded that thought very easily.

“So, you have stolen the remains of the very person that Davina’s been drawing for months,” Elijah stated with an impressed expression. “Would you care to explain this startling coincidence?” On this return, he had briefly mentioned what Hayley had done and now Blair understood why he was so furious.

Sophie cautiously looked at the drawings, it looked exactly like the picture she had found at Celeste unmarked grave. “I can’t. I didn’t even know who Celeste Dubois was until recently,”

“Well, we need to find a solution before she destroys everything,” Rebekah said with a sigh. “I am not looking forward to any more of Davina’s little shows of power,”

“Wait,” Sophie said as her eyes widened. “That earthquake was Davina?”

Blair’s lips pinched together for a moment, “Unfortunately, yes. The magic inside her has become unbalanced and is lashing out in the forms of the elements. Just this morning she threw up dirt,” Luckily, she had placed the Witch back to sleep where she and the French Quarter was safe. But she didn’t know how long she could continue to do this. Davina’s magic was volatile and would overcome Blair’s soon if nothing was done.

“Charming little habit she’s developed,” Klaus said dryly as he took a sip from his scotch.

Sophie paled even further at their words, “Oh. We have a huge problem. I thought that we had more time, but we need to complete the Harvest, now.” There was a sense of urgency in her voice, one that caused everyone in the room to narrow their eyes in suspicion.

Klaus arched a brow, “Said the desperate Witch, conveniently.”

“I’m serious.” Sophie said with a clenched jaw, “That earthquake from earlier was just a preview of the disastrous movie that is about to hit us,”

Elijah crossed his arms, “Why should we believe you?”

“You’ve met Davina, you know her story. The magic from the other three sacrificed girls was meant to flow through her and back into the earth. One person was never meant to hold that much power. But, how are you guys containing it?” Sophie asked in confusion. If the magic inside Davina was truly going to explode, she would have expected more earthquakes and yet there had only been a few which was why she didn’t connect the dots.

“That would be me,” Blair answered.

Sophie stared at her in caution and suspicion, “How?”

Blair smirked, “My magic is more powerful,” Compared to Witches the Fae was more powerful. The Fae could do things that Witches could only dream of and that’s what made them jealous. However, Davina held the power of four Witches – one being her own – and so that made her extremely powerful. Blair was having to use her higher levels enchantments to keep her at bay.

“Then why do you need me?” Sophie demanded.

“Because you’re a Witch and this is a Witch issue,” Rebekah answered bluntly, finding Sophie to be quite annoying.

Narrowing her eyes, Sophie moved on. “If we don’t do something then this power will tear Davina part and it’ll take us down with it,”

The Originals and Blair shared a look with one another, uncertain about this ominous news.

ORIGINALS

After going their separate ways, Blair went back into Davina’s room to check up on her. Davina’s magic was growing restless and she was sure there was going to be another flare-up very soon. Blair sat down on the bed and that’s when Davina seemed to wake up from her sleep. Davina looked around the room and saw Blair.

“Have you figured out what’s wrong with me?” She asked, terrified of what was happening.

Blair frowned, “Unfortunately, nothing good. The power inside you has become too unstable to the point of lashing out. If this continues, the earthquakes will continue, then there will be wind, floods and then finally fire.” She saw no point in lying to the child, she needed to know what was going on.

“So, what’s going to happen?” Davina asked, scared of her fate.

“They want to complete the Harvest,” Blair answered.

“No!” Davina cried out in fear.

Blair allowed Davina to take her hand and cling to it. “I know, I don’t agree with it either. The Witches claim that you’ll be resurrected,” She had seen it in her vision but she had also seen the gruesome slash on Davina’s neck when it happened. It unsettled her but also gave her some relief because she knew Davina would come back.

“They’re liars!” Davina said, tears in her eyes. “They’ll say anything to get what they want, just like Marcel,” They all saw her as a weapon to use and she didn’t want that fate. But she also didn’t want to be sacrificed either and that left her with no other options.

“Davina,” Blair said, trying to get her attention but she was far too filled with panic to listen. It was getting to the point where the wind started to become harsher and pressurised. To get her attention, Blair flared her magic and forced her to calm down. Davina’s whole body stopped shaking as Blair’s magic calmed her down.

“You will come back,” Blair said, her voice soft and soothing, “I have seen it.” She had debated whether or not to say something about her vision. Usually, this was a power that she guarded very closely. The only people who knew about her future sight was the Fae – and that had been unavoidable. However, she saw no other options because Davina needed this reassurance.

Davina stared at her, awe in her eyes. “You can see the future?”

Blair nodded her head, not minding when Davina’s grip on her hand tightened. “Yes. I have seen the Harvest work, you will come back to life and so will the other girls,” Her vision had been extremely detailed, as were all her visions but there were certain things there were missing.

This news calmed the young Witch down dramatically, but she was still scared. “The ancestors will be angry,” Davina muttered lowly. She was scared of what would happen if the ancestors got a hold of her. They would be angry with her because she had disrupted the Harvest Ritual and she dreaded to think what they would do to her. It was highly likely they wouldn’t let her come back to life at all for what happened.

A fierce wave of protective hit Blair, “They won’t hurt you. I won’t let them.” There was nothing Blair hated more than Witch ancestors. They were so full of themselves and hated when people showed any individualism. This was a very big difference between Fae and Witches – the Fae were not controlled by their ancestors.

“But how?” Davina asked.

For a moment, Blair said nothing as she considered her options, but there was one that stuck out in her mind. “I could mark you. It would put you under my protection so no one would be allowed to harm you,” This was a very ancient practice for the Fae and was mainly used for children. Before the Fae went into hiding, they used to protect children, whether that be from their own parents or from other supernatural creatures. The mark shielded them from harm and if anyone tried to harm a marked person then there would be consequences. In the four hundred years Blair had been on the run, she had never placed a protective mark on anyone. She had also never heard of a mark being put on a Witch but she was willing to take the chance.

“You could do that?” Davina asked, hope in her eyes.

Blair nodded her head, “I could, but only if you want me to,”

Before Davina could answer, her eyes widened in fear and this made Blair jumped up. Before she could blink, something sharp was shoved into her back, just inches away from her heart. Blair gasped and nearly screamed in pain when the familiar burning sensation coursed through her veins. Someone had shoved an iron blade into her chest. Blair tried to access her magic but the iron blocked this.

The wind sharpened and the pressure in the room skyrocketed, “No!” Davina screamed out in horror as she watched Blair hit the ground.

Blair choked out a growl as she turned her head. Marcel stood over her, a dark look in his eyes. She growled lowly in her throat as she reached for her magic but she struggled. Within a flash, Marcel was by Davina’s bed and was gone before she could even move. In the distance, she could hear Davina screaming until it was gone and the wind became so violent it was similar to a hurricane. Gritting her teeth, Blair reached behind her back and pulled out the blade with a scream before throwing it aside. Sluggishly, she stood up and had to focus on her breathing. Marcel had stabbed her so close to her heart and it was agony. Slowly, she felt her body start to heal, her healing facture being slowed down by the sudden injection of iron in her body. Mentally, Blair made a promise to kill Marcel for what he had done.

Minutes passed before she was discovered. “What the bloody hell happened here?” Rebekah said, appearing in the room suddenly with Klaus by his side.

Klaus looked around the room and noticed the missing Witch, “Where is Davina?”

“Gone,” Blair hissed lowly, “Marcel took her and stabbed me with an iron blade,” When she got a hold of Marcel he was going to pay.

Klaus cursed loudly, anger radiating from his whole form.

Rebekah moved forward and helped Blair sit up on the bed. Once she was sat down on the bed, she could feel her magic come back. Rebekah then took her phone and rang Elijah. It didn’t take him long to answer the phone. “Marcel has taken Davina,” Rebekah said the moment Elijah answered.

“And stabbed our Fae with iron,” Klaus said as he looked at the two guards at the door, also unconscious. He had guards placed there to protect Davina, not knowing Marcel would ultimately betray him.

“Is Blair alright?” Elijah asked.

“I’m alive and I am going to kill him,” Blair answered back with a snarl on her face.

Klaus sent Rebekah a look, “And you wanted to run off and start a life with this backstabber.”

Rebekah glared at him. “Says the man who was shacking up with him, not two seconds before this all went down.”

The wind started to how violently, interrupting their argument before it could get worse.

Elijah made a noise of amusement, “Do you need a Witch to perform a locator spell in your place?” He asked, ignoring his sibling’s antics as he was much too used to this.

“No,” Blair answered him, feeling her strength return and her magic flared. “I’ll find her myself.” Summoning a map of New Orleans on the bed, she picked up a nearby hairbrush that belonged to Davina and held it tightly in one hand. She placed a hand over the map and closed her eyes, sending out her magic to locate Davina. Within seconds, she had her answer. The map showed Davina to be at a warehouse near the water.

After a few seconds, Elijah’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Have you found her?”

“Yes,” Blair said as she stood up and walked out. She could hear Klaus and Rebekah call after her but she didn’t listen. She was on a mission and she would make Marcel pay for getting in the way.

ORIGINALS

Blair arrived at the warehouse thirty minutes after she had set out. Now that she knew where Davina was nothing was going to stop her. She had managed to lose Klaus on the way out – he seemed to be helping an emotional Hayley with something that she didn’t care to know. On the way, Blair had concealed herself so she lost the female Original quite easily as she had intended. After that, she just followed the lure of Davina’s magic and where the magic seemed the most concentrated. A storm had awakened and now thunder and lightning lit the skies dangerously. Rain poured down heavily to the point it would soon flood the city if nothing was done. Davina’s magic was starting to unravel even worse than before, no doubt being forcibly kidnapped would set her off even worse.

When she arrived, she saw Davina sat up in a makeshift bed and Marcel in front of her with his hands out. She stayed back and watched for a moment, listening in closely to what was being said.

“I’m the one who had a Witch put a protection spell on you, D. That’s why Tim’s dead and you’re not. If I had known then I would have saved him too!” Marcel pleaded with her.

Davina stared up at him, distrust in her eyes. “You’re the one that saved me?”

Anger welled up inside Blair at his deceit. “Now, he didn’t,” Blair said as she made her presence know. She walked forward and noticed the dark look Marcel sent her and she returned his with her own. “Your Witch never placed the spell. Davina’s magic destroyed the poison inside her body.” She didn’t mention Tim and she saw the relief in Davina’s eyes that she didn’t give up this secret.

Marcel glared at the Fae before turning back to Davina. “I messed up, and I am sorry but I am trying to keep you safe,”

“You just want to use me as a weapon!” Davina accused, her magic flaring up and made the thunder rumble loudly in the sky.

Marcel frowned, regret in his eyes. “You had a lot of power and it helped me run the city. It helped me punish the Witches and I let that mean too much. But that’s all over with now, one survivor to another. All I want to do is keep you alive,” He took one step closer to Davina, who pulled back and seemed to tremble.

Davina glared at him, “I don’t believe you! Blair was about to help me and you stopped her!”

“She wasn’t helping you!” Marcel yelled out, “She was just trying to use you to complete the Harvest! She’s on Klaus’ side!”

Any resemblance of control Blair had snapped at that moment. Blair barely twitched her hand and watched as Marcel was lifted into the air by his throat, his air supply cut off. Marcel choked out a gasp as his hands went to his throat, trying to stop this invisible threat to no avail. Blair twitched her finger and snapped Marcel’s neck before letting him fall lifeless to the ground. When he was unconscious, she threw his body out of the warehouse, leaving his body to the harsh elements.

“Davina, look at me,” Blair said when she noticed that the young Witch was nearly hyperventilating. She got closer to Davina, ignoring how her magic flared up dangerously. She sat down on the makeshift bed, “What do you want to do?”

Davina shook her head, tears in her eyes. “I don’t know. I am scared.”

“I can help you if you want,” Blair was referring to the mark she mentioned earlier.

“Will it work?” Davina asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Blair nodded her head, “It will.”

Taking a deep breath, Davina nodded her head. “Okay, I’ll do it.” She had been thinking about this ever since Blair had mentioned it. Her whole body hurt, the power inside her was clawing to get and she didn’t know who long she could hold onto it.

“Take my hand,” Blair said and Davina gave the Fae her hand. “Close your eyes,” At her instruction, Davina closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. Once Davina was in a calm state, Blair let her magic flow out. She muttered a spell under her breath, it was an ancient spell, one that she had never uttered before but she knew perfectly.

Davina gasped when she felt Blair’s cool magic flow through her and there was a slight burn on her wrist. She winced and was tempted to take her hand away but she didn’t and instead tightened her hold on Blair’s hand. She could see a bright light from behind her closed eyes but she didn’t open them. The light eventually died down after a few seconds and that’s when Blair pulled away and Davina opened her eyes. Davina immediately looked down at her hand and noticed a small mark on her wrist. It was a small pink star that looked like a birthmark but Davina could feel some of Blair’s power radiating from it.

“What are you?” Davina asked curiously.

Blair smirked, “A Fae,”

Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Blair and Davina arrived at the cemetery where everyone else was. Davina was getting prepped for the sacrifice and Rebekah had filled her in on what she had missed. Apparently, when Sophie had tried to consecrate Celeste’s remains it hadn’t worked. However, they had managed to find an alternative – Klaus and Elijah had handed over the body of their mother, the Original Witch to consecrate instead. When Blair found this out, she nearly slapped someone. The Original Witch was one of the most powerful Witches to have ever lived and they handed her over – willingly to people who hated them. Blair felt suspicious that Celeste’s remains hadn’t worked and something didn’t sit right with her. The whole situation was suspicious since there was no reason it shouldn’t have worked but she had no evidence to back this up.

Elijah, Rebekah, Hayley and Klaus all stood around with umbrellas to protect them. Blair had conjured one on the way while she had carried Davina to the cemetery. The power inside Davina was much too powerful and was tearing her apart from the inside to the point she wasn’t able to move ten feet. So, without a word, Blair had picked up Davina and carried her to the Witches cemetery.

Sophie was drenched with rain and so did Davina the moment she stepped away from Blair’s protective embrace. Sophie placed the blade into Witch fire, letting the metal heat up. She removed it and turned to Davina, “Do you believe in the Harvest?”

For a moment, Davina said nothing but then she nodded her head. “I believe.” She spared a glance to the Fae, who nodded her head in return.

Having her answer, Sophie took the blade and cut Davina’s throat open. Blair twitched her fingers, taking away Davina’s pain. It was a horrible sight to behold but she refused to look away and she held Davina’s eyes. Hayley gasped and looked away and Rebekah looked as though she was going to cry. Klaus watched with a dark expression and Elijah seemed remorseful. Seeing Davina’s throat being cut open made something inside Blair tense in rage. The Harvest was barbaric and she didn’t like it. Using her magic to hold her umbrella up, she caught Davina as she fell and slowly brought her down. “You’re okay,” Blair muttered softly as she held Davina close to her. Davina looked at her and smiled before her eyes closed and she breathed her lost breath.

The moment life left Davina, the rain receded until there was no more. Everyone watched as the magic slowly travelled from Davina’s body and into the earth. When she couldn’t see the magic anymore, Blair picked the Witch and placed her with the other sacrificed girls and stepped back, vanishing her umbrella as she no longer needed it. Blair stood back and crossed her arms as she waited. She stood back next to Elijah and said nothing. She ignored the sympathetic look he sent and she ignored everyone else around her. Blair stared down at Davina’s body, mentally calling for the girl to wake up.

“After the Harvest comes the Reaping,” Sophie said as she stood in front of the dead girls. “Their sacrifices made and accepted. We call upon our Elders to resurrect your chosen ones.” Sophie looked down, expecting the girls to wake up but one did.

A sense of dread filled Blair. She had foreseen Davina waking up, but why wasn’t she waking up?

This seemed to cause Sophie to panic. “We call upon our Elders to resurrect your chosen ones,” She repeated, hoping something would happen.

Again, nothing happened.

“Resurrect your chosen ones,” Sophie repeated, desperation in her voice, “Please…”

Still, not one of the girls stirred from their death.

Sophie looked down at Monique and tears formed in her eyes. She fell to her knees and held her niece close to her, silently begging for her to wake up. She had thought Monique would come back when the ritual was complete but she was wrong. Everything had gone wrong and now there was no way she would get her niece back again.

“It didn’t work,” Rebekah muttered in anger. Tears swam in her pretty blue eyes, she had thought it would work. All the work they had done was for nothing.

“Why isn’t this working?” Blair demanded harshly, her magic flickering harshly around her. “What did you do wrong?!” Anger consumed her. She had promised that Davina would be safe and she was wrong. How could her vision being wrong – they were never wrong.

“I don’t know!” Sophie cried out, just as confused as everyone else.

Magic flared dangerously and Blair took a step towards the Witch but she was stopped when Elijah grabbed her by the arm. She turned to him, her eyes flashing purple but stopped when she saw the grief in his deep brown eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Elijah muttered softly.

Blair’s jaw clenched and she nodded her head stiffly. She hated herself. She had got attached to someone again and they died. But this time, it wasn’t the Hunter’s fault – it was hers. If she had pushed Davina to get out sooner then maybe she wouldn’t be in this situation. Death followed her wherever she went and she hated it. It was like a curse and it reminded her that she would never be free of it. A gasp tore through Blair’s thoughts and her head snapped in the direction of the sound. What Blair saw made her eyes widen. The slash on Davina’s throat was healed and she had woken up.

“Oh thank god,” Rebekah muttered as the tension was immediately sucked out of the cemetery.

Elijah let go of Blair’s arm and the Fae was by Davina’s side immediately. Davina looked to Blair and smiled. “It worked…”

Blair sighed in relief, “I knew it would,” There was a moment where she thought it wasn’t going to work and she was ready to burn down this entire cemetery but everything had worked out.

Looking up, Sophie’s face was filled with confusion, anguish and anger. But no one paid her any attention. Instead, Blair picked up Davina and walked off. It had been a hectic day and no doubt Davina was tired. While she carried Davina, the young Witch fell asleep, listening to Blair’s steady heartbeat. Blair noted how Elijah and Rebekah followed after her but didn’t pay them much attention. Hayley ran after them and tried to speak with Elijah but the male Original ignored her – now that did catch some of Blair’s attention but she had bigger things to worry about.

They made it to the compound soon after and Blair placed Davina back in her room. With a wave of her hand, Blair cleaned up Davina’s room, which was still in disarray from when her powers were unstable. Then, she used her magic to clean up Davina, who was still drenched from the rain and changed her clothing. Covering her with the duvet, Blair left the room and walked to the kitchen where she intended to pour herself a very large glass of wine.

Sitting on the stool, Blair drank from her glass of wine and sighed in relief. It had been a chaotic day, one that drained her emotionally. It had been a long time since she had been this emotionally exhausted and she could say with all honestly she didn’t miss it. This was why she didn’t care for people, it always ended up going badly, but for once, it hadn’t. As Blair sipped her wine, she considered what had happened. The Harvest had nearly gone completely wrong – for what reason was unknown. Blair knew enough about Witch magic to know that it shouldn’t have gone wrong but it had. She could have easily put the issue down to Sophie’s incompetence but that wasn’t it. Something had gone wrong with the Harvest and she had a feeling it was due to an external cause.
Elijah walked into the kitchen, seeming to ignore Blair, and walked over to the whisky and poured himself a large glass. He gulped down the liquid before pouring himself another glass.

“Hard day?” Blair asked as she watched him. She had not seen him so unhinged before and it fascinated her. She had assumed that he had endless patience but that seemed to have run out that day. His attitude towards Hayley had shifted, something she thought wouldn’t happen. The Noble Original seemed to have put Hayley on a pedestal and she could do no wrong, until now. Any affection he may have had for the Wolf girl seemed to have vanished.

“Very,” Elijah answered as he downed this drink again.

Blair arched brow, “Does this have anything to do with a pregnant Wolf?” She had seen the way Elijah had dismissed Hayley so easily. Usually, he hung off every word that came out of Hayley’s mouth but now he couldn’t seem to stand her.

Elijah sent her a pointed look, one that Blair returned with a grin. With a wave of her hand, Elijah’s glass was filled with whiskey again, as well as ice. With a sigh, Elijah sat down, opening his jacket as he did so. “You are aware that Sophie attempted to consecrate Celeste’s remains for the Harvest,”

“Yes, it failed, didn’t it?” Blair asked as she drank her wine.

“It did fail,” Elijah answered dryly, “But Celeste’s grave was meant to remain unknown. Before she died, she asked to be buried in a secret place where only I knew the locality. I have kept that promise for two hundred years but Hayley undid that promise,” When Hayley had admitted her misdeed, he had been outraged and disappointed. He hadn’t expected her to do such an unhanded thing and go through his journals to find the location and then hand it over to the very people who hated them.

“Damn,” Blair muttered under her breath. One thing she did appreciate was promises. Like Elijah, she took them seriously so she understood to an extent how he must be feeling. Also, Hayley had helped to desecrate someone’s grave – even if it was a Witch, she understood the severity of what Hayley had done.

Elijah downed his glass of whiskey once more before clearing his throat. “Then she asks why I can’t see past this.” He could have got passed this betrayal but it was Hayley’s attitude that had bothered him the most. The apology she had given wasn’t sincere or made him believe she was remorseful.

It amused her to see how much Hayley had disappointed him. “Celeste seems to have meant a lot to you,”

Elijah nodded his head. “She read my personal journals, she knew how much Celeste meant to me. Yet, she still handed over this information so freely. Love is very rare. In a thousand years, I have found it but twice, and when I have, I have honoured it.” It wasn’t easy for him to love another because he knew the fate that would befall his partner with his family. Klaus would always become jealous whenever someone in their family found happiness and he begrudged them this pleasure. The worst victim of Klaus’ jealousy was Rebekah and this was why Elijah held people away. But, when he did allow himself to fall in love, he fell hard.

Blair fell silent, “Must be nice,”

“Have you ever been in love?” Elijah asked curiously. He knew very little about the Fae in front of him. She was a very private person and any information he did find out, he filed it away.

“No,” Blair answered, downing the rest of her wine before magically pouring herself and Elijah more. “I was too young when I left the Fae community and I’ve been on the run ever since,” She was only fourteen years old when she was kicked out and when she first met the Hunter. After that, she could never form romantic feelings for anyone in fear they would be used against her when the Hunter found them.

Elijah frowned and was about to respond when a sharp and angry voice cut through the mellow atmosphere.

“WHERE IS SHE?!”

Both Blair and Elijah turned their heads. It was Marcel and he was very angry. Elijah had been wondering where Marcel was when Davina got sacrificed but hadn’t voiced it. If he had to guess, he would assume Blair had something to do this, especially since there was a smirk on her face.

Blair snorted, “Took him long enough,” She jumped up from her seat and walked out with Elijah at her heel.

Walking out onto the balcony that overlooked the courtyard, Blair saw Marcel stood in the middle, throwing chairs around in anger. “Where is she?!” Marcel yelled out in anger. He had woken up with Davina missing and the weather back to normal. He knew Davina had been sacrificed – against his wishes.

“Would you calm down?” Rebekah asked, her arms crossed over her chest. She was stood on the opposite balcony to Blair and Elijah, looking equally unimpressed. She couldn’t believe she had fallen for him again.

Klaus levelled Marcel a glare. “Destroying things won’t make you feel better,”

“Where is the Fae?” Marcel demanded harshly, ignoring their words. He destroyed another chair and smashed a table. With the way he was going, all the furniture would be destroyed within minutes.

“Looking for me?” Blair asked, a smirk on her face.

The moment Marcel saw her, he threw a chair in her direction. Blair raised her hand and stopped it with her magic. In anger, Marcel threw a table but ended up with the same result. With a flick of her wrist, Blair placed down the chairs, out of Marcel’s reach. Veins flickered under Marcel’s eyes in anger. “You got her killed!”

Blair scoffed, “I did not,”

“She’s dead!” Marcel yelled out.

“No, she isn’t,” Elijah said, his calm voice cutting the tension in the room.

Marcel stared at him and his face went slack in shock, “What?”

“Davina is alive,” Klaus answered, taking a step closer to Marcel. “The Harvest was completed and she came back,” Even he couldn’t help but feel relieved. Davina was so full of life and he couldn’t deny he had been extremely disappointed when it seemed as though the Harvest ritual hadn’t worked.

The relief hit Marcel like a freight train. He fell to his knees and his whole body shook, “Thank goodness,” The complete and utter fear he had felt had nearly driven him mad. He didn’t know what he would have done if Davina had actually died.

“Come on, I’ll take you to see her,” Klaus volunteered, knowing how important Davina was to him. Marcel stood up and went to follow after his sire, but he didn’t get far.

“Oh, Marcel,” Blair said, her voice sweet.

Marcel turned around but the moment he did, a broken chair leg was shoved into his chest, just inches away from his heart. Marcel cried out and fell to his knees.

“If you ever touch me again, I will kill you,” Blair hissed out lowly, twisting the wooden chair leg with her magic. “Are we clear?”

Looking up at her, Marcel spat out blood. “Crystal,”

“Good,” Blair said as she walked off. She wouldn’t kill him yet, he was still important to Davina. But, the moment that changed, he would be as good as dead.

Elijah watched her go, a smirk on his face.

ORIGINALS

Celeste stood on a street at the night, the dark sky giving her the perfect cover. She had hijacked the Harvest for herself but it hadn’t gone to plan. Since her original death in 1821, she had been possessing the bodies of Witches in New Orleans and she planned to get her revenge. The Mikaelson family had been the bane of her existence and she wanted to make them pay for what they had done to her. Things hadn’t gone exactly to plan but she would make do with the situation.

Two people approached Celeste and she smiled at them. It was a man and a female. The man, known as Papa Tunde was of tall stature and wore a dark tuxedo and a dark fedora. The female, known as Genevieve, was a beautiful woman, with pale, fair skin and wavy red hair. She was tall and wore a beautiful flapper dress and heels. They approached Celeste, caution in their eyes and their forms tensed – as if they were ready to a battle.

“Why have you called for us?” Papa Tunde asked once they were close enough. He could feel the pull through magic and it had led him to this woman. He had met Genevieve in the cemetery and she had been just as confused as him. She seemed to have felt the same connection and so they followed it.

Celeste smiled, “I have a plan, one that I think you’ll be interested in.” Someone had ruined her plan and she knew exactly who it was. A Fae had come out of hiding and had ruined the Harvest. Now, she could only summon back two other people because Davina had been brought back in Bastianna’s place. Celeste would get her revenge on this Fae as well the Mikaelson’s.

Genevieve and Papa Tunde looked at one another, intrigue in their eyes.

ORIGINALS

A few days had passed and there had been relative peace since the Harvest had been completed. Klaus had disappeared the day before, thus the reason for the peace. Apparently, he was headed to Mystic Falls – for what reason Blair didn’t care to know. The moment Mystic Falls had been mentioned in the vicinity of his siblings, Rebekah had rolled her eyes and Elijah hadn’t seemed impressed. Vaguely, Blair thought the town sounded familiar but didn’t ponder the thought much longer. However, Blair felt like she was being watched and this put her on edge. Whenever she left the compound, she felt like someone was nearby and she didn’t like it. There was a moment she thought the Hunter had found her and she pulled out her burner phone while dialling the familiar number.

“Give me a status report on him,” Blair immediately said when Callum picked up the phone. She was walking around town, buying herself more clothing. There was a sale on and so it was crowded, giving her perfect coverage from whoever was following her.

Callum was silent for a moment, “He’s still in Sydney.” He sounded confused but didn’t physically ask the question. He knew better than to pry when she was like this.

Blair frowned, “What have his movements been like?”

“Slow. He’s basically tearing each place he visits a part. He also seems frustrated,” Callum answered as Blair heard the vague clicking of a mouse on the other line.

Relief hit Blair and her shoulders visibly lowered. “Good,” She hung up the phone and pocketed it once more. However, this raised more questions. If the Hunter wasn’t following her, then who was? It wasn’t a Fae, she would have felt their presence by now and they would have made themselves known. The near catastrophe with the Harvest would have driven any potential Fae away because they wouldn’t have wanted to accidentally get involved. The Queen wouldn’t send anyone again for a while until she was certain New Orleans had calmed down. However, the potential of Klaus leaving the city would be classed as peaceful so that was still an option.

Luckily, Blair wasn’t made to wait long. To draw out her stalker, she walked down an alleyway, hoping whoever it was would follow her. Seconds later, Sophie walked into the alleyway looking a mess. The dark circles under her eyes were deep, her clothes wrinkled and Blair could smell alcohol on her breath. Sophie was not taking the death of her niece very well at all.

“It’s not nice to follow people,” Blair said with an arched brow. It had surprised her to see the Witch again and in such a pitiful state. The last time Sophie had seen her, she looked as though she was going to be sick. But now, all Blair could see was resentment in Sophie’s eyes.

Ignoring her, Sophie glared at the Fae. “I know what you are,”

Blair snorted, “Good for you. Do you want a prize?”

“You’re a Fae,” Sophie spat in disgust.

The venom in her tone didn’t surprise or hurt Blair. This was the usual reaction for Witches when they found out what she was. Blair very much felt the same for Witches but she had learnt her hide her reactions. When Davina found out what she was, she hadn’t flinched, but instead asked plenty of questions with child-like curiosity. It seemed as though in their Coven, no one mentioned the Fae. It was almost as if they had been erased from their history books, something that did not surprise Blair in the slightest. Davina’s reaction had surprised her but it was welcomed.

“You hijacked the Harvest,” Sophie accused, pointing her finger.

Sighing deeply, Blair rolled her eyes. “And why would I need to do that?”

Sophie sneered, “Because you’re jealous of our powers. You wanted it for yourself to make yourself stronger,” She knew that something had gone wrong with the Harvest. She had done everything perfectly, the only answer was that someone else had taken that power because it was no longer there.

At this accusation, Blair frowned, mildly irritated by it. She did not need to steal the power from the Harvest, she had her own power and she was very proud of it. For the past four hundred years, she had been training her magic, pushing her limits so she could be stronger. Blair had to be strong so she didn’t get killed by the Hunter. To be accused of such a petty thing vexed her and knew that if Sophie continued to push this matter then she was going to regret it.

“For the record, I am not jealous of anyone’s powers, certainly not yours.” Blair sniffed haughtily, dismissing Sophie’s outrageous claims.

“Well then, why did the Harvest work for you?” Sophie’s jaw clenched and her fists tightened until her knuckles turned white. The Fae’s attitude was enraging her in ways she hadn’t felt before. She had been going over what happened in her head and she couldn’t understand why Davina of all people was brought back.

Blair frowned, “What are you babbling on about?”

“Why was Davina brought back and not Monique?” Sophie demanded hatefully. There was no way the Ancestors would have allowed Davina to come back, she had run away from the Harvest eight months ago and delayed it. If anything, the Ancestors should have kept Davina from coming back as a punishment.

Outwardly, Blair’s face was a picture of boredom but on the inside, she was smirking. “Shouldn’t you know, you’re the Witch,” Blair sneered in return. Davina had already disclosed to her that the moment the Ancestors saw her mark on the Witch, they backed off and forced her to come back. They hadn’t wanted her. At first, Davina had felt devastated that she had been abandoned by the dead Witches but she had soon come to peace with this decision because she had come back – she was alive and that’s all that mattered.

“Give me the power back,” Sophie demanded, ignoring the Fae’s jab.

“Or what?” Blair challenged coolly.

Magic formed in Sophie’s hands as she muttered a spell under her breath. Without hesitation, Blair flicked her wrist and sent Sophie flying into a nearby wall. The Witch shrieked in pain as her body collided with the brick wall and it was a sound Blair relished in. Walking forward, Blair grabbed Sophie by the throat, pinning her body to the wall. “You couldn’t beat me, even with all the magic in the world,” Blair smirked viciously, enjoying the way Sophie flinched and how desperate she was to remove her hand from her throat.

Struggling fiercely, Sophie attempted to weave some magic but Blair stopped her in her tracks before she could even summon a spark of magic. With her free hand, Blair twisted Sophie’s dominate hand until she heard a bone snap. Sophie shrieked in agony as her arm was broken, the one she needed to use magic.

“M-maybe not… but I could make life for Davina a living hell in the Coven,” Sophie spat out.

This statement caused her to pause for a moment. “I would choose your next few words very carefully,” Blair practically purred magic crackling at her fingertips dangerously. Sophie’s words incensed her and nearly made her see red. Davina had been through too much and Sophie planned to attack a child – this was unforgivable in her eyes, especially since Davina was under her protection. Any attack on her was a direct challenge to Blair.

Wisely, Sophie said nothing. She saw her promised death when she stared into Blair’s eyes and knew better than to say anything. It was at that moment she realised how powerful Blair was and this made her wonder if all Fae were as powerful. She had always thought the Witches were far superior in magic but this Fae had beat her in seconds, something that very much hurt her pride.

“If any Witch comes after Davina and harms her, either physically or mentally, then I will kill them,” Blair warned with a cold stare. It was so cold that it nearly turned Sophie’s blood to ice because she saw how serious she was.

Weakly, Sophie nodded her head.

At her submission, Blair stepped back and allowed the Witch to fall to the ground, boneless. Dismissing Sophie as a threat, Blair turned around and walked out the alleyway, but stopped when she made it a few steps. “You are right though,”
Sophie looked up, confused at her words.

“Someone did hijack the Harvest but it wasn’t me. You should be asking yourself, which one of your Coven mates has betrayed you?” Blair asked as she turned her head to look at Sophie. Witches were selfish beings and Blair wouldn’t put it past them if someone did this. The Harvest had worked, Davina had been brought back, but it made her wonder who else had been brought back in place of the other sacrificed girls.

Eyes widening, Sophie stared at Blair in shock, not able to say anything.

Having nothing else to say, Blair turned her head and walked out of the alleyway. She looked up at the sky, noting the sun was beginning to set. Davina would have to be back at the compound soon. She was finally having some time to just be a normal teenager, Davina was currently out on a date with Timothy, who seemed to take this whole situation very well considering what happened to him. Elijah was aware that Timothy was actually alive – something Rebekah shared with her brother. Blair had made it clear that Klaus was to never know about this though because he would more than likely target the boy again. Elijah had been quick to agree, stating that Klaus never let his prey get away so easily.

What Blair didn’t see though was a pair of dark eyes watching her from the shadows.

Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Blair and Davina sat in the Fae’s room. The young Witch was sat on the floor with her legs crossed and arms rested on her legs. Blair sat on her bed, watching the Witch with a critical eye. Ever since Davina had come back from the Harvest, Blair had honoured Elijah’s request and began to tutor the young girl in magic, but this time it was out of her own volition. For the time being, Davina had decided that she would not return to back her Coven. She didn’t like how they stared at her and whispered behind her back, all bewildered that she had been one of the girls brought back and it made her uncomfortable. She had sought solace in the compound, away from their prying eyes. Klaus hadn’t said a thing about Davina’s presence, something Blair was weary of. She knew it was only a matter of time before the Hybrid made his unwanted opinions known.

“Breathe in and feel the magic around you,” Blair instructed, her voice calm and steady. She watched Davina’s magic, observing everything that happened. If she needed to intervene to protect Davina then she would.

Inhaling deeply, Davina closed her eyes and stretched out her magic like a blanket. She could feel the different magic in the air, all coming from Blair. The one thing she always focused on was Blair’s magic because it was like a beacon. It was vast and warm – it reminded Davina of a summer’s day and calmed her. The more Davina breathed in, the calmer she felt. It was peaceful and her magic calmed.

“Now, open your eyes and focus on the candle in front of you,” Blair said, “Imagine fire, imagine it inside you,” She was happy to see Davina’s magic so stable considering what had happened. Blair had been concerned that Davina’s magical core would have been damaged by being overwhelmed with magic but it was steady and showed no signs of strain.

Following Blair’s instruction, she imagined a small flame inside her and felt her body temperature rise accordingly. It wasn’t uncomfortable, it was warm and filled her chest.

“Let it flow,” Blair said lowly.

Magic travelled from inside Davina to the candle and it sparked up within seconds. When it was lit, Davina smiled widely, “I did it,”

“Good job,” Blair smiled slightly. She was well aware that before all this, Davina was probably at a slightly higher level and all this may seem redundant but there was a purpose to this. Davina had lost her control over her magic to the point she was back to being a fledging. There had been multiple different magic inside her for nearly nine months, it was bound to have an effect once it left and so Blair was set in building the Witch back up. Not just that, she planned to make Davina stronger than her Coven. A Witch being trained by a Fae was something that had only happened once and Blair was more than up for the challenge.

“Blair, what’s the difference between Fae magic and Witch magic?” Davina asked as she looked up to the Fae. While they had been practising, she had noticed some distinct differences. The first was the pull of magic. When she was back in her Coven, she could feel her magic within her stomach but now it was within her heart.

For a moment, Blair was silent. “Each supernatural creature represents one of the elements. Witches represent the earth whereas the Fae represent the light element. That’s where we pull our magic from. For me, magic isn’t just an extension, it is me. I live, breathe and think with magic. It is mine and solely mine. We do not bow to the Ancestors as Witches do, we do as we please and that something the Witches have always disliked about us. Witches claim that they were the first to use magic when we all know that claim is false, it was the Fae.” The Witches and Fae had been in competition for thousands of years, jealously souring any chance of a relationship between the two. Blair remembered the old tales that used to be shared, they always depicted a Fae, the first Fae Queen teaching magic to a mortal who then became a Witch. However, this was a tale that had long been forgotten by most but not all.

Davina stared at Blair in awe. She had wondered for a while why Witches and Fae seemed to hate one another and this made more sense, though it did leave her with more questions. Ever since she had found out that Blair was a Fae, she had been asking a lot of questions, something Blair didn’t seem to mind.

Blair’s gaze travelled down to Davina’s wrist, where her mark sat. “We also need to talk about that mark,” This was a conversation she had been avoiding for a few days now. It was something that she should have mentioned before the mark was even placed but it was too late.

“It grants me protection,” Davina said, not understanding why this needed to be discussed more. “It’s what stopped the Ancestors trapping me,” Without it, she was sure she would have been trapped for a lot longer. The Ancestors had seemed vengeful until they had seen the mark.

“It did,” Blair nodded her head in agreement, “It does protect you but it also puts you in danger,”

Davina frowned, “What do you mean?”

Sighing deeply, Blair crossed her arms over her chest, “You bare my mark, with my protection also comes danger. You inherit my enemies and there is one that I have been on the run from for a long time.”

“I thought you’d run from no one,” Davina’s face was pure confusion. She couldn’t imagine Blair running away from anyone.

Blair snorted and rolled her eyes. “Not usually, just one though. He’s a Hunter and he’s been after me for four hundred years. I have evaded him for a long time by travelling from place to place. When the time comes for me to leave, you need to leave with me.” Blair knew that she could leave Davina in New Orleans but she wouldn’t risk it. There was a very high chance the Hunter would find Davina and then she would be used as a tool against her and Blair refused to let that happen. The Hunter had already killed a few people who Blair got close to – by accident – and she refused to let it happen again.

For a moment, Davina fell silent, surprised by what Blair said. “Y-you mean, we just leave New Orleans?” She had never even stepped foot out of New Orleans and she didn’t know how she felt about leaving the once place she had always known.

“America, we’d leave America completely. We wouldn’t come back for a very long time either,” Blair explained. She’d never gone back to a country yet but she knew it would only be a matter of time. There would come a time where she would have seen everything the world has to offer and then she’d have to get creative.

Davina’s eyes widened at this news.

“If everything goes to plan, we won’t have to leave for a while. But, I am letting you know in advance. When I say we go, we need to leave immediately,” Blair warned with a severe look. There had been several occasions where she had to drop everything and run because the Hunter made a sudden appearance or he got too close. She was used to this but Davina wasn’t and thought it would only be fair to prepare her.

Before Davina could say anything, there was a frantic knocking on the door. “Open up, now!” Klaus yelled out impatiently. He attempted to open the door but it wouldn’t open due to Blair’s magic.

“What?!” Blair snapped out, annoyed by the sudden interruption.

“Some Witches have murdered two of my Vampires,” Klaus growled lowly from the other side of the door.

Blair and Davina looked at one another before they stood up. Waving her hand, Blair opened her door with magic and saw Klaus on the other side, along with Marcel. They both looked extremely angry and worried, something that made Blair frown. They were coming to her with an issue, something she wasn’t keen about.

“Why do you need my help?” Blair asked with an arched brow.

Ignoring the question, Marcel stepped in. “It seems like it’s a ritual of some sort. Maybe you could have a look at it,” Marcel was talking to Davina, with who he still wasn’t on good terms. Davina had pulled away from Marcel and leaned on Blair now, something the Vampire hated. When Davina said nothing, he looked to Blair and glared at her, causing her to smirk.

This did pique Blair’s interest. “Oh?” Moving forward, she walked out of her room with Davina following behind her. With her magic, Blair shut her bedroom door, locking it as she went. She didn’t want anyone looking into her room, even if they couldn’t get inside. The only people who had permission to enter her room was Davina and Hayley – who had been avoiding her like the plague.

Within seconds, Klaus and Marcel were in front of the Fae and Witch as they led the way to where the trouble was. It was outside the compound but practically on the front door. No one was around, but Vampires were guarding the exit so no one could see them. Two bodies of Vampires lay on the ground, trapped inside a circle made from salt. The two Vampires were heavily desiccated and they had a weird red mark on their foreheads, right between their eyebrows. The moment Blair got close, she could feel the dark energy and it almost made her gag.

Davina gasped when she saw the bodies. “Oh my god,”

“How fresh are they?” Blair asked as she circled the salt line. Her eyes missed nothing as she took in everything. She noticed how carefully the salt line had been drawn, how deep the marks were on the two Vampire’s foreheads and how they were placed. Everything had been meretriciously done which told her a lot about their killer.

“They were found this morning,” Klaus answered grimly. “The mark on their foreheads look familiar,”

“It’s a sacrificial sigil. You were right when you said it was a ritual,” Blair said as she motioned to Marcel. “I haven’t seen this done in a long time because this is very dark magic. Can anyone in your Coven use this?” Blair asked as she looked to Davina.

Davina shook her head, “No. As far as I know, no one can perform this,” This type of practice was something that was avoided her Coven. She feared what all this meant.

Klaus looked to the Fae, “What is this?” It was a vague memory, but he remembered coming across this mark in the past and he hoped it wasn’t the same thing.

“It is ritual magic,” Blair explained as she stopped walking, “whoever placed this mark on the Vampires are channelling their power, gaining their speed, senses and everything else they possess.” This type of practice had some similarities to Expression magic, something Blair hated with a passion. Seeing such dark magic made the Fae sneer at whatever Witch did this. It just showed how far the Witches had fallen.

“But why would they do this?” Davina asked, her low voice heard by everyone.

Klaus’ eyes darkened in rage, “To send a message. Someone will die for this,”

Elijah walked outside the compound just as Klaus uttered those words and stopped when he saw a gathering. As he got closer, he saw the grotesque scene in front of him. His darkened eyes immediately saw the mark on the two dead Vampire’s forehead. “Remarkably, I do not disagree. However, I would like to know where they learned such dark magic. I had hoped never to see that symbol again,” He got closer to the two bodies and kneeled down to get a closer look. His gaze roamed and he was surprised to see Blair but didn’t say anything.

“I recall it as the signature of a fool who once stood against us. Clearly, some upstart Witch is salvaging old tricks. I’ll do for him as I did the other,” Klaus offered with a sneer. He had heard Davina’s words but didn’t hold much weight to them.

Blair looked to the Originals, “You’ve come across this before?”

Elijah nodded his head. “Years ago there was a Witch in New Orleans that used this. His was known as Papa Tunde.”

“Let me guess, you killed him,” Blair said dryly as she looked to Klaus.

Klaus smirked in response whereas Elijah nodded his head, giving the obvious answer. “He didn’t just do that, he also killed Papa Tunde’s twin boys,”

Blair deadpanned, this answer not surprising her at all. After all, murder was Klaus’ go to threat and action.

“Do you think this could have something to do with the Harvest?” Davina asked her question causing an uneasy silence to hang over all of them. It was a question none of them could answer.

ORIGINALS

Hours had passed since then and night had fallen. Blair walked out from under the basement after she’d had another session with Raphael. She really thought she was finally getting through to him as she peeled back each layer of compulsion the Queen had placed him under. It was going so well that Blair was confident that would soon be done and Raphael would be free of the Queen’s control. Walking out into the courtyard, she spotted a few people sat at the tables, as well as Elijah and Hayley. Elijah was pacing and had a phone to his ear, concern etched on his face.

As Blair got closer, she heard him speak lowly to Hayley. “Rebekah’s not answering her calls.”

“You worried about whoever killed those day walkers still being out there?” Hayley asked curiously.

Elijah’s lips thinned, “Frankly, I am worried that she has something to do with this. She is very displeased with Niklaus, perhaps even conspiring,”

“She would need to be in contact with a powerful Witch. There isn’t many known either,” Blair added as she joined the conversation. Elijah sent her a curious look but didn’t question but Hayley glared at her, something the Fae ignored.

Elijah took a look around the room and noticed how Thierry was drinking on his own. Not too long ago, Klaus had let him out of the Garden, pardoning him. Ever since then, Elijah had seen him and Rebekah speaking with one another and this made him curious. He walked up to the lone Vampire. “Thierry, is it?”

Thierry looked up, his eyes guarded as he took a sip of his drink. “Yes,” His voice was low, giving a distinct nervous impression.

“My sister is rather fond of you,” Elijah said as he placed his phone back in his blazer pocket. “Strange, she’s not typically drawn to unremarkable men,” He eyed Thierry with a critical eye, examining the Vampire in front of him. Nothing stood out to him, he seemed bland compared to the other men Rebekah had been involved with in the past.

Blair nearly snorted at this unexpected insult. Though, she did agree with Elijah’s assessment. Blair couldn’t fathom why Rebekah showed any interest in someone like Thierry – something she had noticed vaguely. He wasn’t powerful, he wasn’t charming and he wasn’t the best looking Vampire around. The only thing she could assume was that Thierry must be extremely good in bed – though she doubted it.

“Would you care to explain your sudden magnetism?” Elijah asked, curiously tilting his head. His shoulders tensed and taunt, the air around him was heavy and Blair had a feeling the beast was about to make an appearance.

It seemed as though Thierry was not a smart man. He glared at the Original. “I don’t know what you’re-” He didn’t get to finish his sentence as Elijah’s patience seemed to have run rather thin. Within seconds, Elijah had Thierry pinned a nearby wall by his neck, his feet dangling in the air helplessly.

“You can either tell me what you know or I can distribute tiny pieces of you throughout the Quarter,” Elijah stated, his voice low and dark as he intended to carry out this promise if he did not get what he wanted. In the corner of his eye, he noted how Blair followed after them fearlessly whereas Hayley seemed more hesitant.

Fear radiated from Thierry in waves as he had finally grasped his position and it was not a favourable one. “She asked me to keep an eye out on Witch stuff. I found something, and when I showed her we were jumped by some guy. He desiccated her with his touch.” While the assailant had been busy with Rebekah, he had run as fast as he could. If an Original couldn’t beat the Witch then he did not stand a chance.

In a cold fury, Elijah’s grip on Thierry’s neck tightened as he slammed him onto the wall again. “So, like a coward, you left her,” His eyes darkened in anger. His baby sister had been in danger and she had been left behind by this coward.

“What was I supposed to do, fight some Warlock that took out an Original?” Thierry asked back in panic and confusion.

“And why didn’t you tell anyone? How long has she been missing?” Blair asked as she sent him a foul look. His self-preservation wasn’t the biggest issue, it was the fact he hadn’t told anyone. He could have told someone about Rebekah, who knows what was happening to her.

“Where was this, exactly?” Hayley asked.

Thierry looked to Hayley, “The docks, warehouse fifty-seven. I was just doing what she asked, you cannot tell Klaus about this,” His voice was pleading, desperate for the Hybrid not to find out. He had only just been released from the Garden and he knew Klaus was not above sending him back or just killing him instantly.

With a flick of his wrists, Elijah sent Thierry into another wall, not caring if it hurt him or not. With a location in mind, he headed for the door. “I shall take that into considering,” Klaus wasn’t the only one he should have been scared of, Elijah would make sure Thierry paid for his careless actions.

“I am coming with you,” Blair said as she followed after him.

Elijah turned to the Fae and arched a brow, “I thought you wouldn’t want to get involved,” From what he had seen, Blair had been reluctant to get involved but this was new. It made him wonder about her intentions for joining him.

Blair met his gaze with a silent challenge, “One thing I hate is dark magic. Over the years, I have made it a personal goal of mine to destroy anything with dark magic in it. Also, if it means screwing with the Witches then that’s an added bonus,” The thought of messing with the Witches made her happy and a large smile rolled onto her face.

Elijah regarded her for a moment, their eyes not leaving one another. He couldn’t help but feel fascinated, her words only furthering his interest in her. He couldn’t predict her and the longer this went on, the more curious he became. Blair held his gaze and there was a few moments of silence and neither one looked away.

“I am coming to,” Hayley said, breaking the staring matching between Elijah and Blair. She felt uncomfortable when they stared at one another like there was something there. She didn’t like it at all.

“No,” Elijah replied instantly, “It is safer in the compound,” He and Hayley were not on the best terms at the moment as he still hadn’t forgiven her. This did not mean he wanted any harm to come to her and he would rather not be near her at this moment in time.

Hayley was about to protest and took a step forward to the exit, only to feel resistance, one that she had only felt when she had tried to enter Blair’s room. At this thought, Hayley’s head snapped in the direction of Blair, who was smirking at her.

“Have a fun night,” Blair waved her hand and her smirk widened when anger flashed in Hayley’s eyes. Turning around, Blair walked out of the compound with Elijah by her side. Elijah watched this exchange with an amused smirk.

Hayley watched them go and nearly stamped her foot in frustration.

ORIGINALS

It didn’t take long before Elijah and Blair made it to warehouse fifty-seven. It was a far-out warehouse, one that was secluded and dark. The whole time, Elijah remained tense as he waited to see what the fate was of his sister. Blair had also remained silent, her guard up in case they came across the Witch. They entered the warehouse wearily and they were greeted with a similar sight as to what happened near the compound. Rebekah lay in a circle, one that was bigger and more elaborate than the last one – also meaning it was more powerful than the last. Rebekah seemed heavily desiccated but was alive, unlike the other Vampires and she had the same sigil on her forehead.

“Rebekah,” Elijah uttered in shock. This was not the sight he was expecting to see, nor did he want to see. He tried to take a step forward but stopped when he recognised a barrier around her body. “There is some kind of boundary spell,”

“A powerful one,” Blair commented with a frown. She could feel the dark magic in the air and this incensed her.

When Elijah saw the symbol on her forehead, his jaw clenched. “Someone is channelling her. Typically, it’s a lethal process, but because she is an Original, she cannot die,” There were very few things that could kill an Original and this wasn’t one of them.

“She’s an endless source of power,” Blair said grimly. “We need to get her out of there,” Unless they freed Rebekah, whoever cast this spell would basically be unbeatable. They needed to break the hold the Witch had on her before they were able to do any untold damage.

Elijah looked at the circle around his sister, knowing that they needed to remove the barrier before they could do anything. “Is there any way we could break this barrier?” He asked, looking down at the Fae by his side.

Blair’s eyes glowed purple as she tried to use her magic. However, the moment her magic touched the barrier, a crippling pain-filled Blair and she cried out, falling to her knees. Elijah was down beside her instantly. His arms wrapped around her so she didn’t fall to the fall completely. She glared at the barrier in hatred, “This barrier has been fortified against the Fae. My magic won’t work against it,” Mentally, she made a vow that she would kill whoever was behind this.

“Should I call Sophie?” Elijah asked in concern.

“No, I got this.” The thought of asking a Witch for help was mortifying. Blair did not need Sophie’s help. It would be a cold day in hell before Blair ever asked for help from Sophie.

Standing up, Blair looked at the salt ring around Rebekah. Elijah stood up too, staying close to the Fae in case she had another fall. She could feel the magic that had been used, and she could see some ingredients – like the dead snake. This all seemed familiar and made her cast her mind back to when she was just a young Fae – a time she didn’t like to often remember. From what she remembered, this type of magic was almost like a formula, all Blair needed to find was a more potent ingredient to pull everything off balance. With that in mind, she knew just the thing that would work. Summoning a knife with her magic, Blair cut open her hand and poured it onto the salt circle, watching as it sizzled when it hit the salt. The dark ritual was fortified against her magic but not her blood, something that made her feel smug. Blair walked around the circle, having to reopen the cut on her hand as she healed.

Elijah watched with a keen eye and his form tense. One thing Elijah could always count on was his control but even he was struggling. The smell of Blair’s blood was heavenly and not even her scent repressor could stop that. She was testing him. Elijah swallowed thickly as he held himself back and focused on the situation. When he noticed the barrier was down, he immediately entered and picked up Rebekah and took her out of the circle, holding his breathe so he didn’t breath in any of Blair’s delicious blood.

The moment Rebekah was free, Blair vanished the knife and summoned a wave of water to wash away everything on the scene. Now that Rebekah wasn’t a conduit for the dark magic, it made everything useless as it lost all its power. By washing it away it would take longer to recreate this and it also brought Blair some satisfaction.

“She needs blood,” Elijah said, concerned about his sister’s condition.

“I’ll meet you back at the compound,” Blair said, not wanting to be near a hungry Vampire. It was bad enough she had to spill blood in front of Elijah and she had been impressed that he had held himself back.

Elijah nodded his head and disappeared within the blink of an eye.

ORIGINALS

Rebekah was pissed.

After her conversation with Elijah, she felt nothing but anger for her older brother, which was unusual because generally, it was Klaus that pissed her off. She thought Elijah to be selfish for harbouring feelings for Hayley while also condemning her for wanting to find someone for herself. Elijah always seemed to focus on Klaus’ happiness and to an extent, she could understand. When Klaus wasn’t happy, no one else in the family could be happy, especially her. For some reason, everyone seemed to begrudge her to find happiness and to make it worse, the men that she did get with would never fight for her when the situation got tough. They always abandoned her whenever her family got involved. There were very few people who had managed to fully earn her heart, one of them being Marcel but now he was making friends with Klaus, once again leaving her in the lurch.

In her anger, she stomped around the compound after meeting with Marcel once more. It was over. She was not going back to Marcel and made a mental vow to not let him get close to her again. Her heart couldn’t take it anymore, it had been going on for a thousand years.

Rebekah stopped when she noticed the open basement door. This caused her to pause and stare at the door. Blair had completely commandeered the basement and no one seemed to question it, not even Klaus. Curiosity filled her and so she entered the basement, climbing down the steps and was surprised to a male being held down here.

The man was beautiful and felt very similar to Blair. There was no doubt in her mind that this man was a Fae. He was tied up, his arms and legs pinned to the wall by an invisible force. His head was down but when she got closer, the man raised his head and he sent her a curious look.

“Oh, this is new,” Raphael spoke, his voice low. During his entire stay in the basement, no one other than Blair had come to see him. The whole situation was strange as Blair hadn’t put him to sleep like she usually did.

“Who are you?” Rebekah demanded harshly.

If he could he would have shrugged. “Doesn’t matter who I am.”

“You’re in my home, I want to know,” Rebekah claimed, finding his nonchalant attitude to be annoying.

Raphael arched a brow at her, “I thought it was your brother’s house?” During their many conversations, Blair had informed him about their situation and who they were currently living with. This news would have caused him a lot of stress if it weren’t for the fact Blair had placed a protection spell over him.

Gritting her teeth, it took everything inside Rebekah not to kill him where he stood. She could practically feel a spell surrounding Raphael and this only furthered to incense her.

“Have I made the princess angry?” Raphael asked, a smirk on his face.

“I will kill you,” Rebekah hissed lowly.

Raphael rolled his eyes, “I’d like to see you try, princess,” He knew that he should be treading a lot more carefully than he was but he couldn’t help himself. Seeing the female Original get so fired up was a sight to behold. There was a fire in her eyes that intrigued him.

Rebekah growled lowly, veins flickering under her eyes.

“What’s got you so rumbled?” Raphael asked with a frown. Surely his teasing couldn’t have pushed her this far. The biggest reaction he had ever received was being told to piss off, never anyone wanting to rip out his throat.

For a moment, Rebekah said nothing. “Why do you care?” She huffed lowly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Well it’s not like I have anything else to do,” Raphael said honestly.

Rebekah regarded the male Fae as if trying to discern whether or not to say anything. Eventually, she sighed deeply, “Every time I think I can be free, I am always drawn back in. My brother controls my life and never allows me a moment of happiness that lasts. Everyone bows down to him, never once fighting for me… I am always left alone,” Tears stung her eyes as the loneliness hit her. All she wanted was for someone to care for her, regardless of who her brothers were.

Raphael’s frown deepened, “Why would no one fight for you?”

“Klaus always either kills them or scares them off,” Rebekah spat out angrily.

“Then they don’t deserve you,” Raphael answered back, his reply surprising her.

Rebekah stared at him, eyes wide and mouth ajar. This was an answer she wasn’t expecting but it caused an unexpected warm feeling to flutter in her chest. Every time she mentioned her issues, she was brushed off and reminded of Klaus’ explosive anger if she did something. Only her family had ever told her that she deserved more and she never once believed them. “You don’t even know me,” Rebekah said quietly.

“I don’t need to,” Raphael shook his head, “Everyone deserves to be happy.” This was a firm belief of his, one that had been forgotten when he was under the control of the Queen.

Not able to handle any more turmoil that day, Rebekah fled the basement, shutting the door behind her.

Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Davina was in town looking for a present. It was Timothy’s birthday soon and she wanted to get him the perfect present especially after everything he had been through. It had surprised her how well he had taken everything, instead of being scared that she was a Witch, he was fascinated. Timothy wasn’t concerned that he had been in danger but he was more worried about her and how she was doing. After everything had calmed down, Davina had told him everything – well nearly everything. She hadn’t mentioned what Blair had told her, about how they may need to leave America. She didn’t want to think about it. Maybe she could convince Blair that leaving was a bad idea – maybe if she aligned herself with the Originals then they could help her defeat the Hunter. Davina soon shook her head at this ridiculous notion, there was no way Blair would team up with Klaus but the others could be an option in the future.

After a few moments of window shopping, she stopped. Davina turned around and watched the busy crowd around her. It was a Saturday and wasn’t even noon yet but it was very busy, everywhere she looked there were crowds of people all doing different things. There was a group of people dancing which had garnered an audience and there were loads of people shopping just as she was. Everything seemed normal, except it wasn’t. For the past few minutes, Davina had felt someone watching her to the point she felt uncomfortable.

Looking down at the mark on her wrist, she had half a mind to call for Blair but decided against it. She didn’t want to call for Blair unless there was actual danger and make her think she was abusing the mark. Davina decided that she could handle this herself and rationalised in her head that she was just being paranoid. After spending nearly nine months hidden away from the Witches, she was sure there was some leftover paranoia that would eventually go away. Feeling much calmer than before, Davina continued with her window shopping, not finding anything that Timothy would want. While doing this, she inadvertently lowered her guard.

It was just as she passed an alleyway that it happened. An arm shot out of the alleyway and wrapped itself around Davina’s mouth so she couldn’t scream while she was dragged away from the shopping centre. Davina screamed into the hand and attempted to fight back but the hold they had on her was too strong and she couldn’t get loose. As this happened, Davina vaguely felt something wrap around her wrist but this wasn’t her main priority. Davina was slammed against a wall and a hand wrapped around her throat, she cried out in pain and stared at her attacker but couldn’t see anything. Her attacker was stood too close to make out any distinguishable features. Soon, the hand was slowly removed from her and her eyes widened when she saw who had grabbed her – it was a girl from her own Coven.

“Danielle, what are you doing?” Davina whimpered in shock and pain. The last time she had seen Danielle was when she got chosen for the Harvest Festival. She didn’t understand why she had been suddenly attacked.

The girl was older than Davina by a few years and they had been around each other for a long time as their families had been friends. However, there was a cold look in Danielle’s eyes that unnerved Davina immensely. “I should be asking you that, traitor,” Danielle hissed back angrily.

“What are you talking about?” Davina asked, bordering on hysterical.

Danielle scowled, “Don’t lie. You’ve been sharing Coven secrets with Klaus and consorting with a Fae,” The disgust and venom in Danielle’s voice was nothing short of hurtful and it made Davina visibly wince.

“I haven’t been giving secrets to Klaus! I have hardly seen him!” Davina yelled out in defence. Klaus had stayed away from her for the time being as had most Vampires. The only Vampire that tried to speak to her was Marcel and she wasn’t done being mad at him for what he had done.

“But you admit to consorting with a Fae?” Danielle demanded.

Davina went silent, not able to refute this claim. This was true but it made her wonder how they knew this. Ever since coming back to life, Davina had stayed away from the Coven like the plague so it made her curious as to how they knew. It wasn’t overly obvious that Blair was a Fae, she looked completely normal and most would assume that she was a Witch – something she knew Blair hated. Blair claimed that without her glamour, she looked Fae, not that Davina understood what that meant.

Danielle’s eyes darkened when Davina said nothing, “I’ve been tasked with getting rid of you. You’re a liability and with you gone, someone more powerful can take your place,” Reaching behind her back, Danielle pulled out a small knife, one that was filled with dark magic to the point Davina could feel it. It was a powerful dark tool that Celeste had gifted her to aid in getting rid of Davina.

The moment Davina saw the knife she knew she was in trouble. Davina attempted to use her own magic but found it unresponsive and this made her panic even more. Looking down at her mark, she closed her eyes. “Blair!”

“No one coming to save you,” Danielle sneered as she held up the knife.

“Don’t be so certain about that,” Blair said as she appeared behind Danielle. The Witch jumped and whirled around, throwing a poorly aimed fireball at the Fae. Blair watched as the fire fizzled out when it hadn’t hit her – it had missed her by a mile and she had been stood close enough. Her incompetence made Blair roll her eyes.

“Blair!” Davina cried out in relief.

The Fae’s eyes quickly took a look at Davina and saw no visible injuries. This would have calmed her down, but then she spied the magic blocking cuff on Davina’s arm and that made her mad.

“Who the hell you are and how did you get here?” Danielle demanded. When she had grabbed Davina, she had placed a silencing spell around the alleyway. Celeste had even taught her how to block someone from tracking Davina and given her the cuff. There was no way Davina would have managed to call for help, let alone anyone being able to find her.

A smirk was etched on Blair’s face. “Oh honey, you have no idea who you’re messing with,” With a flick of her hand, Danielle’s wrist that held the knife twisted backwards in a grotesque manner and a loud crack sounded in the alleyway along with Danielle’s pain-filled screams. “You okay?” Blair asked Davina, not caring about Danielle on the floor.

Shakily, Davina nodded her head. “She said she was sent by the Coven,” It was very hard to ignore Danielle’s screams of pain but she tried her best.

Anger flashed in Blair’s eyes, obviously, her warning to Sophie hadn’t hit home. Walking up to Danielle, Blair grabbed the girl by the throat and held her up against the nearest wall. “I thought I made myself clear, no one touches Davina,” Blair hissed lowly, her eyes flashing a violent shade of purple.

In an act of rebellion, Danielle spat at Blair, making the Fae growl lowly in the back of her throat. “She will win, Celeste will have you killed if anything happens to me,” Danielle smirked, thinking that she had won.

Throwing her head back, Blair laughed loudly. The longer she laughed, the more unnerved Danielle became. She tried to move out of Blair’s grip but the hand tightened around her throat, making her gasp in pain. “She has no idea who she is messing with,” Blair said with a large grin on her face. One thing she loved was when she was underestimated. She loved to watch the courage die from someone’s eyes when they knew it was hopeless.

In a panic, Danielle attempted to cast a spell but nothing came to her. Looking down at her hand, she noticed the magic blocking cuff that was meant to be on Davina’s wrist was now on her wrist. “B-but how?!” She hadn’t even felt it be placed on her wrist.
Davina looked down at her wrist, which was now free from the cuff. Now that the cuff was off her, she felt much better.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” Blair said as she put her face closer to Danielle’s, “I am far stronger,” She whispered lowly. Just for that moment, Blair allowed some of her magic to come loose, something she always kept in check because if her magic was left unchecked then it would cause devastation and draw the attention of the Hunter.

Danielle’s eyes widened when she felt the sheer power behind Blair’s magic. Before she could even scream, Blair snapped the Witch’s neck with magic, killing her instantly. Blair let the body fall to the ground before she turned back to Davina. “Are you injured, kid?”

Crouched down on the floor, Davina stared down at Danielle’s lifeless body. “Was it necessary to kill her?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“It was either you or her,” Blair replied back. She walked over to the discarded blade and picked it up. She could feel the dark magic that radiated from it and this angered her. “If she had even nicked you with this knife, it would have killed you instantly.” Focusing her magic, she cloaked the dagger in light magic until she could deal with it. With the blade subdued, Blair pocketed the weapon, planning on disposing of it later.

Slowly, Davina nodded her head in understanding. A sense of dread filled her, she had been inches away from death again and it unnerved her.

“Now, come on. We need to make a quick delivery before we head back to the compound,” Blair said as she used her magic to pick up Danielle’s lifeless body while also removing the magic blocking cuff. She walked out of the alleyway, cancelling the spells around the alleyway and putting an invisibly spell on the body. She didn’t need anyone to see this and asking questions.

Davina followed behind her, keeping her head down.

ORIGINALS

Before heading back to the compound, Blair made one quick stop. As retaliation for what happened, Blair headed over to the Witch’s cemetery and dumped Danielle’s body for them to find. Blair wanted to send a message and even though Davina disagreed with the plan, she could see the reasoning behind the Fae’s actions. By attempting to kill Davina, this had declared war and Blair intended to put the Witches back in their places. Once the body was placed for anyone to find, they headed back to the compound and they walked in on a tense scene. In the courtyard stood Klaus, Marcel, Elijah and Rebekah and the atmosphere were extremely nerve-wracking. They were all glaring at one another – everyone seemed to be glaring at Klaus and the Hybrid seemed angry with everyone in the room. However, the moment Blair and Davina stepped in, fury filled Klaus’ eyes.

“You!” He thundered as he attempted to get closer to the young Witch.

With wide eyes, Davina jumped behind Blair for protection. Before Klaus could even get a few steps closer, Marcel was already in his path and Blair had her hands raised, ready to use magic. “We’ve already been through this!” Marcel yelled at his sire in frustration.

Blair looked around the room, “Does anyone want to explain what is going on?”

“Camille was threatened by the Witches and Niklaus is angry.” Elijah explained with a sigh, “He believes Davina has crucial information to protect the Witches,” Ever since Klaus had come back, his temper had been explosive and he would have ripped Davina room apart if it weren’t for the protection spells surrounding their rooms. They had been attempting to calm Klaus down for the past thirty minutes to little success and in that time Klaus had threatened to kill Davina the moment he saw her. Consequently, this set off Marcel who was still very protective of the little Witch and Elijah had attempted to mediate between the two. Rebekah had watched everything unfold and Hayley was safely tucked away in her room, no doubt listening in to what was happening.

Blair rolled his eyes, “Did he ever think of just asking? Like a normal person would,”

Rebekah snorted haughtily. “Of course he wouldn’t,”

“I shouldn’t have to ask!” Klaus yelled out furiously, not liking the camaraderie that seemed to be happening between the Fae and his family.

“This can all be easily solved,” Elijah said, ignoring his brother’s violent outburst. He looked to Davina, whose head was poking out from behind Blair. “Davina, can you shed any more light on the situation? Like how you seemed to have drawn a woman called Celeste,”

Turning her head, Blair looked down at the nervous Witch. Davina looked up at her, unsure if she should say anything. It was only when Blair nodded her head that she answered. “Ever since I got those other girl’s powers, I have had visions. I… I don’t fully understand them though….” They were dark dreams and visions that she hated. It always made her feel scared and there had been times she had been afraid to sleep.

“And what’s the connection to Celeste?” Elijah prompted calmly, keeping an eye on Klaus in case he decided to move to threaten Davina again.

Davina looked down at the ground as she recalled her visions. “I’d always hear a whisper of a name. The name Celeste would always repeat itself and then I would see a face. Any vision I had was dark and I always tried to run away from them but they’d never leave me,” She shivered in fright, her whole body trembling in fear.

“Thank you, Davina,” Elijah said. He was slightly disappointed that her visions couldn’t reveal anything more but he wouldn’t push for any further as he could see how this was affecting Davina. There was no need to put the child under any more stress than she had already been through, she deserved a break.

Klaus glared at everyone in the room, “This told is nothing more than we already knew,”

“Actually, it did,” Blair said, crossing her arms over her chest, “Davina’s visions indicate that it is Celeste that is the evil we’re battling against. A Witch cornered Davina in town and said Celeste’s name.” If this wasn’t the proof that was needed then she didn’t know what else it could be.

Marcel looked alarmed at this information but said nothing.

Rebekah frowned, “But Celeste is dead, thanks to him,” She and Elijah sent a scathing looking in Klaus’ direction, one that the Hybrid elected to ignore.

“When did you become an expert in visions?” Klaus’ voice full of sarcasm, proving that he didn’t believe her.

Blair rolled her eyes, “I have my talents,” There was no way she would reveal her actual power of clairvoyance. Only Davina knew about this power and even she did not know the full extent of it. After four hundred years, Blair felt very confident in her ability to interpret visions because she’d had a lot of experience.

“I think she’s right,” Davina said. Knowing that she had someone in her corner made her feel better.

“No one asked you!” Klaus snapped angrily.

Blair frowned when she felt the tension in the room once more. “Go to your room, Davina,” She whispered lowly, not wanting Davina anywhere near Klaus when he was like this. He was unpredictable and that made him extremely dangerous.

Slowly, Davina crept out of the courtyard, her heart pounding in her chest especially when Klaus sent her a vile look. Marcel blocked Davina from the Hybrid’s sight, only furthering to enrage him. Everyone in the courtyard seemed to tense up as they waited with baited breathe to see if Klaus would react violently as he usually did. It was only when Davina was out of sight and safely in her room did things seem to calm down.

Marcel turned to Blair, “What happened?”

“Davina was attacked by a Witch,” Blair explained briefly, “Davina told me that the girl said if Davina was gone then someone more powerful could take Davina’s place. My guess would be that this is related to the Harvest,”

“So this is all connected,” Elijah frowned, unhappy that their suspicions were correct.

“But who would they bring back?” Rebekah questions with a frown.

Realisation dawned on Klaus, “They want to bring back the Witch that put a curse on Camille’s brother. Camille said the name they said was Bastianna,” The fact that Camille had been targeted once again infuriated him. She had nearly been killed when Papa Tunde paid a visit to the bar and he nearly killed Marcel with his dark ritual. If Klaus hadn’t been there then he knew it could have gone a lot worse.

“Monique was brought back this morning, meaning one of them is gone,” Rebekah said. News had broken that morning that Monique Deveraux had burst from her grave, alive and well. If this information was correct then it meant one of the Witches brought back was dead. “No one has been able to find Papa Tunde,”

“We could be jumping to conclusions,” Elijah said, airing on the side of caution. “But I think it might be best to move Hayley out of the compound before things get ugly,” He could see where this was going and he knew it would be an all-out war soon. Hayley’s safety was important and he didn’t want her to get in the crossfire.

Blair grinned slightly, “Oh I agree, things are going to get ugly,”

“So you’re actually going to help us,” Klaus mockingly asked.

Blair glared at him, “What the hell is that meant to mean?”

Klaus sent the Fae an arrogant look, “You claim to be protecting Hayley yet you’ve hardly been in her presence. I have also noticed there hasn’t been another attack. One would think it never even happened,” He had not seen the attack, he only had Blair and Hayley’s word to support this story and it made him suspicious.

Blair bristled, hearing this implication of his words. “For your information, this war between you and the Witches is keeping the Fae away because they don’t like to be involved in a war. The moment that stops they will come and the Queen will make a grab for that child,”

“You keep mentioning this Queen but she has yet to make an appearance,” Klaus commented.

Eyes flashing purple in anger, Blair forced herself to calm down. She knew Klaus was trying to rile her up and it was working, “The only thing stopping the Queen from personally making an appearance is you, she is scared of you.” She said, staring at Klaus. His very presence acted as a repellent because the Queen fear him. She worried for the day when the Queen no longer feared Klaus when her greed for power became too much.

Taken aback, Klaus stared at Blair in wonder. He had not met the Queen and yet she was terrified of him, but for what reason? He had not heard of a Fae Queen before Blair came into their lives and so this confused him even more. He knew his reputation proceeded him but what had he done specifically to the Fae?

Elijah frowned, “Then why was Hayley nearly kidnapped?” He had seen the attacker for himself but when Klaus had asked him what happened, Elijah had feigned ignorance. Blair had asked for Klaus to not be made aware of Raphael and he had honoured this request.

Blair sighed deeply, “The Queen may be too scared to come herself but that won’t stop her sending others in her place.” The Queen would readily sacrifice a few soldiers to get what she wanted. Very few people knew the full extent of the Fae Queen’s greed and Blair was not blind.

The air once again became solemn and silence filled the courtyard. Seeing that no one was going to add anything more, Blair walked out of the courtyard. She had things she needed to do.

ORIGINALS

Later that night, Blair had made her way into the kitchen. She was feeling peckish and wanted something to snack on. Looking in the massive fridge, she spotted some cheese and grabbed that, using her magic to cut herself a chunk of it before sitting down to eat it. It was just as she finished eating that Elijah walked into the kitchen, still immaculately dressed in a lovely suit. He seemed to be looking for someone and when he spotted Blair he walked over to her.

“Can I help you?” Blair asked with an arched brow.

“I have a request,” Elijah said, his voice low in case there was anyone nearby listening in. Though he was confident no one was, he still aired on the side of caution.

Blair motioned for him to continue, intrigued to know what his request was.

“Hayley is being moved to the plantation tomorrow morning and Rebekah is going with her,” Elijah explained with a sigh. He’d just had the conversation with Rebekah where she had luckily accepted his request while also forgiving him for their little tiff that happened the previous day. “However, I know how unruly Hayley can be as well as Rebekah. I was hoping you could accompany them and help protect them,”

Falling silent for a moment, Blair considered his request. She understood his reasoning and found it to be quite sound. “And in the meantime, what will the men be doing?” It hadn’t escaped her notice that all the women had been pushed aside and put into one place – which she thought to be a terrible idea.

Elijah smirked slightly, seeing how much this irked her. “We shall be going hunting,” A plan was made where they would strike first against the Witches, if not just to surprise but shake them up too.

Blair glared at him but then sighed. “Fine, I’ll stay with Hayley.”

“Really?” Elijah was surprised at how easily she had given up. He thought she would put up more of a fight.

“Yes,” Blair frowned, “There is still a chance the Queen will send someone. Hayley not being around Klaus would be the best opportunity,” She wasn’t going to lie, she didn’t like the fact they were all splitting up, it unsettled her and made her feel like something was going to happen. Blair thought back to her visions she’d had not too long ago and one event that was yet to happen was a fire. That scene in her vision was hazy because there had been a lot going on and everything made her feel uneasy.

Elijah nodded her in agreement. “Thank you,” Knowing that both Rebekah and Blair would be with Hayley made him relax a little. He knew that Rebekah would honour his request and Blair would protect the child.

Blair thought to herself for a moment. “I am going to send Davina somewhere safe, just in case anything happens tomorrow,” Something inside Blair was telling her not to bring Davina. She was very much safe in the compound as long as she didn’t leave her room but Blair couldn’t ask Davina to barricade herself in her room just based on a feeling. Blair would send her away with Timothy where they would be protected by wards she would place around the safe house.

“Good idea,” Elijah said. After a few moments, he reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out a mobile phone, “This is yours,”

Looking at the phone, Blair sent him a questioning look, not taking the phone, “Why?”

“I notice you didn’t have one. This is just in case I need to get in contact with you,” Elijah said as he placed the phone on the counter. If Blair wanted to take the phone then that was her choice though he would feel better if she did.

Blair stared at the phone, it was a simple smartphone – not the newest mobile but certainly not the oldest either. She was hesitant in taking the phone even though she could see the logic in his reasoning. She wasn’t easy to get a hold of and that was on purpose. Blair used burner phones because the Hunter couldn’t track her through this method, hence why she never opened a bank account either, it could all get traced back to her and reveal her location.

Sensing her hesitation, Elijah spoke. “I have some understanding of your situation. I am the only person who has your number and I promise never to give out your number without your permission,”

“Fine,” Blair said as she took the phone. Pocketing it, Blair walked out of the kitchen not noticing as Elijah watched her with a smile.

ORIGINALS

Celeste stared down at the dead body of Danielle in contempt. One of the people in the Coven had found the body dramatically placed right outside the cemetery for anyone to see and find. It had been found quickly and hidden away in one of the hideaways in the cemetery before any members of the public could cause any uproar. The carelessness of the body being thrown angered everyone within the Coven. However, it wasn’t this that had angered Celeste. No, she was angered at the fact Danielle had failed in her mission and she had also lost the magic blocking cuff and knife that she had been loaned. Now they were in the possession of the enemy and she hated it.

Walking into the cove, Genevieve stared at Celeste in apprehension. She had gone extremely silent since Danielle’s body had been found and Genevieve but feel the anger in the air. “Does this change anything?” She asked, her voice low. She was worried that if she raised her voice too loudly that Celeste would turn her wrath onto her.

“This changes nothing,” Celeste's voice was thick with fury but her face portrayed nothing. The plan was to have Davina killed so they could bring back Bastianna but it had failed. Danielle had volunteered for this operation, believing that Davina would trust her since their families had been friends but obviously she had overestimated herself and her skills. It was bad enough they had lost Papa Tunde in favour of making the cursed dagger, which luckily was still in their possession.

“I will go and visit Camille again,” Genevieve said before we walked out of the cove, sighing in relief when Celeste was out of sight. Genevieve had yet to hand over the dagger to Camille as she wasn’t confident she would strike against Klaus considering there was no threat against her uncle, Kieran – yet.

The candles around Celeste flickered as she let some of her anger out. She had thought having Davina eliminated would have been easy – she was practically a sitting duck. Celeste was surprised that Davina hadn’t already been killed by Klaus and this only angered her further. What made her so special that Klaus hadn’t killed her already? As Celeste examined Danielle’s body, she tried to get as much information as possible. She could feel some magic that didn’t belong to Danielle, it didn’t belong to Davina. It was magic she had never felt before but it was subtle to the point she would have missed it if she wasn’t looking for something. Once she felt it, she nearly hissed and moved away from it.

It was Fae magic.

Feeling that power made Celeste’s anger skyrocket. It hadn’t made sense, Celeste had given very detailed instructions on what to do. Get Davina when she was alone and kill her. Celeste had even gone as far as teaching Danielle some spells so no one could track Davina and trap her. So how had the Fae managed to get past all these precautions? Papa Tunde had dealt with a Fae before in the past and so he knew how to handle one but Celeste had never come across a Fae. She had been alive for a long time and had yet to come across a Fae until now. If she didn’t want to be made a fool again she would need to be prepared.

Chapter 14: Chapter 14

The next morning arrived and Blair was stood outside the plantation house with Hayley and Rebekah. She was dressed in a short-sleeved burgundy floral printed dress with a low V-neck, black tights and knee-high black high heeled boots and a black leather jacket. Surprisingly, the journey hadn’t been too bad. Hayley hadn’t said a word to Blair but Rebekah had made up for that silence. Rebekah had sprung this move on Hayley that morning and she had taken the news rather well. Everything seemed to be running smoothly and this only put Blair more on edge. The more time passed the worse the anxious feeling got in Blair’s chest. She felt like something was going to happen, she just didn’t know what exactly other than fire would be involved.

Rebekah looked to Hayley, “I thought I was going to have to drag you to the plantation kicking and screaming,” She had been extremely suspicious when Hayley had made no complaints about this unexpected move. She had expected some form of negative reaction, but Hayley had simply agreed and packed a bag, getting into the car with no objections.

Hayley sent the Original a dry look. “Yes. Well, we all just want to protect me and the baby,”

Blair rolled her eyes at Hayley’s attitude but said nothing.

“Hey, I am on your side remember?” Rebekah said, unhappy with the tone Hayley was using. “So what gives?”

Looking around, Hayley moved closer, “Tonight is a full moon.”

“So what?” Rebekah asked, “You’re preggers, you can’t turn.” This was one small advantage to Hayley being pregnant, she didn’t have to go through the agony of turning and having every bone in her body broken.

“Yes. But I wanted to invite a few people over,” Hayley admitted slowly. She had been planning this for some time, wondering how she could pull this off under the constant surveillance of Klaus and Elijah. She’d had to be sneaky to make sure no one in the compound knew what she had planned and it had been going well. When Rebekah had told her that she was going to the plantation house, she had jumped at the chance knowing that this was the perfect opportunity.

Rebekah gave a sarcastic smile. “Of course. Every red-blooded American Werewolf will be a bundle of fur and sharp teeth tonight whilst your cursed Crescent Clan will be human.”

“But only for a few hours,” Hayley said, “And won’t be again until the next full moon. So I asked Josh to get a message out to Eve in the Bayou,”

Rebekah looked surprised. “Josh is still alive?” She looked to Blair who smirked, “Good for him. I love a nice survival story,”

Blair grinned, “He does have a knack for getting in trouble,” Luckily, he would be nowhere near the trouble tonight. She had asked him to look out for Davina and Timothy in their hideaway. Josh had been more than happy to help and even happier to stay out of the way.

Just then, someone came out the front door with a large empty red trolley. “Who the bloody hell is that?” Rebekah asked with a frown, immediately defensive. As far as she was aware, there should have been no one in the house.

“Kegs out back, right?” Hayley awkwardly asked the delivery man, who answered with a thumbs up. Once he had delivered the kegs, the man walked away.

Blair arched a brow, “Oh, a little party perhaps?” The trolley the man had come out with was massive, indicating that the kegs were pretty big or a lot of them had been ordered. Blair did wonder how Hayley had managed to pay for all this as it wouldn’t have been cheap. She didn’t have the advantage of using compulsion to get what she wanted or magic, so she must have had other means of buying them.

“It appears you weren’t going to wait for permission to throw a kegger,” Rebekah said, unimpressed.

Hayley sighed deeply, “Listen, you all want me safe, fine. I’ll do as I am told. I will play the damsel in the glass tower. But tonight’s the one night of the month that I can meet my family. You can rat me out, send me to my room, or you two could help me throw one hell of a party,” She smiled at both of them, hoping they didn’t rat her out to Klaus or Elijah. If they did then she knew the party would be over before it even began.

Rebekah and Blair shared a look, one that Hayley perceived as that she had won. With a smile, Hayley headed inside, feeling as though she had accomplished something. There was so much left to do, she wanted to make this night perfect.

“I don’t like this,” Rebekah said with a sigh. She knew that if Elijah was here, he would massively disapprove of Hayley’s actions and she could see why. This party could attract the wrong kind of attention and they were supposed to be lying low. This was the exact opposite of lying low.

Blair nodded her head in agreement, “Neither do I.”

“But, I suppose she needs this,” Rebekah sighed deeply, feeling a sense of guilt.

Knowing that this party was going to happen regardless, Blair shook her head. “Be on your guard. I have a bad feeling about tonight,” She said as she walked into the house.

ORIGINALS

Many hours had passed and it was now night time. Soon, the Wolves would arrive and the party would begin. Hayley and Rebekah had nearly finished everything, with the pregnant Wolf’s nerves becoming more frayed as time went on. She couldn’t seem to sit still and she hovered over Rebekah at one point to make sure she didn’t ruin the food. Blair had spent most of the day between two places. After letting Hayley settle in, Blair had checked up on Davina and Timothy – who were being happily supervised by Josh. Carefully, Blair had warded the premises with layers upon layers of powerful protection spells because she wasn’t going to be there. When she arrived back at the plantation, she had used similar spells to protect the house, though not as strong. To be safe, Blair placed a barrier around the house, one that would alert her to any presence that wasn’t a Wolf or an Original.

Just as the Wolves were about to descend, Hayley ran out with handfuls of clothes, intending to hang them up on the washing line. They were for the Wolves, who would be naked when they transformed back into humans. Blair took one last look over the house and was satisfied with what she saw. Rebekah and Hayley had decked out the house, there were lights outside, huge quantities of red cups and the giant kegs were all lined up. The food was nearly done, Rebekah plating up the food with a furious expression.
Interested, Blair walked over to the Original, curious to know what had enraged her so much. As she got closer, she saw Rebekah with her phone in hand, leaving a voicemail to Marcel, cursing him out and demanding that he call her back.

“I thought you two were finished?” Blair asked. During the day, Rebekah had told her that she was done with Marcel – officially. The Fae had believed Rebekah when she made this vow and hoped that she wouldn’t go back on this vow.

Rebekah glanced at her as she plated up the food, “It’s nothing really. A Witch from our past has come back and Marcel promised to sort it,” Seeing Genevieve again had made her panic and curse the Harvest to hell and back. It had scared her because she knew how close her and Marcel’s secret was to coming out and she wanted to avoid that. If Klaus found out, he would kill her and Rebekah doubted that not even Elijah could stop him.

Blair watched her for a moment before nodding her head. She could tell there was something that wasn’t being said but didn’t probe any further.

Clearing her throat, Rebekah spoke, “I do have a question for you. Who is in our basement?” Ever since her talk with the male Fae, she had struggled to focus on much else, his words playing over in her mind. She couldn’t understand why she was so affected by them. His whole presence was a mystery and she hoped Blair could shed some light on the situation. She had been wanting to ask since it happened but refrained, for now, trying to find the right moment.

Blair paused for a moment, her shoulder tensed. Mentally, she cursed herself. She must have forgotten to lock the basement door after she had left at one point. “His name is Raphael and he’s the Fae that tried to attack Hayley,” She saw no point in lying because Rebekah had already met him. As long as she didn’t tell Klaus, everything would be fine and he would be safe.

Rebekah frowned at this news, “Then why is he still alive?” After meeting him, she wouldn’t have thought of him doing such a thing but it only made her hunger for more information.

“It wasn’t his fault,” Blair defended with a sigh, “The Queen has an ability similar to a Vampire’s compulsion. I am breaking that control but the compulsion is deep so it’s taking some time,” She has already completed quite a few sessions with Raphael and had made a lot of progress. Blair was confident that it wouldn’t take many more sessions until he was free of the Queen’s control. She didn’t know what would happen afterwards but she would deal with that another time.

“Wouldn’t you want to do it quicker?” Rebekah questioned.

Blair shook her head, “No if I go faster or push harder then I risk breaking his mind completely. The Queen’s power is strong and runs deep. Her control over his mind took everything away from him and so building that back needs to be careful,” She knew that Raphael would never have acted the way he did if it wasn’t for the Queen. He had been made to kill Chloe and Blair didn’t know if he remembered what he had done. She hoped that he didn’t because he didn’t deserve to go through that trauma.

Rebekah nodded her head in understanding, “Is there any way I can help?”

Blair stared at her for a moment, “Why do you seem to care?” This was an offer she had not expected and it made her wary to know Rebekah’s intentions behind it.

“He said something that stuck with me,” Rebekah answered back, not wanting to reveal what Raphael had said. It was private and something she held dear to her. She feared that if she told anyone then they would laugh at her.

Snorting in mirth, Blair grinned slightly, “Of course he did. He always knew what to say to people,” Raphael was a sensitive soul, hence why she didn’t want him to go through any more trauma than he already had. He was a complete and utter nerd but endearingly – or at least he was before she was kicked out. Blair mentally shook away her thoughts, not wanting to reminisce.

Rebekah returned the grin, silently agreeing with her words.

“But if you want to help then you can’t tell Klaus. If he finds out that Raphael is here then he will try and kill him.” Blair explained when she was satisfied with Rebekah’s reasoning. If she had Rebekah on her side to keep Raphael’s identity a secret then she hoped it would help. Elijah was already aware of Raphael but hadn’t tried to enter the basement or enquired about him since. If it happened where Klaus found out, she would defend Raphael and protect him from the Hybrid no matter what.

“That’s exactly what he would do,” Rebekah sighed deeply, knowing the Fae’s words to be true. It wouldn’t matter that Raphael was under the control of the Queen, Klaus would kill him and have no regrets.

“I swear he’s lucky to have any family around him,” Blair scoffed. If Klaus was related to her in any sense, she would have run away a long time ago.

Anger flashed in Rebekah’s eyes. “He has a knack for driving people away,” It was his actions that had caused her to summon Mikael to New Orleans. If he had simply left her love life alone and stopped being a tyrant then she wouldn’t have had to resort to such methods. Rebekah felt her actions were justified but if Klaus ever found out then he would never see her point of view.

Blair nodded her head in agreement but said nothing more on the matter. She could see the anger in Rebekah’s eyes and knew not to comment.

“They’re here!” Hayley called from another room.

This seemed to snap Rebekah out of her daze and she finished plating up the food. Blair used her magic and helped the Original, knowing that the Wolves would probably be starving. Within minutes, they had finished and by that point, the garden was filled with naked men and women, all putting on clothes that Hayley had put out.

ORIGINALS

The party was in full swing and loud music was blasting from the speakers. Everyone was dancing, laughing and drinking from the kegs. All the food that Rebekah had spent ages preparing had been quickly demolished by the hungry Wolves and now they had moved onto drinking and dancing. As soon as the Wolves had made an appearance, Rebekah had vanished with a blonde male, looking as though she was having fun. Hayley had disappeared upstairs and a dark-haired male had followed after her – something Blair was keeping an eye on. She had heard in passing that Hayley was looking for the Wolf that was protecting her and Blair had a feeling that man was the Wolf.

As Blair walked around outside, she could feel people watching her. It made her feel uncomfortable. After years on the run, she has developed a sixth sense when it came to people staring at her. Currently, there were at least six pairs of eyes on her and this put her on edge. But it didn’t end there, those six Wolves were following her and they were trying to act discreet but were failing miserably at it. She could feel the excitement that emanated from them like a bad smell, and it seemed like there was a sense of urgency that made her raise her guard. Deciding that she’d had enough of the loud music and bad dancing, Blair headed back inside the house. She walked back into the kitchen and heard people following behind her. Turning her head, she spotted four people, two men and two females.

“What?” Blair demanded, not in the mood to deal with this. Her anxiety was through the roof at this point and whatever they wanted wouldn’t help her.

Saying nothing, the four Werewolves moved around the kitchen blocking her in. Blair looked around for an escape route but then two more Werewolves – two males – blocked that exit, leaving her completely surrounded.

“We are here to make things right,” The first male said, “Surrender and you’ll live,”

Blair arched a brow, amused by his answer. “Oh? And why would I need to surrender?” She looked around the room, noting all the weapons. Since she was in the kitchen, there were plenty of weapons at her disposal, but that also meant the weapons were at the Werewolves disposal too.

A second male spoke up, “Because if you don’t, we’re going to kill you,” To emphasise his point, he cracked his knuckles loudly.

Before anyone could blink, Blair flicked her wrists and the second man who threatened her fell to his knees, screaming in pain and holding his head. The Werewolves took a step back, all staring at the screaming man in confusion. Blair smirked wickedly, they had no idea who they were messing with. “My answer is no, I won’t surrender,” Blair said haughtily.

Screaming in anger, a female Wolf ran at Blair. The Fae summoned her magic and sent the female Wolf flying backwards into the sink and watched as she crumpled to the ground. A forceful burst of water came out of the sink with the tap broken. Blair dropped the magic she was using on the second male and used her magic to manipulate the water, her natural element. With a snap of her wrist, she sent the water towards a third male and froze the water, pinning him to the fridge.

A scream came from behind her and the fourth male Wolf swung at her angrily. She ducked, grabbed a nearby knife and stuck it in his abdomen as she rolled away. Just as she stopped, the second female Wolf grabbed her arm and twisted it backwards. Hissing at the sudden pain, Blair’s eyes glowed a violent shade of purple as an electric shock pushed the female Wolf away. Whirling around, Blair saw that two male Wolves were coming at her with knives in hand. Pushing out her hands, she summoned her magic and sent them flying into the glass doors, the crash so loud that she worried that they would be overheard and more reinforcements would come. Luckily, the music outside was so loud that no one heard this commotion. Blair watched cautiously as all the Wolves were on the floor, groaning in pain. However, she knew it wouldn’t be long before they were back up and trying to kill her once more.

Feeling as though things were about to get worse, Blair felt like she had no choice but to call for reinforcements. She could handle six Werewolves but if the whole pack decided to attack her then that would be a different story. ‘Raphael,’ Blair called out through their bond. This bond had been forged when she was stripping away the Queen’s control. Blair thought that it may come in useful in the future and she wasn’t wrong.

‘Blair, what’s wrong?’ Raphael asked, his voice filled with concern. It wasn’t like Blair to contact him through the bond.

‘How well would you say your control is?’ Blair asked, watching as the Werewolves began to get up. Quickly, she left the room, hoping to find somewhere to hide. She couldn’t risk using any more excessive magic in case the Witches decided to strike – or the Fae Queen. She had already used quite a bit of magic with all the protective spells she had placed around Davina’s location and this one. This fight with the Wolves had cost her and she didn’t want to risk using any more than she had to.
‘I am confident I have control,’ Raphael answered back strongly, ‘Do you need help?’

Blair mentally sighed, ‘Yes. Wolves have decided to attack me. They’re down for now but they’ll be back. I have a feeling the Witches have something to do with this,’ Werewolves did not usually attack the Fae, in fact, the two were on good terms. Typically, Werewolves had a better relationship with the Fae over the Witches and so this behaviour was unusual and this unsettled Blair. The few people she’d got close to in the past was Werewolves – a pack had found her when she first left the forest and they let her join their pack.

‘Let me out, I’ll come and help,’ Raphael replied.

For a moment, Blair hesitated. She wondered if she was letting Raphael out too early, he needed at least two more sessions before he was fully free but she had little choice at this point. She couldn’t sense Rebekah and she refused to disturb Elijah. There was no way in hell she would ask Klaus or Marcel for her help so that only left Raphael. ‘Come to the plantation straight away,’ With her magic, she vanished the magic holding him and sent him an image of the plantation, as well as how to get there.
‘I won’t be long.’ Raphael said as he ran out of the basement.

Blair walked into another room where she saw Hayley and a dark-haired Werewolf. The man had light olive skin, brown eyes, and curly dark brown hair. He was a very tall man, easily towering over Hayley and looked muscled. He was wearing the clothing Hayley had put out, they were a little big but not ridiculously so. He was an appealing man but he was also a Werewolf. When Blair saw him, she internally groaned. It was another person from her vision, and if she remembered correctly, he and Hayley become very close. Blair sensed a certain power to him and identified him as the Alpha of this pack. The moment Jackson saw her, he tensed and sent her a guarded look, one that made Blair arch a brow.

“Blair! What’s going on?” Hayley asked, confused as to what the noise was. She and Jackson had come to investigate. She had been chatting with Jackson upstairs and her head was still spinning from the information he had given her.

Blair glared at Jackson, “Members of your pack tried to attack me.”

He returned that glare, “Because you’re trying to steal this baby and kill Hayley,” Jackson said, standing in front of Hayley as if to protect her.

Not able to stop herself, Blair laughed, “What? I don’t want to steal her baby. Hayley can be annoying at the time but I don’t want her dead,”

Hayley rolled her eyes at her comment.

Jackson looked down at her in confusion, “You don’t?”

Hayley walked around him, not liking that she was being protected again. “She isn’t trying to steal my baby. She’s trying to protect me from other Fae,”

“But the Witches said you made a deal with them. The deal was that we gave them the Fae that was trying to kill you,” Jackson said as he looked to Hayley. Before coming to the plantation house, they had been approached by a Witch called Celeste and she had explained that Hayley was in danger. She told them a Fae would kill Hayley and steal the baby once it was born, something that had infuriated the pack. “She said that if we killed the Fae, she’d help set us free,”

Blair and Hayley shared a look, “I never made a deal with any Witches,” Hayley said in apprehension.

Just then, a sharp ringtone rang loudly. Feeling a vibration in her pocket, Blair pulled out the new phone Elijah bought her. Elijah’s name flashed and she answered the call, “What’s happened?” She asked, feeling Hayley and Jackson’s gaze on her.

“You, Hayley and Rebekah are in danger. Stay with each other until I get there,” Elijah warned before he hung up the phone.

Suddenly, Blair felt a pulse of magic and she instantly knew what it was. The wards she had placed around the house alerted her to the two magical signatures. “We need to get out now,” Grabbing Hayley, Blair marched out of the room with Jackson following behind her. Just as they made it to the exit, the doors swung shut and locked in place, trapping them inside.

Jackson attempted to open the doors but they wouldn’t budge.

‘Raphael, are you close?’ Blair mentally asked.

‘I am just arriving now,’ Raphael replied back swiftly.

‘Find Rebekah then come and find me,’ Blair answered and cut off the connection before he could say anything.

Looking around, Blair noticed there was a fire at every exit, blocking them in. Blair mentally cursed the Witches, they were trying to burn down the house with them inside. Testing out the magic, Blair attempted to open the door but it wouldn’t budge. The magic the Witches were using together was too strong and she suspected the power had something to do with the Harvest.

Seeing no other option, Blair cursed out loud. “Grab onto me and don’t let me go,” She ordered as she looked to Hayley and Jackson.

“Why? What are you going to do?” Jackson asked, confused and scared.

“I am going to teleport us,” Blair answered back, wary of how close the flames were getting. This wasn’t normal fire, it was stronger and more lethal. Blair did not like fire at all, it unnerved her and being trapped in a house that was going ablaze did nothing to settle her nerves. This was what happened in her vision and she berated herself for not noticing this sooner.

Without hesitation, Hayley grabbed Blair’s arm tightly. Having been teleported once before, she knew what to expect. Quietly, she informed Jackson of what was going to happen, who then grabbed Blair’s other arm tentatively. Closing her eyes, Blair gathered her magic and imagined the outside of the house, away from the fire. The flooring below their feet disappeared as they travelled outside and the blazing heat of the room disappeared. Instead, the smell of dampness filled their senses and they felt the solid ground below their feet. Jackson wretched in his throat, not used to the feeling and Hayley groaned and tightened her grip on Blair.

“We’re safe,” Blair announced after a few seconds. She allowed them some time to adjust before she too opened her eyes. Looking around, she noted that they were in the forest outside the plantation house, far away from the fire. Sighing deeply, Blair mentally scowled at her low level of magic. Teleporting three people was a hit to her magic reserves but it had been needed. Without it, they could have burned before Elijah made it.

Within seconds, Elijah was on the scene. “Are you two alright?” He immediately asked when he saw Hayley and Jackson on their knees. He was worried that something had happened to Hayley but he was relieved when he saw she was unharmed. He then turned to Blair for answers.

“I teleported us out, we’re fine. Hayley didn’t have a chance to inhale much smoke but we’d best get her checked out,” Blair commented as she watched Hayley cough lightly. Jackson seemed disorientated but otherwise fine.

Elijah nodded his head, “And you?”

Blair spared him a glance, “I am fine… a little low on magic,” She hated to admit this but she had no choice.

Elijah frowned in concern and was about to comment when footsteps were approaching. Everyone turned their heads to the noise and watched as Raphael walked closer with an injured Rebekah in his arms. The female Original was covered in blood and Wolf bite marks which seemed to be healing. The moment Elijah saw Raphael, he tensed but then he saw a stern look from Blair.

“He’s on our side now,” Blair warned him lowly. Even though she was low on magic she would fight for Raphael, even if it killed her.

Slowly, Elijah nodded his head in understanding and instead turned to face Raphael, “Rebekah,” Elijah uttered as he rushed over to his sister. He gently took Rebekah from Raphael and nodded his head in thanks.

“What happened?” Blair asked, not moving away from Hayley and Jackson. There was still a chance the Witches could make a physical appearance.

“A group of Wolves attacked her. She fought them off but they got a few bites in,” Raphael said, his eyes not moving from Rebekah’s still form. By the time he had arrived, Rebekah had already taken down a lot of the Wolves but she was severally weakened. If Raphael hadn’t arrived when he had and taken down the remaining Wolves then the damage would have been a lot worse.

“It won’t kill her. But she’ll be feverish for a few hours,” Elijah explained. A Werewolf’s bite couldn’t kill an Original and she would heal, but it would take some time. Very likely, by morning Rebekah would be okay.

Blair looked down at Hayley and Jackson and saw they seemed better. “We need to move,” Staying out in the open did not make her feel safe.

Elijah looked to the Fae, “The Witches have Niklaus,” He needed to find his brother before anything happened. Celeste was determined to have Niklaus dead and Elijah wanted to prevent that. Having to choose between his family members and Hayley had been a horrible choice but Hayley came first. She was pregnant and very vulnerable whereas his siblings could take care of themselves more easily. However, it seemed as though the Witches had outsmarted his brother.

Walking closer to the male Original, Blair lowered her voice. “We’re in no condition to be searching for Klaus. Rebekah is injured, I am low on magic and Hayley may need medical attention. Klaus will be fine until the morning,” As a Hybrid, Klaus couldn’t die easily. He was much harder to kill and as much as Blair hated to admit this, he was also resilient. He could manage for a few hours while everyone recharged.

Reluctantly, Elijah agreed with this assessment.

There was another sound of crackling leaves and Blair’s magical wards alerted her to the presence of two Witches. This sent her instincts into overdrive – they needed to get out now. In the condition everyone was in, this battle would not go in their favour. “Grab onto me, now!” She ordered urgently. Blair moved to touch Jackson and Hayley, Elijah was by her side instantly, holding Rebekah with one arm and the other touching Blair’s arm. Raphael followed her instruction with no complaint and touched her other arm. Closing her eyes, Blair pushed her magic to her limit and teleported them out of the forest and back into the compound.

Seconds later, they were all back in the compound and were safe. Dark spots danced in Blair’s vision as she nearly collapsed. Blair grit her teeth, it was taking everything inside her to complete this move even though her magic protested. Everyone moved away from Blair, feeling sick by the sudden movement.

Noticing Blair swaying on her feet, Elijah passed Rebekah’s body to Raphael, who took her with no hesitation. Elijah walked over to Blair, “Are you okay?” He asked in concern. He had never seen Blair so weak before and it worried him. He did not feel great himself, but he could manage.

“I’m fine,” Blair slurred out tiredly, “Just do me a favour and catch me,” With no energy left at all, Blair’s body shut down. Her vision went dark and her head tipped back to fall. She had reached the limit of her magic, something she had not done for the last two hundred years.

Instantly, Elijah caught Blair before she could fall and picked her up gently. He stared down at Blair’s relaxed face and smiled softly. An unexpected rage filled him, he didn’t like that Blair had been pushed to this point. It made him uncomfortable to see her in such a vulnerable state. Feeling a gaze in him, Elijah looked up and noticed Raphael staring at him.

“Where should I put Rebekah?” Raphael asked softly.

“Up the stairs, second door to your left,” Elijah answered with ease.

Nodding his head, Raphael turned around and went inside the compound. Rebekah needed her rest to heal from the venom.

Following suit, Elijah walked inside to find Blair’s room. His grip on her tightened as he looked down at her face.

Hayley watched Elijah go, a heavy feeling in her heart. She didn’t like it. She didn’t like how Elijah looked at Blair. It made her feel unhappy and … insignificant. Hayley had thought Elijah cared for her but he seemed to care for that Fae as well. Jealously filled her being and she clenched her fists. She was so engulfed by this sudden onset of jealousy that she hardly noticed as Jackson informed her he had to leave.

Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Rebekah groaned when she woke up. Everything ached – she felt like she had wrestled with something heavy and ferocious and lost severely. As her blue eyes fluttered open, memories of the night before came flooding back. She had wrestled with something ferocious, a pack of Werewolves. Her heart ached at the memory, remembering how she had been played by Oliver and how they had attacked her mercilessly. If she had been anything less than an Original Vampire, she would have died from their attack alone. Rebekah shuddered at the memory, the venom coursing through her body and how much it had burned. Luckily, enough time had passed where she had healed and as she looked around the room, she saw the remnants of her hallucinations. While Werewolf venom may not kill her, it would give her wicked delusions and it seemed as though she had torn up her room during this bout. All the furniture in the room was destroyed – even the bed that she was lying on. Slowly, Rebekah sat up in bed and winced at this sudden movement. She would need a few more hours before she was fully healed but she felt much better than last night.

The door of her room opened and in walked Raphael. In his hand was a tray of food and a few bags of blood. The moment Raphael saw her, he sighed in relief. “Good, you’re awake. I was getting worried, princess,”

Staring at him in shock, Rebekah’s eyes widened. “You’re out of the basement?”

Raphael frowned, “Yeah, Blair let me out last night. She needed back up. It’s a good job I was there because you may have ended up a lot worse,” He was not scared to admit that last night had been terrifying. Finding Rebekah unconscious in her own pool of blood was something that would never leave him. The Wolves had circled her, ready to do even more damage until he came along and chased them away.

A warm sensation filled her when his words hit home. “You came for me?”

“Of course,” Raphael answered back strongly, “Blair filled me in on what happened. What they were trying to do was horrible. If it had been a fair fight, you would have killed them all,”

Rebekah smiled slightly at his words. Looking down at herself, she saw she was in a fresh change of clothing. “Did you change me?”

Raphael flushed red, “No, that was Hayley. Your clothes were pretty much ruined after last night,” He would have asked Blair to change Rebekah but she had passed out due to magic exhaustion. Elijah had pretty much sat and guarded Blair all throughout the night, making sure she was okay. Raphael had no choice but to ask the only other female in the vicinity because there was no way he could do that. For all his bravado he was shy around pretty girls.

Smiling, Rebekah moved to get out of bed but winced in pain. Raphael rushed over, placing down the tray. “Please don’t do that, you’re still healing,” Remembering the blood, he handed one over to Rebekah, “Drink this, it may help,” Luckily, there was a cooler in the kitchen filled with blood. There had been loads of different types of blood but Elijah had informed him of Rebekah’s favourite and he had grabbed a handful of them.

Watching him for a moment, Rebekah took the blood bag and emptied it in seconds. Wordlessly, Raphael handed her another and another until all the blood he had brought was gone. However, the blood seemed to have worked because the colour in Rebekah’s face had come back and she was feeling much better.

“Well, do you want to update me on what’s been going on or are you just going to stare?” Rebekah asked haughtily. Being near the male Fae was making her feel something she was unsure about and she wanted to distract herself from this.

When Raphael flushed, this made Rebekah smirk. “A-apparently, the Witches have Klaus. Elijah and Marcel have had the other Vampires looking for him all night but they haven’t heard anything. Elijah plans to pay the Witches a visit today,” The male Original had informed him of this when Raphael had run downstairs for blood and food. Raphael had spent most of the night with Rebekah, making sure she was okay and that she didn’t hurt herself with her delusions.

A sense of dread filled her when she remembered Genevieve. Rebekah was sure that she had seen Genevieve when the Wolves had attacked her but she couldn’t be sure. Just remembering what she and Marcel had done nearly made her sick with worry. “She’s going to tell him,” Rebekah muttered lowly as the horror set in. If Genevieve had Klaus then she had would tell him. She would tell him the reason why Mikael found them in New Orleans.

“Rebekah?” Raphael called in concern. He could see the horror in her eyes and it disturbed him.

“I need to speak with Elijah, now,” Rebekah said urgently. She needed to speak with Elijah before he found out from someone else. She knew that he would be angry, maybe even disappointed but he would help her.

Sensing how serious this situation was, Raphael nodded his head and walked out to fetch Elijah. It didn’t take him long to find him, he was still with Blair. They were in the kitchen, seemingly having a chat when he found them. When Raphael saw Blair, he was happy to see that she looked much better than last night. After having nearly twelve hours of sleep, her magic had returned to her and she was back on her feet, acting as though the night before hadn’t happened. When his presence became known to Blair and Elijah, they looked at him. Blair with a curious expression but Elijah was more guarded, almost as if he didn’t trust him – and Raphael did not blame him.

“Rebekah said she wanted to speak with you,” Raphael said, looking to the other male in the room.

Elijah nodded his head sharply, “Of course,” Gracefully, he stood up and walked out of the room.

Once he was out of sight, Blair looked at him, “How are you feeling?” It had been a hectic night for both of them and Blair was sure he wasn’t used to this yet. Having been isolated in the forest for hundreds of years, she could understand if these new experiences were overwhelming. It had been for her.

“Good,” Raphael said truthfully, “It is different than what I am used to but that’s good.” When his consciousness had first come back, it had been terrifying. He remembered nearly everything he had done – some events were spottier than others – and it petrified him to see what he had become. The whole experience felt like he had been a spectator in his own life, watching himself commit acts he would never normally do. Chloe’s image flashed in his mind and he winced.

Sensing where his mind was, Blair’s eyes softened. “It’s not your fault,” She stood up and walked over to him. Slowly, she placed her hand on his shoulder as if to comfort him, albeit awkwardly. However, Raphael appreciated it as he knew she didn’t like physical contact.

“I couldn’t stop myself,” Raphael muttered sadly. He had watched as his own hands had murdered Chloe. He had watched as his body butchered her body and then sent the severed head to Blair. It was horrifying and grotesque.

“Her control was powerful and I am sorry you’ve had to endure this for so long. This is not your fault, it’s that bitch’s fault,” Blair hissed lowly, her eyes flashed purple as her magic responded to her anger.

It was an anger Raphael understood. “How could she make me do that?” When he was under the Queen’s control, he wouldn’t question her orders but now he could. Her orders made no sense, they were just malicious and evil. The Queen he was taught to obey wasn’t this monster that ordered him to kill his first love.

The light in Blair’s eyes dimmed, “Because she is evil. She does what she wants and no one can question her because is the Queen. Her gift ensures total control. She is everything our Queen should not be,”

“If only Tatianna was still alive,” Raphael added sadly.

Blair’s fists clenched in anger, mentally agreeing with that statement. Tatianna had been the previous Queen but she had died and the Fae world seemed to have changed the moment she perished. It wasn’t the same anymore. Tatianna loved all her subjects and they loved her in return, she inspired them to do their best. Then, Maeve came along and everything went to hell.

Reaching out, Raphael grabbed Blair’s hand that was on his shoulder and squeezed. “I am so sorry for what she did to you. Chloe and I wanted to help so badly… but we couldn’t…” He couldn’t find the right words to convey his feeling and it frustrated him. There was so much he needed to say because he had not had the chance for the past four hundred years.

“I don’t blame you or Chloe. The one I blame is Maeve,” Blair answered back, squeezing Raphael’s hand in return.

Raphael was about to say something but he was interrupted when there was a loud crash. Blair and Raphael looked at each other and then in the direction the sound came from. It came from Rebekah’s room. The moment this registered, Raphael was off and moving towards the noise with Blair following behind him. When they reached Rebekah’s room, they saw Elijah pacing around the room, prowling like an angry animal and Rebekah was crying, her face red and eyes filled with anguish. Blair looked around the room and noticed that there was a tray of food on the floor, realising that was what caused the sudden sound.

“What happened?” Blair asked as she watched the two siblings.

“It’s none of your concern,” Elijah dismissed, not even looking towards the two Fae that entered the room. He was far too consumed with anger and confusion that nothing else registered.

Blair sent him a look, one that was filled with annoyance at being dismissed so easily.

“They need to know Elijah,” Rebekah said, her voice hoarse from the crying. This was not easy for her and Elijah’s disappointment hurt her more than anything.

Sighing deeply, Elijah clenched his jaw. “In 1919, Rebekah and Marcel conspired together and brought our father to New Orleans to kill Niklaus. They used a Witch, who was brought back from the Harvest. Our father has hunted us for years – Niklaus specifically. It was the one place we called home and we had to flee.” It had been a dark and fiery day they had been chased out from New Orleans and it was one that no one in their family could forget.

Raphael and Blair shared a look with one another.

“Genevieve was the Witch that brought our father to New Orleans. She will tell Klaus what I and Marcel did,” Rebekah said, fear in her voice. The moment Klaus found out about this she would be dead – for real. She had hoped that this secret would remain buried but she wasn’t so lucky. To keep this a secret, she had killed Genevieve and another Witch – Clara – to make sure no one learnt of her actions.

Elijah’s face was grim, “And when Niklaus finds out, his wrath will know no bounds. He will come for you and Marcel and he will kill,” He looked at his sister in a mixture of disappointment, anger and concern. He was angry because there had been a time when he had blamed himself for Mikael’s appearance in New Orleans. It had been one place he and his siblings had considered home and it had been ruined. The betrayal of Rebekah’s actions stung deeply but he could understand to an extent why she did it. This did not mean he condoned what was done but he could understand.

“Maybe we best leave him with the Witches then,” Blair said dryly. She did not understand the significance of bringing their father into the fold but she could see how unhinged Elijah became at the mention of him.

Elijah shot her a dark look, “That is not an option,”

“But are you sure you want to find him?” Raphael asked with a frown, “If we do, he will just want to kill Rebekah,”

“We do not leave family behind,” Elijah answered back strongly.

“And yet you left Klaus behind last night,” Blair challenged him with an arched brow. Elijah had informed her of the choice he had to make when Celeste weakened him. It had not been an easy choice for him to make because he cared for all his family members but Hayley’s safety came first.

Elijah turned to face Blair, his shoulders taut with tension and his eyes hardened. “I do not regret my choice. Hayley is carrying Klaus’ child, there was no choice to make,”

Blair held his gaze, never looking away from his hypnotic dark eyes. Neither one looked away from each other, seeming to forget that there were other people in the room. Raphael shifted uncomfortable, the tension in the room only rising. Even Rebekah seemed unnerved with this silence, though she stared at Blair with a critical eye.

“Why do you hate Niklaus so?” Elijah asked curiously, his form relaxing ever so slightly.

Blair snorted, “It’s not just me that hates him. All Fae kind hate him. But I think he’s a dick with temper issues and he seems to get away with too much,”

Elijah smirked slightly, not arguing against her words. He looked to Raphael who nodded his head in agreement, also confirming Blair’s statement. It was a bold statement and one that made him curious. Exactly what had Niklaus done to make a whole community hate him? Elijah couldn’t think of one exact moment but his brother had done a lot of damage to a lot of people over the years so the list was endless. “Regardless, we made a vow that we would stick by one another. We will sort this situation out,” Elijah continued confidently as he looked to his younger sister.

However, Rebekah wasn’t so confident.

Seeming to sense her nerves, Raphael stared at Rebekah with a frown.

“But you know he will try and kill Rebekah. That temper is volatile,” Blair reminded the Noble Original. Klaus’ temper tantrums were legendary, Katherine had told her how frightening it could be and Blair did not want to be present during one. She avoided the Hybrid as much as she could but it seemed as though she was going to be dragged into this.

Shaking his head, Elijah answered. “I will not let Rebekah be a victim to his wrath. I will not allow him to kill her,” Rebekah was his little sister, someone who he would die to protect. Elijah also feared the aftermath. He feared what Niklaus would be like when his temper faded and he had actually killed Rebekah. The grief would be immense and there would be no cure.

Rebekah looked up and smiled softly. She knew she could rely on her older brother to protect her. Even when they were human, Elijah would protect her.

“I’ll help,” Raphael said suddenly.

Everyone looked at him, Rebekah the most shocked of all. “What?” She stared at him in wonder and astonishment.

“Raphael!” Blair exclaimed in surprise.

Determination filled Raphael’s eyes. “When Klaus comes, I will help to protect you.” There was a kindness to his voice, one that shook Rebekah and everyone else in the room.

Blair stared at Raphael and then Rebekah, her mind working overtime. Her mind thought back to Rebekah’s words the day before. Their conversation must have been more meaningful than she realised. Blair could see affection in Raphael’s eyes and it shook her when she realised what she was looking at. Horror filled her – pure unadulterated horror at this realisation.

Raphael turned to Blair, “Please, we have to help,” With her magic, they could help subdue Klaus before he could do any damage.

“Isn’t this a family issue?” Blair glared at the other Fae.

Elijah stared at Raphael for a moment before he smirked slightly. “I would not object to any assistance,” He looked to Rebekah who did not protest at all. In fact, she looked to Blair with a hopeful expression.

Blair could feel the weight of all the stares at her. Elijah stared at her with intense dark eyes and Rebekah looked lost and hopeful, one that was almost childlike. However, it was Raphael’s silent begging that made her waver. He resembled a puppy as he silently begged her to help. Mentally, Blair cursed at her luck and sighed deeply. “Fine,”

Elijah’s eyes lit up in victory. “Thank you,”

“Don’t thank me yet,” Blair muttered lowly.

ORIGINALS

Soon after, Blair had cast a locator spell and tracked Klaus to the Fleur-de-Lis Sanatorium. They all stood outside the building, looking at the building with a sense of foreboding. Before coming here, Elijah had found Klaus’ protégée, he had thrown Marcel around in a fit of rage, nearly ending his life in the process. It was only Rebekah’s begging that stopped Elijah and even then he was not happy. Elijah promised that he would make Marcel pay for his treachery. This was something no one doubted as Elijah could be even more vengeful than Klaus at times. The moment Rebekah saw the building, she tensed and looked to Elijah in concern. He took her hand in his to reassure her but this only worked slightly.

“So, we know what we’re each doing?” Blair asked as she looked at the group.

Everyone nodded their heads, each knowing their roles in this operation. The plan was to trap Klaus so they can reason with him as much as possible. There was no way Rebekah would get out of this unpunished, that would be asking for too much from Klaus. However, if Klaus’ temper could be lessened then maybe he wouldn’t kill her or Marcel.

“REBEKAH!” Came the outraged cry of Klaus from inside the building.

Rebekah’s face paled dramatically and she looked as though she was about to run away. She took a step back but was stopped by Elijah, whose hand she still held.

“Let’s go,” Elijah said, heading into the building with Rebekah reluctantly following behind.

Blair and Raphael stayed behind. As Blair looked around, she could sense three presences from the building and one following behind them. Out of the three, she knew that one belonged to Klaus and the other Genevieve. However, it was the third presence that made her pause. Feeling a gaze on her through one of the windows, Blair spied a dark shadow but it moved out of the way before she could do anything. Now, the presence following them was one she recognised and she rolled her eyes.
“Hayley is following us,” Raphael muttered softly.

“She is,” Blair commented. Hayley had been following them since they’d left the compound but Blair had yet to rat her out. Everyone had been too preoccupied with dealing with Klaus’ madness to notice someone following them but Blair was paranoid about everything and so this would never be left undetected.

“Why do you think she’s following us?” Raphael asked with a frown. He had not seen much of Hayley, she mainly stayed in her room and away from them. But, from what he understood, neither Hayley nor Blair was fond of one another.

Blair shrugged her shoulders, “As long as she doesn’t get in the way, I don’t care.” She marched into the Sanatorium, knowing that she’d need to get to work soon.

Raphael quickly disappeared from sight, making sure to stay in the shadows. His job was to watch over Hayley while everything happened. She was supposed to be in the compound but had recklessly followed them instead. Blair had a suspicion that Hayley was going to do something stupid soon and so didn’t want to leave her without anyone watching over her. Raphael watched over Hayley, making sure she couldn’t see or sense him.

Following Elijah and Rebekah, Blair walked down to one of the basements and found them all gathered in a large room. Klaus looked rough and enraged, something that unnerved her. Klaus was far away from everyone but she knew it wouldn’t be long before he came running at them. The moment Blair saw the blade, she nearly gagged. She could feel the dark magic radiating from it, it was disgusting and she wanted to be away from it. Blair had not come across such dark magic in a long time and it physically repulsed her.

“Rebekah!” Klaus yelled out in a rage, pointing the dagger at his sister, “Is what I saw true?!” He had spent the night in total agony, the blade he now held had been in his chest cavity causing him unimaginable pain. When he woke up, a Witch had spent hours explaining how his sister and Marcel had betrayed him and brought Mikael to New Orleans. He didn’t want to believe it to be true but he could see the horror in Rebekah’s eyes and he knew the truth. Rebekah could never hide the truth from him.

Taking in a deep breath, Rebekah answered him. “It’s true. I tried to stop it when we realised what we had done, but it was too late,” After it had been done, she had asked Genevieve to reverse the spell but it couldn’t, Mikael was already on his way. Rebekah had realised how foolish she had been and there was no way to fix her mess.

The rage in Klaus’ eyes faded away until there was only a cold fury. “I have decided that there will be no more daggered in a box for you. Trust me, sister, you will long for what the dagger offered,” He looked down at the dagger, “This will be far less merciful,”
Elijah stepped forward, “Niklaus, I will not let you harm Rebekah,”

Betrayal stung deeply in Klaus as he stared at his brother. “How dare you side with her?! She called that monster to us! Took our home from us!” They all had to flee in terror. Mikael had not only humiliated him once again but took away their home. They had all been happy in New Orleans and they had to watch as it burnt to the ground.

“I have already expressed my displeasure in their actions,” Elijah said strongly, “I am not choosing sides but I will not allow you to hurt our sister,” He looked in the direction of Blair and nodded his head, giving the signal. The plan was to trap Klaus in the Sanatorium for them all to sort out their differences. The barrier that Blair would place would come down when Klaus was unconscious or he had permission to leave Elijah. Rebekah and Elijah could leave the barrier freely, it was only Klaus that could not.
Blair’s eyes flashed purple as she summoned the magic barrier around the room. There was a slight glimmer as her barrier came to life, something Klaus didn’t miss.

Klaus glared in Blair’s direction and pointed the blade at her, “I will make sure you suffer for this,”

“You have to be able to get out first,” Blair stated as she crossed her arms. While she knew it was unwise to taunt an already angry Original, she couldn’t help the jab.

With a roar, Klaus charged at the person who had created this rage inside him. Klaus attempted to stab Rebekah but she jumped back and appeared in his way. Elijah knocked Klaus’ arm away and blocked his path. With a growl in his throat, Klaus charged once more and he and Elijah began a deadly dance, one that would have lethal consequences if there were any missteps.

Blair watched in interest, carefully inspecting every move. Elijah seemed to be able to predict a lot of Klaus’ moves and vice versa and she hoped that Elijah would be the one to come out on top. She would rather deal with Elijah over the Hybrid any day, even though both of them annoyed her. Her instincts were telling her to flee and get away but she fought against them. She wanted to see the outcome of this match and see what happened. Just as she was getting into the fight, Raphael’s voice echoed in her head.
‘Blair, we have a situation,’ Raphael said through the bond.

‘What?’ Blair asked, her eyes never straying from the fight. Elijah was covering Rebekah at every turn so Klaus couldn’t get his hands on her.

‘Hayley has just hit a Witch over the head with a shovel and is now moving the body,’ Raphael explained, confused as to why the pregnant Wolf was doing this.

Mentally, Blair sighed. ‘I’ll be right there,’ Obviously, Hayley had just done something stupid but she was also slightly curious as to why this was done. “Call me if you need me,” Blair said to Elijah and Rebekah before she left. She wasn’t paying attention to whether or not they heard her but doubted they did.

Arriving outside, Blair saw how much Hayley was struggling to drag the unconscious body. She met up with Raphael and stood beside him from the shadows. “Anything else I should know?” Blair asked, wondering when she should intervene. This much manual labour couldn’t be okay for the baby but she liked to watch Hayley suffer for a moment.

“She muttered the name Celeste,” Raphael said.

A cold fury filled Blair and she looked at the unconscious body. So, this was the fabled Celeste who had possessed others so she could live. This was also the same person who had put a hit out on Davina – something that needed to be rectified. “Go watch over the Mikaelson’s, I’ll be fine here,” Blair said as she walked over to Hayley.

Raphael nodded his head and disappeared into the building.

At the sound of footsteps, Hayley looked up and saw the female Fae. “I thought you were helping Elijah and Rebekah?” She was surprised to see Blair, she hadn’t even heard or seen her come out of the building.

“They’ll be fine,” Blair dismissed easily, “But I heard this Witch bitch’s name is Celeste, true or false?”

“She’s mine,” Hayley growled out defensively, standing in Blair’s way. Celeste was the one person who could help her save the Crescent Wolves, there was no way she would let anything get in her way.

Amusement danced in Blair’s eyes. “There is nothing to say we can’t share,”

Hayley frowned, confused by her answer.

Chapter 16: Chapter 16

Around an hour later, Blair and Hayley had transported Celeste’s unconscious body to the Bayou. During this time, Hayley had explained why she wanted the Witch so badly. Apparently, Celeste had inhabited the body of Brynne Deveraux and placed the curse upon the Crescent Wolves so either only Celeste or a Deveraux could break the curse. However, the Deveraux’s seemed to be coming in short supply as Sophie was dead – according to Hayley’s sources – and so the body hoping Witch was Hayley’s only other option. Going along with the pregnant Wolf’s plan, Blair had tied Celeste to a tree using magic and then placed the magic blocking cuffs that she had stolen from Danielle. There was no way Celeste was getting free or would be able to use magic. To make things even better, Hayley and Eve – a woman from the Bayou – had armed themselves with guns and all the Wolves circled the unconscious Witch, all ready to attack in a moment’s notice.

Breathing in deeply, Hayley looked to the Fae, “Do it,”

Wordlessly, Blair flicked her wrist and watched as consciousness came back to Celeste. Slowly, her eyes took in the scene before her and when she tried to moved, she noticed she was well and truly stuck. Celeste glared at Blair, who smirked tauntingly, and then glanced at Hayley. “What is this? Payback? Look, I am sorry. I wasn’t after you.” She said looking to the Wolves cautiously.

Eve glared at the Witch angrily, “So what? We were just collateral damage? You almost burned her and Jackson alive in the plantation fire.” Eve sent a thankful glance in Blair’s direction, one the Fae chose to ignore. Jackson growled lowly in the background, letting his feelings be known of the situation.

Celeste moved slightly, her expression unremorseful. This set Hayley off as she fired off her gun suddenly, the loud noise echoing throughout the Bayou. The violent sound made Celeste jump in fright. “Careful, sudden moves make me jumpy and homicidal,” Hayley glared down darkly at the Witch as she reloaded her weapon.

Blair shot her a look, one that was intrigued.

“You’re going to kill me, honey?” Celeste asked in a condescending manner.

“No, we know better,” Blair said, her tone icy. “We know all about your methods of jumping into other people’s bodies.”

Hayley grinned, “That’s not going to happen here. Blair placed those magic draining cuffs on you so you can’t use magic. If you try anything then Eve will kneecap you,” She motioned to Eve, who looked more than happy to go through with this threat. “Go for her, and then, well, I’ll really make it hurt,”

“And any injuries you do suffer, I will heal. So we can hurt you all over again,” Blair smirked viciously.

Unnerved, Celeste closed her eyes a breathed in deeply. “What do you want?”

Satisfied, Hayley answered. “Back in the nineties, you were ordered by Marcel to place a curse on the Crescent Wolves when you inhabited the body of Brynne Deveraux. This curse made so they could only become human on a full moon,” The Wolves growled in the background, letting their discontentment be known of their situation.

Realisation hit Celeste hard, “You want revenge,”

“I want you to undo the curse,” Hayley answered bluntly.

Celeste frowned and looked at the Wolves. They all growled at her and Jackson moved closer. In his Wolf form, he moved to be nearer to Hayley but also making it clear that he would attack without question. Celeste looked to the Fae, who stared at her in a bored manner and then back to Eve, who cocked her gun. Sighing deeply, Celeste conceded. “Fine. But I need a few ingredients first,”

With that, everyone got to work. Eve and the Wolves went off to collect the herbs Celeste asked for while Hayley and Blair stayed with Celeste. Soon, all the ingredients were gathered and Celeste began making the potion that would break the curse. As she did this, Blair watched Celeste with a critical eye. Any herb that was used was watched carefully in case she slipped in anything poisonous. Celeste placed the herbs into a jar and pulverised it until it became a paste, from there she added water and stirred once more. Once complete, Celeste looked up, “Here, it’s done,”

Cautiously, Hayley took the jar and looked at it. She didn’t know whether it was safe to drink, it looked putrid but if it helped the Wolves then she would be willing to give it a try. However, she had serious reservations.

Sensing her doubt, Celeste explained, “It is herbs ground into a paste. It’ll act as a conduit for the spell. On the next full moon, your people will become human, feed it to them and then the curse will be broken,”

Hayley looked down at the green liquid, “Great way to poison us all at once,” It would be very convenient, something the Wolves had thought about as they circled closer.

Celeste’s expression was one of annoyance. “If you don’t believe me, have your Fae look at it,” She sneered at Blair as if she was scum. It was something Blair was very much used and so didn’t bother her.

Wordlessly, Hayley handed it to Blair to examine. Taking the bottle, Blair examined it, using her magic to discern whether or not this concoction would work. As she worked, the tension in the Bayou rose, everyone on the edge of their seat for her decision. The Wolves paced around, their steps more frantic than before and Eve shifted nervously. However, the worst person was Hayley, who couldn’t seem to stand in one spot due to nerves. If this didn’t work then Hayley didn’t know what she was going to do. After a few more seconds of silence, Blair looked to Hayley, “No poisonous substances, it should be safe,”

Hayley visibly relaxed and nodded her head, taking back the elixir.

Just then, Blair phone vibrated. Moving away from everyone, she plucked out the phone from her jacket pocket and saw that Elijah was calling her. “What?”

“Where are you?” Elijah demanded without missing a beat.

“I am with Hayley,” Blair answered, sparing a glance at Celeste and Hayley. Just because it seemed as though Celeste was helping them didn’t mean she was going to believe it. Blair believed that Celeste had something planned and she intended to ruin whatever plan Celeste had in mind. “Hayley followed after us and knocked Celeste out. We’re in the Bayou,”

There was silence on the other line for a while. For a moment, Blair thought that Elijah had hung up but she saw the line was still connected. “I’ll be right there,” Elijah said before he ended the call. Putting the phone away, Blair walked back to the Wolves and Hayley. Celeste and Hayley appeared to be having a chat, one that seemed to agitate the Wolves.

“I actually like you. I was you, caring for Elijah when he cared more for his brother,” Celeste said passionately, “I ended up dead and so did a lot of the others. Call this a chance to do what I was too in love to give myself. It is a chance to free yourself from the Originals,”

Eve looked to Hayley, “You believe her?”

Hayley frowned and was about to answer when the Wolves began to growl lowly. Blair turned her head when she felt Elijah’s presence arrive onto the scene. Elijah stood in a new suit, the other had become damaged in his altercation with his brother, and he stared down at Celeste in utter disgust. “Whatever she has promised you, it is a lie,” Elijah said calmly as he pointed to the bound Witch. He had run to the Bayou as quickly as his Vampire speed would allow him. The thought of having Celeste anywhere near Hayley shook him, even though he was confident Blair could protect her. Celeste unnerved him because of how far she had fallen to get her revenge and he would put nothing past her.

Hayley looked to him and her eyes softened at his concern, “It is okay. I am okay, Elijah,”

Elijah’s eyes cut to Blair, silently inquiring. Blair nodded her head slowly, indicating that everything was fine and everything was under control. “She cannot be trusted,” Elijah said, moving closer.

“She is the only one who can help my pack,” Hayley argued back, her grip on the elixir tightening slightly.

“Actually, there is still another Deveraux alive,” Blair pointing out, referring to Monique Deveraux. However, it seemed as though Hayley did not appreciate this comment and glared in the Fae’s direction.

There was a dark look in Elijah’s eyes. “Do you have any idea what she has done to our family?” He had spent most of the morning dealing with Niklaus while also telling Rebekah to run, who had stubbornly refused. Rebekah had argued that their brother would hunt her down to the end of time and she refused to go back to that lifestyle after having to run from their father. Camille was currently with Niklaus and he hoped his brother would be calmed enough to where he wouldn’t hunt their baby sister down. This whole incident had deeply wounded his family and Elijah would never forgive Celeste for what she had done.

“I know you want revenge and come the next full moon, when I am sure her cure works, she is all yours,” Hayley promised.

Blair shot her a look and frowned, this was not in their agreement. When Blair had helped Hayley, they had agreed that after Celeste undid the curse, she would belong to Blair and she could do what she wanted. This annoyed her because she didn’t like it when people went back on their promises. She was very tempted to say something but found herself intrigued between the interaction of Hayley and Elijah, curious to see where this would go.

“Are you suggesting we hold her for a month? Her? It would take an army,” Elijah said, puzzled that Hayley would even suggest this notion.

Hayley stared back at him cockily, “And I have one,” As if to prove her point further, the Wolves around Hayley howled loudly in agreement. Even in the distant where some Wolves lay, they howled their approval. “So help me or get out of my way,”

Elijah tensed, his shoulders squared back. He did not like the option and he refused to back down. He did not trust Celeste and did not believe her actions to be noble.

Feeling this tension in the air, Blair stepped closer. “Elijah, the elixir is legit. I watched her prepare it and checked with my magic,” Every move that Celeste had made had been under her careful watch. If even for a second she suspected Celeste of foul play then she would have made the Witch pay a thousand times over. However, now she wished she hadn’t bothered. Hayley had practically declared that she wasn’t going along with their agreement so she would have to deal with the consequences. She was in full favour of whatever Elijah wanted to have done to Celeste, Hayley’s wishes be damned.

Elijah turned to her and seemed to consider her words, his shoulders relaxing a touch. Within a flash, Elijah grabbed Blair and Celeste and ran them to a deserted place in the woods. Blair blinked and she was elsewhere, far away from Hayley and the pack of Wolves. For a moment, she was confused. She had never travelled at the speed of a Vampire and it was definitely different. She could still sense Hayley and the pack but they were far away. Blair looked around and spotted Celeste, cornered by a tree with Elijah stood over her, the elixir in his hands.

“What game are you playing?” Elijah demanded, not in the mood for fun and games.

Celeste smirked, “No games.”

“You condemned her people to decades of agony and now you just break the curse without so much of a whimper, why?” Elijah was searching for answers, ones that would make sense.

For a moment, Celeste frowned and there was pain in her eyes. However, it was done as quickly as it was there. “It is the best thing I could do for her and it is the worst possible thing I could do to you,” There was a malicious gleam in her eyes, one that annoyed Blair.

“What are you saying?” Blair asked, confused by her reasoning.

“That, no matter what happens now, you’ve lost her.” Celeste said, the smirk back on her face. “You destroy that jar, you kill me, and then Hayley will hate you for snatching her family away from her. Now if you give her the jar we both know that she’ll leave you in the end to be with them. I know that as long as she’s alive and happy and fulfilled in ways you can’t even imagine, then I get my revenge. So you decide, give her everything she ever wants and lose her or deny it and see what happens then.” There was a tone of arrogance in her voice, thinking that she had won. She believe that she had cornered the Noble Original after all these years.

The vein in Elijah’s jaw twitched in a violent manner.

Having enough of Celeste’s smug expression, Blair’s eyes glowed purple as she waved her hand. Celeste fell to the ground in a heap, unconscious. “Her whole revenge plan relies on your feelings for Hayley,” Blair commented as she stared down at the unconscious Witch.

“To bad she is wrong,” Elijah commented lightly.

Blair looked to him, “Is she?”

“Not only would it be foolish to fall for the mother of Niklaus’ child, it would be seen as an act of betrayal,” Elijah said as he looked to the Fae. There was no denying that his brother was possessive over his possessions and that also included people. He had been ever since they turned into Vampires a thousand years ago.

Blair arched a surprise brow. She had thought that Elijah had feelings for Hayley but it seemed as though she was wrong.

Feeling her surprise, Elijah smirked, “At first, I felt some affection for Hayley. It could have developed into something more but it didn’t. I realised how badly it would end when she betrayed my trust and made me break my promise to Celeste. Regardless of my feelings towards the Witch, I always honour my promises,” After that incident, he had separated himself from Hayley, taking time away to truly examine the situation. He soon found his affections for Hayley to fizzle out. If it hadn’t been for the child then he would have never noticed Hayley.

“Good to know you have some sense,” Blair snorted in agreement.

Elijah flashed her an amused look before he turned serious. “Niklaus has been detained. I and Rebekah tried to reason with him to no avail, he still means to kill Rebekah. I had instructed for her and Marcel to leave immediately but they refused,” After struggling in the Sanatorium, Elijah had managed to gain the upper hand and stab Niklaus in the chest with the blade he had threatened Rebekah with. It had shocked him see the blade disappear into his chest but it had now been removed. Elijah had Raphael collect Camille – the only person he believed wouldn’t be harmed in his brother’s rage – to assist in calming down the Hybrid’s fury.

“Would that have been a good idea?” Blair questioned with a frown, “Klaus will hunt her to the ends of the earth. That will only enrage him more,” Katherina had vented how exhausting it was running from Klaus because of how ruthless he was. The longer she ran, the long the pain he would inflect on her if he caught her. Blair was certain Rebekah would not want to live that life.
Falling silent, Elijah silently agreed with her words. “Marcel also refuses to leave without Davina,”

Blair scowled, “Over my dead body,” There was no way he would get his hands on Davina, who was in a perfectly safe location and under her direct protection. She had asked the young Witch to stay there longer with Timothy and Josh and she had been more than happy. Davina could feel that a war was brewing and she wanted no part of it.

“I plan on visiting the Witches today. Concerning her,” Elijah said as he looked down at Celeste. He knew that Celeste would turn on the Witches and he would make sure they were aware of what was planned. “However, I need to ask a favour,”

“Depends on the favour?” Blair asked with an arched brow. He was asking for a favour rather than demanding one – a much welcomed action compared to last time when he demanded that she tutor Davina.

Slowly, Elijah reached into his pocket and pulled out the cursed blade. When Blair saw it, she hissed lowly and stepped away from it. Being close to it made her feel sick, nearly as much when pure iron was near her. “I need this disposing of,” He said, frowning at her action. He could not understand her strong response and he almost hide the blade from her sight but stopped himself.

“I can,” Blair glared at the blade. “I would gladly destroy that cursed item,” It angered her that it was even in her presence. Dark items gave off a whisper to her, they whispered the dark atrocities they would commit if given the chance. They sang dark tales of their creation and they always sounded like children – demonic and possessed children. The stronger the dark object, the louder the whispers and song, and right now, it was very loud. With a wave of her hand, the blade vanished for Blair to deal with later. She would deal with it like she dealt the knife Danielle had, away from everyone else and their ashes scattered so it could never be recreated.

With the blade gone, Elijah relaxed a touch. “Now that blade cannot be used to hurt Rebekah,” His brother had threatened Rebekah with its agony and now it was no more. Just like the white oak stakes Niklaus would taunt them with, they were in a place no one would find.

“That won’t stop him,” Blair warned with a frown.

“It won’t,” Elijah agreed with a sigh, “But maybe it will minimize the damage,” He then looked at the unconscious Celeste. “I need you to bring her to the Witch Cemetery. I will text you when I need her moved,” He had plans for Celeste, to make her pay for harming his family. However, he would need to pay Monique a visit and get her on side first. It would be very easy to ask Blair to use her magic for this task, but it would be so much more satisfying to watch as the Witches realised Celeste was not on their side and in fact betrayed them.

Blair nodded her, “I can do that. Do you need her alive?” His response would dictate how Blair got her revenge for the attack on Davina.

Elijah nodded his head and this made Blair sigh. “You don’t need to kill her to get your revenge,” He smirked at her reaction.

“She will wish she was by the time I am done with her,” Blair glared at Celeste’s body, imagining how she would make the Witch pay.

For a moment, Elijah considered asking what Celeste had done but he chose not to. This was her business and as long as Celeste was alive nothing else mattered. Knowing how dangerous Celeste could be, Elijah stepped closer to the Fae. “Be careful with her. Don’t allow her to get into your head,” He handed over the elixir, knowing it would be safe with her.

Blair stared at him, their eyes meeting once more. She could see concern in his eyes and this made her frown and angry. Blair knew that she should be offended that he seemed to Celeste could overpower her but then she considered everything the Witch had done. No doubt, he knew Celeste better than anyone else and she had hurt his family and him. Blair suddenly felt her rage increase because she didn’t like the thought of another person hurting Elijah. It was an odd feeling. “I’ll be fine. Now go, I want my revenge,”

Elijah stared at her for a moment longer before he was gone.

Now alone, Blair looked down at Celeste and then she smirked. Her revenge could begin and Hayley was nowhere in sight to interrupt her fun. With a wave of her hand, Celeste was pinned to a nearby tree and she was awake. Groaning, Celeste opened her eyes and saw that she was alone with the Fae.

“Oh, it is you,” Celeste sneered in disgust.

Ignoring the jab, Blair twisted her hand and watched smugly as pain shot through the Witch. Celeste winced loudly and her face scrunched up in pain as a burning sensation filled her head. “You really picked the wrong Fae to mess with,” Blair said as her eyes glowed a violent purple colour. The anger inside her was simmering but it would soon boil over if Celeste continued to run her mouth.

As the pain subsided, Celeste’s attitude came back. “You came into my territory. You shouldn’t even be here. You child snatchers should have stayed away,”

Glaring at the Witch, Blair’s anger rose, however it wasn’t Celeste’s words that had incensed her. “You attacked Davina. She is under my protection. She is mine,” After putting the mark on Davina, she had seen the young little Witch as hers. Davina was like a cub, one that needed mentoring and protection, exactly what she hadn’t got from her Coven.

There was confusion on Celeste’s face but then she scowled. “Why does she even matter? She’s a dumb kid,” When Celeste saw the anger in Blair’s eyes, she smirked tauntingly, “Maybe Davina should be the next body I take over, she’d be a fun person to play,”

Blair’s anger had reached boiling point. With a wave of her hand, she watched with sadistic satisfaction as Celeste screamed out as pain filled her. Currently, Blair had turned the temperature up on Celeste’s internal organs, holding onto them and squeezing tighter when the Witch annoyed her. She was very tempted to kill Celeste but stopped herself because she knew Elijah needed her alive and he deserved this kill more than anyone, even her.

As the pain subsided, Celeste laughed hysterically. “Why don’t you just kill me and get it over with?”

“And let the fun stop so soon?” Blair snorted haughtily, “No chance. I may not be able to kill you, but I can certainly make you hurt,” With a wicked grin, Blair’s eyes glowed purple as she manipulated her magic. Blair squeezed harder on Celeste’s heart and watched as the Witch choked out a cry, in far too much pain to protest.

Cracked sticks echoed behind Blair and that’s when she frowned. She would need to stop her fun because she sensed Hayley’s presence behind her. Sighing deeply, Blair waved her hand and watched as Celeste fell unconscious, crumpling to the ground. Turning around, Blair saw Hayley as she marched over, a furious expression on her face.

“Where is Elijah?” Hayley demanded. After Blair and Elijah had disappeared with the elixir and Celeste, she had tried to find them. Luckily, the Wolves had guided her to their location otherwise she would have struggled. The forest was huge and would be very easy for someone to hide especially when she didn’t know the forest very well.

“Gone,” Blair answered blandly.

Hayley huffed angrily but then she spotted Celeste’s unconscious body on the ground. “What are you doing? I need her!” She exclaimed, taking a step closer to the Fae.

Blair rolled her eyes, “She’s fine. For now,”

“No, you don’t get to touch her. I need her in case that potion doesn’t work,” Hayley said, folding her arms over her chest as she looked at the elixir in Blair’s hands.

Blair arched a brow, “We had an agreement that Celeste was mine after you got your cure. Your potion will work, I checked it for you.” In her eyes, Hayley had no need for Celeste, she had served her purpose. Surely there would be nothing wrong with Blair taking over Celeste’s capture, after all, that’s what they had agreed on in the first place. It still angered Blair that Hayley had attempted to go back on her deal and it was something the Fae would never forget. “Now go away, I have thing I need to do,” She said as she turned away from the pregnant Wolf, obviously dismissing her.

Hayley grit her teeth.

When Hayley showed no signs of leaving, Blair glared at her as she threw the elixir and watched as Hayley rushed to grab it before it fell onto the ground. Hayley held the cure close to her chest, watching Blair with guarded eyes. “Go before I decide to ruin the elixir,” If she was pushed, she would tamper with the potion Celeste had made. Blair didn’t care about the Wolves, she had no personal interest in them and they weren’t the pack that housed her when she left. However, if Hayley or anyone from that pack got in her way then she wouldn’t hesitate to make them regret it.

Growling lowly, Hayley stomped off with the cure in hand, leaving Blair alone.

Turning back around, Blair looked down at Celeste and smirked, “Now, where were we?”

ORIGINALS

Hours had passed since Hayley had stormed away and left Blair to her fun. It was nearing night time and it was only then that Blair had received word from Elijah to bring Celeste to the cemetery. In that time waiting, Blair had her time torturing Celeste in ways that would drive anyone crazy. She had made Celeste experience a constant amount of pain, only lifting it for a moment before she endured even more. It was truly a sight to watch the cruel Witch on the floor, writhing in pain to which there was no escape. When that got boring, Blair would inflict physical slashes on the Witch’s body while also healing her so she didn’t die. Elijah needed her alive for now and so that was something she would need to work with.

After dumping Celeste’s body with Elijah, Blair walked away feeling very satisfied. She had fulfilled her need for blood and truly felt Davina had been avenged. This had also allowed her to vent some of her pent up anger she had been feeling the past couple of weeks and Blair had never felt lighter and more at peace.

It was as she was walking away from the Witch cemetery that she received a frantic message from Raphael. ‘Blair, we need your help now!’ He yelled through their mental link.

Blair stopped walking, ‘What happened?’ She had left Raphael with Rebekah because he had been so adamant about protecting her – something she would need to address with him when they had time.
‘Klaus has a white oak stake and is attacking Rebekah! Elijah is trying to defend her but Klaus won’t listen to reason,’ Raphael explained quickly.

‘Has he seen you?’ Blair asked as she turned around and began walking back in the direction she came from. If Raphael was still there then she needed to make sure he was safe and Klaus hadn’t seen him. He would not take kindly to there being another Fae, especially one that had attempted to kidnap Hayley.

‘No, I am in the shadows. I am leading Rebekah to safer spaces but she can’t leave the cemetery. Apparently before Celeste was killed, she cast a barrier spell so none of the Originals can leave until the next morning,’ Raphael explained, dragging Rebekah away from the fighting. Rebekah didn’t fight against him and let him lead her.

Blair mentally cursed. Someone must have removed the magic blocking cuff she’d had on Celeste. She wondered who had been stupid enough to do that. ‘Fine, I am on my way. Stay away from Klaus.’ Blair ordered before she cut off the mental link between the two of them. She picked up her pace, intending to get there as soon as possible. She needed to get Raphael out before Klaus discovered him.

It took minutes for her to arrive back in the cemetery and that’s when she sensed the barrier surrounding the area. It was a powerful one, one that would lock anyone inside for twenty four hours. Magic sparked at her fingertips, very eager to take down the barrier but Blair stopped herself. She didn’t want to waste her magic on something she may not even need, all she wanted to do was to get Raphael out and that was it. If she couldn’t do that then she would try and protect him as best as she could. Stepping into the cemetery, Blair expanded her senses, trying to locate Raphael and she quickly found him, he was hidden away in the back of the cemetery with Rebekah by his side.

With light footsteps, Blair quietly made her way over to them. Her eyes scanning the area, she was aware that Klaus and Elijah were also there and she didn’t want to run into the Hybrid or distract Elijah from protecting Rebekah.

“Are you okay?” Blair asked when saw Raphael.

Raphael sighed in relief when he saw her, “Yeah, we’re okay. Klaus hasn’t seen me but he’s crazy mad right now,” He turned his head and looked at the terrified Rebekah. She was sat a few feet away, hidden from plain sight. Rebekah was listening in to what Klaus and Elijah were saying but Raphael’s hearing wasn’t as powerful as hers so he couldn’t hear much.

Blair nodded her head, “Come on, let’s go,” She grabbed Raphael by and arm and tried to lead him out of the cemetery but he resisted.

“No, I am staying,” Raphael said as he pulled his arm away from Blair. “I said I would help protect Rebekah and you said you’d help,” His voice was low and whisper-like so Klaus didn’t overhear him. There would be no point hiding from him if the Hybrid could hear him talking.

Sighing in aggravation, Blair mentally cursed. She had agreed to help but that was only because she had been forced into it. “Fine, but I want you watching Hayley while I help deal with this,” Blair said, not wanting Raphael anywhere near this situation.

For a moment, Raphael looked to Rebekah and then frowned. “…Okay. But promise that you’ll try and keep her safe,”

Blair stared at him apathetically, “Don’t push it,”

Grinning weakly, Raphael made no other complaints. He shot Rebekah one last glance before he and Blair made it to the exit of the cemetery. Rebekah watched them go, a blank expression on her face. Too much had happened that day and she was emotionally drained with having to deal with her brother trying to kill her for real this time. However, even she couldn’t deny that she felt disappointed by Raphael’s absence.

Once they made it to the exit safely, Blair waved her hand, using her magic to manipulate the barrier that surrounded the cemetery. A hole appeared in the barrier with just enough room for Raphael to make it out safely. Raphael thanked Blair quickly before he jumped out and ran in the direction of the Bayou, mentally praying that everything would work out.

Using her magic, Blair closed the barrier with her magic and sighed deeply. Things were not easy and she really did regret coming to New Orleans. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she whirled around, but she wasn’t quick enough to avoid the attack. A knife was thrown in Blair’s direction, one that was impossible to miss. Blair hissed lowly as the knife stabbed her in the chest and she fell to her knees. She nearly screamed when that familiar burning sensation filled her being. Someone had thrown had stabbed her with an iron knife and it caused the glamour around her to flicker for a moment.

Blair looked up just in time to see Klaus appear in front of her, glaring at her in hatred. “Fuck you,” Blair spat at him, blood pouring from her mouth. The knife had cut into her lungs and she was finding it very hard to breath.

Klaus growled lowly as he reached forward and snapped her neck, the sound echoing throughout the graveyard. Blair’s lifeless body fell to the ground limply. Klaus stared down at her body, a feral rage in his eyes. He had sworn that Blair would pay and now she had with her life and when she came back to life, he would make her pay even more for siding against him. Klaus yanked the iron blade from Blair’s body before he ran off so Elijah didn’t catch him.

Chapter 17: Chapter 17

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.

Chapter 18: Chapter 18

Nearly a month had passed since Rebekah had left New Orleans. Things had not been quiet since Klaus had finally reclaimed his city fully, however it seemed as though he was not running it. Since his sister had departed, Klaus had become something of a recluse, staying inside the compound, painting and sleeping with an old flame – Genevieve. Blair had seen the red-headed Witch in the compound many times, staying over more often than she left. Her mere presence seemed to annoy Elijah who had no patience for the Witch but Blair suspected this was because New Orleans was falling apart slowly. Fights had broken out between Vampires and Witches. There was unrest within the city and no one seemed to be doing anything about it. Half of the Vampires had left when Marcel was banished but those who stayed behind seemed happy to do whatever they pleased. To say Elijah was annoyed by this unrest was an understatement and Blair had seen him prowl around like a wound-up beast.

Although, she suspected this had something to do with Hayley. While Elijah had no romantic feelings for Hayley, he was worried because she had not been back to the compound at all. Instead, Hayley had been spending all her time in the Bayou with the Wolves that were no longer cursed. It seemed as though the elixir that Celeste had made worked. Blair snorted at the thought of the now-dead Witch. Elijah had explained that Celeste was definitely dead as he had been the one to kill her. For all her scheming, it seemed she had miscalculated and lost.

Raphael had also not stepped foot in the compound in nearly a month as he had been guarding Hayley at a distance. Both he and Blair had decided that this was the safest option for him since he would be out of Klaus’ way, who had been suspiciously silent for a long time and this unnerved Blair. Blair counted on his explosive temper to be predictable but now he seemed low and subdued, something she thought she would never see. Blair hoped that he would stay like that but she knew it would never happen. Every night, Raphael and she would talk and she would sometimes go and see him. Raphael made sure to stay far away so the Werewolves didn’t catch him and Raphael was very good at blending into the background so no one noticed him.

However, one positive to come from the past month was Davina. Her magic over the last few weeks had improved tremendously. Her control over the elements was something Blair was very proud of and Davina seemed to be flourishing under this new regime. She was still very much a fledging that would need years before she was a master at her craft but Blair could see the potential in her. If given the opportunity, Davina would become a very powerful Witch in her own right.

Sat in her room, Blair picked up a wilted rose and one was also in Davina’s hand. She was wearing a black off the shoulder black maxi dress with sunflowers. It reached her ankles but there was a slit on the side and was slightly shorter in the front. She was wearing a pair of brown sandals and her hair was tied up in a ponytail. They were currently working on returning the roses back to a healthy state, a simple spell and it was one that Blair was confident that Davina could do this task.

“Picture the rose in your head. Think of what it would look like before it wilted and then channel your magic,” Blair held up the rose and demonstrated the act itself. The Fae watched as the wilted rose came back to life, the petals turning back into vibrant red colour and the scent of a healthy rose filled the room.

Looking down at the rose, Davina closed her eyes as she imagined the rose. Inhaling deeply, Blair watched the deep concentration on her face as the rose came back to life with ease. The rose lifted up as it righted itself, the petals turning a lively pink colour. Once done, Davina opened her eyes and saw she was successful, “I did it!”

Blair smirked slightly, “You did. Well done. It seems as though I was right with my original assessment. You have an affinity towards the earth element,” Everyone creature that used magic was always drawn in or favoured one element more than the others. For Blair, that element was water but for Davina it was earth. The element they were most attached was inclined to stronger than the others as it was usually practised more than others but it was only natural. During all their lessons, any magic that involved the earth element Davina would excel at and perform magnificently. Often, she would get the earth spells right on her first and second go but on the other elements, it took her at least six attempts to control them.

Davina’s eyes lit up at this bit of information. She was like a sponge with information, taking in whatever she could. “That’s so cool,”

“Now, I want you to try two at a time,” Blair said as she threw two more wilted roses at Davina. To prepare for this lesson, Blair had summoned hundreds of flowers and then wilted them. Her room was filled with them but she could easily vanish them at a moment’s notice.

Picking up the two roses, Davina repeated the process and found she was successful once more. In her hand, she held two healthy roses, this time yellow and orange. Blair had Davina repeat this process until she was satisfied. At this point, more than half the roses had been brought back to life and as Blair was looking at the rest of them, she had a thought.

“Okay, now I want you to bring all the rest back in one go,” Blair said.

Davina looked at her with wide eyes, doubt shining in them. She had been doing well until that point and she hadn’t wanted to ruin it. Davina was tempted to say she couldn’t do it but she stopped herself. Blair never minded if she couldn’t do something but if she didn’t try it first then Blair would not be happy. Instead of protesting, Davina decided to give the task a shot and closed her eyes once more. She focused on the rest of the flowers as she commanded her magic to complete this task.

Blair smiled as she noticed the rest of the flowers around her bloom back to life. She liked to push Davina but only when she was sure she could do it. In no way was Blair a teacher but Davina was a decent student so she didn’t mind putting in the effort. “Well done, you brought back all the flowers,”

Davina opened her eyes and looked around, noticing what she had done. “I did it,” Her voice was breathless as she couldn’t believe what she had done. She was sat around a load of fully bloomed roses and it looked beautiful. The smell hit her and a sense of excitement filled her because the task hadn’t been too hard. She had to concentrate more because she wasn’t holding the roses but it had managed it.

“Your magic around the elements has improved massively.” Blair said, smiling as Davina’s eyes lit up at the compliment, “For all your hard work I am going to let you chose what you learn next,”

“Really?” Davina asked in excitement.

Blair nodded her head. She was still learning how to teach other people magic so she started with the basic elements and decided that she would build it from there. She hadn’t expected Davina to excel so quickly but it was welcomed. Blair was having to draw on her own memories of when she taught herself magic and pushed her boundaries. However, she saw no harm in teaching Davina things that she actually wanted to learn.

“I want to learn how to fight with my magic,” Davina said after a few minutes of silence. She wanted to be able to fight back and not feel useless.

“I think that would be a good idea,” Blair agreed, “I’ll start making a plan for the next lesson and we’ll go from there,”

Davina frowned, “Can’t we just start now?”

Blair shook her head, “You’ve already exerted over half of your magic. Starting now would be too dangerous. Also, I need to find us a new space to work in,” She glanced around her room, knowing that this space wouldn’t work with the plans she was forming in her head. They would need more open space where it would be okay if accidents happened. Broken things could easily be repaired with magic but Blair would rather not waste the magic when the act could be avoided altogether.

Tempted to argue, Davina stopped herself when she felt how tired she truly was. In her excitement, she hasn’t noticed the strain but now it was catching up with her. This filled her with disappointment that her endurance wasn’t as strong.

Walking over to Davina, Blair placed a hand on her shoulder. “Your endurance will increase in time. Slow and steady is best,” This she had learned from her own experience. In her rush to increase her magic, she had pushed too far and nearly died as a result. Now, she knew her boundaries very well and didn’t like pushing against them very often and only did so when it was absolutely necessary.
Slowly, Davina nodded her head in agreement.

“Now go and get ready. Remember, you’re meeting up with Josh in an hour,” Blair said as she looked at the clock in the room.

Davina’s eyes widened as she remembered. She shot up and ran out of the room, needing to get ready quickly otherwise she would be late. She had promised to meet Josh in town and they were meant to be going shopping together – like a normal teenager.

Blair watched her go with an amused smile. Looking around her room, she proudly noted all the bloomed flowers but she was starting to get a headache from the concentrated smell. Deciding to send some to Davina’s room as a reminder of her success, Blair vanished all the other roses until there was none left. Now that her room was void of any flowers, Blair left her room to grab herself something to eat.

It was on her way to the kitchen that she spotted Elijah sat in the lounge, a thunderous expression on his face and his shoulders tense. For a moment, Blair considered leaving him alone but she knew it was useless as he would have heard her.

Instead, she walked into the lounge area, “How’d the meeting go with the other factions?” She was aware that Elijah was trying to gain back some semblance of peace within the French Quarter. Elijah had asked her to come to the meeting but she had refused. There was no point in her attending as it would only aggravate the Witches – though it was something she usually lived for, she knew how important this was to Elijah.

Sighing deeply, Elijah looked up at the Fae, “Terribly. No one wants to co-operate with one another and the time was spent arguing,” He had hoped to restore some order to the French Quarter considering his brother was refusing to do anything other than brood and paint in his room while sleeping with a Witch. New Orleans had become used to having a King at the reins and Klaus was not picking them up even after fighting for this city. This left Elijah to pick up the pieces, as per usual. This was why he had summoned the other factions for a meeting to discuss peace.

Blair hummed in thought as she sat down on a couch adjacent to the Original. “Let me guess, they all want more control of the city?”

“Yes and then it didn’t help that Hayley barged in on the meeting,” Elijah closed his eyes for a moment as he pinched the bridge of his nose. While the meeting had been going nowhere, it had been made ten times worse once Hayley had made an appearance. He was happy to see that she was well but he was not happy for her to intrude on the meeting.

“Oh?” Blair arched a brow, “What were her demands?”

“She wants the Werewolves to have a seat at the table.” Elijah explained unhappily, “She threatened action if this demand wasn’t met,” This threat had only served to aggravate the other factions. Diego had basically been foaming at the mouth in anger, Genevieve refused to listen to reason and Father Kieran was scared for his faction. Add in the Werewolves and it was a toxic concoction that could lead to disaster.

For a moment, Blair fell silent. She could see both sides of the argument, something that could get very easily lost. The Wolves had been isolated and thrown out of their home when they were cursed, forced to live in the Bayou. It was understandable that they’d want a voice after being denied one for so long. However, she could see Elijah’s point of view. The whole reason the Wolves hadn’t been invited to the table was that it wasn’t an immediate issue. Elijah had already shared that he planned to include the Wolves when the issue in the French Quarter had been solved, a much more pressing matter at this point. But, as usual, Hayley was being impatient and wouldn’t take no for an answer, something that was grating on Blair.

“Niklaus is showing no interest but says I should throw a party,” Elijah continued, annoyance shining in his dark eyes. Klaus had made a very good argument about how he should please the people he’s trying to get something from. Drive them into giving him what he wanted – which was their co-operation. It made sense, something that frustrated Elijah.

Blair snorted, “That’s definitely something Klaus would say,”

Elijah looked at her, “What do you think?”

“Me?” Blair was shocked that he would ask her opinion. When Elijah simply nodded his head, Blair thought for a moment, “I think you should do it,” If Elijah wanted people to do as he asked then he needed to give them an incentive other than fear. Giving them what they want wasn’t always a bad thing. This was something Blair learned when Tatianna used to rule. She would listen to her people and provided things for them as long as it didn’t hurt anyone or cause chaos, yet another reason everyone had loved and respected Tatianna.

Nodding his head sharply, Elijah stood from his seat, “Then we shall have a party,”

Standing up, Blair smirked, “Then I need to do some shopping,” It had been a long time since she had attended a party and she intended to enjoy herself. She flashed a wink at Elijah before she pranced outside.

Elijah watched her go, amusement in his eyes.

ORIGINALS

A few days had passed and the party was in full swing. Elijah had hired party planners and managed to turn the compound into a lovely setting for a party of supernatural creatures. It was dark outside, lights were illuminating the swanky decorations and there was loud music. Everyone was dressed in their finery, something Blair had expected nothing less considering it was Elijah that had ordered this party to begin with. However, what had surprised everyone was that the Wolves had been invited and they had actually shown up.

The music was loud and everyone was dancing to the beat. Blair stood in a corner, dressed in a royal blue dress. It was skin tight and fit her like a glove, off the shoulder and showed a generous amount of cleavage. There was a slit down the side of the dress so it allowed her some movement and she wore black heels. Her hair was curled and pinned back and her make-up was flawlessly done, with her lips painted a daring red shade. Blair watched as everything happened around and watched as the Witches arrived, acting as though they owned the place with Genevieve leading them. As she glanced around the room, she spotted Elijah and Klaus speaking with one another on the balcony, no doubt Klaus trying to stir the pot.

Davina stood beside her and noticed the Witches entrance as well since she froze in place. She had been avoiding her old Coven since she had come back to life. Instinctively, Davina moved closer to Blair due to nerves. Saying nothing, Blair sent calming waves of magic to Davina, who relaxed when she felt Blair’s magic. It was comforting to Davina to have the Fae there to make her feel better. Blair would never let the Witches hurt Davina and it soothed her nerves.

Blair watched as the Wolves made an entrance and so did the Vampires. Each one glaring at the other in obvious animosity. “If I am not with you, stay with Josh,” Blair instructed as she looked down to the young Witch. She suspected that there would be an altercation and she wanted Davina nowhere near it when it happened. If Blair had to guess, she suspected the clash would happen between the Vampires and the Wolves.

Davina nodded her head and began looking for Josh. When she found him, Davina walked over to him and he patted her shoulder.

Deciding to grab herself a drink, Blair walked into the sea of people. They were mostly supernatural but some humans were aware of the supernatural. As she walked, she spotted Raphael in the corner, keeping an eye on Hayley, who had entered with the other Werewolves. Blair walked over to Raphael, “Well, you scrub up nicely,”

Raphael smiled at her shyly. “Thank you, you look nice,” He was dressed in a dark blue suit with a black dress shirt. It looked good on him but he seemed uncomfortable, no doubt being around his many other supernatural creatures was unnerving.

“How’s the pack been?” Blair asked as she kept an eye on Hayley. She was speaking to Jackson, who was visibly mooning over her. In the past few weeks, Hayley’s stomach had grown even more and now it protruded more noticeably. Not even baggy clothing could hide that bump anymore.

“Restless,” Raphael answered with a frown, “I feel like they’re planning something. I have yet to find out what though,”

Blair nodded her head, “Keep an eye on them, especially that one,” The Werewolf that Blair was looking at was the blonde one, the one that looked like a douchebag. He was leering at any woman that passed by and something about him unsettled her. She was very confident that she saw him in one of her visions and she got a bad feeling about him.

Raphael’s eyes darkened when he saw who she was referring to. “Gladly,” The man’s name was Oliver and he remembered how he had led Rebekah into a trap before trying to tear her to pieces. He did not like the Werewolf and found his whole disposition to be repulsing. While he did not care for Hayley, he didn’t appreciate that Oliver was constantly making snide comments about her at every given chance. That was not how anyone should speak to a lady.

Oliver seemed to have moved on from his leering and was not approaching women. However, he made a move towards Davina and this was where Blair felt she would need to intervene but she stayed back and watched to see what would happen. Blair didn’t want to fight all of Davina’s battle for her as that would teach her nothing but if anything happened then she would interfere.

Davina was standing near the wall with Josh by her side. Oliver walked over to her as he licked his lips and this set Blair off. “How are you doing, doll?” Oliver asked with a smirk, looking down at the young Witch hungrily.

Davina scoffed and turned her head away from him. She turned to Josh and made a motion to leave but Oliver was blocking the way, preventing her from leaving.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Oliver asked, purposely getting in their way.

Josh looked at him and frowned. “Look man, we just want to move,” He was nervous, he didn’t get confronting people but this man was annoying him and he didn’t like how the Werewolf was looking at Davina.

Oliver snarled at him, “I wasn’t asking you, leech,”

“Not interested,” Davina said as she tried to move out of the way. However, before she could, Oliver grabbed her by the arm and this made Blair hiss where she stood.

Wisely, Raphael backed off, blending into the background and stayed silent.

With a snarl, Blair marched over to them and watched as the disgust rolled onto Davina’s face. Even Josh seemed to be offended by the man. Before anything more could happen, Blair grabbed Oliver by the shoulder and forcefully pulled him away and turned him around so he was now facing her. “She said, back off,”

Oliver scoffed at her but then stopped when Blair’s eyes glowed the ominous purple colour.

“You only just got your freedom back. If you touch a single hair on her head then I will put the exact same curse on you.” Blair promised her eyes ablaze in anger. Men like Oliver repulsed her to the point she wanted to vomit. The ones that didn’t take no for an answer and pushed to get what they wanted. She had dealt with a few people like that before and it never ended favourably for them.

“She wasn’t worth it anyway,” Oliver said as he walked away.

Once he was out of sight, Blair looked to the young Witch, “You okay?”

Davina nodded her head, “I’m good,” She sent a thankful glance in Blair and Josh’s direction, thankful to have people around her who cared.

“The next lesson we’re having the brain aneurysm spell, that will come in handy if it ever happens again,” Blair said, leaving no room for argument. Silently, she berated herself for not teaching Davina that spell already. It was an easy and simple spell, one that Davina would need if she was to keep dealing with people like Oliver and Klaus.

Davina smiled, “That sounds like a plan,”

“I do not volunteer for that lesson,” Josh winced.

Blair and Davina shared an amused look before one another before Davina and Josh went off with one another. Josh had strict instructions not to leave Davina’s side and she knew he would take those orders very seriously. Josh viewed Davina as a younger sister and would not let anything happen to her.

Just then, the music changed to a slower song and people began to pair up. Blair watched with an amused smirk as people scrambled to find someone and was about to move off the dancefloor when Elijah appeared beside her and held out his hand.

“Would you join me for a dance?” Elijah asked.

“I would,” Blair said with a small smirk before giving him her hand and allowing him to lead them into the centre of the dancefloor.

Elijah took her hand delicately and guided it on his shoulder before placing his other hand just above her waist. Elijah took Blair’s other hand as they slowly danced to the beat of the song, their bodies barely inches away from one another. His dark eyes stared into her light blue eyes as neither one said a word, allowing the hypotonic dance to do all the talking. As they danced, Blair could feel the jealous gaze of Hayley, staring at them and she even ignored Jackson in favour of glaring at them, something that highly amused the Fae.

“You’ve been a very busy man tonight,” Blair commented with a teasing grin. She had watched as he had greeted nearly everyone, making sure everything went smoothly. It had even pleasantly surprised her to see that Klaus was behaving, though she still suspected he was planning something. Blair had seen Genevieve and Klaus kissing on the balcony but she had also seen Jackson disappear into the compound at the same time as the Hybrid. It was all very suspicious and she was sure Elijah had not noticed this was how busy he had been.

“Trying to ensure peace is never easy,” Elijah said as he led the dance with practised ease. His steps were in time with the music and he led the dance confidently and surely.

“Do you think it worked?” Blair asked as she allowed him to lead the dance. As they danced, even she could not deny how smooth it was and found herself relaxing into him until their chests were touching ever so slightly.

“All seems well for now,” Elijah replied back. He wasn’t one to assume anything until he was sure of the facts but things did seem to be going well – for now.

Blair smirked, understanding his reservations.

Elijah briefly glanced down at her before holding her gaze once more, “I apologise if I haven’t already said this, but you do look enchanting tonight.” He had only seen her briefly throughout the night even though he found himself looking for her half the time.

“I know,” Blair smirk grew bigger, “But thank you anyway. You look very dashing as well,” The suit that Elijah was wearing was dark and looked very expensive – most likely custom made. It fit him very well and Blair had caught a few people drooling over him – Hayley included. Blair didn’t blame them, there was something about a man in a suit that could drive people crazy and if they looked like Elijah then it was even worse.

Elijah matched the smirk with her own. Suddenly, Elijah spun her around and pulled her back to him effortlessly to the point Blair felt her heart flutter. She was sure Elijah could hear her heartbeat but she was glad when he didn’t comment on it.

To calm herself down, Blair’s eyes scanned the room and then she lowered her voice. “Klaus is planning something.” If anyone deserved a heads up about Klaus scheming then it was Elijah. She was slowly coming to realise that she was in fact involved in this entire situation, much to her dismay, and she couldn’t get away from it. If she had to be involved then she was going to make sure she picked her side and picked it well. Elijah was a safe bet because he was stable compared to Klaus. It also helped that he was very good looking.

“When is he not?” Elijah commented dryly but he did not disagree with her words. Elijah knew his brother too well to ever think he would ever behave.

“I think it’s got something to do with the Wolves,” Blair continued, keeping an eye out in case Klaus made a reappearance.

Annoyance danced in Elijah’s eyes, “Of course,”

“I am having Raphael keep an eye on the Wolves,” Blair explained, leaning closer so their conversation was even more private. She had to stop a shiver that nearly wracked her body, by leaning closer she could feel Elijah’s body heat. Mentally she shook her head, she couldn’t afford to get distracted.

Elijah nodded his head as he continued to lead the dance, “I will keep an eye on Niklaus, thank you for the warning,” He looked down at her, catching her eyes once more. As he looked at her, he couldn’t help but notice how close their faces had inched towards one another and he found he wasn’t opposed to this. He quite liked their close proximity.

Blair was about to answer him but she got cut off when there was a loud crash behind them. Turning their heads, Blair and Elijah watched as Oliver and Diego started to fight one another, something that didn’t surprise Blair. Sighing deeply, Elijah looked to the Fae, “Excuse me. I must deal with the riff-raff.” He was quickly done, going to deal with the fight that he didn’t want getting out of hand.

Watching him go, Blair turned around, deciding that she needed a drink to cool herself down. She grabbed a nearby glass of champagne and sipped it slowly, enjoying the flavour. The situation seemed to escalate to the point Elijah had Oliver by the throat and then Jackson had Diego by holding a wooden stake to his chest. As she watched the scene before her, she noticed as Hayley now got involved and that’s when her interest waned.

As she waited for the scene to be over, someone approached her. Blair scowled when she saw who it was. Monique Devereux walked up to her and stood beside the Fae, looking at her invasively. Blair refused to acknowledge her presence as she found the young Witch to be annoying. She hoped that Monique would go away but when the young Witch opened her mouth to speak, all of Blair’s hopes were dashed.

“Fae’s like to make deals, correct?” Monique asked suddenly.

“Don’t care,” Blair shot back immediately.

Monique looked to her, “You haven’t heard what it is we’re offering in return,”

Blair rolled her eyes, “I don’t care.”

Frowning, the young Witch looked in the direction of Genevieve for guidance, who didn’t look at the younger Witch. Monique sighed deeply, she was on her own. “We want Davina back,” At this, Blair sent her a bored look, one that nearly made Monique take a step back.

“Why do you want her back?” Blair asked as she arched a brow. Now, Monique had her interest but whether she kept it was another story. Since Davina had come back from the Harvest, no one from the Coven had attempted to reach out and get Davina back but now they were. The timing was suspicious and she didn’t like it.

“That is not up for discussion,” Monique answered defensively.

“Then this discussion is over,” Blair said as she turned away.

Gritting her teeth, Monique sighed deeply. “The reason shouldn’t matter. Davina is a Witch and belongs with her Coven,”

Blair paused for a moment as she considered the Witch’s words but they only served to infuriate her. Turning around, Blair glared at Monique. “Davina had been abandoned by her Coven and Celeste attempted to have her killed. Take into consideration she had to watch her friend’s throats get slit and her own was cut open. She wouldn’t come back to you even if you begged her,”

“She will come back to us,” Monique said confidently, “We’re her family,”

Blair laughed haughtily, “You are only family when you want something,” This was the reason why she hated Witches, they were all the same. There were only ever a few exceptions to the rule – like Davina – but the rest were opportunists.

Monique glared at her and there was a flicker of magic in the air that was targeting Blair, something the Fae noticed immediately and pissed her off. The slightest spark of magic was attempting to harm Blair, but to her, it felt like a tickle with how weak the magic was. However, what infuriated Blair the most was that a baby Witch was attempting to force her hand and she was not having that. Blair’s eyes glowed purple as the air around them thickened and Monique gasped when she saw Blair’s eyes. Monique took a step back but the Fae followed after her, not giving her any space.

“Let me make one thing perfectly clear,” Blair purred lowly, immobilising the Witch where she stood, “If Davina decides to go back to the Coven then that is her choice. No one will force her, threaten her or coerce her into doing anything she doesn’t want to do. If anything happens to Davina then I will bring down your Coven and drown everyone involved,” Just to show off their power difference, Blair sent out a wave of her magic and watched as Monique fell to her knees at the force of said magic.

Fear and jealousy shone in Monique’s eyes. “Why Davina? Why does she have your protection?”

“Because she’s actually worth my time,” Blair answered plainly before she turned around and walked away. She could feel the eyes of the Witches on her but she ignored them. She was going to grab Davina and leave the party – or let Davina stay with Josh – either way, she was done with this party. She’d rather soak in a bath for an hour drinking wine while listening to music in the background.

As Blair walked around, she spotted Raphael and they nodded at one another in understanding. It didn’t take long before she found Davina and the little Witch had enough for that night so they left the p
party and went to their rooms. Josh disappeared for the night after Davina left, no longer want to be at the party if they weren’t there.

Chapter 19: Chapter 19

The next morning, Blair laid in bed, still sleeping. She was in the state of being half awake and half asleep, not willing to leave the comfort of her bed just yet. The sunlight was streaming heavily in her room and Blair knew that she would need to get up soon but just not yet. Rolling onto the other side of the queen-sized bed, she sighed happily as her whole body practically melted into the mattress. The party the night before had lasted longer than what Blair was used to and she didn’t end up leaving until three in the morning. To make matters worse, she had to fit in a quick lesson with Davina on the brain-melting spell to use against other supernatural creatures. During this lesson, she had heard in the background as Elijah got the leaders of the other factions to sign the treaty, making the party a resounding success. Even Klaus had signed the treaty but this still made her suspicious of what he was up to.

Just as she was dosing off again, Raphael’s voice echoed in her mind. ‘Blair!’

Blair groaned out loud, ‘What?’

‘I just found out what about the alliance Klaus made with the Wolves,’ Raphael replied back instantly.

This news instantly woke Blair up as her eyes snapped open, ‘Go on,’ Slowly she sat up in her bed, anxiety fluttering in her chest. She had been hoping that the Wolves would slip up and mention the deal with Klaus while Raphael was around and it had paid off.

‘Klaus is offering to give them all Moonlight rings if they aligned with him,’ Raphael explained through their link, ‘But the Wolves are planning to take down the Vampires once they do this. They believe their strength and venom will be accessible at any time and they can take back New Orleans,’

Blair mentally groaned at how unimaginative their plans was. However, now it made sense as to why Klaus was sleeping with Genevieve – he would likely need a favour in regards to magic and he certainly hadn’t asked her yet, not that she’d help him. However, if the Wolves got access to this much power then it would turn New Orleans into a blood bath. ‘Who is involved so far?’

Raphael hummed in thought, ‘The whole pack is involved except for Hayley, and she doesn’t seem to know anything but she suspects something is going on. But Jackson and Oliver seem to be the ringleaders at this point,’

The thought of Oliver made Blair snarl, if he ever came near Davina then she would light his whole body on fire and immobilise him so he couldn’t do anything about it. She would even suggest that Davina use him as target practice. ‘Thank you, if anything else comes up then let me know,’

‘Always a pleasure,’ Raphael replied back in amusement.

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Blair frowned, ‘Are you okay out in the Bayou?’ Raphael had been the one to volunteer to watch over Hayley in the Bayou but she wanted to make sure he was alright. If he wanted to leave then she wouldn’t make him stay. It wasn’t ideal to constantly being outside in the forest and she was sure it would get pretty boring at times. She didn’t want him to feel like he was back in the forest where all the other Fae were locked in. Blair refused to camp out in the woods just to watch Hayley as she had some self-respect but the pregnant Wolf had a habit of getting in trouble. 

Raphael was silent for a moment before he answered. ‘I like it. It’s not too busy and it’s getting me used to being around other creatures. I quite like some of the Wolves too,’ Some of the other Werewolves were funny and had a great sense of humour. There where was only one or two that he didn’t care much for.

Blair closed her eyes and she nodded her head in understanding. ‘Okay, but if you need anything, let me know,’

‘Will do,’ Raphael said before he cut off the connection.

Sighing deeply, Blair closed her eyes and fell back into the bed. There was no way she was going to fall back asleep now and decided to start her day. Getting up, Blair walked into the bathroom and waved her hand, using her magic to turn the hot water on for her huge bath. An hour later and Blair was all done. She had bathed, moisturised and dressed for the day. Now, she was outfitted in white skinny jeans, brown ankle boots with silver buckles, a light blue crop top and a grey jacket. Pulling up her hair into a loose bun, Blair declared herself ready for the day.

Just as she was about to leave her room, there was a booming crash, one that sounded like concrete being destroyed. Mentally groaning to herself, Blair swung open her door, closing it while using her magic and peered down onto the courtyard where the noise came from. The courtyard looked like a construction site, there were bags of cement piled in a corner and a digger nearby. She could also sense a group of humans nearby, a strange occurrence in the home of a Vampire.

Davina came out of her room and spotted Blair, sending her a curious expression as to what the noise was. Blair motioned for her to go back into her room and Davina nodded her head. She would ask Blair later but at the moment she was really tired. The Fae could see how tired the young Witch was, she was stumbling everywhere, no doubt having not got much sleep. Blair was used to not sleeping much whereas Davina was not. She made a mental note to herself to push back her and Davina’s training session to give her more time to rest.

Elijah stood by the mess and he was speaking to Klaus, who walked away with Genevieve in front. When his brother was gone, Elijah looked at the hole in the floor before he turned and noticed Blair stood on the balcony. He was unusually dressed as he was not in his suit. Instead, he was dressed in loose t-shirt and trousers. I was a very causal look for him, but one that suited him.

“Did the noise disturb you?” Elijah asked with a ghost of a smile.

“Luckily, I was already awake,” Blair response dryly. “What is all this?”

“Marcel and his minions abused our home for the better part of a century.” Elijah explained, “While Niklaus might be content to live in squalor, I am not,” His brother had agreed that their home needed sprucing up and the moment he had, Elijah had hired a team of builders to improve their home. Elijah had an idea of what he wanted his home to look like, and one vision included a fountain in the courtyard.

Blair nodded her head in agreement, “Now, that is a motion I approve of,” She cast a glance around the courtyard, mentally marking up all the things that needed changing. While the current state had a rustic appeal to it, it wasn’t up to Blair’s taste. If Elijah’s taste was anything to go by, she was going to like the end result.

“Niklaus didn’t react so positively,” Elijah commented.

Blair rolled her eyes, “He doesn’t like change in general, unless he’s the one calling the shots,” Everything about Klaus screamed controlling. He controlled his family, daggering them when he saw fit and allowing them back into the world only when he chose.

Elijah smirked, agreeing with her words.

Glancing around, Blair sent out her magic to definitely make sure Klaus was nowhere nearby. “Has there been any word on Marcel,” If anyone spoke of his name within hearing distance of the Hybrid, then he threw an angry fit. It usually involved a lot of screaming and someone’s neck getting snapped as a result. Some stupid Vampire had mentioned Marcel as a joke near Klaus a week ago and to say it didn’t go well was an understatement.

“It appears he’s attempting a coup. He’s slowly building up his followers, though he doesn’t seem to have many,” Elijah explained as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was not a fool and he certainly shouldn’t be taken as one. Marcel was made and taught by his brother so he could determine what Marcel was going to do before it happened. It was obvious that he had planned to take back the city and so Elijah had sent in a spy to report back all of Marcel’s movements. Marcel was far too used to power and would do anything to get it back, just as Klaus had done.

“He’s not very creative,” Blair commented with a smirk.

Elijah’s eyes danced in amusement. “That is, he not.”

ORIGINALS

A week had passed and there was another party to attend. The Witches had pleaded with Elijah to allow them to host some of their celebrations that had been banned when Marcel took over. This had been allowed, something that surprised Blair, and now everyone was celebrating Fête des Bénédictions, or what was better known as the Feast of the Blessings. It had started with a parade where the two alive Harvest girls showed off their magic to the masses. Blair had been with Davina in the crowd and she had not been impressed. Davina had rolled her eyes the entire procession, saying how cliché everything was and would scoff when people would marvel at the magic. 

Blair had told Davina what Monique had asked and the young Witch had been annoyed. Davina had spent that lesson shouting out her frustrations and screaming how much she hated her Coven as she also didn’t trust their motives. Davina had made it very clear that she did not want to go back to her Coven but she had asked to come along to the event to see what happened. Josh was also present, acting as Davina’s plus one. Timothy could not attend and Davina wanted him nowhere near the mess that was her ex-Coven.

However, Blair had already decided that she wasn’t attending the party. If she did, she would have had to make an offering to the Witches and that stood against everything she stood for. The Fae hated Witches and the Witches hated the Fae. There would be no way the Witches would accept a gift from her and so Blair outright refused to attend the party, even when Elijah had asked for her attendance. Davina was more than welcome to go, just as long as she stayed with either Josh or Elijah and remained away from Klaus. Blair would attend the parade, but after that, she was gone. Instead, she was acting as security for the night alongside Raphael, who also did not want to attend a party honouring the Witches.

Knowing that she would not attend, Elijah had instead given Blair some information about Marcel and told her to be on the lookout for anything suspicious. Elijah’s spy in Marcel’s camp had stated he would make a move tonight and so Blair kept her eyes peeled for any activity. Blair had also told Elijah of Klaus’ plans with the Werewolves and so now the Noble Original was keeping a very close eye on his brother and the Wolves.

Raphael sighed deeply after Blair finished explaining the situation to Marcel. “You’d think he’d know when he was beaten,”

“He’s not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed,” Blair snorted in agreement.

“I am surprised he’s still alive,” Raphael said in genuine astonishment. From what he had heard about the Originals, they were ruthless and would kill for much less.

Blair smirked viciously, “With the way he’s going, he won’t be alive for long,” She had already vowed that she would kill Marcel the moment Davina stopped caring for him, which she unfortunately still did. No matter how much bravado Davina threw up, Blair could still tell how much the young Witch cared for Marcel. That was the only thing keeping him from her wrath.

Raphael was about to say something when his head snapped in another direction. Blair calmly turned her head when she felt magic flare out. It was the slightest spark of magic that was barely noticeable and could have been dismissed as a Witch but it wasn’t. All the Witches were gathered at this celebration – or they should have been at least. However, the final deduction was that Blair could tell the difference and the magic that had been used belonged to a Fae.

“She’s sent someone else,” Raphael muttered lowly, his whole-body tense. He knew that the Queen would send someone else when he had failed to kidnap Hayley but being in the situation was completely different. By sending in another Fae, the Queen had decided that he hadn’t done the job properly and dismissed him as a lost cause.

“If the Fae sees you, they will more than likely have orders to kill you,” Blair said as she looked to the male Fae. The Queen would not allow Raphael to live after failing at a task he had been assigned. It would have been seen as a disappointment and the Queen would not permit it to go without punishment.

Raphael’s face was grim and even he couldn’t deny what she said. “Let’s go catch this Fae,”

Without another word, Blair and Raphael began hunting. Using a small locator spell, Blair easily found the unknown Fae and he was attempting to sneak around the building that housed the Witches feast. No doubt the Fae was attempting to get at Hayley to take her back to the Queen but they weren’t going to allow that to happen. Hayley was acting as a representative for the Wolves and if anything happened to her at this party then things would turn sour very quickly. Not only would Elijah and Klaus be furious that anything happened to her, but the Wolves would also wage war and Blair would rather avoid such action.

Blair and Raphael watched as a small dark figure snuck around, trying to find an entrance in the back. The figure was attempting to be stealthy but obviously hadn’t sensed Raphael or Blair nearby. “What’s the plan?” Raphael asked quietly.

“You distract him and I will capture him with my magic,” Blair replied, her eyes never moving away from the unknown Fae. 

Nodding his head, Raphael and lunged forward, grabbed the unknown Fae by the shoulder and threw them away. The Fae jerked back and the moment he saw Raphael, he snarled in anger and his posture tense. He reached for the sword by his side, slashing at Raphael but he jumped out of the way in time. Blair watched them attack one another and found that she didn’t recognise the Fae, unlike when she had met Raphael all those months ago.

The unknown Fae slashed at Raphael, nearly catching his side if it wasn’t for how fast he was. This Fae was slower than Raphael, but there was more strength with his swings and that’s something Raphael wanted to avoid. He could see that if he was hit by any of the Fae’s swings, he would get seriously wounded. The Fae was so preoccupied trying to attack Raphael that he didn’t notice as a whip made of water appeared out of nowhere and it wrapped itself around the Fae’s neck. The Fae let out a strangled scream as he was pulled back with such force that Raphael thought his neck had snapped. Blair sauntered over, the whip of water connected to her hand as she commanded every drop of water with a mastery over the element that Raphael had not seen before.

Taking the opportunity, Raphael kicked the large sword from the Fae’s hand and thrust it away from his reach. He then kicked at the Fae’s knees so he fell to the ground with a painful grunt and the water whip around him tightened as Blair got closer.

“What were your orders?” Blair demanded once she was closer.

The Fae scowled at her, “I have nothing to say to you, traitor,”

Blair arched a brow in delight. “Oh?  So, the Queen is aware of what I am doing,” The fact the Queen knew made her want to laugh. She could only imagine what Maeve’s reaction was because it would have seriously made her day.

“If you don’t answer us, we will have to use force,” Raphael said, watching the Fae with a kinder expression than Blair. He was more understanding of the situation that the Fae was in because he had been in his position not too long ago. If it wasn’t for Blair then he still would be. While he did not recognise the Fae, that doesn’t mean he didn’t have sympathy.

The Fae looked at him and spat on the ground.

“There is no point, Raphael, he won’t talk,” Blair said after a moment of silence. She could feel the magic surrounding the Fae and it was potent. The control that the Queen had was powerful and Blair suspected it would take longer to break than it had with Raphael.

Raphael frowned, not agreeing with her words and was about to say something but the Fae cut in.

“I would rather die than go against my Queen,” The Fae spat out passionately.

Blair shrugged her shoulders, “Okay.” With a wave of her hand, the water whip that surrounded his neck snapped harshly to the right, breaking his neck loudly. The Fae’s body slumped forward and that’s when Blair made the water whip disappear and watched as the body fell to the ground.

Raphael stared down at the unconscious Fae and frowned, “We can save him, can’t we?”

Blair turned to look at him and then at the unknown Fae, “No,”

“What do you mean?!” Raphael exclaimed in shock. He had thought Blair would help save the Fae warrior as she had done to him. Without Blair, he would still be a slave to the Queen.

“I am not helping him. We need to dispose of him,” Blair said bluntly.

Raphael shook his head, not understanding why. “You can save him! You can free him from the Queen’s control!” The more Fae Blair saved, the better it would be. Blair would be able to slowly amass her own army and possibly take on Maeve. Raphael was sure the Fae that Blair saved would be very grateful for being saved from a terrible fate.

“Just because I can doesn’t mean I will,” Blair said with cold eyes.

Raphael stared at her for a moment, confused as to why she was acting like this. “Why won’t you save him?”

Blair sighed in aggravation. “Having two of the Fae here is dangerous as it is. You know what our blood does to Vampires, they lose control. If I did try and save them, it would take time and magic, things that I cannot spare at the moment because New Orleans is preparing for another war and I am still being hunted,” It would be reckless and dangerous to try and bring another Fae into the fold and so Blair refused to take the risk. She used her magic daily anyway but she was using it more ever since she came to New Orleans. Between surviving the Originals, she was also teaching Davina magic and having to help guard Hayley, she didn’t have the room to house another problem. The Hunter issue loomed over her and wouldn’t go away so that was another thing to worry about altogether.

Falling silent, Raphael’s expression was filled with sorrow. “What happened to you, Blair?” The person he remembered from his childhood was nothing like the person who stood before him. It was scary to see what she had become; how heartless she could be.

“I grew up,” Blair answered sardonically.

“Then why did you save me?” Raphael asked quietly, almost fearful for the answer.

Sighing deeply, Blair looked at the male Fae and held his gaze strongly. “I know you. I have a personal connection to you from our childhood. I do not know this person,” She pointed to the unconscious Fae on the ground, “If I knew this Fae then I would help him. But I don’t so I will not waste my magic,”

Raphael didn’t like the answer but he understood it. Reluctantly, he nodded his head, “Okay, what we need to do with the body then?” He couldn’t leave the body there in good conscience because he knew the Fae warrior was just a sitting duck especially in a city full of Vampires.

Truly knowing how vulnerable the unconscious Fae was, Blair waved her hand and the body disappeared. “He’s at the edge of the city, far away from everyone else. He should be safe until he wakes up and makes his way back to the Forest,” If she had the opportunity, she would have abandoned the Fae to his fate, not sympathetic at all.

Nodding his head, Raphael stayed silent.

“Now come on, we need to get back and make sure Marcel hasn’t done anything,” Blair said as she walked off with Raphael following behind her.

ORIGINALS

The night was over and it had been a resounding success. There had been an attempted attack from Marcel but it had been intercepted before anything could have happened. No one other than herself, Raphael and Elijah were aware of this and it would be preferable if it remained that way. It had also been discovered that Genevieve had tried to steal some of the grimoires that belonged to Elijah and Klaus’ mother but she had been caught out. Other than that, the Witches had a good night and had managed to have a good party – all curtsy of Elijah and Klaus. Even Klaus had offered a gift to the Witches – something that made Genevieve seethe in anger. The Vampire faction had given a gift and so had Hayley. As an act of rebellion, Davina had refused to give a gift and this was a snub the Coven would never forget.

Raphael was back with Hayley, keeping a watchful eye on the pregnant Wolf. Blair was following after Elijah, who was going to meet with Marcel to confront him about what he had planned for the night.

Marcel was on top of a tall building, with Thierry stood beside him. Marcel was pacing around the rooftop in irritation. “How did this not work?” He demanded hotly. The plan that he had personally planned had gone wrong and now he had nothing to show for it. His people were not going to like this and he would lose followers from this. There were already people who were shaky with their loyalty and this would win him nothing.

“The men never even made it into the building. Something must have happened,” Thierry said in confusion. The plan had been set – made by Marcel. A group of humans had been compelled and were meant to walk into the celebration, slit their wrists and send a warning. A message calling for war was meant to be written in blood on the wall when the lights were cut but it never happened.

Hissing lowly under his breath, Marcel’s eyes darkened in anger. “Did anyone manage to get Davina?” The plan was to grab Davina during the whole fiasco but it hadn’t gone to plan. Initially, he had wanted to use Josh but it seems the baby Vampire was loyal to someone other than him or the Originals.

In the shadows, Blair scowled darkly. There was no way she would let Marcel make off with Davina – the Witch was under her protection.

“We need to double down,” Marcel said as his pacing increased in speed.

Elijah stepped forward, deciding now he was going to act. He had heard enough and his anger was simmering low beneath his calm demeanour. He had been generous when he had banished Marcel but now, he was starting to reconsider his actions. He appeared in front of Marcel and pinned him to the wall in a flash, his hand on Marcel’s neck. It had all happened so quickly that Blair blinked and Marcel was gasping for air. Thierry took a step back in shock, not expecting this to happen.

“I warned you,” Elijah said lowly, “And yet you still return to the French Quarter.”

“You going to kill me, Elijah?” Marcel gasped out, “Go ahead. But then you won’t know what Klaus has got going on with that Witch in his pocket,”

Rolling his eyes, Elijah sighed deeply. “I am already aware of what my brother is up to.” The spy that he had in Marcel’s group was compelled to be loyal to only him and he had other spies working for him. He had yet to implement a spy into the Witches Coven but that was still in the works. Raphael had demonstrated himself to be quite useful and Blair was proving to be a very useful alliance. Without this information, Elijah would have probably been affected by Marcel’s words.

Marcel looked at Elijah in shock but the Original’s patience had snapped. Within a second, Elijah snapped Marcel’s neck and let him fall to the ground. Thierry screamed out and tried to run away from Elijah. Faster than a blur, Elijah appeared in front of Thierry and thrust his hand into the Vampire’s chest cavity and pulled out his heart. With a final gasp, Thierry fell to the ground – dead for good. Thierry’s skin greyed and black veins appeared, indicating that he was truly dead and his heart was thrown halfway across the roof.

“I am surprised you didn’t kill him too,” Blair walked closer, her heeled boots echoing loudly.

“He lives or dies by my will alone, he needs to remember that,” Elijah commented coldly as he stared down at Marcel.

Deciding to add her own little punishment, Blair got closer to Marcel and snatched his daylight ring off his finger. She pocketed the ring and stepped away from the body, “Let’s see how well he does without his ring,” He had dared try and steal Davina, there was no way she was going to let that go so easily.

“Let’s hope he wakes up before the sun rises,” Elijah said with a rare sadistic grin. Marcel would wake up but whether he managed to do so before the sun rose in a few hours was another question altogether.

“If anything happens to him, you can blame me,” Blair smirked widely. She knew that if anything happened to Marcel, Klaus would be furious. But she decided that she could deal with it if it ever came to it. Marcel was pushing too much and he should expect to be shoved back at this rate.

Sighing deeply, Elijah turned his back. “Now, I must confront my brother. This deceit has gone on long enough,”

Following him, Blair made the decision to keep out the way once they got back. They would need some privacy to sort out their issues.

Chapter 20: Chapter 20

A few days had passed since the Fae incident and Blair had not heard a word from any of her kind since. She and Raphael had agreed to keep the whole situation a secret so no one would know there had been another attempt to kidnap Hayley. This was the last thing Blair needed Klaus knowing because it would send him into a frenzy, swearing revenge and it would send his paranoia through the roof. Klaus didn’t know of Raphael’s presence in the city but this incident would might lead to him looking for more Fae and he would discover Raphael, something Blair would very much like to avoid.

It was nearing the afternoon mark when Blair decided to give herself a break. She had spent most of the morning training Davina in offensive magic that would be useful in battle. She planned to teach the young Witch how to set traps too, something the Fae had a knack for. Elijah had asked her to accompany him to the Bayou but Blair had declined. She needed to patrol the area to make sure the other Fae was truly gone. If he wasn’t gone then Blair was going to kill him, where Raphael couldn’t see nor make his opinion known.

It was just as she was coming to the end of her patrol that she came across the other Fae. He was hiding in a tree and he was also staring directly at her. Blair examined him with a critical eye. He looked a mess, hair still dishevelled and his uniform cut in places from the fight a few days prior. It was evident that the Fae hadn’t been back to the Forest and this made her curious.

“Leave before I kill you,” Blair commanded with narrowed eyes. There was no one to stop her killing this Fae, which she would do if he didn’t heed her warnings.

The Fae stared at her blankly and that’s when she truly saw the extent of Maeve’s control. This Fae was a mere puppet and meant nothing. It was unnerving to glance into such dead eyes and it only made her hatred for the woman grow even more.

“The Queen has a message for you,” The Fae said, his voice void of any emotion or inflexion.

Blair glared at him, “You can take that message and shove it down her throat for all I care. Go away, now,” Her fingers twitched as the magic sparked lightly.

Suddenly, the Fae’s eyes lit up until they were completely white. “I see you’ve grown a backbone in your time in exile,” The Fae’s face twisted into a smug smirk and the voice was no longer his own. It now sounded feminine, powerful and sent a shiver down her spine. Blair was no longer speaking to Fae warrior, but the Queen.

“Oh, I have grown in more ways than one,” Blair sneered in hatred. She wanted nothing more than to blast the Queen to bits but she knew it would do nothing. She was merely speaking to Maeve through one of her puppets, a favourite trick of hers. However, she refused to show off too much of her power. The less the Queen knew of how strong her magic was the better.

Maeve hummed, “I had hoped your time away would have taught you some humility but it seems as though I was wrong,”

Blair inhaled deeply, trying to fight back the intense rush of hatred from surfacing. The last thing she needed was losing her cool and showing how much being in Maeve’s presence bothered her. “Kind of hard to learn any sense of humility when I'm being chased around by a mad man,” She scowled darkly, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Oh, stop being so dramatic,” Maeve scoffed, waving her hand dismissively.

Gritting her teeth, Blair held back summoning a tsunami, “What do you want?”

“I want many things in life,” Maeve sighed dramatically, “I want Niklaus Mikaelson dead. I want Hayley’s, hybrid baby. I want you to use your power but evidently, I am continually denied what I desire most,” Maeve glared through the male Fae, her tone accusing as if she blamed Blair for everything that had happened.

Blair snorted, “As if I would ever help you.” Her visions were accurate and detailed to the point it used to hurt her to have the visions. But the Queen had never cared about her wellbeing, she just expected Blair to do as she was told. She would continually force Blair to have more visions to benefit her.

Maeve clicked her tongue, “Insolent child, I should kill you where you stand,”

“Come at me,” Blair challenged darkly, “See what happens,”

“I think not,” Maeve sniffed haughtily, “I am not a barbarian like you,”

“At least I am not a spoilt bitch,” Blair shot back with a smirk. The glare that Maeve sent made Blair’s smirk widen. She was getting under Maeve’s skin with her defiance and she knew it. Due to her power, no one in the Forest could challenge her word, but Blair was not part of that world anymore. If she had remained in the Forest, it was very likely she would have become one of Maeve’s puppets. While she wasn’t thankful for the situation she had been thrust into, she was glad she wasn’t a mindless doll.

Maeve grit her teeth, anger visible through the warrior’s eyes. “I am giving you one last chance, Eloise. Stop interfering in my plans and I will leave you alone,”

“Oh, how generous of you,” Blair sarcastically said as she rolled her eyes, “Let me fall down to the ground with how grateful I am,”

“Eloise!” Maeve shouted out in anger.

Blair stared at her sneered at the name. “I go by Blair now. That is not my name,” She had shed her original name years ago, within her first ten years of being on the run. Not even when she changed her identity multiple times did, she ever revert back to that name. It was dead to her, much like her old life.

“It matters little,” Maeve said flippantly, “What matters is that you stay out my way,”

Blair watched Maeve and her puppet for a moment, considering her words. There was no way she was going to listen to the Queen’s words or warning. Just knowing that she was getting under Maeve’s skin with her inference made her extremely happy. Happier than she had been in a long time. “My answer to your questions is no. I will not sit back and let you have your way. You’ve been getting your way for far too long and I think it is time for a change,” Blair smirked as she watched the anger invade the Queen’s face.

“You insolent worm!” Maeve screamed out in fury, “I will kill you for this!” The puppet took a step forward, as if to charge at her but seemed to stop himself.

Smirking, Blair responded. “Just try it and watch what happens,”

“I will kill everyone you care about. I’ll even start with that little Witch of yours,” A twisted smirk stretched across the face of the Fae that was being used by Maeve.

Blair narrowed her eyes, “If you do anything like that, I will issue a royal challenge and we can settle this back in the Forest.”

The Fae visibly paled her at her words, “You wouldn’t dare,” Maeve whispered lowly in shock and dread.

“Try me,” Blair hissed lowly.

Slowly, the white light faded from the Fae’s eyes and that’s when Blair knew that Maeve was gone. Once the Queen was gone, that’s when Blair’s hatred for the woman came back full force and it felt like it was going to consume her. The Fae attempted to back away but Blair didn’t allow him that opportunity. She summoned water in her hand, fashioned it into a whip and shot it out. The water wrapped around the man’s neck and snapped it like a twig. When the Fae fell to the ground, Blair walked up to him and plunged her hand into his chest cavity, ripping out his heart.

“Long live the Queen,” Blair muttered softly as she stared down at the dead Fae. She threw the useless heart aside and used the water whip to clean her hand of the blood. Killing the Fae hadn’t brought her any satisfaction but it had quelled some of the anger for now. However, she needed to get rid of the body as she didn’t need useless Vampires becoming addicted to Fae blood. Snapping her fingers, the ground under the Fae opened up and swallowed his body whole. She also made sure to kick the heart into the hole as well. When he was gone, Blair snapped her fingers and the hole was gone.

Stepping back, Blair looked around. There was no one around for miles and the Queen wouldn’t risk sending anyone for some time now. Her threat would stop anything more from happening but there would come a time when Maeve wouldn’t take her threat seriously. Blair turned around to walk back to the compound, intending to drown herself in wine when she felt a pulse through the connection she shared with Raphael.

‘Blair, we need you here, now!’ Raphael ordered frantically.

She was already speed walking in the direction of the Bayou, which wasn’t that far away. ‘What happened?’

‘An explosion,’ Raphael explained quickly, ‘Someone sent a person to the Bayou and blew themselves up. The blast had Wolfbane in it,’

Blair mentally cursed, this was the last thing that needed to happen. ‘I am on my way. I will be there soon. Is anyone hurt?’

‘A few Wolves. Some aren’t healing well because of the Wolfbane.’ Raphael answered back.

Blair cut off the connection and sped up her pace. While healing magic was not her forte, she knew a thing or two about healing Wolves. After living with a pack for a while, she picked up some useful information. She never thought she’d have to put that knowledge to the test again but it seemed as though today was the day. Hayley was pregnant so that made her a priority then Raphael came up close seconds.

It took ten minutes for her to arrive in the Bayou, her speed had increased even further as she felt a sense of urgency that Raphael sent down the connection. Something else had happened, that much Blair was certain. By the time she had arrived, she could smell the gunpowder that stifled the area and it nearly made her choke. All around her, there were people on the ground, all gasping and moaning in pain. Some of the injured Wolves had chunks of skin missing and blood was everywhere. It was complete and utter carnage. 

Within seconds, Blair was instantly by a lone female Wolf’s side. She was moaning and crying in pain. Blair kneeled down beside her, not caring that she was kneeling in a pool of blood. “Shush, it will be alright,” Blair muttered softly as she took the female’s hand. Using her magic, she pulled out the Wolfsbane that was blasted into the skin. Once the plant was out, Blair snapped the woman’s little finger, a small pain that the woman didn’t notice because she was already in so much pain as it was. She watched as the woman’s breathing slowed down, the pain no doubt receding due to the pain-blocking spell Blair used. This spell would last long enough until the woman's supernatural healing abilities kicked it, especially now that the Wolfbane was out of her system.

Blair repeated this process too many times after that. There were so many injured members of the pack that she almost felt she was running around like a headless chicken. Blair was already angry from her meeting with Maeve earlier but this had made her even madder than before. There were children within the pack and they had been attacked so mercilessly.

“Blair! Over here!” Raphael called when he spotted her.

Without hesitation, Blair ran over to him and knelt down beside a young child, who was crying in pain. Raphael hovered over her, a panicked look on his face. He didn’t know what to do, he didn’t know the first thing about healing so he had been moving all the injured people to others who knew what they were doing.

“Please make it stop!” The child cried out desperately.

“I am going to make the pain all go away, I promise,” Blair softly said as she used her magic to numb the child to the pain. Slowly, the child stopped shivering in pain and relaxed on the ground, an almost delirious smile on his face. Blair did the exact same thing as all the other times but didn’t try to activate his healing ability. This child had not activated his Wolf gene and so needed to heal in other ways – more slowly. He needed to go to the hospital, where he could be cared for in a better manner but he would be okay for now.

“Thank you for coming,” Raphael said as he placed a hand on Blair’s shoulder.

After she finished healing the boy, she looked up to Raphael. “Who did this?”

Raphael shook his head, “I don’t know. The person who arrived seemed human but we all think he was compelled by a Vampire,”

Blair grimaced. This was would not help the rising tensions between Vampires and Werewolves. The Wolves would want blood for this and would strike back. However, it needed to be made certain that it was a Vampire that had done this and not someone else. Blair looked around and found she couldn’t see Hayley. “Where is she?”

“She went to confront Marcel,” Raphael winced.

“Go, I've got things covered here,” Blair instructed. She wouldn’t fault him, he had wanted to help the Wolves but Hayley needed to be watched in case she did anything stupid.

Raphael nodded his head before he ran off after Hayley.

After he was gone, Blair attended to more Wolves. Some were unconscious from the pain – a small mercy really – but the wounds seemed to be even worse as she went along. People had been impaled by the shards of metal that went everywhere and the Wolfbane was slowing down their healing ability. Everything was chaotic and the air was filled with screams of pain. As she went along, Blair managed to block these noises out and set herself into a rhythm. Find an injured person, block the pain, remove the poison and then break their little finger.

It was after she had healed the tenth person that she came across Elijah. Luckily, he seemed to be perfectly intact, excluding his suit which was completely ruined. It was scorched in the majority of places and ripped to shreds.

“How bad is it?” Elijah asked, not questioning her appearance in the Bayou. He had been the one to instruct Raphael to bring her here as her magic would prove vital.

Blair shook her head, “Not good, the other explosions seemed to have taken down a lot of people,” On the way to the Bayou, she had heard at least four more explosions from the distance and this had made her quicken her pace. The first blast may not have injured many people but the further ones certainly had.

Elijah’s jaw clenched. He had tried to help but it seemed he had been too slow. When the man arrived on the bike, Elijah had rushed to throw him far away but he had been too late. Then he had been just moments too slow to notice the other blasts about to go off. Elijah hated to think what would have happened if he hadn’t been here.

“How many are dead?” Blair asked quietly.

“At least six have died.” Elijah informed her grimly, “They were the ones that were standing too close to the blast and were hit with too much Wolfbane to combat,” Wolfbane was deadly to Werewolves on its own, concentrate it and then it becomes even more lethal than before.

“They’re going to want blood for this,” Blair looked around, watching as they grieved for their lost ones. Jackson had taken control, guiding others and offering his support where he could. Jackson was a good Alpha because even she could see how much he cared for his packmates. He reminded her of the Alpha she met in the New Zealand pack.

Elijah soundlessly nodded his head in agreement. “Hayley has assumed that it was Marcel that orchestrated this.”

“Raphael is already with her. Hopefully, she won’t do anything too reckless,” Blair said with a frown. Hayley was heavily pregnant and was due to give birth very soon. She didn’t need this added stress on top of this because it wasn’t good for the baby.

At this news, Elijah relaxed a touch. “We will reconvene when we’ve sorted this out.” He said before walking off to help more Wolves. While they had been hesitant of his presence in the beginning, they hadn’t objected to him helping them.

Blair immediately set on helping the other injured Wolves. This kept her busy for a little while until most of the Wolves were on the mend. Some were injured more than others but it was all under control. Eventually, Blair stepped away to just breathe for a few moments, needing it after everything that had just happened. She passed the small shack and was about to sit down near a log when she heard a muffled scream. It sounded panicked and full of terror. It was coming from inside the shack but she didn’t remember seeing anyone going in there. Standing up, Blair opened the door to the shack and she nearly gasped with what she saw.

Laying on a bed was Eve but Oliver was stood above her. He had a cushion over Eve’s face and she was struggling as much as she could in her injured state. Anger filled Blair as she watched this and only made her hatred for Oliver increase tenfold. Eve was a good woman with who Blair had no issues. 

“Stop!” Blair yelled out as she used her magic. She sent a blast of magic and hit Oliver with it, sending him flying into the nearby all, away from Eve. She sped over to Eve and checked up on her, only to find her unconscious, not dead. With a hiss, she turned to face Oliver, who was slowly getting up and glaring at her.

“What the hell were you doing?!” Blair demanded angrily. She always had a feeling that Oliver was a moron but this was ridiculous. Wolves were meant to have a code of honour and felt connected with all members of their pack. They never usually killed each other off.

“Mind your own business!” Oliver shouted back.  

Blair's eyes glowed an ominous purple shade, “Answer me, now,” She hissed lowly, magic tingling at her fingertips.

Oliver went to lunge at her but he never got the opportunity. Clenching her hand, Blair used her magic and encased it around his throat, cutting off his air supply. Oliver gasped and stopped where he was, a hand on his throat as if he was trying to pry off the invisible hand. Blair watched him struggle to breathe with no remorse and found that she enjoyed him in such a state. His face started to turn an interesting shade of red and his lips blue. Mentally, she counted in her head the seconds she kept him under her spell but she found she was starting to feel a little strain on her magic. Only slightly but it was enough to let her know she needed to stop playing around. If she snapped his neck now, he would die and would not come back. However, she would never get the information out of him to know why he took such action on Eve. Also, it would be fun to see him squirm as his pack realised, he betrayed them. With her mind made up, Blair released the grip she had on Oliver’s throat and watched as he fell to his knees, gasping for air.

“Elijah,” Blair called, knowing the Original would hear her. He needed to know of this latest development considering Eve was his inside person in the pack.

Within seconds, Elijah walked into the cabin and looked around. “What happened?”

“It seems Oliver tried to kill Eve. For what reason is left unknown,” Blair told him, watching as Oliver slowly gained his breath back.

Elijah’s eyes darkened in anger, “Is that so?” His voice was silky and calm – never a good sign for his victims. Wordlessly, he walked over to Oliver and grabbed him by the arm before dragging him outside. He intended to find out exactly what happened.

Now that he was gone, Blair walked over to Eve and began healing her. The main injury seemed to be on the leg, where there was lots of blood and Blair was pretty certain she could see bone. Sighing deeply, Blair began to heal Eve the best she could. However, because Eve was an untriggered Wolf, she would heal slower than everyone else. Blair could hear shouting from outside but she paid no attention, focused on her task.

After ten minutes of healing, Eve groaned as she came back to the world of the living. Groggily, she opened her eyes and spotted the female Fae next to her. “Where’s Oliver?” She asked quietly.

“Elijah took him away,” Blair answered as her magic receded. It was a good sign that Eve had woken up so quickly. Just to be thorough, she had checked Eve’s head to see if there was any damage to the brain and luckily there hadn’t been.

Eve grabbed Blair’s arm and pulled her closer with a surprising amount of strength, “Olly didn’t mean it. He was just being a stupid boy,”

“He tried to kill you,” Blair replied back bluntly and Eve flinched at her words, “Why would he do that?” She was under the impression that Eve had a close relationship with everyone in the pack. Eve seemed to be the caretaker and mother figure for a lot of people.

Inhaling shakily, Eve bit her lip. “He said that it wasn’t supposed to happen like this, that he wanted to shake up the pack so they had a common enemy. He never said who he was working with though,”

Blair’s face was a picture of boredom but on the inside, she was seething. Oliver had assisted in the attack of his own pack. She was disgusted and wanted to gut the coward right there and then.

“Please, the pack will kill him when they find out what he had done,” Eve pleaded with the Fae.

“So, that’s why he tried to kill you so they didn’t find out,” Blair concluded.

Reluctantly, Eve nodded her head.

“He deserves what is coming to him,” Blair stood up, intending to pass this information along to Elijah and everyone else in the pack, “They deserve to know what Oliver has done.” They had lost nine people now as others had succumbed to their injuries. If Eve had died, then that would have made ten victims but luckily, she had been found in time.

Silently, Eve cried on the bed, knowing she couldn’t argue with the Fae’s words.

Walking out of the cabin, Blair immediately set out to find Elijah and Oliver. This task did not take long either, she just followed where the growls came from. There was another cabin not too far away and she entered through the front door. No one seemed to be paying attention to the shouting that was emanating from the cabin, everyone too focused on healing and fixing their homes. Walking further into the cabin, Blair entered the last toom and the scene that she walked in on made her arch a brow. Oliver was on the floor, looking as though he had been beaten to a pulp and Jackson stood over him with blood on his knuckles. Jackson was furious, so furious to the point his eyes glowed gold. Elijah was stood nearby, a cold iciness displayed on his face.

“Has Oliver said anything?” Blair asked as she looked at Elijah. She hadn’t seen much of Jackson to know what his usual temperament was like but this seemed unusual for the typically calm Alpha.

Elijah sharply nodded his head, “He has admitted to trying to kill Eve, for what reason has yet to be revealed,” He had dragged Oliver away to interrogate him privately but Jackson had seen this and demanded to know what was happening. In the end, Elijah informed Jackson of what Blair had told him and the Alpha had flipped. It had been a surprising turn of events as Elijah had not lifted a finger against Oliver yet.

Blair hummed, “I can shed some light on that. Eve woke up and told me what happened,” As soon as she spoke those words, Jackson stood up straighter and Oliver froze. Knowing that she had an audience, Blair continued, not wanting to disappoint them. “Apparently, Oliver helped in this attack so you’d share a common enemy. He is working for someone who organised this attack,”

There was silence in the cabin. No one seemed to be breathing as the only sound was from outside. However, that silence was broken when Jackson lunged at Oliver and punched him in the face. Oliver flew back at the sheer force, blood pouring from his split lip.

“What the hell, Oliver?!” Jackson yelled out in anger, his whole-body tense in rage.

“It wasn’t supposed to happen like this!” Oliver sobbed back, tears in his eyes. “I wanted to make a little noise to get our people mad. I didn’t agree to this! They stabbed me in the back!” He was huddled on the ground, whimpering like a child.

“Who?!” Jackson roared out, “Who helped with this?!”

However, Oliver didn’t answer, just sobbed loudly. “I didn’t mean for this to happen…” The blood from the pack was on his hands, something he would never be able to live with. He had thought he was helping the pack, directing their focus onto hating the Vampires so they could launch an attack against them and take back their city.

Jackson growled lowly and began pacing around the room, not happy with the answer.

Stepping forward, Elijah grabbed Oliver by the throat and held him up against the wall. “If you don’t tell us who did this then I will scatter your entrails across the Bayou. Tell me and you’ll live,” Whether the pack killed him or not what another question altogether.

Sudden anger flared in Oliver’s watery eyes. “It’s your fault I did this in the first place! Vampires have always been the issue,” He attempted to fight his way out of Elijah’s hold but it was too strong and he couldn’t get free.

Elijah yanked Oliver’s head, very close to snapping his neck, “Talk. Now,”

“Oliver, if you ever cared about this pack, you’d tell them the truth,” Blair warned him, ready to use magic to make him talk. If they extracted who had done this then revenge could be achieved. But, going around in a blind rage targeting people would achieve nothing but anarchy. If that could be achieved then Blair would help.

Oliver looked to Jackson for support but received nothing but a heated glare. Knowing that he had no choice, he slumped into Elijah’s hold. “Her name was Francesca Correa. She said she would give us support if we tried to take back the city,” He had been approached by Francesca when he’d been in town a few days ago and she had made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. She was willing to get him a moonlight ring and he could have got one without the help of Klaus. It had seemed like a perfect solution to all their problems so he had agreed. He had asked for some noise to be made but he hadn’t expected to this extent. It had all gone wrong.

Elijah’s lips thinned. He knew that name and the woman it belonged to. The same woman had approached him during the party to unite the factions, wanting her to be named as the human representative over Father Kieran. He had refused her as Father Kieran was in perfect health and there was no reason for him to be passed over. After that, he had done some digging on the woman and found that she was the owner of the Palace Royale casino, a dedicated philanthropist and the matriarch of a sizable drug trafficking empire throughout New Orleans. He had thought he would never hear from Francesca again but it seemed as though he was wrong and had misjudged her ambition.

Jackson growled lowly at the name, instantly memorising it. This person would pay for what she had done to his pack.

“We have a name, a plan can now be made to get revenge,” Blair said as she looked to Elijah and then Jackson.

“I’ll call Hayley so she can come back. She will want to know.” Elijah said as he stepped out to call Hayley. Luckily, his phone hadn’t been completely destroyed in the blast.

No longer under Elijah’s hold, Oliver rubbed his sore neck, knowing that it could have gone sideways in seconds. He looked to Jackson, but he refused to look at him and this filled him with shame. He had thought he was leading the pack into a new era because he had doubted Jackson’s leading abilities and didn’t consider Hayley as one of them.

Blair watched him go before looking to Jackson, “What do you plan on doing with him?” She asked, referring to Oliver.

“How we deal with all traitors.” Jackson ominously said before he walked out. He couldn’t be near Oliver without wanting to rip him to shreds. He needed some time away before he didn’t something he would regret. However, before he did, he stopped and looked to the Fae, “Thank you for what you did here,”

“It was nothing. Now, go look after your own. My services won’t always be free,” Blair smirked haughtily.

Jackson grinned slightly before he turned serious. “The Crescent Wolves owe you a debt. If you need anything from us, don’t be afraid to ask,” With that said, he walked out, needing some time to cool down.

Blair mentally cursed. So much for not making any connections. She was forming bonds in the city, whether she wanted to or not. This wasn’t going to be easy to leave when the time came.

 

Chapter 21: Chapter 21

Blair was in a dream, one that she repeatedly had. It was not often that she remembered her dreams but this one she could never forget. It was more of memory – of when she got kicked out of the Forest and was banished to her fate. It was the day that would torment her for hundreds of years and no matter what Blair did, she could not make the memory disappear, not even her magic could protect her from this. In this dream, she was always the outsider looking in, watching as her younger self ran around like a headless chicken. However, it was towards the end of this scene that things shifted. As usual, Blair watched as her younger self begged the Queen for sanctuary from the Hunter but she was refused. Maeve turned her back on the young Blair and laughed at her misfortune. It was a day that Blair would never forget and only made her hatred for the woman grow exponentially. She watched as her younger self ran off crying, about to follow when a voice called out to her. Turning her head, Blair’s eyes widened when she saw Chloe stood nearby – an adult Chloe.

“What? How are you here?” Blair questioned in shock. Chloe was dead, she had been for months and it made no sense as to how she had made it into her dream. Blair had dreamed of Chloe before – usually remembering their youth but never had these two scenes mashed together before. Something odd was going on here.

Chloe smiled sadly, “Oh Blair. It’s been a while,” Her dark eyes gleamed with unshed tears and Blair felt her own eyes sting.

Walking towards her old friend, Blair stopped before she got too close. “How is this possible?” She felt no malicious energy from Chloe but she could never be too cautious.

“The veil between the living and the dead is crumbling. Our souls are going to wither and die but I wanted to come and see you before that happened,” Chloe explained with a sad smile. She needed to make sure Blair got this message in case her soul really did disappear. She wanted to move on without any regrets and had been trying to contact Blair for a while but her mental shields were too strong.

Blair frowned in confusion, “What do you mean?”

Chloe reached forward and took Blair’s hand in her own. “Firstly, I want to say how sorry I am for not helping you sooner. The Queen’s ability didn’t work on me. My gift stopped hers,”

“But you don’t have an ability,” Blair said as she furrowed her brows together. From what she remembered, Chloe never had a gift and this was why the Queen saw her as expendable.

Shaking her head, Chloe answered her, “No, I could nullify other people’s abilities. The Queen never knew but I had to hide it so she would never find out. If she had known, she would have killed me immediately.” It wasn’t easy acting as though she was a mindless puppet, especially when Maeve was feeling particularly cruel. However, there was so much at stake if the Queen had found out.

Blair’s eyes widened at this information as she gasped lightly, “Holy shit,”

Chloe’s grip on her hand tightened slightly, “I need you to know that I used my gift in the Forest. I helped to nullify the Queen’s control over a small group of Fae. We had planned a revolt to remove Maeve from the throne but we were missing one key element,”

“What was it?” Blair asked, enthralled by Chloe’s tale. The thought that someone would plan a coup against the Queen was impressive and it was one that Blair loved to hear. It would be a suicide mission if it went wrong but the reward would have been great if managed well.

“You,” Chloe whispered softly, “We were missing you.”

Blair felt like she had been punched in the stomach, “W-what?”

“Without you, we could never have attempted to overthrow the Queen. It would have been too dangerous and no one would have supported us,” Chloe shook her head, “But you. You could have united the people and they would have rallied around you,”

Blair’s expression darkened, “But I could have never supported it because of the Hunter. I couldn’t risk him finding the Forest,” This was why she had been banished four hundred years ago. If she had been allowed to stay in the Forest, the Hunter would have found her and the other Fae. As a result, Maeve had decided to forgo her life and leave Blair with no protection.

“Then kill the Hunter,” Chloe said plainly.

Anger flashed in Blair’s eyes, “I can’t!”

“You haven’t tried hard enough!” Chloe shouted back.

With a clenched jaw, Blair spat out. “You have no idea what I have been through.” She tore her hands out from Chloe’s grip and took a step back. She was no longer happy to be in Chloe’s presence, finding her words harsh and unnecessary. She still had scars on her body that would never disappear after her confrontations with the Hunter. Blair had tried to fight the Hunter and had failed every time.

Chloe stared at her friend with unwavering determination, “If anyone can kill the Hunter, it’s you. Trust yourself,” Slowly, her figure started to fade until she was gone and Blair was stood in the Forest on her own.

Gritting her teeth, Blair pinched herself, no longer wanted to be in her own mind anymore. She needed to wake up. As she pinched herself, her vision darkened until there was only a sky of darkness over her and soft covers caressed her skin. Now, back in her room in the French Quarter, Blair threw the covers off her and angrily marched over to her bathroom. She needed a bath to calm herself down after that dream.

A couple of hours later, Blair walked down the steps of the compound and headed in the direction of the living room. She was still reeling from the dream that she had but she pushed it aside for now because she had other things to deal with. She intended to ask Elijah if he wanted to accompany her to the Bayou as she was going to check on the situation that was brewing within the pack. The Wolves had not taken the fact Oliver had betrayed them very well – as expected – but they were still calling for blood. The blood of Francesca Correa to be exact. Raphael had informed her that they were all planning an attack but from what Blair had heard, it wasn’t a good plan and it needed a lot of refinement. Hayley wanted to just murder the woman whereas the other members of the pack wanted her to suffer. It was absolute chaos and Jackson was struggling to reel everyone in at this point.

However, as she entered the living room, where she had sensed Elijah, she found that Klaus was also present. He was drinking from a bottle of expensive scotch, seeming to drown his emotions considering the thunderous expression on his face. Elijah watched him with an expression of exasperation as if he had watched the same scene over and over again for a thousand years.

“A little early to drink, isn’t it?” Blair questioned with an arched brow. It was barely even ten o’clock in the morning, people would usually be having their morning cereal, not scotch with ice.

“Sod off,” Klaus hissed back before he took a large gulp of his scotch.

Elijah sighed deeply before turning to the Fae, “Ignore him. You’ll find Niklaus is in a foul mood, more so than usual,” He had arrived no more than twenty minutes ago to find his brother attacking their alcohol supply with such vigour that it made him curious to know what had set him off.

“It’s fine,” Blair waved him off, used to Klaus’ mood swings. “I am going to be heading up to the Bayou soon, and I wondered if you wanted to come along. You’re welcome to come as well, Klaus,” She said, looking over to the Hybrid. As much as she didn’t like Klaus, he had the potential to knock some sense into the Wolves considering he is half of one. She was also aware that he was keen to get Hayley back in the French Quarter so this would be an ample opportunity for everyone.

“That is a marvellous idea. I will join you,” Elijah said politely. He had intended to visit the Wolves as well so this worked out perfectly for him.

Klaus shook his head, “Count me out,”

Blair and Elijah both shared a frown, “I thought you’d be interested in getting revenge on Francesca?” Blair asked in confusion. Klaus wasn’t one to miss out on the violence and bloodshed for anything. That woman had planned an attack on the pack where the mother of his child resided, Klaus should have been all over this issue but he seemed distracted by something.

Klaus sent her a dark look, “Rest assured, I will make Francesca pay for what she has done. But first, I am going to finish this bottle and then the next in hopes of drowning the demon that has chosen to haunt me,” He drank from his glass before going for the bottle and drinking from that before sneering, “Cheers, Mikael. Impeccable Freudian timing,” That morning, he had woken up from a nightmare, one that contained Mikael killing him. He had an understanding of why he was having these dreams and it terrified him. Klaus knew that it had something to do with his own impending journey into fatherhood that would happen very soon. It terrified him to know he was about to be a father when he hadn’t even had a father himself – he had no idea what the hell he was going to do. But he prayed that he wouldn’t screw up as badly as his own father had.

Elijah’s eyes widened for a moment and he leaned forward. “You’ve been dreaming of our father. Elaborate.” His voice was barely above a whisper as he could barely hide his surprise.

Blair watched both of them in silent confusion. Klaus’ issue she could understand but she didn’t understand why Elijah looked so tormented.

“Go ahead,” Klaus scowled darkly, “Have a good laugh,”

Elijah’s eyes narrowed at Klaus’ pointed words, “I can assure you there isn’t a piece of this that I find even remotely amusing, Niklaus. Especially considering I've been dreaming of him, too.” That morning, he’d had a dream of their father and it had been a gruesome dream.

Klaus visibly paled, “What?”

Mentally, alarms went off in Blair’s head. If Klaus had been dreaming of their father then that could be seen as a coincidence – a one-off that could easily be explained by his impending fatherhood. However, now Elijah was having dreams and that was troublesome. This wasn’t a coincidence and spelt misfortune. Then, there was her own situation where Chloe had paid her a visit. Now, the stuff Chloe was saying about the veil was starting to make sense.

“If you are also dreaming of him, maybe our enemy is orchestrating another attack. I believe a Witch maybe be behind this as well,” Elijah commented with a haunted expression. In his eyes, Francesca could also have a Witch on her side as they had a mutual enemy. It angered him that people were going against the accord that he helped set up but maybe the feuds in New Orleans ran too deep to cure.

“Then heads will roll,” Klaus said as he smirked menacingly. There was only one Witch that had got close to any of his family lately and that was Genevieve.

Feeling the need to intervene, Blair spoke out. “Before we do anything rash, I think you guys should know something. Purgatory, where supernatural souls are trapped is disintegrating,”

Elijah looked at her in confusion, “What do you mean disintegrating?”

“Well, a better term would be imploding or collapsing,” Blair continued with a frown, “Either way, the dead are being torn away into nothingness. I imagine that some aren’t interested in going quietly,” Chloe had made it clear that she needed to pass along a message before anything happened and seemed to accept what was going to happen. However, Blair was sure that other souls wouldn’t be so accommodating and would try to strike back against those who had done them harm. If Blair was honest, she was probably lucky that it was only Chloe had that paid her a visit as she had wronged a lot of people in her long life.

“So, you’re saying that our father, faced with permanent extinction, has decided to spent his remaining time tormenting us,” Elijah said dryly, “How delightful,”

Klaus smirked, “Well on the plus side, we’ll soon be rid of his abhorrent soul forever, and what a good riddance that will be.” While he did not appreciate the dreams, this was good news and put him in such a better mood.

Rolling his eyes, Elijah stood from his seat. “Come, we must check up on the Wolves,” He said as he motioned Blair to follow him.

ORIGINALS

After the visit to the Bayou, Elijah and Blair left feeling satisfied. The Werewolves anger had managed to be subdued for now and a plan had been formulated. The plan was to ambush Francesca, taking out her guards and killing her as well as her family – a suggestion from a vindictive Klaus. However, it needed to be timed perfectly otherwise she would catch onto their plans and could risk everything being ruined. Elijah was most eager to get rid of Francesca as she was proving to be a pest. As he had dug into her past, he had discovered there she had made several attempts to get rid of Father Kieran and he suspected as she was behind the most recent attack on him. It seemed as though she was attempted to claw her way into becoming the human faction representative through underhanded means and Elijah refused to allow this to continue. It was only down to sheer luck and the Vampire protection that Father Kieran was under that kept him safe and unharmed.

In the Bayou, Blair had been surprised to see Oliver still breathing – albeit barely. It seemed as though the rest of the pack had been informed about his misdeeds and they had nearly revolted. Jackson had nearly expelled Oliver from the pack but he had begged against this. Instead, Oliver had offered himself up as bait in dealing with Francesca and her pesky family. Seeing the opportunity, Blair had agreed that it was a good idea as Francesca would never guess that she would be double-crossed by Oliver of all people. Reluctantly, Jackson had agreed to the plan and it would soon be in motion very soon.

Now back in the compound, Blair went about doing her daily lessons with Davina. She had found a room within the Abattoir that allowed her and Davina to use magic freely in an offensive manner. Blair had spelled the room so it was soundproof and would repair the damage to the room before their lesson was over – a spell that she had taught Davina. Usually, their lessons in offensive magic went well, Davina was always enthusiastic about it but today she seemed distracted. Her head wasn’t in the lesson and this was very obvious to Blair when Davina was nearly hit with her water whip and barely dodged in time.

Cancelling her water whip, Blair frowned, “What’s going on with you?” For a moment she was concerned that maybe Davina was bored and wanted to move onto other things, which she was more than happy to do if that’s what she needed.

“It’s nothing,” Davina shot down, her gaze trained to the ground.

Blair placed her hands on her hips, “Bullshit. Now tell me what’s going on.”

Pressing her lips together, Davina sighed deeply, “I just… I've been having these dreams lately. Well, they’re more like nightmares,” They had been keeping her up at night for the past couple of weeks and they wouldn’t do away no matter what she did. She had even resorted to using a dreamcatcher and spelling it to no avail. Davina had wanted to ask Blair for help but she felt silly asking for help over some meaningless nightmares. She didn’t want Blair thinking she was childish.

“Go on,” Blair prompted with a wave of her hand.

“They all start out the same, with me back in the Witches Graveyard after my friends got sacrificed for the Harvest,” Davina explained, her expression darkening as she remembered the nightmares that kept her up most of the night, “But then it changes to when I got sacrificed…”

This unnerved Blair, something wasn’t right, “What else happens?”

Davina looked up at the Fae, “At first, it showed Genevieve being sacrificed with Monique being the one to kill her. But it changed since then and I've heard whispers in the background, beckoning me back. It’s like a Siren’s call but it always scares me and I run away… but then I see a baby with Monique standing above the child,” It didn’t make sense to her why she was having these nightmares and it worried her that something was to come. When she held the power of the other three girls inside her, she would often get visions when she slept, but none terrified her as much as these nightmares did.

Falling silent, Blair thought of an answer but it wasn’t good. With her clairvoyant power, she had become very good at picking out details and gathering the meaning and some of the messages was kind of obvious. “I may be wrong, but it sounds like something the Ancestors would send,” This would also conform with the fact the Coven was trying to get Davina back, for what reason was still left unknown. While Blair’s mark stopped them from physically harming her, sending dreams was another issue altogether. Nonetheless, Blair would strike back and maybe send another warning to the Witches as they obviously hadn’t learned their lesson.

Davina nodded her head in agreement, “It also sometimes changes to involve Klaus with all the Vampires. They’ve invaded the city and kill everything in their path, with Klaus laughing in the background. I…always see Tim dead by the end,” Tears stung her eyes as the remembrance of her boyfriend being caught up in the mayhem that followed the Hybrid.

“Ignore the nightmares, nothing will happen to Tim. He's got you to protect him,” Blair said strongly, refusing to let Davina dwell on this any further, “To help, I will start showing you spells on how to fortify your mind from outside influences. They should help,”

“Thank you,” Davina gave a watery smile.

“Now, go relax. It’s been a long day and I can see you’re exhausted,” She could see the bags under Davina’s eyes from the lack of sleep. This was too much stress for such a young girl to handle and it made Blair curse the Ancestors to hell and back for what they were trying to do.

Nodding her head, Davina walked out of the room. Once the young Witch was out of sight, Blair sighed deeply and shook her head. This did not bode well. Blair had a suspicion, a very strong one and she suspected that the Witches were after something that Davina could get access to otherwise, they wouldn’t be bothering her. However, she didn’t know exactly what they needed – yet.

With a wave of her hand, Blair used her magic and repaired the damage to the room before she left. She needed to unwind after this revelation – anything to do with Witches and their schemes always put her in a bad mood. Deciding that she needed a drink, Blair walked out of the room and headed towards the kitchen but she stopped when she heard a familiar yell in the compound.

“Blair!” It was Raphael’s voice and it was filled with panic.

Eyes widening, Blair ran to where she heard the voice and saw Raphael in the courtyard with an unconscious Hayley in his arms. However, he wasn’t alone and Klaus and Elijah were crowding him. Klaus looked pissed whereas Elijah looked slightly annoyed – which was never a good sign. Raphael was never meant to be seen by Klaus but it seemed as though the rouse was up. As the more peaceful one, Elijah walked forward and gently took Hayley from Raphael before placing her on the table nearby.

Blair cursed loudly and ran down the balcony to him, “What happened?” She ignored the two Originals behind her, focused only on Hayley who didn’t seem to be doing very well.

Raphael shook his head, “Hayley attempted to ambush Francesca on her own. But before she could, Monique appeared and tried to hex Hayley. I managed to knock the Witch out before she could do any permanent damage but I just wanted you to look at her in case,” Klaus and Elijah were growling lowly behind him and it sent his heart rate pulsing.

“Why was I not informed about you?” Klaus hissed out dangerously, his gaze trained on Raphael.

“Because I didn’t want you to know,” Blair replied back harshly, glaring at the Hybrid. Her magic sparked at her fingertips, ready for a fight. She knew Klaus would not be happy when he discovered Raphael’s presence and she was prepared for the outcome whatever it may be.

Klaus’ deadly glare turned to her, “He was the Fae that tried to kidnap Hayley,” Raphael had the same scent as the person who attempted to take Hayley all those months ago. It was an incident that he hadn’t forgotten about and he refused to forgive it.

Raphael hung his head in shame.

“It wasn’t his fault!” Blair yelled back angrily.

Taking no notice of her words, Klaus lunged for Raphael, his eyes glowing yellow in anger. Before he could reach Raphael, Blair threw out her magic and sent Klaus flying into the nearby wall. Klaus jumped up and growled at Blair for intervening and was met with glowing purple eyes. Klaus crouched down low as prepared himself for another attack, his gaze darting over to Raphael to keep track of his prey.

“You will not touch him!” Blair shouted out, taking a step towards the Hybrid. Water formed in her hands as she prepared herself to defend Raphael.

Elijah stepped forward, “Niklaus, this is madness. Raphael is not to blame,” He was using his body to guard Hayley where she was. He knew that this altercation could become violent and knew he needed to defend the unconscious Hayley so nothing happened to the baby. Blair had already proven that she could defend herself and he had confidence in her abilities.

Anger flashed in Klaus’ eyes. “You defend him?!”

“He was under the control of the Queen,” Blair argued back fiercely, “He had no say in the matter. It is just like when you use your compulsion on someone,”

“That matters little,” Klaus argued heatedly, “How do we know he isn’t conspiring with your Queen?”

Elijah rolled his eyes as his brother’s paranoia, “Blair has spent a lot of time tearing away the control, that’s why,”

With a snarl, Klaus attacked once more, but this time he attacked Blair. Too fast for her to react, Klaus had her pinned to the wall and his claws scratched her upper arm. Letting out a wounded scream, Blair’s magic pulsed around her and she sent an electric shock through Klaus and watched in satisfaction as the Hybrid fell to the ground in pain. Raphael appeared behind Klaus and threw him away from Blair and then stood in front of her.

“If you should be angry with anyone it should be me,” Raphael said calmly.

“Oh, don’t worry mate, I am,” Klaus smirked wickedly as he stood up, the electric shocks no longer harming him as much anymore as his body healed at an accelerated rate. No longer in pain, he lunged for Raphael once more only to hit what felt like a brick wall. With narrowed eyes, he turned to Blair accusingly. “I will kill you,” He hissed lowly, his blood demanding vengeance.

Elijah cleared his throat, his patience had run out, “ENOUGH!” His loud voice boomed in the courtyard and caused everyone to pause where they were. His dark eyes turned to his brother, who met his stare unrepentantly – no surprises there. “The mother of your child still might be in harm’s way and you’re all squabbling like children,” He then looked to Raphael who appeared slightly sheepish and then Blair who seemed aggravated.

“She’s been keeping secrets from me!” Klaus accused, pointing the finger at Blair.

“Because you’re a fucking maniac!” Blair shouted back.

Raphael bowed his head, “I am sorry, I will go.”

“Good riddance,” Klaus snorted, ignoring the dark look he received from Blair.

Blair scowled at him, “You aren’t going anywhere. Klaus, you still owe me from when I located Elijah for you,” She had not forgotten about her deal with the Original Hybrid. It seemed like a lifetime ago when Klaus had kidnapped her after having that vision but she remembered it well. Blair had been bidding her time, waiting for the right opportunity and now seemed a good a time as any. “It was agreed that you would owe me a favour and I am cashing in on it now. You will not harm Raphael in any way. That is the favour I need.”

Raphael stared at Blair in shock, surprised that she would use that favour for him.

Elijah arched a brow, “Is this true, Niklaus? You owe Blair?”

Growling softly, Klaus nodded his head reluctantly. “That may have happened,”

“Then you will honour that agreement made,” Elijah said, his tone leaving no room for arguments.

Huffing in aggravation, Klaus crossed his arms over his chest, “Fine, I’ll leave him alone,” He then looked to Blair, “But if he steps one toe out of line and tries to take Hayley again then I will kill him,”

Before Blair could protest, Raphael beat her to it. “If that happens, you have my full permission to kill me,” He answered back strongly. He would rather die than fall into the Queen’s control again. It was no life to live.

Surprise flickered in Klaus’ eyes.

Elijah looked to Blair, “May you examine Hayley please?” Now that the situation was resolved, they could now deal with what happened to Hayley and her sudden collapse. He was still keeping an eye on Klaus just in case he decided to renege on his side of the deal.

Blair nodded her head and walked over to Hayley but stopped when Elijah grabbed her arm. “You’re not healing?” Elijah looked down at Blair’s upper arm, which had been cut by Klaus in their altercation. Blood ran down her arm and there was an alluring scent in the air, one that made his gums itch for his teeth to come down. It was a scent he remembered well when Blair had used it to break Papa Tunde’s seal. It was just as delicious now as it was back then.

“It will, the cut is just deeper and needs more time,” Blair answered back, feeling a little unnerved by his intense stare.

“Take some of my blood to heal,” Elijah offered and when Blair sent him a bewildered look, he smirked, “I would rather no one else catch your…alluring scent,” There was no other Vampire in the compound except him and his brother and he was far too absorbed in Raphael to even notice Blair’s enchanting scent. However, it was only a matter of time Elijah would rather not risk it.

Blair flushed red at his words and it only made Elijah’s smirk widen slightly. “Fine,” She muttered lowly. In the corner of her eye, she kept an eye on Raphael and Klaus, who seemed to be silently eyeing up one another. The sound of Elijah biting into his wrist snapped back her attention and she grabbed his arm when it was held out in front of her. That’s when she realised how close they were and it made her nervous. Her shoulder was nearly grazing the soft material of his stylish suit. Slowly, Blair’s lips connected with his arm and she lapped up Elijah’s blood, marvelling at its taste. It didn’t taste metallically but rather sweeter and it made her feel instantly rejuvenated. After a few more gulps, Blair pulled away, “Thank you,” She cleared her throat awkwardly as she stepped back, needing some space between them.  

“No problems,” Elijah watched in satisfaction as Blair’s face remained flush. There was something about Blair that drew him to her. Ever since he had met Blair, he had felt this pulling sensation and he always seemed to gravitate towards her. He couldn’t explain it as his emotions had been clouded by the Hayley situation but now that was no longer a distraction, he couldn’t deny the connection. Seeing her drink his blood did something to him and made the most primal part of himself pure in satisfaction.

Breathing in deeply, Blair tried to calm her down heart rate down, something she was sure Elijah had noticed considering the large smirk on his face. Focusing her attention on Hayley, she walked over to the pregnant Wolf and did a diagnostic spell on her. Slowly, Blair left her magic flow and she closed her eyes to fully focus on the situation – and try to avoid Elijah’s heated gaze. As her magic stretched over Hayley, she soon found the issue and opened her eyes, cancelling the diagnostic spell. Instead, she moved her hand over to Hayley’s head and began extracting the hex that was started but never finished.

“What happened to her?” Klaus demanded, having decided that Blair had enough time to find out what the issue was.

Opening her eyes, she turned to see everyone looking at her, waiting for an answer. “Hayley was nearly hexed. It seems as though Monique started it but she never got to finish it. That means all I have to do is remove it, which will be very easy. Without Raphael’s intervention, this would have been a different conversation,”

Raphael flushed slightly at the praise and smiled in silent thanks.

Klaus stared at Raphael for a moment before nodding his head. “You may have your uses yet,” He murmured lowly.

“But why would the Witches attempt to harm Hayley?” Elijah asked, unable to understand the reasoning behind the attack.

Blair smirked but that soon dropped when that familiar sense of foreboding hit her hard. Something didn’t add up. Why had Monique attempted to hex Hayley? In her current state, hexing her would have forced Hayley to lose the baby or deliver it very early – and away from any medical facilities. Davina’s nightmares came to mind and her thoughts started to race around almost manically. Very quickly, the memory of her final vision sprang to mind and it started to make more sense. In the scene where Hayley was being held down my three people – Genevieve, Monique and another Witch and Klaus were screaming in the background. They were helping to deliver the baby. They wanted the baby.

“What’s wrong?” Elijah asked with a frown. He had noticed how pale Blair had turned very suddenly and it worried him that something was wrong with Hayley.

Turning her head, Blair stopped healing Hayley briefly, “Please tell me that your child wouldn’t be part Witch,”

“Our mother was a very powerful Witch, so yes. Our child would be part Witch also,” Klaus replied back with an arched brow.

Blair looked back to an unconscious Hayley, dread filling her. “I have a theory… one that could be completely wrong but something tells me that I am not. I think the Witches are after the baby for the Harvest,” Davina’s nightmares had only solidified this theory and she had hoped this wasn’t the case but after today she could no longer deny it.

A deadly silence passed in the courtyard.

“This better not be a joke,” Klaus snarled lowly.

Blair shook her head, “I am not. Davina has had nightmares that indicate this theory and I trust those nightmares. It would also explain Genevieve’s presence, who should have been put back in the ground for the power to flow.” There was no way she was mentioning her own vision. She knew that the moment Klaus found out then she would try and use her powers, just like everyone else.

“It would explain Genevieve’s constant presence,” Elijah said grimly.

Raphael’s face paled at this realisation. There was nothing he could say that could refute this claim as it made sense.

Turning around, Klaus stormed off. There was a certain Witch that he needed to speak to – and the possibility of having to rip out her heart while he was at it.

 

Chapter 22: Chapter 22

A couple of days had passed and things had been tense. Klaus had come back from his low mood with a vengeance and helped finalise the attack against Francesca and her family. He was meticulous in his planning and Blair was impressed with his finesse for violence and revenge. If this plan went ahead as planned then Francesca and her whole family would be dead by midnight. Klaus had also been very good about Raphael’s presence in the compound and it even seemed as if he liked Raphael, which boggled Blair. In all fairness, the male Fae was trying his best not to offend Klaus too much because he was now living in the French Quarter since Hayley had moved back in. Hayley had agreed to move back in – though she did so reluctantly – as she understood she was still a target for the Witches and the near hexing had shaken her up. She had also been scolded for her impatience in regards to the attempted ambush on Francesca and was now excused from any planning as punishment. She had thrown a fit and expected Jackson and the rest of the pack to back her up but they had all surprisingly agreed with Elijah and Klaus’ suggestion, much to Hayley dismay. 

In a weird twist of events, Blair and Klaus seemed to have bonded over their plan to get revenge on the Witches. Klaus had felt used by Genevieve – even though he was using her too – whereas Blair just wanted to make some Witches pay. Davina had also joined in with these plans against the Witches, much to the surprise of a lot of people except for Blair who understood why Davina would want retribution against her own kind. The plan that had been devised was a slow one and would require patience. Klaus would continue to string Genevieve along, making her believe that he still needed her and then they would all strike when they least expected it. Seeing Klaus in action while charming Genevieve had been a surprise to Blair and she found that he could be quite the convincing actor.

That morning, Blair was in town, doing some shopping. This served to make her joyous mood even greater because she felt like she was riding on a high but even she knew it wouldn’t last long – her happiness never did. For that day, she was dressed in a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a white tank top, a grey suede jacket and black ankle boots.

The French Quarter was buzzing with activity, all the humans unaware of the war that pending. Blair sighed drearily, ignorance certainly was bliss. New Orleans was full of supernatural beings and yet they hadn’t been discovered, now that was surprising considering how careless some Witches and Vampires had been in the past few months. Blair was snapped out of her thoughts when a human male walked up to her, a phone in hand.

“Marcel would like to speak with you,” The man said, his eyes glazed over with compulsion.

Blair glared down at the offending phone. She was tempted to tell the human to go away but knew it would do no good. The human was under Marcel’s compulsion and would do nothing to deter him. Instead, Blair took the phone and placed it close to her ear, “Hello Marcel. How has the nightlife been?”

“I want my ring back,” Marcel demanded over the phone.

Blair snorted, “As if that’s going to happen,” After thwarting his attack during the Witches celebration, she had stolen his daylight ring. It was currently in her possession, hidden away where only she could access it.

Marcel growled lowly making Blair smirk. “If you don’t give my ring back, I’ll take someone else’s,”

“Then I will simply take that one too,” Blair replied back instantly while checking over her nails. She was due for a manicure and was tempted to treat herself to one if she had time. Plotting people’s murders took time and effort and she found she was a slightly out of practice.

The line was silent for a moment. The silence stretched on so long that Blair thought that he had hung up. But then Marcel’s voice was back, “What have the Mikaelson’s got on you? Why are you working for them?”

“That is none of your business,” Blair answered back while rolling her eyes. It was so dull that he had formulated that conclusion. Klaus and Elijah had nothing on her and if she wanted to leave then she would in a heartbeat. The only thing keeping her in this city was the promise that she had made to Chloe. As soon as the baby was born, she planned to place some protection spells on the child and then she was gone along with Davina. Her promise to Chloe would be fulfilled and therefore there would be no reason for her to stay in New Orleans anymore.

“I can help you if you need to get free of them,” Marcel offered, trying to be charming, “If we work together then we can bring down the Mikaelson’s,”

Blair snorted loudly, “As if I would ever work with you.” It was laughable that Marcel was trying to build up power to take back the city but Blair knew it would never work. Klaus would never let go of this city now that he finally got it back. Marcel no longer had the support of the Vampires, they had all abandoned him. He only had three Vampires on his side altogether and one of them was a spy planted by Elijah and Thierry was no longer alive. Marcel was desperate for allies and Blair found it very pitiful.

“Then give Davina back,” Marcel demanded once more.

“Davina is not a possession!” Blair snapped back before she reeled in her anger. Taking a deep breath, Blair calmed herself down before she drew in the attention of the humans, “Davina has made her choice and you are not a part of her life. If you even try to come for her again, I will kill you and I will make it hurt,” He was testing her patience and Blair wasn’t sure he had any regard for his life. Marcel was too arrogant that Klaus wouldn’t kill him because of their shared past – same with Elijah, but Blair held none of that nostalgia and she would kill him with no remorse.

“I will get Davina back,” Marcel vowed.

“Try it,” Blair hissed lowly, “and see what happens,” Ending the call, Blair handed the phone back to the compelled human and walked away, feeling her anger climb even higher. She hated Marcel and his arrogance and she swore she would make him regret even talking to her. Blair didn’t make it ten steps before she received a message on her phone. Taking out her phone, she saw that it was a text message from Elijah, the only contact she had on the phone.

Come back to the Abattoir, there has been a development – Elijah.

With a sigh, Blair turned around and walked back in the direction of the compound. It seemed as though the shopping trip would need to be delayed until further notice. She knew this newfound happiness wouldn’t last long.

It didn’t long for Blair to make her way back to the Abattoir and when she did, she was greeted to an unusual scene – though she shouldn’t have been surprised considering who she lived with. In the courtyard, there was a human tied to a chair with a gag over his mouth. He was surrounded by Elijah, Klaus and Camille – now Blair was surprised to see the bartender because she had avoided the compound like the plague since Genevieve had taken to sleeping with Klaus. They all seemed to discuss something, Klaus and Camille arguing over something whereas Elijah seemed exasperated. The human was glaring at everyone, hatred in his dark eyes but his focus seemed to be more on Camille than anything.

“What happened here?” Blair asked as she announced her presence.

Camille looked to the Fae and recognition shined in her eyes, “I remember you. You came into my apartment with Davina and helped break Klaus’ compulsion,” When she had asked Davina about Blair, Davina had been rather vague, not giving away too much information but Camille could see that Davina held Fae in high regards.

“Not important,” Blair said, ignoring the glare that Klaus sent her way, “Who is he?” She pointed to the human that was tied to the chair. There was blood pouring from an open wound on the man’s head, showing that there had been a struggle and she doubted that Elijah and Klaus had been the ones to inflict these wounds. They would have done much worse with their supernatural strength.

“This man is Carlos Correa,” Elijah explained, getting to the point of the matter, “He attempted to kidnap Camille,”

“And we thought to use him as leverage against his sister,” Klaus smirked viciously. When he had received a frantic call from Camille, he had run straight over. Camille had been near hysterics as she feared she had killed someone but luckily Carlos was just unconscious. He would wake with a killer headache but very much alive.

Blair arched a brow, “Oh, now that’s intriguing,” She didn’t see why someone would want to kidnap Camille, except if they were trying to aggravate Klaus. It was obvious that the Hybrid held some affection for the bartender and this could very easily be exploited. However, Blair suspected there was more to this issue than was being said.

Camille nodded her head, her heart rate rising, “That’s not the only thing. Francesca and her family have been harassing me and my uncle for weeks. They’re after this key and it wasn’t until yesterday that I found out why,” After years of suspicion, Camille had finally figured out what her uncle’s secret was. Apparently, for the last three hundred years, her family had tried to keep the peace between humans and the supernatural and she suspected Sean was killed because of this. “Kieran showed me the room and it is filled with weapons and books, all stuff that talks about the supernatural,”

“Why would Francesca want that?” Elijah asked with a frown.

“There is a book in the room with detailed records of supernatural people, like a list.” Camille continued quickly, not mentioning the other files, dark objects that had been enchanted by Witches and items that had been blessed by the Fae. “In the records, it showed someone called Gabriel Guerrera being adopted by the Correa family. This was very shortly after Marcel had all the Guerrera Wolves killed,” When Marcel had told her this, she had been disgusted that he had committed such an act. Slowly, he had been trying to get back into her good graces but this was something Camille could not overlook.

Blair’s eyes widened for a moment as she looked at Carlos. Guerrera’s were a very well-known Werewolf pack, she would often hear the Alpha of the New Zealand pack refer to the family as ruthless. Elijah and Klaus seemed to share her surprise. They had dealt with some of the Guerrera family when they were last in New Orleans. Klaus remembered then well, though not fondly. He found them to be a brutish pack of thieves and killers with no honour. They had all been assumed dead after Marcel had them killed off but it seemed as though he missed one.

Everyone turned to look at Carlos, who glared at Camille in hatred.

“I think you’re onto something, Camille,” Klaus smirked widely.

“He must be untriggered, that’s how you overpowered him,” Blair said as she spared Camille a glance. If Carlos had triggered his curse then Camille would have been easily overwhelmed. Werewolves possessed a higher level of strength even in human form.

Camille swallowed nervously but didn’t dispute what was being said.

Elijah hummed softly, “However, it seems unusual that a woman of Francesca’s ambition to not trigger her curse,” While there were some disadvantages to being a Werewolf, there was also some advantages and so this made it odd.

Walking over to Carlos, Klaus forcibly removed his gag. “I suggest you start talking before I kill you, mate,” He said with an unnervingly charming smile.

“Go to hell,” Carlos spat out angrily.

Quicker than anyone could react, Klaus, slapped Carlos across the face. Carlos cried out, feeling his teeth accidentally cut through his lip at the sudden action and he cursed lowly. Camille let out a small gasp and looked away at the sight of blood.

“You’re a human, so you heal very slowly. But I can prolong your pain by feeding you my blood and our fun can continue for however long I deem fit,” Klaus said as he circled Carlos like the prey he was.

Carlos sneered at Klaus but didn’t say anything.

Elijah stepped closer, “I would suggest complying. If you don’t, we’ll make sure your family suffers before we kill them,” If all went to plan then all of them would be dead regardless. However, they could suffer before they died and this was something was pack were howling for. Francesca was the main target but her family was just as good too.

Slight fear flashed through Carlos’ eyes.

Blair looked to Camille, “I suggest leaving before it gets ugly,” She could see how eager Elijah and Klaus were to torture Carlos and sensed that Camille wouldn’t have the stomach to watch. The bartender was already paler than paper and knew she wouldn’t last much longer.

Nodding her head, Camille quickly left the compound, needing something to calm her down.

Sensing that Camille was now gone, Klaus smirked wickedly, “Now, the fun can begin,” He had been holding back for Camille’s sake but now he could act freely.

This time, pure dread radiated from Carlos.

An hour had passed and it didn’t take long for Carlos to break. He had acted like he could handle pain but as soon as Klaus started to remove his fingernails one by one, Carlos was done. He screamed that he’d have them all killed for what they were doing but that quickly changed when Klaus offered his blood to soothe the pain, he was in. Drunk on Vampire blood, he had told them everything. According to him, Francesca’s main goal was to steal the moonlight rings from under Klaus’ nose and use them for herself and her family, who would then trigger their curse to gain even more power. They would then take control of New Orleans and it would be under the control of the Guerrera family. Francesca had also made a deal with the Witches, where they would get rid of Klaus, Elijah and Blair, if Genevieve handed over the rings that she would spell. Carlos had also revealed that the suicide bomber in the Bayou had been sent by Francesca – the man had been in a lot of debt to the casino and Francesca offered to wipe the debt if he did this little favour. The attack served as a warning and a show of power to turn the tides against the Vampires. Luckily, it hadn’t worked otherwise there would have been bloodshed. Once Carlos had served his purpose, Blair knocked him unconscious, knowing that he would come in handy later. 

“Well, that was informative,” Blair commented dryly.

“The plan is still happening tonight, right?” Elijah checked, looking to his brother for confirmation. These transgressions could no longer go unpunished and he was itching to make Francesca and her family pay for what she had done.

Klaus nodded his head grimly, “Heads will roll tonight,”

Elijah looked to Blair, “Has Raphael reported any issues?”

Shaking her head, Blair answered him, “No, everything is going smoothly,” Earlier that morning, Raphael, Davina, Jackson and Oliver had all set out to pick up a large shipment of kyanite stones, which would be used to create the moonlight rings. They were very rare, pricy and hard to locate, but luckily Klaus and Elijah seemed to know a guy who could supply enough to dress a small army and money was of no issue to them. They were going to pick it up and bring it to New Orleans. Raphael had his orders, that if anything went wrong, he was to take the stones and Davina and flee the scene as soon as possible. It wouldn’t surprise Blair if Francesca had something planned to make sure this didn’t happen but Blair was prepared for this. As another contingency plan, Davina could easily magically transport the stones – a spell Blair had taught her for this exact purpose. Jackson and Oliver were basically the muscle of the group and Oliver wanted to atone for what he had done so it was a win-win.

“Will the stones be here in time?” Klaus asked.

“They will,” Blair said confidently. She had checked in mentally with Raphael to get a status report and they were already on their way back to New Orleans. They would be back in a few hours with the stones and she would spell them. Since she and Klaus agreed that Genevieve could not be allowed anywhere the stones, Blair had agreed to take the Witch’s place in the plan so now the moonlight rings would be created by her.

“Good, let’s prepare for war, shall we?” Klaus smirked widely.

ORIGINALS

Night had fallen and everything was in place. The kyanite stones had been delivered by Davina and Raphael and Blair was just adding the finishing touches to the spell. Reluctantly, Blair had to glance at Esther’s notes on the moonlight rings as this wasn’t a spell that the Fae was familiar with. As much as she would like to deny it, the spell was complex, even more so than a daylight ring but she was more than up to the challenge.

“Do you have everything you need?” Klaus asked curiously as he watched the Fae set everything up. She had drawn a circle and filled the circle with twelve stones, the first batch of many moonlight rings to come. A lot of kyanite stones had been brought back – nearing a hundred and fifty – and so there was a lot of spare if anything went wrong.

Blair nodded her head, “I think I have everything I need,”

Klaus arched a brow, “Really? Genevieve said that she would need my blood for the spell and a full moon,” He had allowed Genevieve to live – for now – and she was still under the belief she was enchanting the moonlight rings for him but at a later date.

Blair scoffed, “The only reason she would need your blood was to weaken you. Whoever wears these rings using your blood would channel you and therefore weaken you. This would make the wearer very powerful and you, very weak,”

Growling softly, Klaus felt his hatred for the Witches grow to higher levels.

“This spell also doesn’t need to be completed on a full moon. Genevieve may have needed to draw on the full moon for more power but I do not need it,” Blair further answered with a smirk. It was almost amusing how much of the Witch’s lies that Klaus had fallen for and it made her wonder what they would do without her sometimes.

Klaus sent her a glare, “Just get it done,”

Rolling her eyes, Blair got back to work and looked at Esther’s notes once more. “I just want to check something first. These twelve stones will allow the users access their wolf abilities, even their venom, and the other stones will not,” The original spell was very basic, only allowing the wearer to control when they shift, much like how the daylight ring only protects Vampires from the sun, but Klaus had demanded that these extra skills be added too. It was because of this request that Blair had spent a lot of time weaving these factors into the spell while trying not to mess up the entire enchantment altogether.

“Of course,” Klaus responded with a smirk, “We can’t have all the Wolves having access to that much power, only the ones that can be trusted,” Only certain Wolves would get the privilege of wearing the special rings. The limited number included; Hayley, Jackson and a few other Wolves that had earned it. Klaus was very much aware of Jackson’s ambition to take back New Orleans and Klaus had no intentions of giving him that opportunity.

Blair nodded her head in agreement, seeing Klaus’ perceptive of the situation. If the Wolves were given too much power too quickly, it would go to their heads and inflate their egos. New Orleans had already experienced too many battles in a short space of time, there needed to be some respite on all sides and this couldn’t be done if the Wolves were threatening to take over.

Looking at the clock, Klaus realised that he was needed elsewhere. “I expect those rings to be done when I get back,” He walked out with a smug smirk that made Blair sneer but she held her tongue.

Turning back to the kyanite stones, Blair grabbed some chalk and began drawing some complex seals. It was needed to direct where her magic would flow so each stone received the same amount of magic. This spell required a high level of power but in a balanced manner otherwise, it wouldn’t work. Blair sensed for Klaus but found that he was no longer in the compound and this made her smirk. Only Elijah and Hayley were present. Hayley was in her room, where she was safe and hidden behind a sea of spells and Elijah was acting as a guard until he was called away. It was very likely that Marcel would show his face if he caught a whiff of chaos, more than likely trying to kidnap Davina and his daylight ring. Davina and Raphael were with the Wolves, helping out with kidnaping Francesca and her brothers and the male Fae had specific instructions to keep Davina safe. If there was even a chance that things turning south, he was to run with her in hand.

Inhaling deeply, Blair began the spell. She chanted out a few archaic words and allowed her magic to flow into the chalk circle. Each of the twelve stones lit up like lights and they slowly lifted off the table. She was so absorbed into the spell that she didn’t hear or sense anyone else entering the room until it was too late. A loud gunshot pierced the room and suddenly, all Blair felt was a pain in her chest. Crying out in agony, Blair fell to the ground, and so did the stones as the magic stopped flowing through them. Turning her head, Blair spotted a man in the doorway, a gun in hand.

“Where is he?!” The man shouted.

Blair glared at the human, “Who?!” She yelled back in anger, her eyes flaring an ominous purple colour.

“My brother,” The man said back, his jaw clenched.

Suddenly, it clicked. This man was one of the Correa brothers, also an untriggered Guerrera Wolf. The more Blair stared at him, the more she could see the resemblance between him and Carlos. “Oh, great. Another one of you,” She muttered lowly. She wondered where Elijah was and how he could have allowed this human to slip past. Something must have happened to keep Elijah occupied.

The gun clicking was the only warning before Blair felt another bullet enter her body. She hissed loudly as it burned. She was pretty sure they were iron bullets or lined with iron at least because the burn was very similar.

“Tell me where he is?!” The human yelled out again.

“Stop fucking shooting me!” Blair yelled at him, forcibly pulling out the bullet inside her. The first one had shot through her but the second one was lodged into her shoulder and she needed to get it out so she could heal. Throwing the bloody bullet away from her, her shoulder continued to burn but at least it didn’t burn as badly anymore.

The human stomped closer to her that’s when she attacked. Waving her hand, her eyes glowed purple as water materialised behind the human. With a snap of her finger, the water hardened and formed into ice and shot at the human. It pierced through his head and through into his eye socket, instantly killing him. The male Correa gargled some words before he fell to the ground, lifeless. Blood pooled out from his eye socket and Blair made the ice disappear, turning it back into liquid. Blair stared down at the lifeless human with no remorse, her only regret was not letting him watch Carlos as he died. The whole Correa family was going to die anyway, that much was certain.

Turning back to the kyanite stones, Blair stood up and began chanting from the beginning. Since the incantation had been interrupted, she needed to start all over again and this made her mentally curse. This was going to take longer than she originally planned. She was supposed to head to the Bayou when this was over but it seemed as though she would be delayed. Klaus wouldn’t be happy but he would just have to deal with it. The stones once again lit up and lifted themselves up into the air as she worked her magic.

Blair didn’t know how much time had passed but she was done. She had made twelve moonlight amulets that could be fashioned into jewellery, but that fully depended on the wearer’s taste. Now finished with her task, Blair grabbed the twelve kyanite stones and placed all of them in a protective box for safekeeping. Klaus and Elijah planned to present Hayley with a moonlight ring and so she would leave them to that task. Expanding her senses, Blair realised that Elijah was no longer in the compound. She assumed that he must have been called away and that’s probably how one of Francesca’s brothers got to her. Just as she realised this, she received a text. Grabbing her phone from her pocket, she saw that the text was from Elijah.

We have Francesca. Bring Carlos to the Bayou alive – Elijah.

Blair grinned and walked over to the basement, where Carlos was being held. However, before she could make it to the basement, she sensed a presence in the Abattoir’s entrance. With a frown, Blair changed directions and saw Genevieve stood there with a pained expression on her face. The moment she spotted Blair, her shoulders dropped.

“Please, I need your help,” Genevieve begged, desperation in her voice.

Arching a brow, Blair stared at the Witch, “What?” The last person she expected to run into was Genevieve but it seemed as though the universe liked to throw curveballs at her.

Genevieve walked further into the compound, “I can’t do it anymore. They’re asking for too much and… I just can’t do it!” As she spoke, her voice started to get higher as she became more hysterical. She had been holding this guilt inside her for so long and she couldn’t handle it anymore.

“Who are you talking about?” Blair asked with a frown. She had never seen the Witch so guilt-ridden before. Actually, Blair couldn’t recall ever seeing a Witch act like Genevieve and it made her curious to know what had happened.

Genevieve stopped and stared at the Fae sadly, “The Ancestors. They’re after the baby,”

Blair mentally cursed that she had been right. “Why?” She demanded, wanting more answers. She wondered if her theory was right – she hoped it was wrong but this was the perfect time to get the answers they needed.

“They want to consecrate the baby’s body to complete the Harvest. It was supposed to be me but the Ancestors decided they wanted someone else when I asked to be spared,” Genevieve admitted lowly, ashamed that she had been part of this. She had wanted a second chance at life since Rebekah had stolen hers. She had begged the Ancestors to have someone take her place and they had, but unfortunately, it was a baby.

“Bastards,” Blair cursed loudly, she had hoped that her theory was wrong but it wasn’t.

However, Genevieve wasn’t done. “Also, the main voice that has been commanding this is Esther, the Original Witch,” Genevieve continued, feeling a weight lift from her chest as she admitted this. It had been weighing on her since Esther had started communicating with them – mainly through Monique.

Blair’s eye twitched at the news, this did not bode well. She knew both Elijah and Klaus would not react well to this information. It was their hasty actions by allowing their mother’s bones to be consecrated that started all this. “Why come to me with this? Witches aren’t meant to trust my kind?” Blair asked with a challenging brow.

Quickly, Genevieve snatched Blair’s hands, causing the Fae’s eyes to widen slightly. “I need you to stop them. This baby is innocent and shouldn’t be pulled into this. The Ancestors should have never asked for this,” She had been on the other side, been one of the Ancestors that guided the young Witches when they asked for counsel and never before had this been requested. Killing a baby was something that went against every moral in Genevieve’s body. If there was a way around this situation then she was going to find it – and Blair was her best chance.

Blair was silent for a moment as she considered Genevieve’s words. They were genuine and sincere and that’s what shook her. “No harm will come to that baby, that I can promise you,” Blair replied, her words binding. Blair had already promised to protect that child for Chloe and she intended to fulfil that promise no matter what. Certainly, Maeve and the Witches were not getting their hands on this child either.

Genevieve sighed in relief, her shoulders sagging as she released Blair’s hands. “Thank you,” Suddenly, there was a nervous energy around her and this made Blair frown in question. “I actually… have another request,” Genevieve admitted slowly, her gaze unsteady.

“Get on with it already,” Blair said impatiently. She did not have time for this, she needed to head to the Bayou with Carlos but Genevieve was getting in her way. Blair mentally cursed her curious nature, she should have turned the Witch away.

Inhaling deeply, Genevieve’s gaze remained locked on the floor. “I would like to ask for your protection like you’ve protected Davina,”

Unable to hide her surprise, Blair’s eyes widened, “What?”

Gaining more confidence, Genevieve looked at her, “You offered Davina your protection and this stopped the Ancestors from harming her. I need the same protection. If I can’t get them this child then they will kill me and I don’t want to die,”

For a moment, Blair was stunned to silence. Davina was another topic altogether because she was young and vulnerable, whereas Genevieve was a grown woman who was powerful in her own right. Genevieve was actually the Witch elder at the moment and yet she was seeking protection from her – a Fae – and they are meant to hate each other’s kind. Before Blair could give an answer, she received another text and she looked at it, needing a distraction.

Where are you? – Elijah

“I can’t deal with this right now, I am needed elsewhere,” Blair said, shaking her head, snapping out of her shock. She turned around to walk in the direction of the basement, needing to grab Carlos before she left.

Genevieve watched her go, biting her lip. She hoped that Blair would at least consider her request because she didn’t know what else to do. She just hoped the Ancestors never found out about this conversation.

Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Blair arrived at the Bayou with an unconscious Carlos. It hadn’t taken her long to arrive at the specified location but it felt like she had missed a lot because the scene she walked into was a spectacle. In the middle of the clearing was a beat-up Francesca and the rest of her brothers, except Carlos and the one she had just killed. Surrounding the clearing were the Wolves as well as the Originals, Davina and Raphael. From the atmosphere that Blair had just walked into, she could tell that this was no longer an interrogation but an execution.

Elijah was the first to spot her, “Did you bring him?” He asked, immediately noticing the bloody marks on her top and finding himself unhappy. He could not smell her blood but the holes in her shirt were similar to bullet holes and this concerned him.

As a response, Blair threw Carlos into the clearing for everyone to see.

The moment Francesca saw her older brother, she started to cry and call out his name but Carlos didn’t respond as he was unconscious. He wouldn’t wake up until Blair commanded it and it wasn’t time yet.

“We're missing one,” Klaus commented with a scowl. He wanted all of the Guerrera’s to suffer and he was missing one. He refused to repeat the same mistake that Marcel had made by missing one, even if it was an infant

“No, we’re not,” Blair answered him, making everyone look in her direction, “One of her brothers ambushed me when I was spelling the stones. He’s now dead,” The smirk that Blair gave was nothing short of malicious.

Francesca let out a pained cry, feeling the loss of her eldest brother, Antonio. She could see by the smug Fae’s expression that her brother was dead and dearly wished her family had dealt with the Fae when they had the chance. Francesca glared at Blair in hatred, but Blair’s smirk just grew wider, revelling in Francesca’s pain.

Klaus smirked, “Having fun without us, are we?”

“It was self-defence. He had iron bullets,” Blair shrugged her shoulders in nonchalance but on the inside, she was seething. The bullets had hurt and were unusual as bullets were not typically made from iron as it was too brittle. But someone had specially made these bullets to deal with her kind and made Blair angsty.

“Nevertheless, shall we begin?” Elijah cut in, looking between his brother and Blair.

“We shall,” Klaus said as he snapped his fingers, instantly caused the Crescent Wolves to advance. While they were in their human forms, they were no less deadly with their anger and thirst for vengeance.

The human pack surrounded the Guerrera’s and attacked without hesitation. Members of the pack held up the Guerrera’s, restraining them and began a brutal attack on them. Jackson was particularly vicious, not holding back his punches as his fists nearly caved in a man’s head through his sheer strength. It was a full moon later that night so the pack was feeling the jitters for what was to come and their adrenaline was through the roof. This was the reason tonight was chosen as the night of the attack as the Crescent Wolves would have the advantage over the Guerrera’s.

The first Guerrera to die was Domonique, the youngest of the bunch. The pack had shown him no mercy, his face was black, blue and swollen beyond recognition. Once the pack had toyed with him enough, Oliver had been the one to snap Domonique’s neck and then he was thrown to the ground like trash. Oliver was there to get his revenge against the family that tricked him against his pack. He had only been allowed to join in by the skin of his teeth and because Eve had begged on his behalf for mercy. The next of the Guerrera line to die was Benito. His death was not a quick one as every bone in his body was snapped in several places and the Wolves allowed him no chance to pass out from the pain, slapping him awake every time he attempted to nod off. It was actually Eve who gave the killing blow on Benito, whether it was on purpose or accidental but now she has activated her curse, meaning she would turn into a Werewolf for the first time tonight.

As Blair watched, she mentally reminded herself to give Eve a moonlight stone. That woman deserved one after everything she had been through.

It was Carlos that was last to die out of the brothers. Blair had woken him up using her magic as she didn’t want him missing out on the fun. Jackson had been the one to give the killing blow, caving Carlos’ head in with multiple punches. Blood was pouring out of every hole on Carlos’ face. It was so thickly caked with blood that it took Blair a few moments to realise that it was actually Carlos. However, even though he was already dead, Jackson did not stop his assault, seeming to not know that he had killed the man – or he just didn’t care. It took a few people to rip Jackson away from the bloodied body but once he was removed, Jackson seemed to calm down significantly and then all eyes turned on Francesca.

Francesca had watched this all happen, screaming out all the names of her siblings. She had screamed so much that her voice was hoarse and her throat raw. She had watched as all her brothers had been brutally killed, killed in ways that were so horrific and were ingrained in her brain evermore. While she never saw Antonio’s death, she hoped it wasn’t as bad as her other brothers’ deaths as she didn’t know if her heart could take that horror.

“And then there was one,” Klaus commented with his arms crossed. He, Elijah and Blair had watched the entire scene, watching everything unfold at such a fast pace. Klaus had known the Crescent Wolves were out for blood but seeing it in action was another thing altogether. It had been glorious to watch and Klaus found himself enjoying this moment.

Francesca let out a whimper. It was such a low sound that Blair nearly missed it but she still heard it nonetheless. Blair could even hear the human’s heart frantically beat in her chest, giving away just now nervous she was.

Jackson turned to Klaus and glared, “She’s ours,”

“That’s wasn’t part of the agreement,” Elijah cut in, levelling Jackson with a stern gaze. A verbal agreement had been drawn up between the two factions. For their assistance in everything, Klaus and Elijah had wanted one thing; Francesca. They wanted to be the ones to kill her and the pack had agreed with this. To see Jackson attempting to renege on this deal annoyed Elijah and found his respect for the Alpha diminishing.

“It’s obvious they’ve forgotten their place,” Klaus said with a feral grin, “After all, it was us that offered them a chance to be free of their curse, and to what thanks?”

Jackson growled lowly in the back of his throat. His form was tenser than before as his whole pack began muttering to themselves, not feeling confident anymore. They had all agreed that they wouldn’t allow Klaus or Elijah to boss them around as they weren’t the Alpha of the pack.

Klaus looked to Blair, “You finished the moonlight rings, did you not?”

Blair nodded her head, “Twelve stones have been charmed and I can easily make more,” Her eyes scanned the area and found every unshifted Wolf looking at her. In some of their eyes, there was hope but also apprehension.

Jackson deflated slightly at this news, “If we give you Francesca, we will all be given rings,” Jackson demanded, attempting to assert his dominance on the situation.

Blair mentally commended him, not many would try and do this to Klaus or Elijah.

However, it seemed as though Klaus did not share her same admiration, “You will get a ring when I say,” Klaus hissed lowly, irritation in his voice. The Wolf inside him did not take this challenge lightly and he found himself wanted to kill Jackson for this defiance. While Klaus may not have a conventional pack, he was Alpha.

Remaining silent, Blair couldn’t help but inwardly smirk. Yes, Klaus could give out the rings to whoever he pleased, but Blair had put her own stamp on it. At her command, she could simply unspell the stones so then it was just a pretty rock. It was a failsafe in case something happened, like if the Wolves decided to take over New Orleans. However, she wouldn’t reveal this titbit of information because she didn’t want Klaus to know just yet. Though, she would find his reaction very amusing when it happened.

Clearing his throat, Elijah stepped forward, “You have all had your fun, now it is our turn,” He said, looking down at the dead bodies of the Guerrera’s. He had been patient but even he was starting to feel a little exasperated at the situation. The Wolves were getting greedy and he refused to let them overindulge.

With a clenched jaw, Jackson had no choice and backed down, even though his inner Wolf was roaring at him not to. When he stepped back, so did the rest of his pack. Now there were no issues, Klaus walked forward until he was in front of Francesca. She attempted to crawl backwards but Elijah appeared behind her, blocking the exit. The pack circled the area, all eager to watch Francesca’s execution since they couldn’t participate.

“Killing me will resolve nothing,” Francesca said, her heart pumping rapidly in her chest.

“That is where you are mistaken,” Elijah answered her, meeting her eyes unflinchingly, “It will make everyone happier if you die,” This activity of hunting the Guerrera family down had united two factions – maybe three factions as the humans were not happy about the attempts on Father Kieran’s life. This was the first time Vampires and Werewolves were on the same side, but hopefully not the last.

Klaus smirked widely, “My brother is right. But I am feeling rather parched, care to share?” Without waiting for a reply, Klaus went in for the kill. He roughly grabbed Francesca by the shoulders and yanked her up. He then savagely bit into her neck, not caring when she shrieked out in pain as her neck was torn to pieces. Klaus drank violently from Francesca, taking long sporadic gulps of the blood. Francesca attempted to fight but found that she didn’t have the strength to combat against the Original Hybrid. After a few seconds, Francesca’s face became pale and ashen, proving just how much Klaus had drunk. Just as Francesca was about to pass out, Klaus withdrew his fangs but held onto the woman.

“Nothing better than a hearty meal,” Klaus smirked with blood all over his face.

Elijah rolled his eyes and removed his handkerchief from his breast pocket. “Do not be so unsightly, Niklaus,” He handed his brother the handkerchief and watched as Klaus wiped away all the blood. Elijah hated it when any of his siblings drank chaotically, even hated it when he was human. The worst offender was Kol, but Elijah also understood that this messiness was more show than anything so he didn’t complain too much.

“Just kill me,” Francesca whispered weakly.

“Oh, you will die, there is no doubt about that,” Klaus replied back, tightening his hold on the woman. “But let’s not forget Elijah,” Just as he finished speaking, Francesca let out a pained screamed as a hand forced itself into her chest cavity from behind.

Blair watched with a blank expression as Elijah pulled out Francesca’s heart and let it fall to the ground. The Guerrera family was well and truly dead. Everyone single was one of them was dead and there was no way that one of them for away. Blair looked around and realised that she couldn’t sense Raphael or Davina. She realised she had been so absorbed in this drama, they had slipped her mind.

‘Raphael, where are you and Davina?’ Blair asked through their connection.

His reply was fairly quick, ‘I and Davina are back at the compound. We left when you arrived. I didn’t think you wanted Davina seeing what was about to happen,’

Looking around the scene before her, she watched as some of the Crescent Wolves began pulling the dead bodies in one place, planning to burn them. This was so there would be no evidence of what went down. No doubt the disappearance of Francesca and her family would be hot news and so it was best to cover their tracks. However, if any humans did cotton on, compulsion always came in handy. ‘Good call,’ Blair answered back. The massacre of the Guerrera line had been bloody and brutal, there was no way she wanted Davina to see that, she had already been through so much. ‘How is she?’

‘She’s fine,’ Raphael answered back, ‘But…’

Blair frowned when the connection stalled for a moment. Raphael had never done this before and it made her curious to know what had distracted him. For a moment, Blair thought that something had happened to Davina and this made her concerned but luckily, she wasn’t left in the dark too long as Raphael’s voice in her mind came back.

‘Blair, you and the Mikaelson’s should come back, now,’ Raphael’s voice was slightly urgent, putting her on edge.

‘What happened?’ Blair asked immediately.

Raphael’s reply was instantaneous, ‘It’s Hayley. She’s gone into labour,’

Blair mentally cursed loudly, ‘I’ll be there as soon as I can,’ Hayley was not meant to give birth yet, she was only eight months pregnant, she had another month to go. Blair rationalised that the early labour had to be due to stress as everything had been hectic over the past few months and it had finally affected her. Cutting off the connection with Raphael, Blair walked over to Klaus and Elijah, almost nervous to give them the news. For Klaus, this would be a big moment for him as he would become a father. Hopefully, he would deal with this news well. “We need to head back to the compound, now,” Blair said when she was close enough.

Klaus looked to her, “Why ruin the moment, love? We’re celebrating,” He had an almost drunk expression on his face, no doubt on a high from what happened.

Sensing something was wrong, Elijah frowned, “What’s happened?”

“Hayley’s in labour,” Blair answered bluntly.

Klaus’ eyes widened and he paled instantly. “W-what?”

“Are you sure?” Elijah asked.

Blair nodded her head, “Raphael and Davina are back in the compound, he contacted me to let me know,”

“Shit,” Klaus cursed before he stormed off, heading in the direction of the compound. There was no way he was going to miss the birth of his child. His speed increased until he appeared as though he was a blur.

Without saying a word, Elijah and Blair followed very closely behind. Elijah had wordlessly wrapped his arms around Blair and ran off after his brother. He was aware that Blair was not as fast as a Vampire and had no intentions of leaving her behind. Blair said nothing, but her face was flushed and she refused to look in Elijah’s direction.

ORIGINALS

It took a few moments to arrive back at the Abattoir. The moment they had, Klaus had burst into their home, screaming Hayley’s name at the top of his lungs. There was a faint yell from upstairs, coming from Hayley’s room. Racing over, Klaus, Elijah and Blair wasted no time entering her room and saw Raphael with Hayley but no Davina. At that moment, Blair wasn’t focused on Hayley, but Davina’s magical signature that she could feel in the room. The young Witch had managed to pull down the protection spells she had placed around Hayley’s room and for a moment, she couldn’t help but be proud. However, she wasn’t allowed to dwell on this pride as Hayley let out a loud shriek of pain.

“How long has she been like this?” Elijah asked, looking to Raphael, who was holding Hayley's hand.

Raphael turned to them, “I and Davina only arrived around an hour ago, but she started screaming around thirty minutes ago,” He had been trying to coach Hayley through the pain but he had no idea what he was doing. He had never been around someone who was in labour, Fae births were very far and few in-between and so he had zero experience.

“Hayley, how long have you been like this?” Blair asked, approaching Hayley's other side.

Hayley grunted in pain, “A few hours,” At first, she thought that the baby was just kicking but the pain soon became so severe that she knew there was no way it could be that. After that, her water broke and then she couldn’t move with the pain.

“A hospital! We need to get her to a hospital,” Klaus shouted out, panicked at the prospect of becoming a father far sooner than planned.

Raphael winced when Hayley's grip became painful, “That’s probably not the best option,” Having a supernatural baby in a human hospital was not advisable. There would be too many people to compel if something happened and Hayley was in no condition to be moved anywhere.

Silently agreeing with the male Fae, Blair cast a small spell, one that would relieve Hayley of some of the pain she was experiencing. As soon as the spell was cast, Hayley’s form relaxed and so did her grip on Raphael’s hand.

“Eve would know what to do,” Hayley said, her voice no longer strained from the pain.

Elijah looked to Raphael, “Can you fetch Eve from the Bayou, please?”

Wordlessly, Raphael nodded his head and unlatched Hayley’s hand from his. Klaus immediately took his place, grabbing Hayley’s hand. While she may be strong, she was not stronger than him and wouldn't crush his hand, unlike the poor male Fae. The moment Hayley felt Klaus’ hand, she glared at him and seemed ready to snap his neck but decided against it. Instead, she gripped his hand extra hard, wanting to break his hand. For once, Klaus decided to remain silent, not questioning her animosity.

Davina walked back into the room, with towels in hand and a jug of hot water. “I grabbed some things that Hayley may need,” She placed them down on the side, where they were easily accessible.

Blair arched a brow, “How do you know what is needed?”

“The internet,” Davina shrugged her shoulders, feeling calmer now other people were there. When it had just been her, Raphael and Hayley, the young Witch nearly had a panic attack. If Raphael hadn’t been there, Davina didn’t know what she would have done. After getting her bearings back, she had done a quick search on the internet and found some things that Hayley would need. She had been tempted to use the pain relief spell Blair had taught her but she was far too nervous in case something went wrong.

Blair pursed her lips but didn’t say anything more on the matter.

Elijah eyed the jug of hot water and towels. “We will need more than that. Also, Hayley will need to switch clothing,” He looked at the jeans Hayley was wearing and knew there was no way they would last through the birth. Hayley needed to be in something comfortable and where the baby would come out freely.

Hayley groaned in agreement. If she had known she was giving birth that day, she would have worn a dress.

“I can help,” Davina offered politely, walking over to the dresser and taking out a nightdress.

Rolling her eyes, Blair snapped her fingers. Instantly, the outfit that Hayley was wearing was gone and instead she was wearing a flowy nightdress that Davina had been holding. Hayley seemed to sigh in relief and her grip on Klaus’ hand loosened slightly, “We have magic, dear.” Blair said as she looked at the young Witch.

Davina’s face flushed, “Oh, yeah.”

“Have you eaten?” Klaus asked, looking to the mother of his child.

“I am not in the mood to eat anything,” Hayley groaned, a wave of pain hitting her.

Elijah shook his head, “You need to keep your strength up. I will be back in a few moments,” He turned around to head towards the kitchen.

Being nosy, Blair decided to follow after him, after instructing Davina to use the pain relief spell on Hayley. It seemed as though the last one was wearing off due to Hayley’s contractions, which seemed to be getting worse. Blair didn’t know if that was a sign that something was to happen but she’d rather play it safe. Trusting Davina and Klaus to watch over Hayley, she followed after Elijah and watched as he began to cook something. There was a range of picked fruit and he seemed to be cooking a pasta dish.

“You seem to know a lot about births,” Blair commented curiously. Her eyes were taking in the scene before her. Elijah had removed his blazer and had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. He looked very attractive and domestic as he cooked, causing something to stir inside her.

Sparing her an amused glance, Elijah continued to cook. “When I was human, my mother let me assist her when she pregnant with my younger siblings,” He had refused to leave his mother’s side when she was pregnant in fear that something would happen to her. His father had also instructed him to look after their mother when he was away hunting with Finn. Elijah had been more than happy to assist even though he was young himself because he felt he was doing an important and noble job.

Blair hummed in response and watched silently as Elijah finished preparing the food. As he did this, she sensed Raphael presence in the home, as well as Eve’s. This made Blair feel better because now she knew Hayley was in decent hands.

Elijah and Blair walked back to Hayley’s room where they saw Eve effortlessly coach her through the whole thing. Eve was teaching Hayley the best breathing method and whispering soothing praises while Klaus was having the life squeezed out of his hand. However, Klaus never complained or told Hayley to stop. When Elijah handed over the food, Eve shot him a grateful glance before she tried to persuade Hayley to take a bite to keep her strength up. Luckily the soon-to-be-mother listened to Eve and began nibbling on the fruit that Elijah had brought up.

Seeing Eve reminded Blair of something. With a snap of her finger, Blair summoned one of the moonlight stones into her hand and vanished it into Eve’s pocket. Whatever the woman fashioned the stone into was her choice but at least her first full moon after activating the curse wouldn’t be traumatic. With that sorted, Blair motioned to Davina and Raphael and walked out the room with them too behind her.

“Did something happen?” Davina asked as they walked through the Abattoir’s hallways.

“We need to secure the premises,” Blair explained as they arrived at the entrance, “This is just in case anyone tries to kidnap the child while everyone is distracted,” She wouldn’t put it past any of the Witches or the Fae to attack at this moment. All the focus would be on Hayley and the baby. So, Blair needed to make sure that didn’t happen.

Raphael nodded his head in understanding, “I will patrol the outside and let you know,” Once he had said his piece, he walked out the front door and began his patrol, his eyes missing nothing as he stuck to the shadows. It was darker now and so he found it easy to stick to the shadows.

“I’ll secure the back entrances,” Davina said as she walked off. Blair has taught her the barrier spells needed and she felt confident she could do it. This was a perfect time to prove how much she had grown and she was excited to use the barrier spell for the first time in action.

Once she was alone, Blair cast the barrier spell with a wave of her hand. She watched as a white sheen covered the entrance to the compound. This spell wouldn’t allow anyone to enter unless they had permission and it could sense evil intent. This way, if anyone came with the intentions of kidnapping the baby then they wouldn’t be allowed in, even if they did have verbal permission to enter. This barrier applied to everything – humans, Witches, Vampires and more. It was one of Blair’s better spells having developed it further while she had been on the run. The only thing that could bring down this barrier was if it was hit by magic stronger than hers. Now that everything was done, Blair allowed herself a moment to relax. Everything had been chaotic for the past few weeks and she was starting to feel anxious.

Blair had been in New Orleans for eight months. This was one of the longest times she had ever stayed in a place and she had done something she swore she would not; form attachments to people. Blair mentally cursed herself for allowing this to happen. If she hadn’t been swayed in by the promise to Chloe then she wouldn’t be in this situation. Turning her head, Blair faced in the direction of Hayley’s room and the balcony. She could hear Hayley crying out and Eve encouraging her to push. At least her last vision hadn’t come true, this was one thing that Blair was happy about. From what she had seen in her vision, the baby’s birth had been traumatic and she was very sure Hayley died in her vision. The only Witch that was present was Davina and there was no sign of Genevieve or Monique so this was a good sign.

Movement caught her eye and Blair turned her head. Elijah was now pacing around the room, no doubt waiting for the birth of a new family member – something she was sure he never thought would happen. Just the sight of Elijah made her stomach flutter. She was aware that she was starting to catch feelings for the noble Original and she cursed herself for it. At first, she has found him extremely attractive but then thought he was an asshole. But now, she has started to see other sides of him that caught her off guard. His very presence put her at ease, she found his dry sense of humour hilarious and his sense of loyalty endearing. Blair felt like something was pulling her towards him and she didn’t understand why. She had told Elijah in the past that she had never been in love and she hadn’t lied. Blair had genuinely never been in love because she’d never had the opportunity since she was always on the run. She couldn’t risk being vulnerable or having an obvious weakness with the Hunter around. She could never settle down or make any place a home in fear of the Hunter ruining everything. It felt like cold water had been thrown over her at the thought of the Hunter. Blair shook her head, she was getting far too comfortable and something needed to be done about it.

Hayley let out another strangled scream as Eve encouraged her to push. This brought Blair back to earth and she headed back inside. Checking the time, Blair found that Hayley had only been in labour for nearly two hours and knew there was still a while to go. Blair had heard in passing that the first birth was always the hardest. Deciding that she needed some wine to deal with this, Blair began heading towards the kitchen.

Hours passed by in a flash. Blair had relocated to her room and placed a silencing spell around it so she wouldn’t hear Hayley’s screams of pain. Davina had joined her around thirty minutes later, not able to handle Hayley's screams anymore. To pass the time, Blair and Davina were doing an impromptu lesson, which the young Witch excelled at. Blair didn’t push too much because she could see that summoning the barrier had drained Davina and didn’t want to exhaust her too much. Suddenly, the door handle of Blair’s room jangled, causing both Davina and Blair to look up. Since she was closer to the door, Davina stood up and opened the door, when Blair motioned that she could. Davina opened the door and saw Elijah on the other side.

“It’s a girl,” Elijah said with a smile. He had already held his niece. It had been a perfect moment. It had been a long time since he held a newborn baby and he had been almost scared to hold her. However, no one had been more scared to hold the baby than Klaus.

Wordlessly, Blair got up from her bed, “Everything went okay?”

Elijah nodded his head, “Both the baby and Hayley are okay. The baby is healthy and Hayley is recovering,” It hadn’t been an easy birth but it could have been a lot worse for Hayley if Blair and Davina hadn’t used their pain relief spells.

“Can we go see the baby?” Davina asked with a wide smile.

Blair nodded her head and they all walked towards Hayley's room. When they entered, the first thing Blair noticed was how exhausted Hayley looked – but that wasn’t surprising considering she had birthed a child. However, Hayley also looked happy, staring at her baby with adoring eyes. Blair looked towards Klaus, who was holding his child with such care and affection that it was almost startling. Blair was pretty sure she could see dried tears on his face but she didn’t comment on it.

“She’s so cute,” Davina whispered in awe, staring at the baby.

Saying nothing, Blair silently disagreed. In Blair’s eyes, babies never looked cute when they were just born. They looked like shrivelled prunes that did nothing besides screamed and pooped. Children only got cute when they were a couple of years old. But she didn’t want to burst their bubble and so she said nothing.

“Can I hold her?” Davina asked, looking to Hayley and then Klaus.

Klaus looked ready to snap at Davina, but Hayley cut off him, “Of course, just make sure to support her head,” Hayley said with a smile.

Reluctantly, Klaus handed his child over to Davina, watching her like a hawk. If Davina showed any signs of mishandling his child then he would take her off Davina in an instant. The wolf side of Klaus growled inwardly, not liking that there were so many people around his pup. Elijah and Eve were okay to being around but Blair and Davina made his protective instincts go into overdrive.

Rolling her eyes at his attitude, Hayley looked to Blair, “Do you want to hold her?”

Blair shook his head, “Thank you, but I am good,”

Hayley frowned and so did Klaus. Now, Klaus felt offended that Blair didn’t want to hold his child. He was tempted to challenge Blair but decided against it when he noticed the uncomfortable, she looked.

Also sensing her discomfort, Elijah cleared his throat, gaining everyone’s attention. “Have you decided on a name?”

Davina handed the baby back to Klaus, who took his child happily. He looked down at the baby and then back to Hayley. Hayley smiled at the scene and nodded her head, “Yes, we’ve decided on a name.”

“Hope. Her name is Hope,” Klaus announced proudly. He and Hayley had discussed at length different names for their child. However, this was a name that they circled back to because this child was their hope.

Elijah nodded his head, “It’s a lovely name,”

Eve stood up, “Okay, the mother needs her rest. We can all coo over the baby tomorrow,” She motioned for everyone to leave. She could see that Hayley’s eyes were starting to droop and knew she needed sleep to recuperate.

Leaving the room, Blair headed back to her room, but not before she made a single moonlight stone appear in Hayley’s side on the bed. It was a full moon tonight and she didn’t need to transform after just giving birth. She was sure Klaus and Elijah would have no problem with this considering everything that had happened.

Just as Blair entered her room and shut her door, everything shifted. A wave of dizziness hit her and that familiar sickness washed over her. Her powers were coming to life, wanting to bring forth a vision. With a wave of her hand, Blair locked the door, making sure that no one would be able to enter while she had a vision. This time, she didn’t fight the vision and allowed the flash of light to cover her vision.

Her vision showed a man, a very familiar man that made pure terror hit her. It was the Hunter and he was in New Orleans, looking for her. He was tearing the city apart, leaving no stone unturned in his hunt.

Blair gasped as she came out of her vision, feeling weak. Blair fell to her bed as her body shook from the aftershocks of her vision. This one wasn’t a huge premonition and so she wasn’t as weak compared to last time but she was still vulnerable. Shakily, Blair ran a hand through her hair, cursing her luck. She couldn’t move or pack, let alone run away. Blair also needed to consider Davina in this situation as she couldn’t leave the young Witch behind in fear the Hunter would do something to her. Blair needed to sleep and conserve her energy and, in the morning, she would run. Runaway like she always did.

Chapter 24: Chapter 24

The moment dawn arrived in New Orleans, Blair was awake and packing everything she owned. That morning, she had thrown on the first thing in her wardrobe, Blair was dressed in pair of blue jeans and a white tank top. Looking at the clock, she realised she would need to wake Davina up soon and get her ready to leave and Blair was sure that’s what was going to take the longest. If everything went to plan, Blair would be out of the city in a few hours, and that’s factoring in bartering with Davina. She also needed to factor in Raphael as there was no way she could just leave him. The Hunter probably wouldn’t kill him but Blair didn’t feel comfortable leaving him behind. Just as she finished packing, she grabbed her burner phone and dialled Callum’s number.

It rang twice before Callum answered, “Now this is a call I wasn’t expecting, not this early anyway,” There was no tiredness in his voice, meaning he’d probably been up all night like he usually was. That’s one thing Blair could always count on, she could call him at any time and he would be awake.

“Where is he?” Blair demanded as she continued to pack. She could have packed everything using her magic but she wanted to conserve her strength in case she needed her magic for more strenuous tasks, like teleporting.

Callum was silent for a moment and she heard the typing of his keyboard in the background. “I just checked a few hours ago, he was still in Australia…”

“Check again,” Blair snapped irritably.

Silently, Callum followed her instruction without any complaint. He was very much used to her sudden mood swings and paranoia. This silence stretched on for too long and it made Blair feel edgier than usual. However, it was the response that set her even further on edge. “Oh, shit…” He muttered lowly.

“What is it?” Blair asked, her own heart beating in her chest faster than usual.

“H-he’s moved… he’s now heading in the direction of America,” Callum said quickly, the sound of typing becoming more frantic. No doubt he was checking all surveillance cameras and bank details. He would also be contacting his people in Australia, getting updates from them.

This was the news she was dreading, “Damn,” She muttered lowly. The anxiety was starting to make her feel sick and she wanted to lay down but she didn’t have the time. If the Hunter was heading in the direction of America, that left her with a maximum of sixteen hours to put some distance between the two of them. With the Hunter’s set of skills, it wouldn’t take him long after he arrived to find her trail in New Orleans. If she didn’t leave soon then she’d risk a meeting and she would rather avoid that.

“You have roughly fifteen hours before he arrived in America. He’s on a plane and it’s a direct journey,” Callum rattled off, nerves in his own voice.

Blair sighed deeply, “Okay, thanks for the update. I will be leaving very soon. I will contact you again when I have relocated elsewhere,”

“Be safe, Blair,” Callum said before he hung up.

Putting the phone down, Blair mentally cursed her luck. She knew that she was getting attached and vowed that she would leave, but now that this was a reality, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Maybe she would return in the future – a long way down the line – and maybe the Mikaelson’s would still rule the city. But that wasn’t the priority, for now, she needed to get out of New Orleans and take Davina and Raphael with her.

It didn’t take long before Blair had finished packing. Looking around the room, Blair saw nothing of hers, the room looked perfectly impersonal and other than the suitcase, it looked like no one had lived in it. Satisfied, Blair left the room and walked in the direction of Davina’s room. Davina was asleep, something she expected but continued on with her task anyway. Summoning a new suitcase, Blair began packing Davina’s things. Unfortunately, Davina wouldn’t be able to bring everything but she would make sure all the important stuff was brought.

Blair has tried to remain noiseless through all this but evidently, she wasn’t silent enough. Davina groaned and slowly opened her eyes, seeing Blair packing her stuff. For a moment, Davina thought she was hallucinating and so she blinked a few times before she realised, she wasn’t imagining this. “Blair, what are you doing?” Davina asked as she sat up in bed.

Not pausing, Blair continued to pack, “Do you remember when I told you about the Hunter?” This conversation had been a few months ago so she wasn’t sure that Davina remembered. She had told Davina that they would need to leave at a moment’s notice if the Hunter go too close – which is what was happening currently.

“Yes?” Davina vaguely remembered this conversation but not fondly.

“We need to leave, now. The Hunter is on his way and we need to put some distance between us,” Blair said as she continued to pack.

Davina's eyes widened, “But we can’t just leave, Hope has only just been born,”

Blair shook her head, “There has been a change of plans. The Hunter is heading this way and we have a small frame of time to leave before he gets here. We need to leave now,” Blair made sure to stress the last part to Davina, hoping she would understand the message and help with packing.

Sadness flashed in Davina’s eyes, “But I-I don’t want to leave,”

For a moment, Blair stopped packing and looking at the young Witch. She looked heartbroken and sad that it made Blair feel guilty. It wasn’t fair for Davina to get pulled in the middle of this but it was too late. “If I could, I wouldn’t force you to come along because I know this is your home. But if I don’t then the Hunter would use you to try and get to me. I don’t want anything happening to you,”

“You could fight him, face him once and for all,” Davina said hopefully.

Blair’s eyes hardened, “I can’t,”

“But why not?” Davina was persistent. She hadn’t got to argue her point last time as she was too much in shock from the bombshell but now, she had a chance to think about it. Blair was powerful and could take down anyone in Davina's mind. Surely this Hunter couldn’t be as bad as she was making out. 

Blair’s jaw clenched and anger flashed through her eyes, “I am not discussing this now. Are you coming with me or not?” It annoyed her that Davina was now the second person to insist on her fighting the Hunter. Did no one understand the situation fully? Blair mentally shook her head, neither Chloe nor Davina had met the Hunter before and so didn’t understand the severity of what they were saying.

Davina stared at Blair for a moment, silently debating her choices. Eventually, Davina got out of bed and began helping Blair pack. When the young Witch did this, Blair sighed in relief, knowing she didn’t want to force Davina’s hand even further.

“Pack what you don’t want to leave behind. I will leave another suitcase for you in case you need it,” Blair said as she summoned another suitcase. Once that was done and she was sure that Davina was packing her stuff, she left the room and headed in the direction of Raphael’s room.

Blair didn’t even knock and just opened the door. Raphael had come back late last night after doing his patrols. He had done a thorough patrol just in case any of the Witches attempted to sneak in when everyone’s guards were down but it seemed as though there was no sign of them. Raphael was currently on his bed, asleep, but the moment Blair passed through the threshold of his room, he sat up in bed.

“Blair?” Raphael questioned, confused as to why she was in his room.

“The Hunter is on his way,” Blair said bluntly. If anyone could understand the severity of the situation then it would be Raphael, even if he didn’t know the full details.

Raphael’s eyes widened as he jumped out of bed, “Oh, god. How long do you have to leave?”

“I have fifteen hours to put some major space between us,” Blair answered him with a sigh. She couldn’t believe she had allowed herself to become comfortable and now she was paying the price, “He’s on a direct flight to America. I am taking Davina with me. What do you plan to do?” She wanted to know what his thoughts were. Unlike Davina, Raphael did not have a mark of protection so the Hunter possibly wouldn’t use him against her. But Raphael was also a Fae and that put him in danger.

Raphael was silent for a moment, “We can’t just leave the baby,” He said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I know,” Blair sighed deeply, “But I don’t have a choice. I can’t ward the baby with magic either because I need to conserve it. Klaus, Elijah and everyone else will just have to be enough to protect their child,”

Slowly, Raphael nodded his head, “You’re right. They’ve lasted this long and Klaus would never let anything happen to Hope,” He had seen the protectiveness of Klaus and it was almost scary. Klaus was dangerous before his daughter but Raphael dreaded to see what he would look like when someone threatened Hope.

“You’re coming with me?” Blair tried her best to hide the hopefulness in her voice but even she couldn’t deny she was relieved. The fact she wouldn’t be leaving anyone behind made her feel pleased.

Raphael nodded his head, “I will. Just give me a little time to pack and we can leave. I take it Davina is already sorted?”

“Yes, she’s packing at the moment,” Blair answered him with a small smile, “If everything goes to plan, we’ll be out of here shortly,”

“That’s a good idea,” Raphael said before he looked at the time, “But we’d best eat something before we leave.”

Blair looked at the time and found herself agreeing. She was used to missing meals because of being on the run whereas Davina was not. Davina would need her strength and Blair still needed to pick a new place to travel to. However, she was thinking of visiting Austria this time and then moving from there. “Be ready to leave in an hour,” Blair said to the male Fae before leaving the room.

Heading to the kitchen, Blair began using her magic to cook up a breakfast for her, Raphael and Davina. They would all need their strength. While she did this, Blair summoned a map of the word and a dart. Not looking at the map, Blair threw the dart and it landed on Russia, so that’s where they were headed. It was just as Blair was plating up the food that Elijah made a surprise appearance. Blair tensed when she saw him and it only got worse when she noticed Davina stood by his side, looking worried.

Elijah took one look at her and frowned, “I have been informed that you plan on leaving,” He arched a brow at her, his dark eyes staring into her soul.

Blair silently cursed and glared in the direction of Davina, who refused to meet her eyes. “I am leaving. I have stayed here long enough and it is time for me to leave,” Blair was happy when her voice came across as steady and strong because she felt anything but strong.

“Oh?” Elijah questioned quietly, “Because that’s not what Davina told me.” He had been woken up suddenly by Davina banging on his door. He had feared that something was wrong with the baby and was tempted to send Davina away but then she told him that Blair planned to leave. He had never woken up so quickly and he was straight down the stairs in seconds. He’s barely had time to put on some clothing, just some trousers and a white button-up shirt.

“Oh, did she?” Blair hissed out, her eyes glaring holes into Davina’s head.

Elijah walked further into the kitchen and Blair instinctively moved backwards. Elijah stopped for a moment and stared down at her with hardened eyes. Elijah opened his mouth to say something but he was stopped when Raphael walked into the kitchen with a suitcase in hand. Raphael blinked slowly as he took in the scene before him, unsure of what he walked in on. He took in Davina’s guilty face and slowly connected the dots. Slowly, Raphael backed out of the kitchen as well as Davina, deciding to give Elijah and Blair some time alone.

“He’s going with you,” Elijah said, a wave of bitterness hitting him.

Blair swallowed softly, “He is. Davina is still more than welcome to come as well,” She briefly glanced at where Davina had been moments ago but she found her gaze coming back to Elijah. Later, she would have a discussion with Davina about this but for now, she needed to deal with Elijah.

“I thought you were here to protect Hope from other Fae,” Elijah said with a frown.

“Hope seems to have enough protection around her. As long as Klaus is around, the Queen won’t make an appearance and I am sure you can all deal with what comes your way,” Blair answered him coolly.

Elijah narrowed his eyes, not believing her words. “What has happened?”

This simple question caused Blair’s heart rate to pick up. “That’s none of your business,” She mentally cursed his perceptiveness. Of course, Elijah would notice a difference, he barely missed anything.

Elijah was about to comment but he was interrupted. Klaus stormed into the kitchen, an angry look on his face. He had been trying to sleep but all he could hear was chatter from downstairs. That chatter could have woken up Hope and Hayley – who needed a lot of rest. He had intended to find out who was making all the noise when he felt the atmosphere between Elijah and Blair and he paused.

“What is going on here?” Klaus demanded in a hushed voice.

Before Blair could say anything, Elijah cut in, “Blair is planning on leaving,” Elijah’s voice was noticeably quieter than before.

Klaus looked at Blair with a blank expression. “No,”

“What do you mean ‘no’?” Blair demanded.

“You’re not leaving,” Klaus continued, “You said that you would help protect Hope and I intend to hold you to that. Also, I need you to make more moonlight stones,”

Blair glared at him, “You do not dictate what I do,” She stormed off, leaving the kitchen and heading into the living room, where Davina and Raphael stood. Using her magic, she packed the food up and made it appear in her hands. However, it seemed as though she underestimated Klaus and Elijah’s stubbornness and they followed after her.

“At least give us a good reason why you should leave,” Elijah said, not willing to let her go.

“You don’t need to know,” Blair hissed at them, her hackles raised.

Sensing this situation was going to get worse, Davina stepped forward, “Just tell them about the Hunter,”

Blair glared at her, “Davina!” There was a warning in her voice, daring the Witch not to reveal anything more about her situation. She didn’t need Klaus or Elijah to know what was going on in her life.

Elijah and Klaus shared a look with one another, confused by Davina's words. Who was this Hunter? And why did Blair seem so bothered by this? Elijah had never seen Blair so unhinged before and he was curious to know what made her so anxious.

Raphael looked between Blair and the Vampires, “Maybe they should know, they might end up meeting him,” His voice was barely above a whisper but everyone heard him.

“It is none of their business,” Blair hissed back, feeling betrayed by both Davina and Raphael. They were meant to be on her side and now they were turning against her.

“Maybe they can help,” Davina suggested.

Blair’s jaw clenched in anger, “They can’t help,”

Klaus arched his brow, “Well there is obviously a story and I want to hear it,” He crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for someone to explain what was going on.

“I thought you said you didn’t care about what happened in my life,” Blair challenged hotly.

Klaus met her gaze with ease, “I don’t, but if you’re going to try and run away then I want to know why,” He was curious by nature and didn’t like being left in the dark. It seemed as though whatever secret Blair had, Davina and Raphael were in the loop and Klaus hated being left out. Also, as much as he was denied it, he found Blair useful. He needed her power especially since he needed more moonlight rings enchanted.

Huffing, Blair turned away from the Hybrid. There was no point even saying anything to him because he would just twist everything. Mentally, Blair sighed deeply. This was not how she envisioned the day going at all. If she had known that Elijah and Klaus would have got pulled into this, she would have stayed with Davina to make sure she couldn’t sneak off. However, the more Blair thought about it, the more she could understand why Davina went to Elijah. As the Original Vampires, they were powerful and could potentially help with her situation. Blair quickly dismissed these pointless thoughts; the Hunter was her issue and she refused to drag more people into her life. Anyone who had tried to help her in the past ended up dead and she didn’t want that happening here. As much as she disliked Klaus, he had just become a dad and deserved that chance. The thought of having the Hunter anywhere near Elijah made her heart clench painfully and she was scared for Davina if she ever came across him. It would be a massacre and it would be all her fault.

“You need to tell us what happened,” Elijah said sternly, his voice snapping Blair back into reality.

Blair turned her head and saw everyone looking at her imploringly. Klaus seemed the most impatient, though Blair didn’t blame them. Hope had only just been born and there was already trouble on the horizon. Raphael and Davina seemed to be the most understanding, seemingly waiting patient for her to reveal her past to everyone. Raphael already knew some of the story but not everything and it made her hesitant. However, it was Elijah and his heated gaze that made Blair’s resolve crumble the quickest. Sighing deeply, Blair frowned, “Fine. I will tell you, but I warn you, it isn’t a pretty story,” She hoped that once they learned the truth, they would back off and let her leave without any further incidents. 

The room seemed to tense as they waited for Blair to start.

Taking a deep breath, Blair began her story. “As you know, the Fae went into hiding a long time ago and it’s because we were nearly hunted to extinction. Our blood is addictive to Vampires, it’s so alluring that no Vampire can stop after a taste,” This was the drawback to her kind. Everyone had a downside, Vampires had to drink blood to survive, Werewolves had to endure a painful transformation once a month and the Witches were mortal and so easily killed.

“Our brother, Kol, being the best example,” Klaus commented wryly. It was very well known that Kol would binge on blood, often massacring entire towns to get his fill of blood. However, his addiction to blood never seemed that bad until he got a taste of Fae blood and then he spiralled out of control.

Blair nodded her head, “Exactly. But there was one death that changed everything. Our Queen, Tatianna was killed by a Vampire and so Maeve was put on the throne, Tatianna’s younger sister. As soon as Maeve was on the throne, she ordered all the Fae back into the Forest and locked the gate so no one could leave.” This happened a long time before Blair was born but she had heard all the stories of how the Fae were nearly lost to the world. Luckily, the Fae had come a long way since then but still, Maeve would not risk opening the gates once more.

Klaus frowned, “Why does the current Queen hate me?” He remembered that Blair said this a while back and he still didn’t understand why. If Blair was revealing her secrets, he saw no harm in asking this question.

Blair and Raphael shared a look, “You don’t remember?” The male Fae asked in confusion.

“What did my brother do?” Elijah asked with a deadpanned expression.

Staring at Klaus with a blank face, Blair couldn’t believe that he didn’t remember. She didn’t know whether to laugh or hit him. “Klaus, you were the Vampire that killed Tatianna. That’s why all Fae hate you,” It was rumoured that Tatianna and Klaus were sleeping together but there was no way to substantiate these claims and no one wanted to tarnish Tatianna’s memory.

Klaus’ eyes widened, “What?”

“Niklaus,” Elijah’s voice was stern and full of reprimand.

“I don’t even remember!” Klaus argued back instantly. He knew that he had drunk from a Fae only once in his long life but he didn’t remember killing the Queen of the Fae. If he had known, he probably would have been more careful as she would have been a powerful ally.

Davina rolled her eyes, “Way to go, Klaus,”

Klaus glared at the Witch, not appreciating the sass from her.

“Regardless,” Blair quickly intervened, not liking now Klaus was glaring at Davina, “The Fae had been locked up the Forest for hundreds of years. I grew up being locked inside and dreamed of seeing the outside. I had never experienced any attacks on Vampires and so I didn’t know or realise that fear. I was fourteen when I first left the Forest…”

“What happened?” Davina asked quietly.

Inhaling deeply, Blair pushed back the feeling of dread. “It went great. I explored the area and I had a great time. I didn’t understand why Maeve had locked everyone inside the Forest. But then… I was hit in the back of the head and was knocked unconscious. When I woke up, I was in a cage with other people and didn’t understand what happened. There was a Siren inside and she explained everything to me. It turned out that I had been captured by the Hunter, a being that likes to kidnap supernatural creatures as part of a game.”

“A game?” Raphael questioned. His knowledge of Blair’s situation was limited because the Queen and Blair never spoke out about it. He knew the basic details but not much.

Blair nodded her head, “Yes, a game. The Hunter likes to collect supernatural creatures, imprison them and then realise them. He does this so he can hunt them down and kill them. He’s played the same game for nearly seven hundred years and in all that time, he had not hunted a Fae before. I was a prize, one that he couldn’t wait to kill,” She could remember how frightened she had been. She had woken up with iron cuffs on her wrists and she was chained to the wall. If it wasn’t for the kind Siren who shared her cell then she would have had a panic attack. Just thinking about it made Blair start to panic and her heart rate increased.

Sensing her distress, Elijah stepped closer to her, allowing her to lean into him. At his touch, Blair let out a long sigh and relaxed slightly. “You don’t have to continue if you don’t want to,” Elijah offered lowly.

“No, you guys need to know,” Blair shook her head, determined to finish the story. “The Siren saw how scared and young I was. She offered me a way out. Apparently, she had been there for six years while the Hunter collected his other victims. She had formulated a way out but it would only allow for one person and so she gave it to me. She said that she had lived long enough and I hadn’t lived enough.” She could still remember the Siren’s name – Ianthe. Without the help of Ianthe, she would have never got out, “I managed to escape and I ran back to the Forest, hoping that I would never see the Hunter again and I longed for the protection of the Forest, however…” Blair clenched her fist as she remembered what happened next.

Raphael stepped in, “The Queen denied Blair’s request for safety. She said that it was Blair’s fault that she was in this mess and ordered to her leave. Maeve banished Blair from the Forest, claiming that she would bring nothing but disaster to the Forest if she allowed her to stay,” Raphael had been there, as well as Chloe. Blair had run to them, tears streaming down her face and covered in cuts. Chloe had been the one to go to the Queen for help, confident that she would protect Blair but Chloe had been wrong. Now that he wasn’t under the influence of the Queen, he remembered everything.

“No,” Davina gasped out.

Blair nodded her head, “Yes, she did. I was banished from the Forest and told never to contact any of the Fae as I would lead them to danger, that’s what Maeve said. I wasn’t allowed time to collect any stuff, I was thrown out of the Forest and then I ran. I have been on the run ever since, dodging the Hunter who has been after me for four hundred years.” Looking back, Blair was surprised she had even last two days on the run. She had been weak, naïve and stupid. It was in the two hundred years that she had the closest calls with the Hunter but then she learned and got better at her job and magic. She realised her magic was the only true thing she could rely on and so she spent all her time expanding it.

Elijah clenched his fists in anger, disgusted by Maeve’s actions. Blair had been but a child when this happened to her and it sickened him to know she had been through so much already.

“But why would the Hunter still be after you?” Davina asked.

“Revenge,” Klaus answered easily, understanding the Hunter’s motivation.

Blair’s lips thinned, “Yes. But there is also another factor. Before me, he had a perfect record when it came to his hunts. I am the only one who got away from him and he won’t stop until he’s killed me,” After fifty years on the run, she had become curious as to why he was hunting her and so she had dug into his past – she was also trying to find any weaknesses that she could use against him. However, she found very little information about him and so she gave up.

Davina’s face had paled dramatically throughout the tale, “I had no idea…”

“That’s why I need to leave,” Blair said, addressing Klaus and Elijah, as they had been the ones who hadn’t wanted her to leave, “He will tear this city apart looking for me. Anyone who has a connection to me will be subjected to cruel torture.” Cities had fallen after a visit from the Hunter. He would tear places down, brick by brick, plank by plank. He burned buildings to the ground and slaughtered everything that got in his way.

“Blair…” Elijah muttered softly, understanding filling him. Blair had been a puzzle to him and answers always evaded him. But now, he understood her. Now he understood the reason behind her detached attitude. It was not that she didn’t care, it was the fact she couldn’t afford to care for anyone else.

Klaus stared at her with a blank expression. This silence unnerved her because he wasn’t usually this silent but he had a lot on his mind. Klaus had never cared for the Fae much and found her attitude to be annoying and too reminiscent of Katrina. But now… he felt like he had a kinship with Blair. If anything, he could understand Blair’s situation the most as he had been hunted by Mikael for hundreds of years. He understood what it felt like to be hunted like an animal to the far corners of the earth but had been lucky because he had his siblings. If he hadn’t had Elijah, Rebekah or even Kol by his side, he would have gone mad. 

Elijah could practically see what was going on inside his brother’s head, and for once, he fully agreed. “Running won’t help, Blair,” He looked down at the female Fae, noting how anxious she was. It made his protective instincts go into overdrive and he wanted to do nothing more than to hide her away in his arms but he resisted.

“I have lasted this long,” Blair argued back, stepping away from Elijah, who let her go reluctantly.

“But there will come a time when that’s not enough,” Klaus said, his voice nearly making Blair jump.

Blair clenched her jaw, “It will,”

“Have you even fought him?” Klaus snorted, not furthering to anger the female Fae.

Elijah glared at his brother, “Niklaus,”

Klaus shook his head, “No, Elijah, this needs to be done.” He looked back to the Fae and began advancing on her, but Blair held her ground, not flinching once. “Have you ever tried to fight for your freedom? Have you faced him down and tried to get rid of this problem?”

“Klaus, stop,” Raphael said, his voice pleading. He wanted to be beside Blair and support her, but Davina was clinging to his arm and he couldn’t deny the young Witch some comfort.

Pure rage flickered in Blair’s face, her eyes glowing an ominous purple colour. “You think I haven’t fought him?” Her voice was dangerously soft and low, so much so that it made Klaus take an instinctive step back. “I have faced the Hunter and barely got away with my life. I have watched people try and fight him and he killed them within seconds. So, don’t you dare try and question me and insinuate that I am a coward!” Slowly, her voice had got louder until her very voice shook the souls of everyone in the room. Blair had tried to fight the Hunter but every time she did, it never ended well for her.

Instead of backing off as Blair hoped, Klaus smirked slowly, “But he hasn’t met us yet,”

These words snapped Blair out of her rage as she stared at Klaus dumbly, “Huh?”

Elijah stepped closer, a small smirk on his face, “Yes, this Hunter has not yet met an Original, let alone two. I think we should greet him,” His family had faced many foes who wanted them dead yet they still stood. He and Klaus were a formidable team and could take down anyone in their path.

“You can’t be serious!” Blair exclaimed in shock. She had not met anyone who would gladly meet the Hunter, they always ran from him. She was starting to think both Klaus and Elijah were mad.

Ignoring her, Klaus looked to Elijah with a thoughtful expression. “Do you think we should call Rebekah back? Having three Originals might send a better message,”

Elijah nodded his head in agreement, “That is a perfect idea. I will call Rebekah now,” He reached into his trouser pocket, intending to make the call. If they didn’t call Rebekah then she would be angry that they got all the fun. It also wasn’t lost on Elijah that it had been Klaus that suggested their sister’s return after everything that happened.

Blair shook her head, “I can’t deal with this right now,” Turning around, she walked off, intending to go to her room and collect her suitcase. She needed to leave as soon as possible and she had wasted time explaining her situation. If Davina didn’t want to come with her then that was fine. She would have the Originals to protect her. Raphael could come along if he liked but she wouldn’t force him.

Chapter 25: Chapter 25

Blair stormed upstairs to her room to grab her suitcase. She needed to leave New Orleans as soon as possible. Just the very thought of the Hunter arriving in the city made her chest tighten with nerves. She just hoped everything was still standing by the time he was finished. With her suitcase in hand, Blair turned around to leave the room but stopped when she saw Raphael at the doorway.

“Are you coming with me?” Blair asked, her form tensed. Her head and her were heart battered. She hadn’t told many people about the Hunter but whenever she did, it always mentally and emotionally exhausted her.

Raphael frowned, “We can’t just leave Hope, she needs protecting,”

Blair shook her head, “Klaus will never let anything happen to Hope. They’ll be fine without us,” Maybe she was overestimating Klaus and Elijah’s strength to make herself feel better about leaving, but in that moment, she didn’t care. She had promised to help protect the child but surely Chloe would understand the situation and also, she had protected Hope. Chloe had never said she couldn’t leave after the birth which was Blair’s original plan. Chloe knew she could never stay in one place so really it was a stupid promise that Blair should have never made.

Confused, Raphael stared at her for a moment, “You really are terrified of him, aren’t you?” His voice was barely above a whisper as if he had realised something monumental.

“Of course, I am,” Blair scoffed and rolled her eyes, “Did you only just figure that out?”

Raphael shook his head, “No… it’s just… seeing you so afraid is… unsettling,” There was no denying that Blair had changed from when they were children. At first, Raphael struggled with this change but he had come to see that this whole situation had changed her. The Blair that stood before him was strong, fierce and bold. But that persona seemed to have crumbled at the mention of the Hunter and he was truly seeing another side of Blair, a side he hadn’t seen since they were children.

Blair’s face relaxed until it was void of all emotion. “I am not afraid. I am absolutely frightened. I can’t face him again, I refuse.” Every time she encountered the Hunter, she always lived to regret it – barely. She had never felt fear like it before and she never wanted to feel helpless like that again.

“Maybe it might not be a bad idea for Klaus and Elijah to help,” Raphael suggested. “We can even ask the pack, Jackson said that they owed you,” Having the Werewolves and the Originals on their side would be such a dream team. They had already proven that they could work together when they took out the Guerrera line. The Wolves liked Blair, some even fancied her. When Jackson had made it known that Blair was an ally to them, not one of them had protested. Some had been concerned that Blair was close to the Vampires but other than that, there had been no complaints.

“No,” Blair immediately said.

Raphael frowned, “Why not?”

Inhaling deeply, Blair turned to him, “When I first ran away, I ended up with a pack of Wolves in New Zealand. They were lovely and kept me safe. They considered me one of theirs and vowed that they wouldn’t let the Hunter get me. But then he found me and they were all slaughtered in minutes, even the children.” This was a memory that would haunt her for years to come. No one had survived the attack, everything single one of them was killed, gutted and bled. It had been the Alpha to pull her away and told her to run, that they would buy her time to leave. He had been so ready to put himself in harm's way to let her go free. This guilt had loomed over her for years, never once leaving her.

“I’m so sorry,” Raphael muttered softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Blair shook her head, tears stinging her eyes. “Nearly everyone who gets close to me ends up dying, one way or another. I can’t let that happen and that’s why I need to run,”

For a moment, Raphael said nothing as he considered his next words carefully. Instead, Raphael grabbed Blair’s arm and gently guided her in the direction of Hope’s nursery. This nursey had been personally decorated and constructed by Klaus and shown to Hayley as a surprise when she was feeling down. It was beautiful and peaceful. Eve had moved Hope into this room to allow Hayley some time to sleep and Klaus had basically set up camp on the couch in the room, not wanting to leave Hope’s side. But he was downstairs with Elijah, plotting their move against the Hunter on her behalf.

“Why are we here?” Blair whispered so as not to wake the baby.

Raphael looked at her, determination in his dark eyes, “Look at her,”

“What?” Blair questioned, her face scrunched up in confusion.

“Look at Hope and tell me what you see,” Raphael instructed.

Frowning, Blair stared at Raphael before rolling her eyes. She would do what he asked and then she would leave. Peering down into the crib, Blair spotted a shrivelled baby that was the opposite of cute. Nothing special at all. “I see a baby,”

“And?” Raphael prompted.

“And nothing,” Blair said with a sigh, “It’s a baby, what else could there be?”

Disappointed, Raphael shook his head, “Well do you know what I see?”

“No, but I have a feeling you’re going to tell me anyway,” Blair said dryly.

Ignoring her dig, Raphael looked down at Hope and smiled softly. “I see an innocent child and a miracle. I see a baby that could bring happiness to even the meanest of people. She truly suits the name, Hope.”

Before Blair would protest and call him an idiot, Hope made a noise. It sounded like a weak yawn that came off high pitched. This noise made Blair look down at Hope and truly begin to look at her. She was dressed in a cotton onesie that was a little big on her, which was understandable considering Hope was born a month early. This was a child that had done no wrong, she was a blank slate and Maeve wanted to use this child. Maeve would mould Hope into a weapon, one that would be forced to make Hybrids and then used to attack the Witches. Hope was the first-ever Trybrid, no doubt something that would pique the Hunter’s interest. Realising where her thoughts were straying to, she reeled herself back and glared at Raphael, who was grinning at her. “Oh, fuck you.”

“Language!” Raphael scolded.

“Piss off,” Blair muttered.

Rolling his eyes, Raphael smiled, “Well?”

“I hate you,” Blair said before walking out of the nursery. She didn’t need to risk Hope waking up and sending Hayley and Klaus mad.

Raphael followed after her with a triumphant smile on his face. He wasn’t so sure he could have convinced at her first. She was still the soft-hearted Blair that he remembered, just with an extra layer of frosting around her.

Blair walked back into the living room, where Klaus and Elijah were still discussing the Hunter situation. Davina was stood at the edge, seeming to not be able to keep up with the conversation as it was happening too fast. Klaus was suggesting all the ways he could kill the Hunter and Elijah was constantly having to interrupt and get Klaus back on task. However, once Blair walked back into the room with Raphael in tow, they turned their attention to her.

“So, is Rebekah coming back?” Blair asked, getting down to business.

Elijah nodded his head, not missing Blair’s change in attitude. “Yes, she will be arriving in a couple of hours,”

Blair nodded her head, “Right. Well, if we’re going to do this, then we’re going to do this right,”

“Glad you see it our way,” Klaus smirked smugly, “Now, tell us everything you know about the Hunter. I need to get a sense of what we’re dealing with.”

Walking over to the couch, Blair sat down. She wanted to be comfortable when speaking about this. “The first thing you need to know is that the Hunter is a Hellhound. He has advanced senses, able to track me due to my scent. His eyesight isn’t great but his sense of hearing is off the charts,” She had tried many times to change her scent or completely cover it to no results. The most she could do was mask it but even then, it wasn’t good enough against the Hunter. Blair changed her appearance for the Hunter’s associates, people who did not possess the same skills as the Hunter but were on his side.

Elijah frowned, “I haven’t seen a Hellhound in a long time,” Usually, Hellhounds kept to themselves, often seen in graveyards and remote places. They weren’t creatures that other people liked to be around and for good reason. They were known as omens of death, especially if their roar is heard.

“Nasty fuckers,” Klaus muttered lowly. He did not have a high opinion of Hellhounds, but that was because of his Wolf side. Werewolves and Hellhounds were not on good terms as they often fought over territory.

Blair nodded her head, agreeing with Klaus’ statement. “The Hunter mainly uses fire; his fire is hotter than normal.”

“But your water can combat against it,” Davina said, recalling that Blair’s preferred element was water.

“Not if he makes it so hot that all water turns to steam,” Blair said grimly. She had thought the same thing but had been proven wrong. It had been a hard lesson to learn, but one that she had never forgotten, “But that also doesn’t include his other power. The Hunter can control someone’s fear. If you look into his eyes, he’s got you under his hold,”

Everyone in the room fell silent as they took in her words. Elijah and Klaus were particularly quiet but mainly due to shock. They had never heard of a creature that would manipulate someone’s fear. Raphael had paled at her words, fully realising why Blair dreaded near this man and Davina was trembling. Doubt was swirling in the young Witch’s mind. Had she pushed Blair too much? How could Davina not see why Blair was so reluctant? Why couldn’t she have just left it alone?

“Do you regret wanting to help now?” Blair asked with a blank expression. She would understand if they backed out because she wouldn’t blame them. She wouldn’t want this Hunter on her doorstep either.

Elijah stared back at her and grinned slightly, “I have always liked a good challenge,”

Blair stared at him with wide eyes, her stomach doing flips.

Klaus leaned forward, “What are his weaknesses?” He needed to know more about this man before they could draw up a plan. He had made plans with less information but more was always better especially when dealing with an unknown entity.

Falling silent for a moment, Blair thought back to moments when the Hunter had confronted her. She had barely managed to get away from him but there was one incident that stuck in her mind. He had cornered her in a restaurant in France and she threw a knife at him as she ran away. She distinctly remembered him yelling out in pain and that’s when it clicked, “Maybe silver, but I could be wrong,” She had thrown a lot at him in the past and she didn’t get to see where she had stabbed him with the knife. Her gut was telling her that it was silver but she was scared to be wrong on this.

“We can stock up on some silver weapons,” Elijah said, grabbing his phone to text Rebekah. He was going to inform her to bring any silver weapons she could find on her way.

Klaus nodded his head in agreement before he turned to Blair once more, “Is there anything else we should know?”

Blair nodded her head, “I have mentioned that he likes to collect people. Unique creatures and ones he hasn’t hunted before. I would suggest hiding your daughter,” As the first-ever Trybrid, the Hunter would want her, regardless of whether she was a baby. He would just take her and raise her until it was time to slaughter her.

“Done,” There was steel in Klaus’ voice, one that calmed Blair’s nerves slightly.

“Let’s get everything ready, how long do we have?” Elijah asked, looking at the clock in the room. They had a lot of plans and a limited amount of time to do so. If everything was to go perfectly then everything needed to be in order.

“Fourteen hours, max,” Blair said.

Standing up, Klaus rolled back his shoulders, gearing up for a fight, “Let’s do this,”

ORIGINALS

After brainstorming for the next four hours, a plan had been set. In that time, Rebekah had arrived and she had been updated on the plan. Honestly, Blair had been surprised that Rebekah came because they weren’t close but Rebekah wasn’t one to miss out on any action, as Klaus and Elijah had predicted. As weird as it was, the female Original seemed sympathetic to her situation and was all for killing the Hunter without much prompting. During their planning, Rebekah had come to see her new niece as well, cooing and fawning over the baby.

It had been decided to lure the Hunter away from the city and into the Bayou instead. This was so there was no destruction to the city and to the innocent bystanders who had no idea what was about to go down. All the Wolves would be moved into the compound, where they would guard Hope. Hayley had been adamant that nothing would touch her child and Jackson had backed her up. Jackson had offered the pack’s support to Blair but she shot it down, not wanting anything to happen to them like it had the New Zealand pack.

Blair watched from her balcony as Klaus and Raphael moved shipments of silver weapons into the compound. Elijah knew a weapons dealer than that more than happy to supply them with everything they needed. This was the same dealer that Klaus frequented and Blair was honestly surprised this Vampire had lasted so long when he dealt with two Originals regularly.

Everything was becoming real and it was starting to overwhelm the Fae. Blair wasn’t sure what to feel at that moment because it was all muddled. She was absolutely terrified to meet the Hunter after being on the run for so long and it all felt surreal. Blair never thought she would actually confront the Hunter. Either, this was going to go really well and she would be free or she and everyone else would be dead in less than ten hours.

A knock at her door snapped Blair from her thought, “Come in,”

Elijah walked into her room, not saying anything until he stood a few feet away. “You've been very quiet,” He had noticed that during everything, Blair seemed to have withdrawn from everyone, even Raphael and Davina. The only time she had spoken was if there was a question directed to her about the Hunter. He had been keeping an eye on the Fae, concerned about how reserved she had become. He was used to her fiery personality and he didn’t know how to approach this side of Blair.

“I’ve got a lot on my mind,” Blair said plainly. Her mind was in overdrive and she couldn’t seem to stop. Her mind was cooking up the word case scenarios possible, where everyone ended up dead and it was all her fault.

Sensing where her mind was, Elijah felt the urge to reassure her. “The Hunter will not harm you, he will be stopped,” His voice sent a shiver down Blair’s spine and made her bit her lip.

Turning her head, Blair looked at him. She wanted to believe him, to let his words wash away any doubt she had but she couldn’t. Blair would not allow herself to become hopeful because nothing was worse than when it was crushed. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Her voice was barely above a whisper, scared to go any louder.

Determination filled Elijah as he grabbed her hand firmly. His touch caused her eyes to widen and stand straighter, “You have my word, Blair, that the Hunter will die. He will not torment you anymore,” His words were soft but his eyes were intense, heated and staring right at her, into her very being. He did not make promises lightly and if he made them, he stuck to them. This was his code of honour that he wore with pride. Elijah would make sure that the Hunter died. This was his vow and he would not break it.

Suddenly, the air around her seemed to thicken and Blair had a hard time breathing. The way he looked at her made her body heat up to the point she shouldn’t help but fidget on the spot. “Elijah…”

Elijah’s hold on her arm tightened ever so slightly. The way his name rolled off her tongue caused the most primal part of him to purr. He very much enjoyed how his name sounded on her lips and he wanted to hear it again. The way Blair was looking at him, as though he had just promised the world made his heart clench.

“Why are you helping?” Blair couldn’t help but ask this. She knew why Klaus wouldn’t let her go but Elijah’s motive remained a mystery. A part of her longed for him to admit that he cared in some way but the larger part of her, the more sensible side, selfishly reminded her that it was probably because of Hope. He would want Blair here to help protect the baby and nothing more.

Elijah opened his mouth to respond but he found himself silent. He had been holding back with Blair, holding back claiming her as his own and it was because of Klaus. For years, his brother had dictated who Elijah was with, whether it was by killing them or scorning them. Elijah had always been careful of who he introduced into his family but he found himself longing for Blair. However, now was not the time to reveal his strong feelings, especially when she was dealing with such a delicate situation. He wanted Blair for a while now and he would be damned before he let his brother get in the way of his happiness again.

“I care,” Elijah eventually said after a few moments of consideration.

Warmth filled her at his admission and her gaze softened. Blair was about to respond but she was cut off by an angry voice.

“That will not work!” Klaus yelled at Rebekah.

“Stop yelling at me, Nik!” Rebekah screamed back at him.

Elijah sighed deeply and shook his head, “Excuse me,” Turning around, he left to go and deal with his siblings. While both Rebekah and Klaus were on better terms, they had been arguing a lot about silly things and it was starting to drive Elijah mad.

Blair watched from her balcony in amusement as Elijah lectured his siblings, effectively ending their screaming match. Worries about the Hunter were still there but not as prevalent as before. Maybe Elijah’s words had made her feel better after all.

ORIGINALS

Hours seemed to flash by and before Blair knew it, night time had fallen and there were still no signs of the Hunter. It had been well over fifteen hours since Blair had called Callum and there was no indication that the Hunter was even close and this only served to put Blair further on edge than she already was. This was unusual and it was something that had never happened to Blair before. She wasn’t used to waiting around for the Hunter to come and attack her, usually, she was running and trying to put more space between them.

The plan was set and they were all in their places. There were two groups, one acting as the attacking force for the Hunter and the second group was made to protect Hope. Klaus had taken his role as a protective father very seriously and so there was no way anyone was getting near his child without being slaughtered. The first group consisted of Blair, Elijah, Klaus, Rebekah, Raphael and Davina. Blair had argued for Davina to be in the second group so she would not be anywhere near the Hunter but the young Witch had been adamant she wasn’t leaving the Fae’s side. Davina said that she wanted to help bring down the Hunter and nothing was stopping her. Raphael had sided with Davina, saying that if anything went wrong then he would take her and run – and that was the only thing keeping Blair calm about Davina’s presence there.

In the second group, there was the Crescent Wolf pack, Hayley and Genevieve. This had been a controversial decision and one that wasn’t known to many. Only Blair, Davina and Hayley knew about Genevieve’s assistance. Hayley needed to know as not too long ago, the resurrected Witch had been after her baby, but now Genevieve understood that wasn’t going to happen and would be killed with no hesitation if she tried anything. Blair had decided to invest in Genevieve and decided to grant the Witch her protection as long as she did something for the Fae first. Genevieve was to protect Hope and everyone else in the second group, if she managed this then Blair would offer her protection from the Ancestors. Blair had told Davina – who had not been happy but she soon came around to the idea when Blair revealed she was merely using the older Witch. Additionally, Blair had no intentions of offering Genevieve the same level of protection as she had Davina but the older Witch wasn’t privy to that yet.

Stood in a clearing in the Bayou, Blair waited for any signs that the Hunter was coming. She was the bait, her scent dotted around the city to bring him to the Bayou and away from all the other people. Looking up at the moon in apprehension, Blair couldn’t help the sense of dread that was nearly choking her.

Impatiently, Rebekah looked down at her watch and scoffed, “Where is he?” She demanded harshly.

Elijah sighed deeply, “Be patient, Rebekah,” They had been waiting in the Bayou for hours and even he would admit he was feeling slightly tense. But he knew this couldn’t be rushed.

“Are we sure he is on his way?” Klaus asked arms crossed over his chest. His nerves were on the edge as he wanted to be home with his child. Every instinct in his body was screaming that he needed to be with Hope, that it was too early to be separated from her but now was not the time. He didn’t want people to think he had gone soft when he became a father.

“He’ll come,” Blair cut in, looking up at the sky, “As soon as he gets my scent, he’ll come,” The desire to continue his game was very strong. The fact she had ruined it would have enraged him to the point he lusted after her capture.

Raphael nodded his head in agreement, “It won’t be long now,” He directed this to Rebekah, who huffed but accepted his words.

Davina looked to Blair, who was stood beside her, “How will know he’s here?” At this question, everyone looked in the direction of the female Fae, all wanting to hear the answer themselves.

“You’ll hear a howl. A very distant one but it will strike fear into your very soul,” Blair answered back, her voice void of any emotion. Whenever she heard the howl, it usually meant she had seconds before the Hunter made his appearance. That was his calling card and it always paralysed her with fear every single time.

Raphael swallowed loudly but didn’t say anything, just moved closer to Rebekah.

Klaus was about to scoff at the notion but he was suddenly cut off when a low, piercing howl echoed throughout the night. There was no mistaking this howl to a Werewolf’s howl, it was deeper and much more sinister. The mere sound sent a violent shiver down Blair’s spine as everyone in their group seemed to freeze where they stood.

Pure fear squeezed Blair’s throat and it felt like she couldn’t breathe. The Hunter was here. He had arrived in New Orleans and he was coming for her. She needed to leave, she needed to get out before he found her. If she confronted him then she and everyone else would die and it would be all her fault.

Blair was snapped out of her thoughts when a warm hand was placed on her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw Elijah stood behind her, steely determination in his eyes. “I meant what I said,” He muttered lowly, referring to the vow he had made earlier that day.

Slowly, but surely, the fear in her heart receded as his words set in. Blair took a look around and saw that everyone was ready, their bodies tense as they awaited a fight. Each one of them had silver weapons, all concealed so they could surprise the Hunter. They were ready. Klaus had a grin of excitement on his face, visibly eager for a fight. Even Davina, who appeared shaken, also looked ready for a fight. Unconsciously, Blair felt for her own weapons and found them in place.

“He's coming,” Blair whispered lowly, “We should get into position,”

No one protested and they got into position. Everyone except for Blair disappeared into the woods, Davina using a concealing spell so the Hunter wouldn’t notice them. This left Blair alone in the clearing, out in the open for the Hunter to see. If Blair was alone, she would have been frightened and probably would have run away as fast as she could. But knowing that she had people in her corner gave her confidence that she never knew she possessed. Inhaling deeply, Blair calmed her racing heart and waited. She stood taller and magic crackled at her fingertips, warming up for what was to come. She was ready for a fight and she was ready to get rid of the Hunter once and for all.

However, it would seem Blair would be left waiting.

Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into an hour. Yet there were no signs of the Hunter showing up and coming anywhere close. There hadn’t even been another howl to signal his arrival and this waiting began to chip at Blair's confidence.

Not able to hold the spell a moment longer, Davina dropped the concealment spell and sighed deeply. No longer being hidden, Klaus, Elijah and everyone else came out from the woods. “Why has he not shown up?” Klaus demanded.

Blair shook her head, “I don’t understand. He should have been here by now,” Taking out her burner phone, Blair called Callum’s number and waited for him to answer. Luckily, he picked up after three rings.

“Blair! Are you okay?” Callum asked the moment he answered.

“Where is the Hunter?” Blair asked, ignoring his question. She didn’t have time for pleasantries, she needed to know where the Hunter was. He should have already shown his face but he hadn’t and this worried her.

Callum was silent on the other line, no doubt checking for her. After a few moments of silence, he answered. “He's in New Orleans, did you managed to get out in time?”

“Are you sure?” Blair asked.

“I am very positive he's in New Orleans,” Callum answered confidently.

Sighing deeply, Blair hung up the phone. Callum had never been wrong before and so she had no doubt he was telling the truth. But this created more questions, like where was the Hunter and why wasn’t he trying to attack her? This did not follow his usual pattern and this made her anxious.

“Can he be trusted?” Rebekah asked, referring to Blair’s informant. 

Blair nodded her head, “He hasn’t steered me wrong before.”

“The Hunter must suspect something,” Elijah said, his tone cautious. This would be the only way to explain the turn of events. Obviously, the game of cat and mouse between the Hunter and Blair wasn’t over just yet.

A twisted smirk appeared in Klaus’ face, this was a game he intended to win.

Before Blair could say anything more, she felt pressure in her head, making her wince. Placing a hand on her head, she turned in the direction of the French Quarter, her face paler than before. This caught Elijah’s attention, “What’s wrong?”

“Something broken down my barrier that I placed around the compound,” Blair said, a sense of dread filling her. The barrier that she made was meant to be unbreakable – no one was supposed to be able to get past it.

Terror flashed in Klaus’ eyes, “We need to get back to the compound now,” In a flash, he was gone, fearing for his child.

Wordlessly, Elijah wrapped his arms around Blair and Davina before running after his brother. Blair made no complaint, knowing that Vampires were much faster and they needed to get back as soon as possible. It was Davina that squeaked in surprise, not used to the sudden and unexpected speed. Rebekah grabbed Raphael by the arm and ran off, not leaving him behind either. Raphael flushed red at the contact but didn’t protest.

Within minutes they all made it back to the Abattoir. At first glance, nothing seemed amiss but when Blair looked closer, a shiver went down her spine. The place was quiet – too quiet, especially when there were a pack of Wolves and a newborn baby presiding there. The group entered cautiously, with Klaus leading and Davina gasped when they entered the courtyard.

Bodies littered the courtyard and the furniture laid in ruins, broken to pieces. All of the bodies belonged to the Crescent Wolfs and there were puddles of blood everywhere. Blair honestly couldn’t tell if they were all dead or unconscious. In the back, Blair spotted the body of Genevieve, her neck snapped awkwardly, and next to her, there was Hayley, who didn’t appear to have a single scratch on her. Jackson’s body was covering hers, and he appeared heavily injured, his leg laid in a difficult position. Near the front, Blair spotted the half-hidden body of Marcel and a few other Vampires but she couldn’t tell if they were alive or not – but that wasn’t important. Next, a putrid smell assaulted Blair’s senses, it was reminiscent of death and burning brimstone. It was an overwhelming scent, one that nearly made her gag but she stopped herself.

“Oh my god,” Davina gasped, horrified by the scene in front of her.

In an instant, Klaus was gone but he was back a moment’s later, “Hope is not here,” Klaus’ face was pale and his form was shaking in rage. The first place he had checked was Hope’s nursery but she hadn’t been there. To make matters worse, he couldn’t smell her scent at all in his home.

Rebekah and Raphael walked over to Hayley, checking over her, “She is alive,” She announced to everyone, making Blair sigh in relief. While there, Raphael checked up on Jackson and found that he was alive too, but Genevieve was certainly dead.

“What could have done this?” Davina whispered lowly in horror.

Dread filled Blair, “The Hunter,”

“I will kill him,” Klaus growled lowly.

Elijah’s eyes darkened, “Agreed,” No one hurt his family and got away with it. Hope was missing he wouldn’t stop until his niece was found, alive and well. If the Hunter even so much as touched a hair on her head, he was dead, Blair’s claim on his life be damned.

A dark chuckle sounded from behind everyone. Blair jumped at the familiar sound and she whirled around, only to see the Hunter walk into the courtyard with Hope in his arms, “Now, there is no need for threats,” The Hunter said with a wide grin, his gaze solely trained on Blair.

Chapter 26: Chapter 26

Blair stared at the Hunter, her whole body shaking with nerves. This was not how she expected to confront him. The plan was to ambush him in the Bayou where there would be no casualties and less chance of things going wrong. But it seemed as though luck was not on her side as one of the worst possible outcomes had come true; where the Hunter got hold of Hope. Blair studied the Hunter, making sure to avoid his eyes. The Hunter was tall – nearing the seven-foot mark and he was lean with a surprising amount of muscle. The Hunter was pale – deathly pale – with black tattoos heavily decorating any flesh on show. He had long black hair, slicked backed and in a ponytail, but it was his eyes that was menacing. Usually, they were a hazel colour, but when his powers activated, they shinned a murderous red colour, something that gave her lingering nightmares.

The Hunter held Hope close to him, giving no opportunity for someone to rescue her without endangering her at the same time. He looked down at the sleeping baby, intrigue on his face – a dangerous emotion for him.

"Is that the Hunter?" Davina whispered in a mix of fear and shock. The man was terrifying, everything about him screamed death and terror. Davina wanted to run away so badly and she was having some issues breathing.

Wordlessly, Blair nodded her head.

Seeing his daughter in the arms of the Hunter, Klaus' eyes glowed yellow in rage, "Let my daughter go, now!" He snarled lowly, his fangs snapping down. He would make sure that the Hunter suffered for this – death was too good for him.

Quickly, Elijah placed a hand on Klaus' shoulder, holding him back with a clenched jaw. As much as Elijah wanted to rescue his niece, he knew that they needed to play this smart otherwise they would risk harming Hope. Klaus snarled under his grasp but stopped when he saw the darkness in his brother's eyes.

The Hunter continued to look down at Hope, who was innocently sleeping, not knowing how much danger she was truly in. "It's absolutely extraordinary. A Trybrid, I have never come across anything like it before,"

Klaus was practically vibrating with rage but he could do nothing. He had never felt so powerless before. If Elijah hadn't been holding him back, Klaus didn't doubt for a moment he would have done something incredibly stupid and dangerous. Elijah's mind was working a mile a minute, trying to think of a plan where he could get Hope out of harm's way but he wasn't seeing an option at this point. They were in a delicate situation and one single action could result in something devastating to everyone.

"You don't want her, you want me," Blair said, taking a step forward but she stopped when she felt something. It was a resistance – a force that wouldn't allow her to get closer. It took her a few seconds to realise what it was and it made her stomach flip.

The Hunter's eyes immediately landed on Blair, but she avoided his gaze. She knew better than to look him directly in the eyes. "Well, hello Blair. It's been a while," The Hunter's voice was calm – smooth and delicate. His Welsh accent was only slightly audible but still there. It was the voice that haunted her nightmares and reminded her that she wasn't safe anywhere.

"Not long enough," Blair muttered lowly, knowing the Hunter would hear it.

Dark eyes scanned the room, noting how no one would dare look him in the eyes. "I see you've told them about our little game?" Blair could practically feel the smirk on him, as if he was proud to instil such fear in everyone.

"Yes, they know all about your sick, twisted game," Blair answered bluntly, her eyes trained on the Hunter's chest. She needed to keep her eyes on him in case he made any sudden movements but made sure to never look at him in the eyes. It was almost unnatural but it was something she had got used to.

The Hunter laughed, finding her answer amusing. "Oh Blair, you never fail to make me laugh. It is such a shame you have to die,"

"You won't be touching her," Raphael spoke, his voice shaking slightly.

The Hunter turned to face the male Fae and growled at him, "She is mine! I will do with her as I please," Blair was his prize and his alone. He would make up for all their lost time. The hunt between them would be one to never forget.

Rebekah grabbed Raphael and pulled him back, placing herself between him and the Hunter. She hissed lowly, crouching slightly.

The Hunter arched a brow, "And you've somehow wrangled the Originals into our game. I thought you'd learnt your lesson," He tutted her actions as if disappointed in them.

Hardening her resolve, Blair glared at him, "Our game ends today."

"Our game ends when I say it does," The Hunter snapped at her.

The sound caused the hairs on Blair's body to stand on end. She was scared – scared of even being near the Hunter. His voice, scent and whole demeanour just brought her back to when she had first met the Hunter. Blair was snapped out of her spiralling thoughts when Elijah used his other hand and grabbed her own, squeezing her back into reality. His touch made her remember that she wasn't alone and that she could face the Hunter.

"Put Hope down, now," Klaus hissed out lowly, his eyes still glowing yellow in rage.

The Hunter hummed as he rocked Hope, "I will, once I get what I want,"

"What is it that you want?" Rebekah asked, getting impatient.

Dark eyes landed on Blair, lust and desire flashing dangerously. "I want Blair. Hand her over and I will return the baby to you. I will then leave with Blair and you can continue on with your lives as if nothing happened,"

Blair's heart thudded heavily in her chest. She knew that this is what the Hunter was going to say but actually hearing it was different. However, the biggest emotion she was feeling was guilt – she felt guilty that Hope was in this situation because of her.

Klaus wasn't going to lie, he really did consider this option. If Elijah's grip on his shoulder hadn't tightened to the point it was painful, he would have accepted the Hunter's offer with no hesitation. Then, when Hope was safe, he would have killed the Hunter without a second thought.

"Blair is not yours," Elijah answered strongly, not backing down at all.

The Hunter growled deeply, "That is the wrong choice," Reaching into his pocket, the Hunter took out a knife.

Blair's felt like her blood had frozen inside her. The Hunter was actually going to harm Hope just to make a point. She needed to do something to save the baby before anything happened to her. 'Raphael,'

'Yes?' Raphael's voice was weak, in shock from what the Hunter was doing.

'I am about to do something foolish and I need you to be ready. When I say, I want you to hold out your arms,' The plan that Blair made was reckless but she had no choice. If she didn't do something then that baby that Chloe fought for would end up dead.

'Okay,'

Blair watched with keen eyes as the Hunter held out the knife and blocked out all the shouting. Klaus had nearly gone feral at the sight of the knife and was screaming at the Hunter to give back his daughter. She was waiting for the right moment. If she acted too soon then it would put Hope in danger and herself. Going over the plan in her head, Blair cursed herself but knew that it needed to be done.

It was just as he started to lower the knife that Blair acted. 'Now!' She screamed in the connection to Raphael as her magic came to life and her eyes flashed purple. Within the blink of an eye, Blair was no longer stood with Elijah, Klaus and Davina, but rather she was right next to the Hunter and Hope was no longer there. Raphael held out his arms, not knowing what to expect, but he really hadn't expected Hope to appear in his arms so suddenly, but he didn't protest and brought Hope closer to him for protection. Blair attempted to jump back but she was too slow. The Hunter grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. Due to how close she was, she couldn't avoid the Hunter's knife as it stabbed her in the chest. Blair let out a scream of pain, her chest burning from being stabbed.

"Blair!" Elijah yelled out, stepping forward to help her but he was met with resistance. Looking closely, he found there was a barrier around them. Elijah hit the barrier with his fists but it did nothing.

Klaus attempted to ram the barrier, thinking some additional force would cause it to cave in but it didn't do anything. Klaus bounced back and snarled at the barrier in annoyance, it was the only thing saving the Hunter from his wrath.

Davina came forward and touched the barrier, "I'll try and take it down with my magic," On the inside, she was panicking but she couldn't let it show. She needed to take down the barrier so Blair wasn't on her own with the Hunter.

Knowing they wouldn't get past his barrier, the Hunter smirked and looked down at Blair smugly, "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist. You're so predictable," He laughed as he removed the knife from her chest, watching in glee as she fell to the ground with blood gushing from her wound.

Blair kneeled down on the ground, placing a shaky hand over the bleeding wound, "You bastard," Of course, the Hunter would expect this from her, he had studied her just as much as she tried to study him. Magic sparked at her fingertips and she tried to teleport out of the barrier but found that nothing happened to make her eyes widen.

Seeing her surprised expression, the Hunter laughed, "Oh, that won't work. I made sure of it. The only why this barrier is coming down is if I die, and we all know that's not going to happen," He had made this barrier especially for Blair, hoping that he would one day get to use it.

Mentally cursing, Blair attempted to crawl away, trying to put as much distance between them as possible, but the Hunter refused to let that happen. The Hunter grabbed Blair by the arm and threw her across the room. As she landed, the Hunter appeared behind her and kicked her farther away. Blair landed harshly and cried out as pieces of broken furniture dug into her skin. Suddenly, the Hunter was in front of her and he grabbed her, his nails digging into her face.

"Look at me," The Hunter ordered.

However, Blair refused to meet his eyes, already knowing what he wanted. The moment she did, she would be under his trap as he manipulated her fear. He would make her see her worst fears and she would be paralysed, unable to do anything. She closed her eyes, refusing to take any chances and this caused the Hunter to growl lowly. The grip on her face tightening, his nail digging even further into her face. He then slammed her head on the ground causing her to open her eyes in shock at the blunt trauma. However, she never looked at him in the eyes, causing the Hunter to become further enraged.

"Look at me!" The Hunter screamed.

Blair snarled at him as she refused his request, her head was becoming numb as he continued to slam it into the ground. There was a constant burning sensation in her chest from where the knife had stabbed her and blood had only just stopped gushing out. Her head was wet with what she was sure was blood. Her vision was started to darken but she knew that if she passed out, then it would be game over. She would not wake up next time and the Hunter would still be alive. Vaguely, Blair could hear shouting from people other than the Hunter. She was sure she could hear Raphael scream her name as well as Davina, begging her to get up. Even Klaus was shouting how he was going to kill her if she didn't do anything. Blair could even hear Elijah's rough growls that he was going to kill the Hunter.

"LOOK AT ME!" The Hunter roared in anger.

Something inside Blair snapped and she managed to move one of her arms. Her other arm was trapped under her weight, but another hand was free. At that moment, Blair made a split-second decision, knowing that she couldn't reach for her concealed weapon. Faster than she could comprehend, Blair raised her hand and slashed the Hunter across the face with her sharp nails. She could feel the skin under her fingers and the wetness of the blood but she never faltered. Not even when she felt the soft jelly-like substance when she cut through his eye with her nails.

The Hunter howled in pain as he stepped back, holding his eye as blood poured down his face. Taking the opportunity, Blair rolled away and got up, fighting the wave of dizziness that hit her like a train. Gritting her teeth, Blair tested out her magic and found that it was fully functional again but she was far too out of it to use teleportation magic. To use it in such a state would be dangerous and could have devastating results. Instead, she crawled over to the edge of the barrier, intending to bring it down so she could at least have some backup. The Hunter said it wouldn't come down unless he was dead but Blair had to at least try.

"Get back here!" The Hunter shouted as he advanced on her.

Turning slightly, Blair's eyes glowed purple, "Get back!" Magic pulsed around her and sent the Hunter back, crashing into the other side of the barrier with a scream of pain. With her attention back on task, she managed to make it to the edge and touched the barrier.

"Blair, can you bring it down?" Elijah asked, relieved that she was no longer under the hold of the Hunter.

"I can try," Blair answered him, her speech slurred. Her head was throbbing, she was pretty sure her skull was cracked and she desperately needed to heal herself. However, if she did that then valuable time would be lost and the Hunter would recover. Deciding it was best to bring down the barrier, Blair raised her hand but was stopped when a ring of fire appeared at the edge, blocking her from touching the barrier.

With a shriek, Blair jumped back before the fire could burn it. It wasn't ordinary fire either, it was hellfire. Far stronger and hotter than normal fire. Turning her head, Blair saw the Hunter stood a few feet away, his eye blazing in anger. His other eye was swollen shut and he wasn't able to use the other eye, a victory for Blair.

"Blair!" Raphael shouted in concern.

Slowly, Blair turned to face the Hunter and shakily managed to stand up. She was panting with how much effort it took. Carefully, Blair sent her magic to her head, slowly healing it so she could focus. She didn't fully heal herself, just enough where she was conscious and wasn't completely sluggish. Before Blair had a chance to fully regain her bearings, the Hunter launched himself at her. Eyes glowing purple, Blair forced him back with her magic, sending him flying in the barrier once more. While he was down, Blair attempted to drown out the hellfire around her with water, but it failed. The moment her water came in contact with the hellfire, it sizzled and evaporated immediately. Blair sneered at this, she knew it would fail but she had to try.

Reaching into her waistband, Blair pulled out a gun that contained silver bullets. She tried to aim the gun but her aim was shaky at best and she cursed herself. She should have taken up Rebekah on her offer of learning how to shoot a gun properly, but Blair had been cocky and assumed and it wouldn't have been too difficult. Taking the shot, Blair shot the gun, wincing at the recoil and the loudness of the weapon. She shot until she was out of bullets and felt relieved when she heard the Hunter scream out in pain.

Dropping the empty gun, Blair looked up. She wouldn't be able to get out on the ground but there was a chance the Hunter hadn't fortified the top. Eyes glowing purple, Blair used her magic to levitate herself into the air, intending to see if she could get out. Just as she was about halfway, Blair heard a yell from Klaus and looked down. The Hunter roared and pounced, grabbing her by the ankle, she tried to manoeuvre herself out of his reach but she had reacted too late. The Hunter yanked her down to the ground and threw her down. As she was dragged down, she kicked at his hand, the heel of her shoes digging into his hands and was pretty sure she heard a crack which gave her a sense of satisfaction. With a snarl, The Hunter threw her and Blair landed harshly, her head bouncing off the floor once more.

Black spots danced in her vision as she cursed, but she refused to give in. She looked at the Hunter, trying to see where he had been injured and if she even managed to shoot him. He had blood pouring from his shoulder, leg and arm. "How did the silver not work?" She muttered to herself, worried that she had been wrong.

The Hunter laughed at her, "It will take more than a few silver bullets to take me down,"

With a hiss, Blair's eyes glowed purple as her magic came to life. She was pissed that the silver hadn't worked and this anger overrode any fear she had for him at that moment. Before he could react, Blair summoned water and soaked the Hunter.

The Hunter arched a brow at her, "A little water won't harm me,"

Blair smirked, "No, but this will," Eyes glowing purple, magic sparked at her fingertips as she summoned lightning, allowing the water to act as a guide as it shocked the Hunter. Lightning wasn't her best element as if it often clashed with her preferred nature but Blair was confident in her abilities to cast a decent spell.

The Hunter let out a loud screech of pain as he was consumed with the lightning, his screams echoing loudly. He lit up like a Christmas tree and it nearly blinded Blair with how bright it was so she looked away, covering her own eyes as the electrical currents filled the Hunter. Sooner than Blair wanted, the lightning faded and the Hunter dropped to the floor. The exposed tattooed skin was red from the sheer power of the lightning.

Cautiously, Blair walked over to the Hunter, briefly wondering if he had survived the attack. Being struck by lightning would kill most people, or at least cause further complications, like cardiac arrest. Blair honestly didn't know if Hellhounds could suffer from such an ailment but wished it so. As she approached him, she tried to see if she was still breathing but found his chest unmoving. This single action caused Blair to sigh in relief, a sense of excitement filling her. She was finally free of the Hunter. Turning her head, Blair looked to the hellfire still lit at the edge of the barrier and dread filled her. If the Hunter were dead, the hellfire would be gone. No, the Hunter was still alive. Just as Blair finished her thought, the Hunter pounced and tackled her to the ground, his hand around her throat and a blade in her chest. Blair cried out, feeling the knife brush against her heart. She tried to use magic but she was too blinded by pain to even conjure up a spell.

The Hunter laughed at her, his only working eye lighting up in glee. "You really think that would work? I will admit it was impressive and your magic has come a long way, but the game is finally over. I win," The sheer madness in his eye was scary. She could feel the excitement radiating from him as he pinned her down. As a response, Blair spat in his face. The Hunter growled at her and twisted the knife in her chest, causing her to gasp in pain and choke out blood. The Hunter leaned closer and smirked down at her, "After all these years, I've finally got what I've always wanted,"

Before Blair could say anything, there was a loud shattering glass sound as the barrier around them was suddenly broken. Davina stood on the other side, sweating with how much energy and magic she had to use but it was finally done. The second the barrier was down, Klaus and Elijah jumped into the action, easily jumping over the hellfire. They were like a blur, moving so quickly that Blair's sluggish brain couldn't keep up. Before Blair could even fully blink, the Hunter was ripped off her, and Elijah was kneeling down at her side. Klaus was dealing with the Hunter, hitting him with attack after attack, never backing down and never giving the Hunter a chance to regain his footing. It was very satisfying to watch. Klaus was relentless and for once, the Hunter seemed to be struggling against the Original Hybrid.

"Blair, stay with me," Elijah said as he cradled the Fae. The warm and inviting smell of her blood was enticing and it took everything inside him to not taste her heavenly blood. Blair had already lost a lot of blood as it was and she was heavily injured. He was scared to hold her in case he accidentally caused her more harm.

Weakly, Blair turned to face the Noble Original but she found that black spots were dancing in her vision once more. She wasn't sure what was causing it this time, the head injury or the loss of blood. It could have been a combination of the two but honestly, Blair didn't care. The numbness started to take over and her breathing became shallower.

"Blair, do not close your eyes!" Elijah commanded harshly, "Heal yourself, don't allow the Hunter to win,"

Blair opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Her eyes were heavy and she so desperately just wanted to shut him.

With a clenched jaw, Elijah could slowly see the life leaving Blair and it did not sit well with him. In the background, he could hear the snarls of his brother, Rebekah shouting out encouraging words, telling Klaus what body part to rip off. However, he could also hear Blair's heart and how it was slowing down. Manoeuvring himself, Elijah picked up Blair bridal style and jumped across the hellfire over to Davina.

"She needs healing now," Elijah ordered the young Witch.

Davina took one look at Blair and her eyes widened, "I-I don't know how to! We never started healing spells!" This had been next thing on her list to learn but it was too late. For this, Davina cursed herself and turning down Blair's offer to learn healing spells until a later day.

The vein in Elijah's jaw twitched in anger. Without hesitation, Elijah bit into his wrist and pressed the open wound to Blair's mouth, "Drink,"

The moment the blood touched Blair's lips, it was as if she came alive. Gently grabbing his wrist, Blair drank his blood tentatively, feeling her whole body warm up the more she drank. Blair had taken Elijah's blood once before, but this time was different. She wasn't expecting it to taste good. After a few more gulps, Blair felt completely rejuvenated and gently pushed his wrist away, just in time as the bite mark had already healed.

"How are you feeling?" Davina asked, worried about the Fae.

Blair took a moment to answer, mentally checking over herself and using her magic to see if anything was amiss. However, she felt completely fine and everything seemed to be in order. "I feel great,"

Elijah's shoulders dropped slightly in relief, pleased that she was okay. Looking over to his brother, he noticed that Klaus was struggling against the Hunter. The Hellhound had managed to pin Klaus to the ground and he gently placed Blair on the ground before he stood up. "Excuse me," He flashed forward and tackled the Hunter, growling lowly at him and threw him across the room. The Hunter attempted to shoot hellfire at him, but Elijah dodged with ease.

Standing up, Blair allowed Davina to help her, knowing that the young Witch was worried. Once on her feet, Blair rolled her shoulders and tested her magic by making her fingertips spark with magic. She was back and at one hundred per cent capacity. Now, she was ready to get back into the fray.

Seeing this, Davina frowned, "Are you sure you don't want to sit this one out?" She was pretty sure that Klaus and Elijah had this fight won. The Hunter was already injured from Blair, it wouldn't take long for the Originals to take care of him.

Blair shook her head, "No, I wouldn't want to miss out on this," She watched in satisfaction as Klaus and Elijah managed to pin the Hunter down to his knees, Elijah and Klaus on either side, holding him down. However, it seemed as though the siblings were arguing about something, and it appeared as though Klaus was losing the argument with how thunderous his expression was. It was surprising to see the Hunter so exhausted and it sent a thrill down her spine to see the Hunter so feeble. The urge to be a part of this was too strong and she made her way over to the Originals and the Hunter, easily jumping over the hellfire.

When she was close enough, Elijah looked at her, "Would you like the finishing blow?" At this, the Hunter attempted to struggle but the brothers never budged. Elijah's grip on the Hunter's neck tightened, his strength never wavering.

Looking over to Klaus, Blair wanted to gauge his thoughts on the matter. She knew that was eager to kill the Hunter himself and she was ready to fight him over this. However, it seemed as though a fight wasn't necessary. Klaus turned his head away from her, "Do what you like to him,"

Smirking, Blair walked closer to the Hunter and stared at him, but avoided his eye. "Honestly, killing you would be too easy," After all the years she had been on the run, hiding in fear and being terrified for her life, killing him seemed too easy.

"We could torture him," Klaus suggested with a sly smirk.

Blair shook her head, "No, I wouldn't risk it." If she left the Hunter alive to torture him, there would be a chance he would escape or do something worse. Blair couldn't risk that happening and she feared she would never get this opportunity again.

Elijah nodded his head in understanding.

Inhaling deeply, Blair pushed down the excitement and nerves at the thought of killing the Hunter. Magic sparked at her fingertips as her magic came to life. She would kill the Hunter but she would make him suffer for everything he has done to her. Using her magic, she focused on the Hunter's brain and he started to groan in pain and moved to his bones, breaking the bones in his arms and legs. The Hunter screamed in pain and tried to get away, shouting curse words at Blair, but Klaus and Elijah remained strong. Blair poured all of her hatred and anger into this spell, wanting the Hunter to truly feel how much she despised him. He had made her life hell, she had to give up everything because of him and spent a life in solitude because he decided to hunt her and make her part of his sick game. The more the Hunter screamed, the more powerful Blair truly felt and her eyes glowed a brighter shade of purple. Forcing her magic down, she focused it around his only remaining eye, slowly adding pressure to the organ. The Hunter screamed out in agony, feeling as though his eye was being squeezed. Blair brought up the pressure until his eye exploded, blood pouring out and she watched in satisfaction, knowing just how much his eyes meant to him. Not that he would be using them later as he would be dead.

Davina made a gagging noise in the background, the sight of an exploding eyeball too much for her. She had walked over to Rebekah, Raphael and Hope, watching the scene unfold before her. Rebekah had found the exploding eyeball funny and laughed while Raphael winced and gushed over Hope.

Blair moved on, smirking at the Hunter's screams, eager to hear more. She moved her magic downwards and this time focused on his heart. Grunting at the uncomfortable feeling in his chest, his protests were ignored. Blair's magic put pressure on the Hunter's heart, the sensation slowly building so he would feel everything. It was only a few minutes before Blair started to feel impatient and turned up the dial, pleased when the Hunter's heart exploded in his chest making him gasp out in pain before the light dimmed in his eyes. The Hunter's head dropped and his whole body sagged.

"Is he dead?" Rebekah asked, her eyes narrowed as he looked down at the body.

Elijah nodded his head, "His heart is no longer beating," To confirm this, he looked to where the hellfire had been lit and found it was gone. He had also heard as the Hunter's heart exploded in his chest. It had been a disgusting sound and even Elijah couldn't deny that the sound unnerved him. However, it seemed as though Klaus was fascinated by Blair's torture method and this worried him.

With no need to hold the Hunter, Klaus and Elijah dropped him and stood up. Immediately, Klaus was by his daughter's side, holding her close to him. However, Elijah stayed by Blair, watching her carefully. She seemed void of all emotion, her face was blank and her eyes hollow. It made him wonder what she was thinking and what she must be feeling. Elijah knew that when he found out his father was dead, he had been relieved – though he hadn't been the main target of his father's wrath, he was relieved nonetheless.

"He's truly dead," Blair whispered softly.

Elijah nodded his head, "You're finally free,"

Blair let out a shaky breath, unable to formulate any words to respond to that claim. She had never been free before. Even in the Forest, she lived under the Queen's rule and then the fear of the Hunter. But now, she was truly free. She could do anything she wanted – go anywhere she wanted without the dread of the Hunter following close behind her. She no longer needed to constantly check over her shoulder, concerned about being weak in case he made his appearance. Blair could get close to people – form connections with people and not fret that they would end up dead because of her. The possibilities were endless and honestly, Blair was overwhelmed with how many choices she had. Vision going fuzzy, Blair stumbled forward and she felt like she was going to tumble over. However, before that could happen, Elijah grabbed her by the arm and steadied her.

"Don't worry, I have got you," Elijah said softly.

Tears stung her eyes and Blair couldn't help it. At that moment, she needed someone to comfort her. Despite his slightly cooler body temperature, Blair turned to him for warmth, throwing her arms around his neck and hugged him closely, burying her head into his chest. Elijah accepted this hug without any protest, holding her close to him in return. Quietly, Blair cried into Elijah's chest and he softly petted her head to comfort her.

"It's over. I promised you that he would die tonight and he is," Elijah had been willing to kill the Hunter himself for what he had done. But it was only fair for Blair to get that right after everything she had endured. This made his promise no less fulfilled.

Blair tightened her hold on him, not protesting at all as he picked her up and carried her to her room.

Notes:

So, I just wanted to get your opinion on the fate of certain people. What do you think the fate of Hayley and Marcel should be? I left it open because I was toying around with a few ideas, but I wanted to hear your opinion as well. Should Marcel and Hayley be killed off or kept alive? Leave a comment and let me know!

Edit: I have went back and changed something for this chapter. Nicci_89 pointed out that Blair had already had some of Elijah's blood in chapter 21 and I had completely forgotten about that. I have edited it where Elijah's isn't concerned about Blair drinking his blood. Sorry about the confusion!

Chapter 27: Chapter 27

The next day

Elijah sat in the living room, a glass of bourbon in hand. He was dressed in a new suit, a dark blue blazer with matching trousers and a white pressed shirt. It wasn’t even noon yet and he was already drinking. It had been a stressful morning and there had been a lot to sort out. Unfortunately, nearly half of the Crescent Wolf pack had either died or been severely injured from the Hunter’s attack. Hayley had been injured and was currently still unconscious. According to Jackson, Hayley had confronted the Hunter when he entered the compound and immediately collapsed. Ever since then, she had not awoken and seemed to be in pain, but no one could wake her up. Jackson was distraught and he was still healing from the injuries that he had sustained from the Hunter. Unfortunately, there had been other casualties. Marcel had been one of them, his heart had been ripped out of his chest. According to Elijah’s spy, Marcel had attempted another coup, to attack Klaus directly as he thought his sire to be weaker now that his child was there. However, Marcel accidentally met the Hunter and he was killed within seconds of meeting. Klaus was beside himself and had locked himself upstairs to process the grief of losing his eldest child. They may not have got along but Klaus cared for Marcel deeply and he vowed he would do everything possible for Hope to remain safe, unlike her Vampire brother. Rebekah had also been shaken by the news and had locked herself away in her room, only allowing Raphael to bring her blood. Elijah was also grieving for Marcel but he did not feel his death as strongly, in fact, he had predicted Marcel’s death but he had not known it would be by the Hunter’s hand. Another casualty of the Hunter was Genevieve. She was dead but the Witches didn’t seem too upset about this, in fact, Monique had seemed quite smug and this had irritated Elijah slightly but he held it together as he gave Genevieve’s body over to them.

There was much to do and much to organise. Elijah had promised that he would assist in the Crescent Wolves funerals, though Jackson had been reluctant at first, Eve had convinced him otherwise. Downing the rest of his bourbon, Elijah poured himself another glass and his thoughts strayed off to the night before, when Blair had fought the Hunter.

Elijah’s heart had been in his throat throughout that entire fight. It was easy to see why Blair had been so scared of the Hunter, he had been absolutely ruthless in his attacks. Elijah had truly feared for Blair, especially every time her head bounced off the fall and more blood poured out from her. At the reminder of her sweet blood, Elijah felt his gums ache as his fangs desired to sink into her neck. Her blood smelt so sweet, he imagined that she would taste divine. Elijah cast those thoughts out of his mind. He would not stoop so low as to lust over her blood, he refused to become the animal she feared him to be.

Deciding that he needed blood, Elijah stood up and made his way to the kitchen. Once there, he opened the fridge and took out a blood bag, taking a large gulp of it. He wasn’t a fan of the blood being cold but he needed a quick shot of the blood before his craving took over. No one had tested his resistance to blood like Blair, her blood called to him like a Siren’s song. If Elijah wasn’t as old and experienced as he was, he would have slipped up by now. But Elijah knew that the moment he gave into temptation, Blair would no longer trust him. He had worked hard to get the female Fae to trust him and he refused to throw away all that progress just because he couldn't control himself.

Elijah was infatuated with Blair, that much was clear to him. If he had any doubt of his feelings then watching her nearly die would have opened his eyes. He had planned to make his feelings known to her but it never seemed to be the time. Blair never seemed to be comfortable and settled and he knew that it was never the time to reveal his feelings. He had decided he would start to pursue her after the Hunter situation had been sorted as he was tired of allowing his brother to dictate who he was with. During one of their private conversations, Klaus had pointed out Elijah’s feelings for the female Fae and he had not denied them, being upfront with his feelings. However, Klaus opposed this, claiming that he needed Blair for her magic and Elijah had refuted him. He refused to let Klaus get in the way of his happiness and he had no qualms of fighting Klaus over this. After some heated words, Klaus had not mentioned this again.

Elijah was snapped out of his thoughts when he smelt Blair’s scent and heard her door opening. After last night, he had taken her back into her room and stayed with her until she fell asleep. He hadn’t wanted her to be alone after everything that happened the night before. Downing the rest of his blood bag, he threw it in the bin and that’s when he turned around and saw a completely different person than who he was expecting.

The woman that stood before him was small, barely even reaching his shoulders. She had shoulder-length auburn hair and emerald green eyes. The woman was pale with freckles dotted around her face, concentrated around her nose and cheek area. Her clothing looked familiar, something Blair would wear; black skinny jeans and a black and white checked crop top with black boots.

“Who are you?” Elijah demanded, wondering how this stranger had got into his home without his notice.

The woman grinned, amusement in her eyes, “Elijah, it’s me, Blair,” Her voice had a slight Irish accent, one that was soft and very appealing to the ears.

Elijah stared at the woman and took notice of everything about her. Her heartbeat was steady, meaning that she wasn’t lying or she was a very good one. However, this woman and Blair shared the same scent; coffee and caramel – a scent he found very addicting recently. Elijah’s dark eyes missed nothing, as he examined the woman in front of him – not the amused glint in her eyes, and certainly not the way she placed a hand on her wider hips.

“How is this possible? You look completely different,” Elijah said with a frown. There was no denying this woman was Blair as scents did not lie.

“It’s called a glamour,” Blair explained, “I changed my appearance every new place I went. I haven’t been back to my original appearance in a long time,” Spotting her reflection, Blair turned her head and examined herself. She had missed her original face and voice. She had got very good at hiding her accent while on the run but now she could be free. She had made the decision to drop her glamour because there wasn’t a need for it anymore.

Elijah’s eyes still never left her form, “It was a very good glamour,” He swore he was being tested on his resolve once more. The way Blair was biting on her lip made his eyes hone in on the action and he swallowed thickly. He needed another blood bag.

“Thank you,” Blair grinned happily. She knew her glamour was good, but she loved getting praised nonetheless.

“Is Raphael under a glamour?” Elijah asked, trying to distract himself.

Blair shook his head, “No, only me. All Fae can do it, but most hardly ever use it,” There was no reason for Raphael to be under a glamour as he wasn’t hiding, and Chloe hadn’t been under a glamour when she had visited Blair.

He was silent for a moment before clearing his throat. Elijah walked over to the fridge and grabbed another blood bag, “What do you plan to do now?” He had to wonder what would happen now as nothing was chaining Blair from her freedom. She could go where she wanted and stay for as long as she wanted as the Hunter was no longer in the picture.

Falling silent for a moment, Blair considered her options. This had been the first realisation to hit her when she woke up. “I don’t know yet. But that’s the beauty of it, I don’t have to rush to make a decision,” She no longer needed to run away from a place in a hurry. She could go back to a few places she had visited in the past. She could even head back to the Forest now.

Elijah nodded his head, “Take as long as you need. You’re more than welcome here,” If Elijah could, he would have asked her to stay but he couldn't. He kept his opinion to himself, not wanting to influence it since it was her life.

Blair relaxed slightly, “I was a bit worried after last night…” People had died because of her or were gravely injured. She wasn’t too sure if people would still want her around after everything that had happened.

“You’re not to blame for what happened,” Elijah said strongly, his face stern.

His words soothed some of the guilt inside her. She had heard Klaus’ reaction to Marcel’s death and it had not been pretty. There had been a lot of shouting, furniture being thrown around and crying. Davina was yet to learn of Marcel’s demise and knew it wouldn’t be long before there was more shouting and crying.

“Any news on Hayley?” Blair asked hesitantly. The last she had heard, she wasn’t waking up but was very much alive. She had spent most of the morning listening in on what was happening, working up the courage to leave her room and face the music.

“She’s still unconscious,” Elijah asked with a sigh, “Jackson has taken her back to the Bayou, where they are watching over her.” After Jackson had woken up, he had been devastated about the loss of quite a few pack members. However, it was Hayley and her not waking up that nearly broke him. He had been screaming her name, begging for her to wake up. He had growled at anyone who came near them before he took off with Hayley in his arms.

A sense of dread filled Blair. “Did she look the Hunter in the eyes?” If Hayley had done this then she would have fallen under the Hunter’s spell. The Hunter then held the person captive, using their fear to paralyse them. Most people ended up in a nightmare induced coma, unable to stop witnessing their worst fears. This was why she had avoided looking the Hunter in the eyes because she knew she would fall into his trap and then it would be game over.

“I am not too sure,” Elijah frowned, uncertain of the answer. He had hardly got anything out of Jackson after he saw what was left of his pack and Hayley. He was sure that Jackson was going to take some time to get back to normal.

“I’ll go over the Bayou later and see what I can do,” Blair said, dreading this visit. She had a feeling the Wolves wouldn’t take too kindly of seeing her after what happened.

Elijah said nothing, keeping his thoughts to himself. If he was were Blair, he would avoid the Wolves for some time until things had cooled off but he was worried about Hope. Klaus was doing extremely well with Hope, but she was missing her mother. Even the child could sense that something wasn’t right and there was only so much Klaus could do.

“What did you do with the Hunter’s body?” Blair asked, her voice low. She should have destroyed the body right after killing him but she had been so overwhelmed with her new sense of freedom. Now, she was feeling anxious that she had missed something – like the Hunter potentially coming back because she didn’t get rid of the body.

“Destroyed,” Elijah answered simply. This had been his first order of business after making sure Blair was okay. Even he hadn’t felt fully comfortable until the Hunter’s body had been dealt with. Too many times foes he thought dead had come back to haunt him and he would rather avoid that for Blair. To make sure he was dead, Elijah had removed the Hunter’s head and then used acid to destroy the body as fire would not work, not even on a dead Hellhound.

Blair nodded her head accepting the answer. She knew that the Original had an agenda against the Hunter so she trusted his word. It was hard for her to trust people but she could definitely say she trusted him.

ORIGINALS

Later that day

After some time, Blair and Elijah were making their way over the Bayou. Elijah drove down, with him and Blair comfortably speaking with one another. He was mainly updating her on the situation, how Klaus had locked himself upstairs with Hope and Blair telling him what happened to Davina. She had sat down the young Witch and informed her of Marcel’s death. Davina had not taken the news well and had locked herself away, needing some time alone. Blair respected this, leaving the Witch alone for now, but would be back to check up on her. Raphael was still in the compound with Rebekah and he had reassured her that he would be there for Davina if she needed him. If Hayley hadn’t needed seeing to then Blair wouldn’t have even left the compound, to begin with, but this was important.

They stepped into the Bayou where the Wolves should have been camped out, but it was empty. There was hardly anyone there and didn’t seem like anyone was living there. Blair didn’t know what she was expecting but she hadn’t imagined seeing the Bayou empty. She understood that quite a few Wolves had been lost to the Hunter but not everyone had been killed.

“Where is everyone?” Blair asked, her voice low.

Elijah’s dark eyes scanned the area. He could hear the heartbeats of two individuals in the immediate area, but the other Wolves seemed to be skirting around the edges of the Bayou. For what reason was left unknown.

Just then, Eve walked out of the little cabin and paused when she saw them. “Are you here to see Hayley?” She asked, looking solely at Elijah.

Elijah nodded his head, “And Blair is here to help too,” He motioned to Blair who was stood beside him, knowing that Eve would not recognise them as the same person. Blair’s appearance had dramatically changed from what it was before.

Eve’s eyes widened as she took in Blair new appearance, “Oh god, you can’t be here,” She looked around frantically, moving towards them at a fast pace. “You need to leave before Jackson comes back,”

“Why, what’s wrong?” Blair asked with a frown.

Ignoring her question, Eve continued to look around, as if she was waiting for someone to jump out from behind the trees.

“Eve,” Elijah said, getting the newly changed Werewolf's attention.

Sighing deeply, Eve looked at them, “It’s Jackson. When Hayley wouldn’t wake up and he found out how many casualties there had been, he changed,” His whole personality had changed. Now, Jackson seemed very angry and would snap at anyone who came close to Hayley or even mentioned Blair’s name. “If he hears that you’re here then he will not be happy.”

“Where is he?” Blair asked, looking around.

“Oliver’s taken him away to stretch his legs and get food,” Eve explained, “He hasn’t left Hayley's side since and he needs some rest.” The Alpha in Jackson was restless and wanted revenge for what happened to his pack. Jackson was struggling at the moment and seemed to get worse the longer Hayley stayed unconscious.

“I won’t be long, I am just here to look over Hayley. I think I can help her wake up,” Blair explained to Eve, hoping she would let her help.

Before Eve could say anything, Elijah moved and placed himself in front of Blair. Just as he did this, a Wolf appeared from the woods. It was Jackson and he was growling dangerously low, his golden eyes focused entirely on Blair. From the way his eyes flashed with hatred, he had recognised who she was through her scent.

Eve winced, “He's telling you to leave before he attacks,” As a perk of now being a Wolf, she could understand the pack when they communicated in their Wolf forms. From his thoughts, Jackson wasn’t happy that Blair was there and he wanted her gone. She could hear all the ways Jackson wanted to rip her to shreds and it was not pleasant.

“She is here to help Hayley,” Elijah responded, his eyes trained on Jackson. He understood that Jackson was going through a hard time but that did not mean he would let him harm Blair in any way – though he was sure she could handle herself.

Jackson growled louder, taking a threatening step forward.

“He's asking how can you help,” Eve said, voicing his thoughts.

“Did Hayley look at the Hunter in the eyes?” Blair asked, focusing on the Wolf in front of her. At the moment, Jackson was an Alpha ready to attack someone who he thought to be a threat. She would need to tread carefully.

Jackson growled in response and Eve nodded her head.

“Then I can help her. The Hunter would have placed her in a nightmare induced coma. The longer she is left like this, the worse it will be,” Blair explained calmly. If left unchecked, Hayley would not wake up and the nightmares would get worse until she couldn't handle it anymore.

This response caused Jackson to fall silent. Jackson made a noise before he retreated into the woods slightly, but still making sure he could see still everyone.

“He said do what you need and leave,” Eve said, sending Blair an apologetic look.

Blair nodded her head, “I will,” She looked to Elijah, silently asking if he would be joining her in the cabin but he shook his head.

“I’ll stay here,” Elijah said, turning back to face Jackson. He would prefer to stay outside and keep an eye on Jackson in case he tried to pull anything. From his behaviour, Jackson didn’t seem rational and so Elijah decided that he would rather lean on the side of caution. Jackson was relying on his Wolf to help him through a difficult situation and Wolves relied heavily on their instinct. At this moment of time, Jackson viewed Blair as a threat and Elijah wanted to make sure nothing escalated.

Silently, Blair walked into the cabin with Eve behind her. Eve led her to where Hayley was and Blair was surprised at what she saw. Hayley did not look good at all – she was pale, sweating and making faces as though she was in pain. Placing a hand on Hayley’s head, Blair found that her body temperature had spiked dramatically and she was shivering.

“I’ve tried everything but nothing works. Not even our connection as Wolves worked,” Eve said sadly. She had cared for Hayley the moment Jackson had brought her back and there had been no improvements. In fact, it seemed as though Hayley had got worse overnight.

“Nothing would work unless you had magic,” Blair said, her eyes glowing purple as her magic flared. She could see the sinister energy around Hayley and instantly recognised the signature. This was definitely the Hunter’s work and it was powerful. Even with the Hunter dead, his nightmares still lingered. Blair could feel how scared Hayley was just by standing next to her. She couldn't even imagine what Hayley was seeing at this point. “If she hadn’t woken up, she would have got worse until she died, which wouldn’t take long. Her heart would have given out,” Stress was a killer on the body, regardless of whether the person was supernatural or not. Eventually, the heart would give out due to too much stress and this was where Hayley was heading if something wasn’t done.

A pained howl came from outside the cabin, no doubt Jackson had heard her.

“Can you help her?” Eve asked.

Blair nodded her head, “I am definitely going to try,” Placing a hand on Hayley’s head, Blair closed her eyes. There was a dark blanket over Hayley – courtesy of the Hunter – and Blair focused her magic around this blanket. She was trying to pull the darkness away but there was some resistance and that’s when Blair pulled harder.

Eve looked away as a bright light engulfed both Blair and Hayley. The light was so bright it hurt her eyes but it was quickly gone. Looking back, she saw that Blair had stepped away from Hayley.

“I have stopped the nightmares, now it is up to Hayley to wake up,” Blair said, looking over to Eve. “Hayley’s been through a lot and needs to heal – mentally and emotionally. It may take her a little while but she will wake up,” She hadn’t seen what Hayley was experiencing but no doubt it was petrifying.

“Thank you,” Eve whispered lowly, relief in her voice.

Blair smiled before walking out of the cabin. When she was outside, she saw Jackson was much closer to the cabin and was in his human form – completely naked. Averting her eyes, Blair kept her eyes trained on her face – though it was very tempting to take a peak. “Be patient and she will wake up,”

Jackson nodded his head but said nothing.

“Let’s go,” Elijah said, motioning Blair away. Following after the Original, they made it a few feet before Jackson called out to them again.

“Consider the debt between us paid. Never come back here again,” Jackson warned, his gaze trained solely on Blair.

Blair turned her head and met his gaze unwaveringly, “Understood,” Turning back around, Blair and Elijah walked away from the Bayou, making sure Jackson didn’t pull a surprise attack. 

ORIGINALS

Davina was sat in her room, the curtains drawn and her whole room enveloped in darkness. She was on her bed, where she hadn’t moved since Blair had broken the news about Marcel. Tears permanently stained her face as she couldn't stop the tears from falling, no matter how many times she wiped them away. Blair had tried to break the news as gently as she could, but nothing could have prepared Davina for the news the Fae shared. Not even Blair’s new appearance could snap Davina out from her shock. After being told about Marcel’s death, she didn’t remember much else that Blair said – all her brain could focus on was the fact Marcel was no longer there. They hadn’t had the best relationship towards the end, especially when he was always trying to manipulate her into doing his bidding, but he had still been there for her. At times, Marcel had been a surrogate parent towards her since her own parents had abandoned her.

Her mind kept replaying the last time she and Marcel had spoken. He had managed to locate her number and called her, but she had been less than pleased. Davina had demanded that he leave her alone and not contact her again. Now, she was regretting that decision massively and wished that she could have said something else instead. If she had the chance, she’d tell him that she was sorry and thank him for saving her from the Harvest. He may have used her for her powers, but he had been kind at the same time.

Slowly, Davina sat up in bed and looked down at her own hands. She had magic. Magic could be used to contact the dead – she had seen it be done in her old Coven loads of time. With this thought in mind, light fluttered back into Davina’s eyes as she got out of her bed. Walking over to the grimoires in her wardrobe, she began looking for one in particular. Klaus and Elijah had allowed her access to their mother’s grimoires after everything that had happened. Klaus had said he was interested to see how powerful she would be under Blair’s tutelage and Elijah was more than happy for Davina to continue her magical education. Looking through each grimoire took a while but she soon found the spell she was looking for. Examining the spell, Davina saw that the main item needed for this spell was a personal item of the person she wanted to contact. Mind racing, Davina thought about what would be best. After a few moments, it hit her. Marcel would always wear a necklace, he had never taken it off and she had never seen him without it. 

Closing her eyes, Davina imagined that necklace in her mind and within seconds a small weight appeared in her hand. Opening her eyes, Davina saw a necklace, one that she had seen many times. The necklace had a silver starling pendant attached to a leather strap, very simple but it reminded her of Marcel. Davina swallowed the lump in her throat, willing herself not to cry again. Instead, she put herself to work.

Grabbing candles and salt, Davina drew a salt circle and placed the necklace in the middle. She then lit a bunch of candles, the fire creating an ominous atmosphere in the room. Inhaling deeply, Davina summoned her magic, letting it wash over the salt circle and into the necklace. “Marcel, I call you. Please answer me,” Davina said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. There was no risk of her being overheard as Blair had taught her how to soundproof her room and she had locked the door with her magic. No one other than Blair would be able to undo the lock, and Blair was not currently in the compound. She had left with Elijah to go to the Bayou around an hour ago.

Nothing happened and Davina couldn't hide the disappointment she felt. Steeling her nerves, she tried again. “Marcel, hear my call. Answer me,”

This time, there was a slight shimmer in the air. The curtains ruffled slightly and Davina’s heart leapt in her chest. Something had happened, could it have been Marcel? Had he heard her call for him?

“Marcel?” Davina called out, feeling a presence in the room.

A dark figure appeared in the room, something Davina could only vaguely make out through the candles in the room.

“Marcel!” Davina called out, a sense of relief and happiness hitting her all at once. She wanted to run up and hug him but she knew it wouldn’t work that way. She had only summoned his ghost, not resurrected him, not that she would know how to do that.

A dark chuckle emanated from the dark figure and this sent chills down Davina’s spine. Taking a step back, she realised what she had summoned was not Marcel. “Who are you?” Davina whispered softly.

The dark figure took a step forward, his face becoming clear as he stepped closer to the candles. “I am Mikael,” He said, his piercing eyes staring at the little Witch.

Davina stared at him, her heart dropping heavily in her chest.

Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Weeks flew by and soon it had been over a month since the Hunter was killed. The dust was finally settling within New Orleans and scars were beginning to heal – and some persisted to stay open. Blair’s relationship with the Wolves had not improved and she had not attempted to make amends with them either. She and Jackson were still at odds, just barely being civil with one another.  Unfortunately for Hayley, that put her in the middle of a possibly explosive match as she had been staying at the compound to raise her child with Klaus, agreeing with the Hybrid for once. Hope had been thriving under the care of both her parents, but Hayley had been suffering from nightmares for weeks, not able to shake them. She had become quiet, more reserved and only seemed to spend time with Klaus and Hope, actively avoiding everyone else, even the Crescent Wolves. Now she only visited them once a week at most and this was due to obligation more than anything.

However, there seemed to be a positive. Rebekah had finally come out of her room after hibernating for three weeks. Marcel’s death had hit her extremely hard – even Klaus had bounced back quicker than his little sister. If it wasn’t for Raphael then they would have all became concerned for her health and wellbeing. Since Rebekah had hardly left the compound, that morning, Blair dragged the female Original out to go shopping, hoping that some retail therapy would help. Klaus had even offered to fund the trip, which he would soon live to regret as the moment Rebekah heard those words, she and Blair were out the door within seconds. Blair planned to make a dent in Klaus' bank account and no doubt Rebekah was thinking exactly the same.

Currently, they were in one of the more high-end shops, browsing to see if anything took their fancy. As they shopped, Rebekah picked up a dress, “You know, I wasn’t expecting for you to invite me out,” Raphael had already warned her that Blair had dropped her glamour and would appear different, but Rebekah had not been expecting for her to be so small. Rebekah’s initial reaction had been to feign indifference but even she couldn't hide the shock with the transformation.

Blair shrugged her shoulders, “Things had been awkward as of late, I thought some shopping could help,”

“You didn’t even care for Marcel,” Rebekah bit back, a slight edge in her tone.

“I didn’t,” Blair saw no point in lying, she didn’t like the Vampire and his death had impacted her very little. Marcel had been nothing but a nuisance to her and if he hadn’t been so stupid as to try and take over the city once more, he would more than likely be alive. But she cared for people who had been affected by his death.

Rebekah hummed and moved onto another item of clothing to inspect, “What is your intention towards my brother?”

Blair nearly choked on her own spit, “Excuse me?”

“Elijah,” Rebekah said, looking at the Fae with a blank expression, “What are your intentions towards Elijah?” She wasn’t blind nor stupid. She could see that Elijah and Blair had something but it wasn’t a relationship. She had seen her brother in enough relationships to know when he was smitten with someone. Elijah’s feelings were so obvious that even Klaus had clued in – and usually, he was so self-absorbed he didn’t notice these kinds of things. But it seemed as though Blair wasn’t reciprocating these feelings and this made Rebekah curious.

“There is nothing between Elijah and me,” Blair answered, moving away to look at more clothing.

However, Rebekah followed after the Fae, “Bullshit,”

Inhaling deeply, Blair tried her best to keep her heart rate steady. She knew that Rebekah would be listening in to see if she was lying, “Look, Elijah is attractive – very attractive.” Rebekah gagged at this comment, making Blair roll her eyes, “But I am not sure I am ready for a relationship,”

“What do you mean?” Rebekah asked, confused by the answer.

“I have spent four hundred years on the run, never allowing myself to form connections,” Blair explained calmly, “I have trained myself to never even consider such an option. But now my world has opened up and the world is my oyster. I am feeling a little overwhelmed by everything,” To suddenly go from no freedom to all the freedom in the world was mind-boggling. She was having to unlearn everything she had been forced to learn while on the run. She no longer had to look for every exit in a new place, she didn’t have to suddenly run at a moment’s notice and she didn’t have to repress her future sight anymore. It was almost too much for her to handle and now she was having to throw Elijah into the mix and she was finding herself overwhelmed. She had just started to find her feet within the past month, she didn’t want to complicate things further and ruin something.

Rebekah frowned, now understanding by Blair was so hesitant. “Have you ever had a relationship with anyone?”

Blair shook her head, “No, I haven’t,”

Rebekah let out a sharp whistle in shock. “Bloody hell, and I thought I had issues,” Rebekah looked at the clothing once more, a sparkly blue dress catching her eye in the moment.

Deciding to get her own back, Blair smirked, “And what are your intentions towards Raphael?” She already knew that Raphael was smitten with Rebekah the moment he saw her but he only seemed to further fall for the female’s Original’s charm as time went on. Rebekah seemed to return these affections – mostly – and so this made Blair curious.

“Nothing,” Rebekah glared at Blair, silently demanding that she not go any further with this conversation.

“It’s only fair,” Blair pointed out.

Scoffing, Rebekah grabbed the dress that caught her eye. “Fine. I like Raphael and I can tell he likes me too… but he seems to hold himself back.”

Blair fell silent for a moment, considering her next words carefully, “Has he mentioned a woman called Chloe to you?”

“Briefly, why?” Rebekah tried to hide the jealousy in her voice but she couldn't. Raphael had mentioned Chloe once before – his first love. He still spoke of that woman with affection in his eyes, but also guilt too.

“Has he mentioned what happened to her?” Blair asked.

“No, he hasn’t,” Rebekah snorted, “But let me guess, he probably cheated on her and she left him. That’s why he’s the way he is,” It was such a cliché, she had heard this same storey loads of times. Raphael wouldn’t mention what had happened to Chloe, always going quiet so Rebekah had to fill in the blanks herself.

Blair shook her head, “No, nothing like that. Chloe died eleven months ago,”

“Oh,” Rebekah’s voice was barely above a whisper, shocked at this answer.

“Raphael was under the control of the Queen back then… and he was made to kill Chloe,” Blair said, biting the bullet. She imagined that Raphael wouldn’t be happy with her, but it needed to be said. He was holding back from taking the next step with Rebekah and the whole situation that happened with Chloe was the cause behind it. Raphael was scared of Rebekah sharing the same fate as Chloe.

“Bloody hell,” Rebekah’s face had paled from the news.

“He’s scared,” Blair said, looking at the Vampire to gauge her response.

Anger flashed in Rebekah’s blue eyes, “That bitch,” Rebekah’s clenched her jaw in anger, consumed with a rage that could rival her brothers. She had some understanding of what Raphael had been through before he came into her life but evidently not everything. She swore that if she ever met the Queen, she would kill her.

Blair nodded her head in agreement. Maeve was a bitch and still was. Even after all this time, she hadn’t changed.

“That’s why he's holding back,” Rebekah muttered to herself quietly, but Blair heard it.

“Rebekah,” Blair said, catching the Vampire’s attention. Holding eye contact, Blair spoke once more, “If you hurt Raphael, I will come for you. He does not deserve to hurt again,” Raphael was a dear friend to her, one that she would protect to her last breath. They were childhood friends, torn away due to her situation. Now that she had got him back and out of Maeve’s clutches, she wasn’t letting him go.

Rebekah held her gaze unflinchingly, “And if you ever hurt Elijah, I will kill you,” Just as they were protective over her, she was just as protective over them. Over the years, she had watched as women tried to entangle themselves to her brothers, only for the situation to turn ugly. Some had even used Rebekah to get close to her brothers. If she could prevent a disaster from happening then she would without hesitation.

With an understanding, both Blair and Rebekah nodded their heads and continued shopping. They continued to chat, slowly bonding with one another. However, when they came into another high-end boutique, Blair sensed something. She stopped browsing through the rack and looked around, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

“What’s wrong?” Rebekah asked when she noticed the Fae’s change in mood.

“There is another Fae here,” Blair responded back, her voice low.

Taking a look around the shop, Rebekah couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. It was a Saturday afternoon and so the shop was busy with plenty of humans. It would be easy to dismiss Blair’s statement as paranoia but Rebekah knew that would be unwise. “Where?”

“Outside this shop. Whoever it is has been tailing us,” Blair answered.

Smirking, Rebekah looked over to her, “Well, why don’t we meet this Fae?” She had been waiting for an opportunity to let loose. Klaus and Elijah had forbidden her from attacking people in New Orleans just because she was in a mood. This city was now theirs and they didn’t want anything to jeopardise their rule. Enough furniture had been broken in their home for Elijah to put his foot down – though they had made one furniture shop very rich with how much stuff they had to replace.

“Let’s,” Blair and Rebekah walked out of the shop, walking away from the horde of humans that had come out to shop. The further Blair and Rebekah walked away, the closer the Fae attempted to get. Whoever it was wasn’t doing a very good job at hiding their presence which made Blair suspect it wasn’t anyone important. It had become so obvious that even Rebekah was able to sense this Fae’s presence.

Once they were far enough, both Blair and Rebekah stopped. “This should be far enough,” Blair said, turning around. They were far enough from humans where they wouldn’t see or hear anything that happened. If not, Rebekah could easily compel them to forget.

Just then, a dark figure shot out from the woods and made a move to attack Blair, a weapon in hand. However, before Blair could even blink, Rebekah sped in front of Blair and grabbed the Fae by the neck and threw them to the ground, keeping hold of their neck. Rebekah growled lowly at the Fae, silently warning the Fae not to move.

Walking forward, Blair peered down at the Fae and examined their face. The Fae was female, short and lithe. This Fae was not a warrior nor an assassin but a spy – a fairly new one. The girl was young, barely looking older than fourteen years old. Maeve had moved on to using the young generation as her slaves and this made Blair feel sick.

“What should we do with her?” Rebekah asked, keeping her grip on the Fae. Even she had noticed how young this Fae looked and it made her weary.

“We should kill her. She’s a spy for the Queen,” Blair said.

Rebekah turned to Blair, “If I ever meet this Queen remind me to snap her neck,”

Blair snorted, “That’s if I don’t kill her myself,”

At the mention of her Queen’s death, the young Fae struggled under Rebekah’s hold, reaching behind her for another weapon. However, before she had a chance, Blair’s eyes glowed purple and the young Fae stopped moving, immobilised from the neck down. The young Fae turned to look at Blair with a blank expression – her eyes completely void of any emotion.

At that moment, Blair decided what she was going to do. “I have a message for the Queen,” Blair said, catching Rebekah and the young Fae’s attention. “Tell her that if she sends anyone out to try and kill or spy on me or anyone I care about, I will come for her. Do you understand? Blink twice if you do,”

The young Fae blinked twice, confirming that she understood.

“Let her go, she won’t do anything,” Blair said, motioning to Rebekah. The young Fae had done her job and would now need to report back to the Queen for further instructions. Maeve didn’t appreciate free will in her puppets and so Blair knew the protocol.

Wordlessly, Rebekah let the young Fae go and she was gone within seconds. Running off into the distance at such a fast pace that she was gone within moments of her being released. Once the young Fae was out of sight, Rebekah turned to Blair. “What is the Queen’s deal with you?”

Blair’s eyes darkened, “I am a threat to the Queen. Now that I am free, I have become even more of a threat to her,”

Rebekah said nothing, sensing that this was a touchy subject. Raphael had only mentioned in bits that the Queen and Blair did not get on. He had said that it was Blair’s story to tell and only when she was ready would she say anything.

ORIGINALS

It was a few more hours later when Rebekah and Blair returned back to the Abattoir with a lot of shopping bags. After the little fiasco with the Fae, they had gone back to shopping where they purchased a few new outfits. Rebekah had vowed to drag Blair out for a night of clubbing and dancing – something she hadn’t done in a very long time. While out, Blair had spotted a dress that would suit Davina and had bought it, intending to give it to Davina as a gift. Her birthday was coming up and Blair wanted to gift her something nice after everything she had been through. Davina had not had an easy time. In the past month, Davina had basically stayed up in her room, hardly coming out. She had even broken up with Timothy, stating that she didn’t want to pull him into any more danger. Blair had assumed that it was the young Witch’s way of dealing with the grief of losing Marcel and so she never said anything.

Deciding to go and check on the young Witch, Blair knocked on the door, waiting for Davina to answer. However, when Blair received no answer, she frowned and knocked again. Blair could sense that Davina was in her room and wondered why she wasn’t answering.

Just as she was about to knock again, the door opened slightly, Davina’s face peering over the slight opening. “Y-yes?” Davina’s voice was shaky, almost as if she was nervous.

“I was just coming to check up on you, how are you?” Blair asked, concerned by her behaviour. As of late, Davina had become secretive and they no longer had their lessons in Davina’s room. At first, Blair hadn’t thought much of this behaviour but it seemed to get worse as time went on.

“I am fine,” Davina answered quickly.

Blair frowned, “Are you sure? You look a little pale,” There were also dark circles under the Witch’s eyes like she hadn’t been sleeping much.

“Nothing is wrong!” Davina argued back, attempting to shut the door. Just as she attempted this, Blair’s green eyes spotted a dark figure in the room and a chill went down her spine.

Before the door could fully close, Blair used her foot to stop the door. Davina squeaked in protest but Blair ignored this. Instead, Blair focused on Davina’s room itself, focusing on the dark figure she just saw. For the past month, Blair had noticed a dark presence within the compound but had yet to find the source of the dark energy. However, it would seem that the dark energy she had been sensing was coming from Davina's room.

“What have you done?” Blair asked, her tone steely.

Davina fell silent for a moment. Slowly, her lip began to quiver and tears began to fall, “Blair, I screwed up. I really messed up,”

“Tell me so I can help,” Blair said softly.

Nodding her head, Davina stepped back and opened the door wider. Blair stepped through into Davina's room and noticed how dark it was. However, the dark did not hide the figure that stood in the corner of the room. The moment Blair stepped into the room, the figure sprung, aiming to attack Blair but the Fae reacted quickly. Eyes glowing purple, Blair summoned a barrier around herself and Davina, making the dark figure stop in its tracks.

Now that the figure was closer, Blair could make out what it looked like. The figure was a tall man with short grey hair and piercing blue eyes. However, it was the fangs that stuck out. This man was a Vampire, and not just any Vampire, a ghost as well.

“Davina?” Blair questioned, looking over to the crying Witch.

“I didn’t mean to summon him!” Davina cried out quickly, “I was crying to contact Marcel. I just wanted to say goodbye but I managed to summon him instead!”

The figure growled at Davina.

Inhaling deeply, Blair closed her eyes and attempted to calm the annoyance inside her. Davina had done something completely foolish and dangerous. Now, she could see why Davina had become so secretive over the last month – she had managed to summon a poltergeist. However, the main emotion she was feeling was a disappointment. Disappointment that Davina hadn’t come to her the moment this happened. This would need to be handled delicately but first things first, the poltergeist needed to be dealt with. Opening her eyes, Blair’s eyes glowed purple and she moved her arm forward in a pushing motion. The figure screamed as it was pushed out of the room and soon it was gone.

“You banished him,” Davina breathed a sigh of relief. Mikael had been terrorising her for the past month. Demanding that she bring him back, taunting her and not letting her get any sleep. It had been torturing for her.

Blair shook her head, “It’s not a permanent solution. He will be back but we can figure out how to banish him in the meantime,”

Frowning, Davina nodded her head.

“Show me the spell you used,” Blair said, getting down to business.

Walking over to her desk, Davina picked up the open grimoire on her desk. She had been studying the spell, trying to figure out how to undo the spell to no avail. She had been looking at all the other grimoires but found nothing useful.

Blair took the grimoire and examined the spell. Sighing deeply, Blair looked up at the Witch, “This spell ties the ghost to whoever cast the spell. This is very dangerous and it shouldn’t have been performed. If you had wanted to contact the dead, you should have come to see me,” Blair would have helped Davina to conduct this endeavour safely.

Davina winced at Blair's clipped tone, “I know, but I couldn't help myself. I saw people do this in my Coven all the time, I thought it would be okay,”

“This kind of magic is never okay to do unsupervised, especially for a novice,” Blair placed the grimoire back down on the desk, mentally sighing to herself. “But this is also on me, I should have kept a closer eye on you,”

“I am sorry,” Davina said weakly.

“I know you are,” Blair said, patting Davina's head lightly, making the young Witch scowl. “But luckily, I can help you,”

Davina's eyes lit up and she sent Blair a thankful smile.

For a couple of hours, Blair spent time correcting Davina’s mistake. In her haste to speak with Marcel, Davina had accidentally linked herself and Mikael – a name that nearly caused Blair heart failure. It was that name alone and resemblance that made Blair realise exactly who Davina summoned and it was not good. If Klaus, Elijah or Rebekah realised who Davina had brought back it would not be good. To fix this mistake, Blair and Davina had to move over the connection to something else and a nearby book was the casualty. Blair had explained that because Mikael was linked to Davina, he was draining her of all her energy and life force in an attempt to bring himself back. But now that the connection had been severed Davina would be back to normal. They hadn’t found a way to get rid of Mikael completely but Blair was going to continue looking for an answer but at least he was contained for the moment. Just as long as no one moved the book from the protective magical barrier Blair placed around it.

It was late when Blair arrived back in her room. Locking her door behind her, Blair sat on her bed and stretched her neck. It had been a long day and while she had enjoyed it, she was mentally cursing her luck. Even after dealing with the Hunter, there was always something going on. Blair began to wonder when she would get to relax. She wasn’t so sure who and what was cursed: New Orleans, the Mikaelson’s or herself.

Laying down on her bed, Blair began to think of the conversation she had with Rebekah earlier that day. She wasn’t used to talking about feeling since she never usually had time to sit down and think. Katherine certainly wasn’t interested in those types of conversations and that suited Blair just fine. On the shopping trip with Rebekah, the topic of Katherine and the doppelgänger situation even came up and it made Blair wonder what would happen if she ever mentioned her connection to the Petrova woman. 

Just as Blair was about to sit up in bed, that’s when the feeling hit her. It was one she had experienced many times – she was going to have a vision. Inhaling deeply, Blair quickly made herself comfortable on the bed, easily removing her jacket and shoes before the vision hit. It was when she managed to get her boots off that the vision hit and she let it, allowing the vision to take over her vision.

In this vision, she could see a group of people, some she recognised and others she didn’t. Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah were in the vision, and they were speaking to the others. Names rang out loudly in her vision. Names like Kol, Finn and Esther. They were all arguing and the next thing she knew, they were attacking one another, but somehow Finn and Kol were able to use magic and they looked nothing like their other siblings. In fact, Esther looked like a teenage girl. The scene changes and flashing images hit Blair like a freight train and she had to concentrate to focus on everything that was happening. In the flashes, it appeared as though the siblings had split off, the one being called Kol corning Davina, and the one called Finn speaking friendly with Camille. Other names and faces became apparent in the vision, two in particular. Dahlia and Freya’s faces and names flashed several times. They were after something, hunting for something.

Gasping out, Blair shot up from her bed when the vision finally subsided. It had been a long and detailed vision and it had left her drained. Falling back onto the bed, Blair fell unconscious, her body tired after what she had just seen. However, before she fell unconscious, she was filled with dread because she knew there was no getting out of explaining this to the Mikaelson’s.

Chapter 29: Chapter 29

It was early the next morning and Blair felt anxious. She had awoken not too long ago with the memory of the vision burned into her brain – the images constantly flashing in her mind like a beacon. Stood on the balcony, Blair watched the people below with a frown, a sense of foreboding hitting her. There was no getting out of this situation, she would need to tell the Mikaelson’s about her vision. She was able to get away with its last time but Blair doubted she would be so lucky again this time, especially since these visions seemed to focus on their family. Her power of foresight was something that had been kept a secret from most people and she didn’t like revealing she had such a power. If too many people knew then others would be after it – after her. She had just got away from one mad man, she didn’t need another after her.

A knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts. Waving her hand, Blair used her magic and unlocked the door, “Come in,”

Raphael walked into the room, shutting the door behind him. His face was slightly puffy from being asleep not too long ago. “What's the matter, Blair?” He tiredly rubbed his eyes to get the sleep out of them.

If the situation wasn’t so serious, she would have felt guilty for asking him to come to her room the moment he woke up. She had sensed the moment he had awoken and sent a message, making sure he knew that it was important. Blair needed to talk to someone about this vision and get some advice, and Raphael was the best person to ask.

“I had a vision,”

Any sleep that was remaining inside Raphael was immediately gone. He stood up straighter, his eyes alert. “What happened?”

Moving away from the balcony, Blair cast a small privacy spell around the room. She was being paranoid and knew that no one was listening in but she couldn't stop herself. She would rather be safer than sorry. “The rest of the Mikaelson family will be joining us. Esther is coming back,” This wasn’t the only thing to happen but for now she wouldn't reveal too much. She didn’t like repeating herself.

Raphael winced at the news, “This is not good,”

Blair nodded her head in agreement, “That’s not all, but I need some advice,”

“Anything,” Raphael replied back instantly.

“I think I need to inform them of my power,” Blair said, dreading even saying these words. This was the last thing she wanted but she thought maybe that it was time that she played her hand. She trusted Elijah and Rebekah with this knowledge but not Klaus. He was the one that made her hesitant.

Raphael made a face, one mixed with weariness and repulsion. He quickly hid this expression but it was too late, Blair had already seen it. “I… wouldn’t recommend it,”

“I know,” Blair sighed to herself, sitting down on her bed.

“What if we just told Rebekah and Elijah?” Raphael suggested with a hopeful expression.

Blair arched a brow at him, “And what happens when Klaus does find out? He will see this as a personal betrayal that no one told him, especially when this concerns his family,” While usually, Blair wouldn’t care if Klaus was angry at her or not, this decision would affect everyone around her – as well as Raphael. She and Rebekah had come to an agreement to help protect Raphael from Klaus, as nearly all of Rebekah’s lovers ended up dying due to Klaus’ involvement. Rebekah and Klaus were only just starting to build a relationship back with one another seeing as the female Vampire had decided to stay in New Orleans for the time being.

Wincing at this, Raphael fell silent as he couldn't argue with this logic. “Is the vision really that bad?” Raphael’s voice was barely above a whisper, almost fearful to hear the answer. He could see how serious Blair was and this set him on edge. Something must have happened to make her take such drastic action.

Slowly, Blair shook her head. “It is not pretty.”

Raphael cursed and began to pace around the room. “Maybe we could say that someone else had a vision instead of you?”

“Wouldn’t work,” Blair said as she ran a hand through her red hair, “They’ll want to know who this person was because of how paranoid Klaus is. We wouldn’t be able to procure them and then they won’t believe us. We also wouldn’t even be able to say Davina had this skill as she doesn’t have the powers of the other three Witches inside her,” She had managed to get away with this once before but this wouldn’t work now. Blair also refused to put Davina in that kind of position too – she had already been through enough.

Raphael opened his mouth to say something, but Blair cut him off. “It is time to tell them,”

“If you say so,” Raphael said, giving in. He was also out of ideas and saw no other option. It wasn’t ideal in the slightest but Blair wouldn’t have suggested it if she hadn’t already thought of the consequences.

Inhaling deeply, Blair stood up, “If Klaus does react badly, I don’t want you intervening.” The last thing she needed to happen was for Raphael to get caught in the crossfire. If this did happen then it would turn into a brawl as Rebekah would join in and then it would all go to hell.

“No chance,” Raphael shot down immediately with a frown, “I’ll stand by you,”

“You’ll be putting a target on your back,” Blair warned him, “He already dislikes me as it is. You have a chance of staying off the radar,” For now anyway until Rebekah decided to make a move on the male Fae.

Shaking his head, Raphael stared at her with determination in his eyes. “I don’t care. I am on your side,”

For a moment, neither one said anything to one another. Blair could see that Raphael was determined and no matter what she said he would not listen. Sighing deeply, Blair nodded her head, “Fine,”

Raphael grinned in victory.

“I’ll be telling everyone later today, so be prepared for a fight,” Blair said with a frown. She was dreading sharing this news and just wanted to get it over with. But she needed to inform Davina next so there weren’t any surprises. She also needed to check up on the book Mikael was trapped in, just to make sure that the barrier spell was still intact.

Nodding his head, Raphael silently agreed with her.

ORIGINALS

A couple of hours had passed and Blair was ready. She and Raphael had everyone gather in one of the many sitting rooms within the compound. Raphael had brought in Rebekah and Davina when Elijah and Klaus were already sat in the living room. Hope was sat in Klaus’ lap and Hayley was nowhere in sight. She was over in the Bayou visiting the Wolves and Jackson so she wouldn’t be back for some time, which made this perfect.

When everyone was sat, Blair began. “There is something that I need to share with you all,” Biting the bullet, she didn’t see the point in delaying the inevitable. Davina and Raphael were already aware of what was to come and they had serious expressions on their faces. Rebekah seemed to have an idea of what this conversation entailed – no doubt courtesy of Raphael.

Elijah arched a brow at her ominous comment, “Oh?”

“Well, spit it out,” Klaus said, gently rocking Hope in his arms.

Inhaling deeply, Blair watched Elijah and Klaus, “I have the power to see the future.”

Silence greeted Blair, something that didn’t surprise her. Elijah stared at Blair with intrigue in his eyes whereas Klaus’ expression was blank. Both seemed to be checking to see if she was lying to them but she wasn’t. She was being deadly serious. When they seemed to realise, she wasn’t bluffing, Elijah leaned forward.

“You’re being truthful,” Elijah muttered. He had been listening into Blair’s heartbeat and found no signs of deception.

Blair nodded her head, silently agreeing with his statement. “My visions are always detailed but they take a toll on my body and mind. I always end up needing to rest, especially if it’s a big vision. I had just had a big vision when you kidnapped me,” Blair directed this last part of Klaus, as he had been the one to kidnap her just after Chloe had warned her away from the city. If she had not been weakened, she would have fought against the Hybrid viciously.

Surprisingly, Klaus remained silent for a moment, putting both Blair and Raphael on edge. He stared at Blair with a blank expression, “You expect me to believe this?” In his long life, he had met a handful of clairvoyants, but none of them had been like Blair. While it was true that he found Blair when she was weakened, he had never thought to question exactly why she was vulnerable at that moment. He hadn’t cared but now he was beginning to look at this situation differently.

“I don’t care if you do,” Blair said indifferently. While she didn’t care if she was believed, she wanted them to believe what was to come and trust her word. She and Klaus stared at one another, neither one looking away from one another, silently challenging one another. The Fae’s indifference seemed to annoy Klaus had his eyes narrowed dangerously and Blair was silently goading him into action. But she knew he wouldn’t do that while he held Hope in his arms.

Feeling awkward, Raphael cleared his throat. “There are some Fae that has special abilities. They are often seen as more valuable. I don’t have an ability myself…” He became quiet when others began to look at him.

“Is this why the Queen is after you?” Rebekah asked, remembering the attack from the other day. Blair had been rather cryptic about this incident and Rebekah knew better than to poke the bear. 

Blair nodded her head, looking away from Klaus. “Partly, yes. Maeve used my powers when I was younger and when I had less control of them. I refused to use my power for her after I was kicked out and she hates it,”

“But why reveal this now?” Elijah asked seriously. He sent a brief glance at Klaus and found him staring at Blair intently, which unnerved him. He knew exactly what his brother would be thinking about – how he could use Blair’s powers for himself. Elijah refused to let that happen, Blair had only just got her freedom, he wasn’t about to let her lose it again.

Everyone looked at her, Davina sending the female Fae encouraging glances whereas Raphael looked nervous. Inhaling deeply, Blair kept her gaze trained on Elijah, “I had a vision the night before. In that vision, all of you were in it, as well as the other members of your family. Finn, Kol and your mother, Esther.”

It took a few minutes for anyone to react. Klaus had tensed up, but his grip on Hope remained gentle. This was the reason Blair had chosen this moment because she knew he would be careful around his daughter. Elijah’s expression was grim and Rebekah looked hurt. Their family was always a sensitive subject, especially their elder brother, Finn and their mother. Esther had betrayed them too many times under the guise of trying to fix their family.

“You’re lying,” Klaus spat out.

Blair shook her head, “I am not. My visions are not wrong,” The only time her visions didn’t end up occurring is because she or someone else intervened. If she had decided not to intervene then the events would definitely take place.

“How can we even trust what you’re saying is accurate?” Klaus exclaimed, ready to snap the Fae’s neck for even mentioning his family.

Meeting his gaze unfearfully, Blair’s gaze hardened. “I didn’t have to share this but I did because I wanted to help. I could have stayed silent but I never. If it weren’t for me, then a lot of things would have transpired. In my first vision here, the matter of Hope’s birth was very traumatic for both Hayley and the child and I stopped that. I should remind you that thanks to me, your daughter wasn’t kidnapped and Hayley didn’t die!” Hayley would have become a Hybrid but Blair didn’t feel as though this was necessary to share at that moment.

Klaus fell silent, his gaze falling down to his daughter, who was happily sucking on her own thumb, completely oblivious to what was going on.

“What else did you see?” Elijah asked, moving on the conversation.

Glad for Elijah’s levelheadedness, Blair relaxed a touch, “Your mother and siblings have inhabited other bodies belonging to Witches. They will all have the ability to use magic and will be under Esther’s tutelage, as will the rest of the Coven,” Using her magic, three pictures appeared on the table, each one a drawing of what each sibling looked like. She had done this after speaking with Raphael to help calm her nerves. Pointing to the picture of Kol, she looked to Davina, “It seems as though the plan is for Kol to get Davina on their side while also trying to see if she knows the location of that last white oak stake. So, they send him,” The image was of a handsome man with curly hair and a strong jaw. He looked young but he had a wicked smirk on his face, one that Blair had tried to emulate from her vision.

Davina looked down at the picture and found she recognised the boy. She had been visiting a music shop and had seen him several times. He had tried to speak to her, but Davina had brushed him off.

At the mention of the one weapon that could kill them, all the Originals tensed. There was still one white oak stake in the world, but the location of said weapon was top secret. Elijah had asked Blair to hid the weapon away so no one would be able to use it. Only Blair knew the location of the weapon and she planned to share that information with no one.

Blair pointed to Finn’s picture. This one was of a man with dark skin and very prominent cheekbones. His expression was serious and dark, something Blair felt she captured in her drawing. “Finn will be sent to go after Camille, acting as someone from her university. They get quite close actually,” Blair watched Klaus’ reaction, seeing the anger that flashed in his blue eyes at the mention of Camille. It was obvious that Klaus was smitten with the barmaid, for obvious reasons.

“Then lastly, your mother will appear as this girl.” Blair pointed to the final picture, one of a sixteen-year-old girl with short brown hair. She looked young and innocent if it weren’t for the cold and calculating look in her eyes.

Recognition flashed in Davina’s eyes, “I know her, she was a part of the Harvest,” The girl’s name was Cassie, Esther must have changed places with Cassie when Genevieve had died.

Rebekah looked at the pictures, staring at her mother's new face. Hatred burned in her that their mother was back once more. Why couldn't she just leave them alone?

“Your mother will take control of the Witches and will try and get the Wolves on her side too by offering them moonlight rings,” Blair explained, remembering this part of the vision.

Everyone’s expression turned grim. Ever since the fallout from when the Hunter killed off a lot of the Crescent Wolves pack, their relations had been strained. From this, the process of giving the Wolves the rings had stopped also and currently there was only a handful that had them. This would need to change if they didn’t want Esther coming in and forming an alliance with the Wolves, who then had the advantage of taking down Vampires with their bite at all times.

“Well will fix the relationship with the Wolves first,” Klaus commanded, taking control at that moment. This would be the best route so to avoid the Wolves joining his mother’s side. The last thing that Witch needed was more power. Even if it weren’t for Blair’s vision, this had been on his agenda for a while.

Elijah nodded his head in agreement, “We will also need to separate our brothers and mother. Together, they will powerful,” If a group of Witches ever came together, especially in threes, the result was never good. There was power in numbers and at this moment, they were dangerous.

“Kol seemed to be the most unwilling,” Blair said, thinking back to her vision. Kol seemed to fight back against his mother and brother, but Esther would never allow him to stray too far.

Rebekah grinned, “That’s Kol for you. He was always the most mischievous and wild one out of us,” It was comforting to know that even after he had died, he still remained the same. The same wild child she loved dearly. 

Elijah rolled his eyes, “More like feral,” Kol never had any self-control over his impulses, something that had led their father to them too many times to count. Any ghost story could always be pointed back to Kol and how he went on a blood binge.

“Finn did not seem easy to separate from Esther,” Blair said with a frown. Finn appeared devoted to his mother, to the point he came across as a lap dog. It reminded her too much of how the other Fae would treat Maeve, the unwavering obedience and servitude.

Klaus sneered, “Hence why we kept him daggered and in a box for nine hundred years,” Finn was always the one who hated their lifestyle the most. If they hadn’t intervened then their eldest brother would have killed himself hundreds of years ago.

Elijah and Rebekah said nothing, guilt in their eyes. Though, none of them disputed what Klaus said, speaking volumes. This was something neither Blair nor Raphael missed. Raphael frowned, mentally reminding himself to ask Rebekah later on why she reacted this way.

“So, we have a plan for your brothers and the Wolves, now what about your mother?” Blair asked, looking to the Mikaelson’s for a plan. This was their family so it was only fair that it would be their decision on what happens to them.

Elijah leaned back in his seat, thinking. “We can’t just kill her, we would lose our edge,”

“Why not?” Davina asked, confused as to why they wouldn’t just kill their mother. From what she knew about their situation, they had done it before. What was stopping them from doing it again?

Rebekah answered the Witch, “Our mother is a master at body possession. If we kill the girl then she will simply jump into another body and we won’t know which one,” This was a trick that did not surprise her and was something their mother would do.

“I and Davina can put a stop to that,” Blair said, looking to Davina, who nodded her head in agreement. “All we would need is an object of hers and we could stop her from jumping bodies, or allow us to know who she jumps into,” With both Blair and Davina’s power, they could easily stop Esther, even though she was a powerful Witch. That would not stop Blair from accomplishing this task. The issue would be in making the spell unbreakable, but the Fae had something in mind for the Original Witch.

Klaus nodded his head, liking the plan, “Once she is trapped, we can kill her,” He had already killed her before, he had no issues about doing it again.

Raphael frowned, “Why does your mother hate you guys so much?” He had only met one mother before that hated her child so much, but Esther was on another level. She was taking her schemes too far for even him to comprehend.

The Mikaelson siblings looked at one another, each with a different expression. Klaus was blank of all emotion, Elijah was withdrawn and Rebekah looked hurt. They seemed to be silently communicating to one another as to who would answer the question. Eventually, it was Klaus that answered him, “At one time, our mother did love us very much. One of our siblings died before I was born and that changed her. But then we lost Henrik to the Wolves in the village we lived in and she never recovered. In the end, she used her magic to make us into immortals,”

“That’s when she loved us the most and it was her undoing,” Rebekah whispered softly. Raphael reached over and took her hand in his, an action that was not missed by anyone in the room.

“But what’s her overall plan?” Davina asked, looking to Blair for the answer.

“She wants to be rid of us,” Klaus answered for the Witch, already knowing his mother’s intention. It had not changed from the last time she attempted to kill them in Mystic Falls.

Blair shook her head, “That’s not the plan this time. From what I can understand, she plans to break you all, take away what makes you happy and any connections before offering you a lifeline. Yes, she wants to get rid of Vampires, but instead, she will offer you a chance at jumping bodies, to have a clean slate,”

Rebekah sat up straighter in her seat, “Really?”

Klaus arched his brow in surprise.

“How she managed to rope Kol in is a mystery,” Elijah commented with a frown. Kol had enjoyed being a Vampire, he liked how indestructible he was and the power that came with it. For him to just give it up didn’t suit the person Elijah knew.

“Probably revenge,” Rebekah said, understanding her older brother quite well.

Davina looked at Kol’s picture once more, a thoughtful expression on her face. “If he is coming for me then I could lead him away and capture him,” She had already seen him in the French Quarter and began to make a plan in her head. She had thought him to be quite handsome, but now she knew who he was and the reason behind his sudden interest, her opinion of him had fallen dramatically.

Klaus smirked, “Kol always did have a thing for innocence,”

Davina glared at the Hybrid, wanting to use her magic to make him shut up.

“I think we should tell Camille too,” Blair said, looking at Finn’s picture, “If we can get Camille to help us capture Finn then it will separate them and leave your mother more vulnerable,”

Anger flashed in Klaus’ eyes, “No,”

Elijah turned to face Klaus, “It is the best option. Camille would not like to be kept in the dark,” The barmaid had already proven this when Klaus had tried to take her memories and make her leave New Orleans. She had hated it and vowed that if Klaus ever tried to do something like that again, she would make him regret it.

“She going to be involved whether you like it or not,” Rebekah said with an unimpressed expression. Even if Klaus refused, Rebekah already planned to go to the barmaid herself and inform her.

Seeing that he was outnumbered on this decision, Klaus huffed, “Fine,”

“In your vision, what else happened?” Elijah asked, looking to Blair for further answers. He believed Blair when she told them what was to come and he wanted to be as prepared as possible. Their mother was a threat that needed to be dealt with before she did something extreme.

Blair opened her mouth and began to tell them more. They would all end up staying in that one room for hours, not wanting to miss anything. The only time someone left that was the room was Klaus and that was to put Hope in her room she could sleep in peace. Once he did this, he came back and began plotting vengeance with the rest of them.

ORIGINALS

Kol sat at the bar, drinking and watching everyone around him. The bar was busy and filled with many people. So many unsuspecting people who had no idea that New Orleans was filled with a plethora of supernatural creatures. Spotting some attractive women, Kol grinned, remembering how when he was a Vampire, he would be feasting on their blood regardless of who was watching. The fun he used to have as a Vampire was unmeasurable but he wasn’t a Vampire anymore, he had been brought back as a Witch. He was happy to be back – he still very much resented what happened in Mystic Falls and vowed to make them pay for killing him. However, even though he had been granted another chance, he missed his body. This new face was attractive but nothing could beat his original face.

Just as he was starting to relax, another person sat down beside him. When Kol saw that it was his brother, he rolled his eyes. “Has mother sent you to retrieve me?” Honestly, Finn was such a killjoy that it was affecting his buzz.

Ignoring his question, Finn looked at him with an unimpressed expression. “Why have you not procured the young Witch yet? Mother has given you plenty of time to gain her favour,”

“Charming a girl takes time,” Kol snorted, “Not that you’d know,”

Finn’s lips thinned in annoyance.

“Relax, soon she’ll be eating out the palm of my hand,” Kol said dismissively, confident in his own abilities. He had bedded many women in the past – all very willing participants – and it was only a matter of time before Davina fell for him.

“Well hurry it up, mother is getting impatient,” Finn ordered.

This made Kol inwardly snarl. He hated being ordered about, especially by Finn. He was mentally wishing that their mother had not brought him back. “What about your task with the barmaid? You haven’t exactly got very far,”

Finn glared at him, not liking how his failure had been mentioned but it made Kol silently cheer. Camille had not been very receptive to Finn so far, acting very professional and not allowing Finn to push further. Finn had assumed it would be easy to win over Camille but she had proven to be a harder catch than first thought. Finn had been overconfident in this task, believing that if Klaus could be charming, then so could he. 

“Just get the job done,” Finn said icily.

Rolling his eyes, Kol took a long swig of his drink. One thing he did enjoy about being human was that he could actually get drunk. He had never experienced it before and he found he actually liked it. It was very similar to when he binged on blood. “Besides, what am I meant to do about the Fae? She has Davina pretty well protected,” This was something their mother had been annoyed about. Due to the Fae’s protection, Esther could not touch Davina unless she came willingly. She was very insistent that the Fae be dealt with as soon as possible.

“Mother has plans for the Fae,” Finn said, a slow smirk appearing on his face.

Kol said nothing, silently wondering what their mother has planned. Personally, he had nothing against the Fae, but his mother hated their kind. Would spit when they were mentioned. To Kol, they were just another group that could use magic and quite frankly, they fascinated him.

“You have until the end of the week to produce some results, if not then I will take over,” Finn said before he got up to walk away.

Kol scowled darkly, his mood ruined. Downing the rest of his drink, he got up needing another one to get rid of the sourness his brother left behind.

Chapter 30: Chapter 30

Notes:

I have a question for everyone – what do you want to happen with Finn? I already have a plan for Kol but I want to see what you guys think should happen? Would you like to see him get killed off or would you like to see him get brought into the fold with the rest of the family and Blair? Let me know what you think!

Later that same day

After Blair’s vision was shared, everyone had set off with a plan in mind. Davina would start to lay out the groundwork on luring Kol away with Raphael to help her. While the young Witch was highly confident, she wouldn’t need the male Fae’s help, it never hurt to have a backup, especially when dealing with the Mikaelson family. Rebekah was scoping out the Witch situation, getting tips on their mother, gathering as much intelligence as possible. She was also getting something of their mother’s so Blair and Davina could use it for a spell, but it would need time to dig out something that was well hidden. Camille had been successfully recruited onto their side, more than happy to help. Klaus was sticking by the barmaid’s side, this was to make sure nothing went wrong and if it did, he would be there to protect her. That left Elijah and Blair to sort out the Werewolf situation, which was where the pair were headed.

Elijah had been in touch with Hayley, informing her of the situation – who was not best pleased. Hayley had not been informed of Blair’s clairvoyant powers as the Fae didn’t trust the female Wolf, but she had been informed enough to where she wouldn’t become suspicious. As far as she was aware, someone other than Blair had a vision – someone who owed the Originals a favour. Surprisingly, Hayley hadn’t asked many questions, far too distracted with what was happening with the pack and her daughter.

Arriving just outside the Bayou, Hayley was stood at the side with her arms crossed over her chest, a sour expression on her face. “This is a bad idea,” Hayley said the moment she saw them arrive. Her eyes were solely trained on Elijah, her whole demeanour softening ever so slightly. This change unsettled something in Blair. She didn’t like how Hayley was looking at Elijah so longingly.

Elijah withheld an eye-roll, “This needs to be done, Hayley. If not, my mother will try and gain control over the Wolves,” He had enough of her disapproving tone over the phone and had hung up on her. This had amused Blair greatly, amusement tinkering even now in her green eyes.

Seeing that there was no reasoning with the Original, Hayley turned her Blair, “Jackson warned you not to come back,”

Blair shrugged her shoulders, “I know,” The Alpha had told her to never set foot back in the Bayou but she didn’t care. She would deal with Jackson when she saw him because his grievances with her were the reason the Wolves could side with Esther.

Sighing deeply, Hayley stepped back. “Fine. Jackson’s over this way,” Turning around, Hayley began walking deeper into the woods with Elijah and Blair following behind her.

As they moved through the woods, Elijah was alert the entire time, knowing that at any point, Jackson could appear from nowhere if he smelt Blair’s scent. Elijah wouldn't put it past him to try and attack Blair with the whole pack, considering the animosity he felt towards the Fae. Unconsciously, Elijah stepped closer to Blair, just in case he needed to assist her at a moment’s notice. Blair said nothing of the closeness but she appreciated it. Thinking on the same lines, Blair kept her senses sharp and her magic crackling at the tips of her fingers, ready for a surprise attack. She was aware that she was walking into a snake pit at this point but the animosity between them couldn't be allowed to linger. Blair would have personally liked to give the Wolves more time to lick their wounds but it seemed as though fate had another idea.

It didn’t take long for them to make it into the clearing where the cabin sat. It seemed as though a lot of the Wolves had returned and were gathered around, laughing and joking with one another. It was a nice sight to see and Jackson was in the middle of them all, a huge smile on his face. However, that smile immediately disappeared when his nostrils flared. Turning his head, Jackson easily spotted Blair and a growl lowly vibrated from his chest. This sound made the laughing instantly stop as they all turned to their Alpha, wondering what had caused his sudden change of mood. However, when people looked around and spotted Blair and Elijah, they understood and slowly backed away so they weren’t caught in the crossfire. 

“What is she doing here?” Jackson was looking at Hayley, demanding to know why she brought them to their home. He had made his feelings very clear that he never wanted to see the female Fae again. Elijah was another issue altogether as he knew Hayley still had feelings for the Original and this made him feel defensive.

“She needs to speak with you, it is important,” Hayley said, meeting Jackson’s eyes in defiance.

“I don’t care,” Jackson said, his eyes hardened.

Hayley clenched her jaw. She had been trying hard to make Jackson change his opinion on the whole situation but he was stubborn and he refused. Hayley understood that the plan around the Hunter had gone wrong but she never once blamed Blair. It wasn’t Blair's fault she had been chased by a madman for hundreds of years. But Jackson refused to see Blair’s point of view and his contempt for Elijah and his whole family grew worse every day. It made things extremely awkward when she was going to see her daughter.

Having enough of Jackson’s attitude, Blair spoke up. “I know we don’t like each other, but you will want to hear what I have to say,”

Jackson’s dark eyes found hers, “Either leave or I will kill you,”

“Jackson!” Hayley shouted out in astonishment. This was not the Jackson she had come to know and care for. This Jackson was completely different – had been ever since the Hunter, and she didn’t like it. As much as Hayley didn’t like Blair, the Fae had saved her when she woke her up from the never-ending nightmare. Then there were all the other times the Fae had helped her. She owed Blair and she didn’t like owing people.

Elijah arched a brow in amusement. If Jackson thought that he could take Blair on in a fight then he would be sorely mistaken. Even Klaus was cautious of Blair’s magic and he respected it too. She was a powerful Fae, one that Jackson should not underestimate.

“Try it, I dare you,” Blair smirked, placing her hands on her hips.

At the challenge, Jackson’s eyes glowed as he changed into his Wolf form. This transformation took seconds – another bonus to the moonlight ring – and once it was done, he charged at Blair. Claws and fangs out, Jackson was out for blood as he let out a roar and attacked Blair. He wanted vengeance and closure for his fallen pack members, which he would receive when Blair was dead. However, before he could even get a couple feet of her, Blair’s eyes glowed purple and she sent a wave of magic at Jackson, propelling him into a nearby tree. Letting out a grunt of pain, Jackson landed on the ground painfully before he jumped back up, intending to attack her once more. This time, Jackson made it slightly closer, not knowing that Blair was toying with him, but then he was pushed back again, this time in a tree further away than before.

“Jackson!” Hayley called out in concern. Those landings looked painful, especially when he landed on his back. She turned to Blair, “You don’t need to do this!”

Blair looked at the female Wolf as though she was stupid, “As supposed to what, letting him attack me? He wanted this and now he’s got it,” Turning back to face Jackson, she sent him backwards into a tree once more, enjoying this little game. She could do so much more to him – much worse. She could kill him if she wanted to but it wouldn’t serve her purpose. She could really make him feel a lot more pain than what she was doing right now, but no one other than Elijah realised that she was being merciful.

It seemed as though not everyone in the pack could deal with this situation much more. As Jackson struggled to get up from being repelled for the ninth time, Eva stepped forward. “Jackson, stop this madness, please!”

Jackson growled at her and took a threatening step forward for her daring to intervene. Eva flinched back, hearing what he was saying through her mind. Jackson was not happy with her at all and had just questioned her loyalty to the pack. It hurt her because she had helped raise him when he was just a pup. It wasn’t just her that had heard his accusation, it was everyone in the pack and they seemed just as shocked by this accusation. Some even gasped in astonishment – Hayley included.

In a flash, Elijah was beside Eva and moved her to the side, away from the fighting. Luckily, Eva didn’t struggle and allowed the Vampire to move her out of the way. Elijah didn’t trust Jackson’s self-control at this point and didn’t trust his intentions towards Eva. He had seen the horrified expression on the other pack members faces and it was easy to guess that what Jackson was saying was not pleasant.

Seeing this move, Jackson growled at Elijah, unhappy with his intervention and turned his attention to the Original, aiming to attack him. Jackson was sick of their intervention; their kind was always butting their noses into places they didn’t belong. To make it even worse, Elijah had protected one of his own pack members against him, the Alpha. It was too much of an insult to let go. Ignoring Hayley’s scream for him to stop, he made a lunge for Elijah, wanting to bite him. While he knew the bite wouldn't kill an Original, it would seriously debilitate him.

Any amusement Blair felt at Jackson’s struggle was gone and instead, she was annoyed. The fact Jackson was aiming to attack Elijah for helping Eva irritated her greatly. “Don’t even think about it,” She hissed lowly, her arm stretched forward as she used her magic. Having enough, Blair forced Jackson to transform back into a human, not caring as he screamed out in agony. In fact, Blair revelled in this, inwardly smirking.

The transformation into a Wolf and human was always painful, but when the process had been forced, it was even more unbearable. Now, he lay on the ground, naked and shivering in pain. Once Jackson was fully human again, Blair walked forward until she was a couple feet away from him. Jackson looked up at her and glared, which the Fae returned with an even fiercer glare. “I know you don’t like me at the moment, but there is something more important than your feelings at the moment,”

Saying nothing, Jackson continued to glare at her. Briefly, he looked around to see if any of his packmates would support him but none of them made a move to help. No one even moved to pass him some clothing to cover his modesty.

“In fact, I am surprised. You may not like me, but you are certainly benefiting from the moonlight ring I made,” Blair said, looking at the ring on Jackson's finger. It was one of the original twelve stones she had charmed. Jackson had encased the stone in a silver band and wore it was on his index finger.

The pack appeared to perk up at the mention of moonlight rings, especially Oliver. Not all of them had been granted the chance to have a moonlight ring after Jackson’s relationship with the Originals and Blair had withered. A very heated topic within the pack – not that anyone was brave enough to bring that up to the Alpha’s face. Looking down at his ring, Jackson felt conflicted. The ring was useful and very important to him, but he didn’t like how they had come to be.

Hayley stepped forward, “Just say what you need to and leave,” She was now having to take charge once more, something she was having to do a lot more of since Jackson had fallen off the wagon. She had been acting as Alpha, for the time being, something the pack seemed to be okay with.

Elijah cleared his throat, “We came wanting peace between us once more. There is a Witch that plans to manipulate you by offering you moonlight rings but it comes with a cost. That Witch has been possessed by the Original Witch, our mother, and she plans to use you all as her own personal army.”

A voice sounded from the back, “What does she want?”

“She wants to cause chaos,” Blair answered, turning to speak to the members of the pack, “She wants to use you to fight against the Vampires for her. She will offer a moonlight ring in exchange for your services and she will not be kind if you decide to renege on the deal.” She looked to Oliver, who she knew would become a victim of Finn and Esther’s ploy. Even Blair could see how eager he was for a moonlight ring so it was no wonder how he got lured in.

“And what do you want?” Another pack member asked.

“We want peace,” Elijah answered, his strong voice captivating his audience, “We want all this fighting to stop for my niece’s sake,” He motioned to Hayley, who was the acting Alpha to the pack, “But my mother does not. She will aim to destroy everything that has been built, taking away things that make us happy.”

“We also suspect that Esther is after Hope,” Blair said, making sure to keep Hayley in her peripheral vision. From here, she could see how tense Hayley had become at the potential threat against her daughter.

A low growl sounded from Hayley and this was echoed when a few other Wolves growled also. Elijah and Blair shared a look with one another, the Wolves were listening to them.

Jackson rounded on his pack, “Don’t listen to them! They’re lying to us, trying to lure us in before they turn on us!”

Annoyance rippled through Blair. Jackson was getting on her very last nerve and she was going to kill him if he wasn’t careful. To prove how irritated she truly was, Blair’s eyes glowed purple once more and she was used her magic to lift Jackson into the air by his neck. Struggling, Jackson attempted to get the invisible hand off his neck to no avail. He gulped for breath but found that he still had enough air so he wasn’t gasping for it.

“Listen here, Jackson,” Blair purred his name silkily, “I could kill you without a second thought. I have been around for much longer than you and I am much more powerful. With a flick of my wrists, I could snap your neck and be done with you. I have fought bigger and stronger beasts than you. You are nothing but a nuisance at the moment,” Every word that Blair spoke was filled with honey and venom and not once did she lie. She had no qualms about killing the Alpha here and now – regardless of whether it not it served her purpose anymore. It would probably do her a favour and get rid of an annoyance but she held herself back, just a bit.

Elijah smirked, his gaze solely focused on the Fae in front of him. She captivated him, enchanted him. There was something extremely attractive about a powerful woman that made his blood sing. While he thought Blair to be extremely beautiful, she was downright entrancing when she was angry and it made him want her even more. “I think he’s got the point, Blair,”

Turning her head, Blair met Elijah’s heated gaze and found she couldn't look away. The way Elijah was staring at her, as though he wanted her so badly made her body heat up and tingle in a very pleasurable way. She was sure he could hear her accelerated heartbeat but she found she didn’t care. She had always thought Elijah to be extremely attractive but now it was different. Rebekah’s words echoed in her mind and she tried very hard to push them away.

Watching the two interact, Hayley could feel that uncomfortable prickling sensation in her chest again. It was a feeling that was appearing a lot more than normal and she didn’t like it.  She did not like how they were watching one another with such emotion and chemistry. She hated it and desperately wanted it to stop. Faking a cough, she broke the silence, “Drop him,”

For a moment, both Elijah and Blair seemed to ignore her instruction, far too focused on each other. However, when Hayley spoke again, she added more force. “Drop him, now!”

It would have been a very tempting thing for Blair to ignore Hayley’s command, as she was very inclined to do. But, when she looked around the pack, she saw them all looking at her with slight fear in their eyes but none of them jumped in to save their Alpha. In fact, a lot of them were looking at Hayley in admiration. Blair thought back to her conversation with Elijah before coming to the Bayou. Klaus wanted Hayley to become the Alpha of the Crescent Wolves instead of Jackson. She could see the change in dynamic – the Wolves thought Hayley made a better Alpha and if Blair showed her up then it would undermine her authority. Sighing lightly, Blair lowered Jackson to the ground and watched with a blank expression as a few of his pack members came to check upon him.

When Jackson was back on the ground, Hayley relaxed ever so slightly.

“We are willing to give you all moonlight rings,” Elijah said catching everyone’s attention. “We only ask that you don’t join the Witches,”

“I would also be willing to help out as well,” Blair offered, causing people to look at her in confusion. Only Elijah was not surprised as this had already been discussed on the way to the Bayou.

Oliver stared at her dubiously, “Why would we want your help?”

Blair flashed him a wry grin, “Better to have me on your side than against you,”

The pack looked at one another before they turned to look at Hayley and then Jackson. There was some tension as some were divided on their loyalties. Jackson was the official Alpha but most preferred Hayley. Then there was the issue was wanting moonlight rings, something they all desperately wanted and not all of them had access to. There also seemed to be some resentment towards Jackson as he was the one who put a stop to others having the moonlight rings when he had one for himself – but so did Hayley and Eva.

Feeling this tension, Elijah stepped back and Blair easily copied him. “We will be back tomorrow,” Elijah said as he turned around to walk away.

Blair flashed one last grin to the pack before she followed after Elijah. They walked until they reached the car and got inside. Now that they were alone, Blair looked to the Original, “Well, that went better than planned,” In the beginning, the plan was to stir up some drama between the pack so the Wolves would turn on Jackson, but that level of intervention wasn’t needed. With how things were going, the Wolves would turn on Jackson without their meddling.

“Indeed, it was,” Elijah smirked. Since Eva was his informant for the Crescent Wolves, she had been telling him for weeks about the unrest within the pack. People were loyal to Jackson because he used to be a caring Alpha and was noble, but had recently turned. If Jackson didn’t do something to change then he would lose his position.

“Do you think they’ll accept the deal?” Blair questioned, curious to know Elijah’s thoughts.

Elijah nodded his head as he drove out from the Bayou. He did not like the Bayou, it was far below his standard of living but needs must. “They will accept it because they will have no choice,” Despite the offering of peace, Elijah knew that if they turned down this alliance, he would make their lives hell. Klaus was in agreement with this as well as Blair and Raphael.

Blair snorted, “And if Hayley is smart then she’ll take up the mantel,”

“Giving Klaus a chance to monitor everything,” Elijah finished, his dark eyes alight in amusement. One of the reasons why Klaus wanted Hayley to have control over the Wolves was so he could be involved. With Klaus and Hayley's lives intertwined due to Hope, he had now set his sights on the pack his biological father used to lead. Klaus was confident that he could find that pack through Hayley.

“I swear Wolves have got dumber as the years have passed,” Blair didn’t remember Wolves being so gullible and easily led. She had met plenty of Wolves and was on good terms with them – at least before the Hunter intervened. But none had been as naïve as the Crescent Wolves, which made them easy targets for any new enemies.

Elijah grinned slightly in agreement, “You are definitely not wrong,”

ORIGINALS

Around the same time

Davina sat in town, drinking a hot chocolate outside a café. She was looking around, waiting for Kol to make his appearance. She was trying to make it look like she was being blasé but really, she was on edge and a little impatient. She had been waiting for Kol to show up in town for nearly an hour before she got bored of pretending to window-shop and decided to grab herself a drink.

‘Don’t look so anxious,’ Raphael’s voice sounded in her head.

‘He’s taking too long,’ Davina complained in her head. Before setting out, Blair had made sure to link up Davina and Raphael’s minds so they could communicate with one another.

Raphael chuckled, ‘Good things come to those who wait,’

‘Well if he doesn’t arrive soon then I am just going to knock him out,’ Davina said haughtily.

‘Not a bad idea, but we don’t want to raise any suspicions. I think people might protest if they saw someone being attacked,’

Unfortunately, Davina could not argue with the male’s Fae logic and went back to sipping on her drink. She looked around once more and was about to give up for the day. She would return the next day until Kol showed up. Surely everyone would understand that she gave it ago and it wouldn’t be her fault. After a few more moments, Davina gave up and drained the rest of her drink before walking away, ignoring as Raphael laughed at her impatience. Marching up the street, Davina aimed to head back to the Abattoir, tired after a long day. It was just as she rounded the corner when Raphael said her name. However, before she could do anything, Davina bumped into someone and nearly sent herself flying into the ground. Luckily, whoever it was she bumped into grabbed her by the arm and stopped her from falling. Looking up, Davina saw that she had run into Kol.

“Sorry about that, love,” Kol said with a cheeky grin. “Are you okay?”

For a moment, Davina was starstruck. She had seen this boy a few times in town before but now that she was up close to him, he was even more handsome than thought. Blair had really got every detail about Kol correct, even down to the mischievous glint in his eyes. “Y-yeah, I am good. Great even,”

“Good, we wouldn’t want anything happening to that pretty little face,” Kol smiled charmingly as he made sure Davina was balanced before he let go of her.

Davina blushed, unable to help herself.

‘Davina get a hold of yourself!’ Raphael’s voice brought her back to reality.

Snapping out of her daze, Davina put on her best smile, “I’ve seen you around town a few times. Did you just move here?” He had tried to approach her a few times in the past but something always came up and they had never properly never interacted.

Kol nodded his head, “Yeah, a few weeks ago. It’s just me, my brother and mother.”

“Cool,” Davina said, “My name’s Davina,”

“Kaleb,” Kol lied with a smile.

“If you’re new to New Orleans, maybe I could show you around? I've lived here all my life and I know the best places,” Davina offered, tilting her head innocently. Klaus and Rebekah had coached her before coming out, explaining their brother in great detail. She was very well aware of how flirtatious Kol was and what he looked for. She would use this to her advantage and lure him away.

Kol’s eyes lit up at the opportunity and genuine surprise showed on his face, which made Davina feel slightly smug. “A beautiful girl showing me around New Orleans? That sounds like a dream,” Kol said, holding out his arm so she could grab onto it.

Taking the silent cue, Davina linked her arm with and they began walking down the street. As they walked, Davina could sense Raphael following them in the crowd, but this was only due to their mental connection. If it wasn’t then she wouldn’t have even noticed him in the crowd. Raphael was very good at blending into the background and disappearing, which made him a perfect spy. It did also make Davina feel safer, even though she knew she could look after herself if anything happened. Blair had taught her well.

Davina let out a laugh, pretending to find what Kol said was funny. They shared stories and joked with one another, Kol explaining he had been trying to get to know New Orleans but wasn’t having much luck. Davina smiled and spoke back to him enthusiastically, making it seem like she was interested in him.

‘Not really pretending though, are you?’ Raphael whispered in her mind.

‘Shut up!’ Davina shouted back, blushing at his accusation. Luckily, Kol had just paid her another compliment so it was easy to play it off.

Up ahead, there was an alleyway and an idea went off in Davina's head. She could push the plan further and subdue Kol now. If she took him into the alleyway, she could knock him unconscious and take him back to the compound. However, before Davina could go any further with this plan, Raphael's voice sounded in her head.

‘Don’t do it.’

It took everything inside Davina not to frown. If she did, Kol would question it and she would have no excuse. Luckily, she managed to keep the smile on her face, listening to Kol’s ramblings. ‘Why not?’

‘Blair warned you beforehand not to rush this. You need to gain his trust, make it seem like you want to help him,’ Raphael reminded her calmly. Before heading out, Blair had cautioned him that Davina may try and rush this because she knew what the young Witch was like – and she had been spot on. Rebekah, Klaus and Elijah had shared that outwardly betraying Kol would also be a bad move as he was extremely vengeful against the people who wronged him.

Davina inwardly sighed, ‘Fine, I won’t rush things,’ Turning her attention back to Kol, she listened to the thing he said, chiming in and laughing when appropriate. On the outside, she acted like the perfectly innocent girl and he fell for it, hook line and sinker. But on the inside, she couldn't wait to be rid of him, his brother and his twisted mother.

She just needed to be patient.

Chapter 31: Chapter 31

The next day

Klaus was in his room, painting at a steady pace. He had been hit by inspiration the moment he woke up and he had spent all morning trying to convey the image he’d had in his head for a while. It was a painting that when complete, would be transferred to Hope’s room so it had to be perfect. He stopped for a moment to examine his work, content with what he had done so far. Just as he was going to continue, there was a knock on his door.

“If it isn't urgent, go away,” Klaus called out, irritated that someone would disturb him. It wouldn’t be any of his family members as they knew better. It also wouldn’t be Blair, Raphael or Davina as they had never stepped foot near his room.

“It’s me,” Hayley’s voice came from behind the door.

Mentally sighing, Klaus put down his paint pallet on a nearby table. As much he would like to send her away, he knew it would be best to hear her out. “Enter,”

Opening the door, Hayley stepped through with a sombre expression on her face.

“If it’s not good news then I am not interested,” Klaus said dismissively, ready to turn her away. She had one job, to convince the Wolves to follow her instead of Jackson and he didn’t want to hear anything negative at this point, not when he was painting.

Hayley shook her head, “The pack is split. Half of them will follow me but the other half is loyal to Jackson.” After Elijah and Blair had left, there had been a massive uproar and a huge debate that lasted well into the night. The argument between her and Jackson had only stopped when he stormed off, needing a run to calm himself down. It was only that morning that some sort of decision had been reached but it left Hayley feeling shaky and unsure. She could see the logic behind the decision but her heart wasn’t fully on board with the idea.

Klaus arched a brow, “And?”

Pinching her lips together, Hayley rolled her eyes at his childish behaviour, “And nothing,”

With a frown, Klaus turned to fully face the mother of his child. “Do not lie to me, Hayley. You’re hiding something, so tell me what it is or get out,”

Hayley glared at him, but Klaus ignored this in favour of picking up his paint pallet once more. “There is something that can be done. If I marry Jackson, it will unite the pack and we can lead together,” Before she’d even been born, Jackson had been chosen as her fiancé to create an alliance between their packs. This was something she had put in the back of her mind, far too occupied with other endeavours, but when it was brought up again, it reminded her that she hadn’t actually addressed this issue with Jackson.

For a moment, Klaus paused, but then started to paint once more. “You don’t sound very happy about it,”

“I don’t want to marry Jackson,” Hayley said as she shook her head.

“But you do care for him?” Klaus inquired.

Hayley nodded her head, “I do… but marrying him is such a big step,” She did care for Jackson and she did feel a connection to him, but he wasn’t who her heart longed for. Also, his behaviour the past few weeks had been unsettling so this made the whole situation harder.

Klaus continued to paint, dipping his brush into a new colour, “This is about protecting our daughter. Uniting the pack will make it more secure and ensure Hope’s safety. Besides, you could do much worse than Jackson,” It was unfortunate, but Klaus did admire Jackson. His loyalty to his pack was admirable and he had the trust of his packmates. It was only his recent downfall that had caused some seeds of doubt in some of the Wolves.

Falling silent, Hayley mentally weighed up her options. After a few seconds, she mentally cursed Klaus. He was right, she was doing this for her daughter and she could do much worse than Jackson – Oliver could have been Alpha. “Just… please don’t tell Elijah. I will tell him when the time is right,”

Klaus inwardly sighed and shook his head. He had almost forgotten that Hayley had feelings for Elijah – glaringly obvious affections. At first, Klaus was bothered by the potential relationship as his brother had shown interest, but this was borne from jealousy. He was paranoid that Elijah would make a better father figure for his child – almost how Elijah had been a better father figure for Marcel when he was younger and before Klaus told him to back off. However, now that his brother had shown no interest in Hayley, he had calmed down, no longer worried about Elijah stealing his place. Instead, he was more bemused that Hayley hadn’t realised she was no longer a contender for the noble Original’s heart.

“So, your pointless feelings for my brother haven’t diminished,” Klaus said. Even with his back turned to her, he could feel her burning glare.

“That is not your concern,” Hayley snarled angrily at him.

“Elijah does not return your feelings. He would not care if you married Jackson,” Klaus continued, ignoring her growling, but everything he said was true. Elijah would not be bothered by the news because he was far too focused on someone else.

“You don’t know that!” Hayley argued back, her eyes flashed between yellow and their normal brown colour.

Annoyance filled Klaus. Why he had slept with this woman was a mystery and one that he slightly regretted – Hope was the only good thing about that night. Turning to face Hayley, Klaus met her eyes unflinchingly, “You should be focusing on gaining more protection for our daughter, not batting your eyelashes at a man that has shown no interest in you since you betrayed him and made him break a promise.”

Hayley flinched at his words, visibly shaken by them.

“Besides, Blair is a much better match for him. At least she hasn’t slept with me,” Klaus snorted, purposely striking that cord. Elijah had made it perfectly clear that he would not touch any women that had laid with Klaus as it always ended in disaster. Tatia and Katherine were the best examples.

Visibly shaking in rage and hurt, Hayley glared at him as though she wanted to kill him – which she did want to do. She didn’t even care that Klaus was much stronger than her, she would give mauling him a good go. The situation was only made worse as this was the second time, she had heard those words in twenty-four hours. Jackson had made this argument when they were fighting but it had been said from a place of anger so she could dismiss those words. But Klaus’ statement was like a punch to the gut.

“If you have no other news then leave me. I want to finish this painting for Hope,” Klaus said, continuing his task. He wanted this finished before the end of the day and he couldn't do that if he was being distracted.

Hayley rolled her eyes at his attitude, “Just let Elijah know that we need more time to decide,”

When Klaus never replied, she huffed, turned around and walked off, fury and murder still in her eyes. However, the moment she left the compound, Rebekah walked through with a curious expression on her face.

“What was that?” Rebekah asked, confused.

Klaus groaned, unhappy with yet another intrusion. But it wasn’t the worst, it was only his little sister. “What was what?”

Rebekah rolled her eyes, “You know what I mean, saying how Blair is better for Elijah,” She had been walking past with no intentions of disturbing her brother while he painted. She knew better. But then she had seen Hayley heading in Klaus’ direction and her curiosity won over. She had been eavesdropping the entire time and now she had some questions.

“I meant what I said,” Klaus said as he continued to paint. He was finished with one section of the canvas and now he moved over the next portion of his vision.

“But why?” Rebekah questioned, “You don’t even like Blair,”

For a moment, Klaus was silent as he considered his words. He was tempted to ignore his sister in favour of painting but he knew she would just persist on the matter and he would get no peace. “She is a powerful Fae. It is better to have her on our side than against us,”

Rebekah's eyes widened for a moment, shocked by what she just heard. Her brother – her crazy, paranoid and sometimes psychotic brother – was praising someone. To make matters even more shocking, he approved of Elijah and Blair as a couple, even if they weren’t one currently. Klaus despised whenever someone in the family found happiness, especially when he hadn’t found happiness first. It was his jealousy and his paranoia that they were no longer loyal to the family that drove him to often murder their lovers.

Sensing her shock, Klaus continued. “She has no loyalty to this family yet she has stayed. Yes, she made a promise to a friend but promises can easily be broken. Her powers are proving to be invaluable, especially her future sight. I would prefer to have her firmly under my control but she would never allow that to happen. However, she has shown an interest in Elijah.”

“She’d sooner stab you in the eyes,” Rebekah snorted in agreement. This was something she liked about the Fae, she wasn’t enamoured by Klaus, as most women were. Rebekah had people trying to befriend her just so they could get close to Klaus and she hated it. In fact, she found Blair’s dislike towards her brother to be extremely amusing and refreshing.

Klaus smirked at her comment before he sent a pointed stare at his sister, “And don’t think I am not aware of you and Raphael,”

Rebekah stilled for a moment, her blood turning to ice. This was the one secret she had hoped Klaus would never find out because it never ended well for her. All her lovers always ended up dead one way or another and at times, she felt cursed. Knowing that Raphael could share their same fate made her heart clench in her chest.

However, Klaus waved dismissively. “Don’t look so horrified, I will not touch him,”

“What?” Rebekah's voice was barely above a whisper.

Turning to face her fully, Klaus answered her. “I made a promise that I would not harm him and I won’t unless he does something that endangers this family or betrays us.” As it was, Raphael was also under the protection of Blair, who Klaus wanted to keep on his side. He knew that if he harmed Raphael for any other reason, Blair would attack and leave, leaving them without magic on their side as no doubt, Davina would leave also.

For a moment, Rebekah dared to hope that he was telling the truth and he wasn’t leading her on. “Do you really mean it?”

“You’ve chosen well, sister dear,” Klaus smirked.

Within the blink of the eye, Rebekah was gone from his room, no doubt needing to process what she had just heard. Chuckling to himself, Klaus went back to painting, his mood lifted. He loved his family and loved when they were happy – but only when he had a hand in that happiness too.

ORIGINALS

A couple of days later

Davina was sat in Rousseau's with Kol, continuing her act. She and Kol had exchanged numbers and he had asked her to come to Rousseau's and she had accepted. Davina hadn’t wanted to come off too strong so didn’t always answer his texts quickly – under the advice of Rebekah who said Kol found women acting too keenly was kind of off-putting. Apparently, Kol liked the chase and so far, he hadn’t lost interest yet. They had been sitting in Rousseau's for the past couple of hours, talking and laughing. Surprisingly, Davina found Kol to be quite funny. He had a quick sense of humour about him and he would say things she wouldn't expect. It was weird, he would sometimes act like the rest of his family but seemed so different at the same time.

Her phone went off, receiving yet another text. Mentally, Davina groaned. She didn’t even need to look at her phone to know who it was. It was Timothy. For the past two weeks, he had been messaging her none stop, wanting to talk and get back together. Davina had broken up with him on purpose and she was mostly over him but he hadn’t fully received that message yet, believing they had broken up because she had been grieving at the time – which she had been.

Hearing the phone vibrate, Kol looked down. “Let me guess, parents?”

Davina shook her head, “Definitely not my parents,” Mentally she snorted. She didn’t have parents, they had basically abandoned her, but she had found people who cared for her. The parental figures in her life were Blair and Elijah – both making sure she had everything she needed and treated her with compassion and warmth. However, she wasn’t going to spill her soul to Kol of all people.

“Ah, you don’t have a good relationship with them,” Kol guessed.

“My guardians are much better than my biological family,” Davina admitted with a tight smile.

Kol nodded his head in understanding, “I haven’t got a good relationship with my family either. My mother’s a control freak. She is the reason why I stopped practising magic,”

For a moment, Davina paused. “You’re a Witch?” She had been able to sense that he had magic – a decent level of power too. But for him to just reveal such a thing out in public was shocking and it shook her.

Kol grinned and leaned forward in his seat, “I didn’t just ask you out because you’re gorgeous,” His words made Davina's face flush red, “We’re kindred souls, you and I,”

“How so?” Davina asked with a smirk, silently asking him to continue.

Taking the bait, Kol continued, “I know your story, Davina. You’re practically famous. You’re the Harvest girl who told them all to shove it and then got taken under the protection of a Fae – a right rebel you are,”

Pride filled Davina. She had been through a lot and done a lot in that time too, but she was also thankful to Blair. If she hadn’t been under the Fae’s protection, she had no idea what would have happened to her. Maybe she would still be with the Coven that tried to kill her or maybe on a vengeful path for what happened to her. But she would rather not know as she was happy with this path.

“You and I are a lot alike,” Kol continued with a small grin, “I don’t really believe in rules and authority. Your courage should be celebrated.”

“Thank you,” Davina said, her smile more genuine than she planned. She held Kol’s gaze, not able to look away from him. If she didn’t know any better, she would have assumed that Kol was being sincere with his words and she had to remind herself that this was not the case. However, Kol was actually quite charming and she was having to constantly remind herself that this was all pretended, that he was just using her to get the white oak stake, which Blair owned. Blair told no one where the weapon was, not even her or Raphael, which was better for everyone.

Just then, Davina felt a flicker of magic enter the bar. Looking around, Davina spotted some Witches – familiar faces from her old Coven. There was at least ten of them that entered the bar, and all their eyes immediately focused on her. This raised the hairs on the back of her neck – she needed to get out and now. Quickly looking over to the bar, Davina saw that Camille was not working that night, a small relief. However, Raphael was not with her tonight, she had said she wouldn't need him and now she regretted that decision. It seemed as though there was no one in the bar anymore, as they all seemed to leave, even the staff just left with glazed-over eyes. Turning her gaze to Kol, she glared at him, assuming that this was his plan, but she saw that he was just as baffled as she was. In that instant, she knew that he had no idea what was happening either. This made her feel relieved but even more confused than before.

‘Raphael, I need you here, now!’ Davina called in her mind. Silently, she was thankful for the connection.

‘On it,’ Raphael replied instantly.

Relieved that she would have backup shortly, she turned to Kol. “We need to leave, now,” Davina said as she stood up from her seat.

“Agreed,” Kol stood up with no hesitation. He had no idea what was going on, but even he could sense that these Witches weren’t here for a quiet drink.

However, before they could leave, they were blocked by the Witches. The hoard of Witches had circled around Davina and Kol, effectively trapping them. Davina glared at the one in front of her, “Move, now,”

The male Witch smile was sickly sweet, “What's the rush? Why don’t you stay awhile longer?” Reaching out, he touched Davina, as though this would make her change her answer.

Scowling, Davina’s glare turned harsher, “Don’t touch me,” Using her other hand, Davina used her magic to give the Witch an aneurysm. She watched in satisfaction as the male Witch groaned and fell to the ground, clutching his head in pain.

However, this seemed to incite the other Witches. They started to close in them, hatred burning in their eyes. Kol looked down at Davina, “Can you do that to the rest of them?”

“Maybe a few at a time, but not all of them,” Davina answered nervously. While her magic had grown under Blair’s tutelage, she couldn't take down all ten of them in one go.

Just then, another male Witch reached out and grabbed Davina. This male was large and bulky, and one that Davina didn’t recognise at all. However, before he could do anything, Kol grabbed his hand and snarled, “Keep your hands off her,”

The man glared at Kol and tried to push him away. However, Kol swung back his arm and punched the male Witch with such force that he broke the man's nose. “Bastard!” A Witch cried and used her magic in anger. The magic picked up Kol and sent him flying into the bar, where he crashed into a pile of glasses which easily shattered under the force. Kol groaned at the landing, mentally cursing his weakness as a Witch and human.

“K-Kaleb!” Davina cried out his fake name. She had almost shouted out his real name but managed to correct herself.

The Witches continued to advance on her but she refused to give in. Using her magic, Davina brought down a few of the Witches but had to stop when she saw that a few of them were resisting her magic. Davina mentally cursed, Esther had probably planned this and gave them the tools necessary to combat her powers.

Just then, the door to the bar burst open and a powerful wave of magic filled the room. “Touch her again and everyone in this room dies,” Blair stepped through the door with Raphael by her side, her eyes blazing a purple colour.

Davina sighed in relief whereas Kol watched from behind the bar in awe.

Like a blur, Raphael sped towards the Witches, knocking three unconscious in a matter of seconds. Blair walked forward, magic rippling around her in waves. Blair summoned two water whips and grabbed three Witches before throwing them away like ragdolls, much to Davina’s delight. It didn’t take long before all the Witches were unconscious or heavily injured. None of them was extremely powerful and so it made easy work. Blair was almost disappointed. The only slightly interesting thing was that each Witch had an amulet that gave them slight protection against Witch magic, but not Fae magic – a fatal error. Blair was pretty sure she had snapped the neck of at least four Witches – not that she cared much. They had attacked Davina and it was her right to get retribution.

“Are you okay?” Blair asked as she approached Davina. Her eyes had turned back to their normal colour, but they were examining the young Witch for any visible injuries.

Davina nodded her head, “I am alright now,”

Blair nodded her head, relieved that nothing had happened. She was about to say something when movement caught her eye. For a moment, she thought they had missed a Witch but then Blair spotted Kol, partially hiding behind the bar, watching them. “Raphael, take Davina back. I will clean up,”

“Come on, we’ll grab some ice cream on the way back,” Raphael offered with a smile.

With a smile, Davina left with Raphael, needing that hit of ice cream. For her, ice cream could cure anything, including a bad night and an attack by Esther. It was only when she and Raphael were already out the door that she realised she had forgotten something.

‘But what about Kol?’ Davina asked in her mind.

‘Blair will take care of him,’ Raphael answered with ease.

Davina nodded her head and continued on her way to the ice cream parlour. Luckily, it was still open so she could indulge her sweet tooth.

Once they were gone, Blair turned her head to face Kol. “Either come out now or I will make you,”

Slowly, Kol crept out from behind the bar, his gaze trained directly on her. He was watching for the slightest movement in case she would attack him. As a Vampire, he had consumed many Fae – their blood being the most delicious thing he had ever tasted – and he was used to being the predator when coming across a Fae. But now, he wasn’t a Vampire and didn’t have the strength or speed to help him. For once, he was at the mercy of a Fae, something he thought would never happen.

Blair examined Kol with a critical eye. He looked exactly as she drew him; the only difference was the large laceration on his forehead and bent wrist. “Come here,”

“I’m good here, love,” Kol answered with an easy grin.

“So, you don’t want your wounds healed?” Blair arched a brow.

This caused Kol to be silent. He rolled his wrist, testing it, and winced at the sharp pain. When he had been launched into the bar by the Witch, he had landed on his wrist. He was pretty sure he had heard something snap and it enraged him. If he had been a Vampire, this wouldn’t have happened and if it had, he would have already been healed. His mother had cautioned him about the Fae, but at that moment, he didn’t care about his mother’s warnings. He was hurt and she was willing to heal him.

“It’s not going to cost me anything?” Kol asked with a glare.

Blair smirked slightly, “No, not this time. You tried to protect Davina, that is payment enough,”

Finding this acceptable, Kol walked forward, limping slightly. It appeared as though he had hurt his ankle during the landing as well. Kol stopped once he was in reaching distance and took Blair’s outstretched hand. Once he took her hand, Blair’s eyes glowed a purple colour and instantly, he could feel her magic. It was warm and soothing. Kol couldn't help but close his eyes and relax as she healed him. He could feel the ache in his ankle and wrist disappear within seconds and the stinging pain on his head vanished.

Once he was fully healed, Blair pulled her hand away and Kol opened his eyes. “Mention nothing of what you saw here,” Blair said, staring at Kol in the eyes as she did.

Kol nodded his head, “No one will hear anything from me,” If his mother heard he had contact with the Fae, she would not be impressed and would be likely to punish him. Finn would be insufferable – even more than usual – if he heard he’d been near the Fae their mother hated so much.

“Good,” Blair nodded her head, satisfied with his answer. Turning away from him, Blair’s eyes glowed purple once more as she waved her hand. In an instant, the bar started to repair itself. All the broken glass looked brand new and any broken furniture was fully repaired. The next step was to vanish the bodies, sending them to a nearby alley way. It looked as though a fight had never happened at all – just as Blair wanted it to look.

Kol watched in fascination as he missed nothing.

When everything was fixed, Blair turned away to walk off. However, before she could make it a few steps, Kol stopped her. “Why is Davina under your protection?”

Turning her head, Blair looked at the Original, “Why do you ask?”

“Fae and Witches are meant to hate one another,” Kol explained with a frown on his face, “Yet you’ve given protection to a Witch,”

“Davina is special, as I am sure you’ve noticed,” Blair responded, finding his question fair.

Kol nodded his head in agreement. Davina was special and she fascinated him. She defied all expectations and didn’t care who she offended. To boot, she was gorgeous and smart. A person would have to be blind not to notice how special Davina was.

“I give protection to those who deserve it,” Blair said.

Kol was silent, taking in her words.

Blair was about to walk off but she stopped in her tracks. For a moment, she considered her next words carefully and a plan hatched in her mind. “If you find you’re in need to help, come and find me,”

Eyes widening, Kol couldn't hide his surprise at her words. “Why would I need your help?”

“You’re obviously interested in Davina.” Blair rolled as eyes, as if she found his affections for her ward to be annoying, “So I want you to be useful for her,” Davina’s first boyfriend, Tim, wasn’t useful in the slightest and eventually had to go. He could bring nothing to the relationship nor could he protect her. Blair hadn’t been a fan of Tim but Davina cared for him so she said nothing.

Falling silent, Kol stared at Blair, as if he was trying to decipher her. He watched as Blair walked off and he had to stop himself from calling out to her. Her words rattled him, as much as he hated to admit it. Shaking his head, Kol left the bar, knowing that he had to speak with his mother and brother – who had so obviously orchestrated this entire debacle.

Chapter 32: Chapter 32

Stood in one of the many studies within the compound, Blair was at work. She was surrounded by magical tools, deciding which one would be best for the spell she would be weaving later that night. Esther had finally made her move by sending an invitation to dinner. It had been paired with a table filled with food and the invitation hidden away under a tray and a dead bird that came to life the moment the dish was opened. It was dramatic, showing where the rest of the family had got their flare for the dramatics from. Klaus had immediately arranged the dinner, leaving no stone unturned. He may not like his mother but he knew how to throw a dinner party like no one’s business. It had caused him a lot of stress, but the whole topic of his mother caused him a lot of stress in general.

Hence why no word had been mentioned about his father, whose spirit Blair had trapped in a book.

While the dinner party was happening, Blair would be working her magic, alone. Davina was continuing her act with Kol and so couldn't help out, not that the Fae minded. Despite it mostly being an act, she was happy that Davina was spending time outside the compound where her mind wasn’t occupied by Marcel or Tim – who had not stopped trying to contact the young Witch. Blair swore that if Tim did not desist on this behaviour soon, she would be paying that boy a visit.

Luckily, Rebekah had dug up an old item of their mothers, an old dress. It was a dress that Esther had made for Rebekah when she was young and it was something the female Vampire had treasured. Despite everything that had happened, Rebekah could still remember the close bond she used to have with her mother, making this whole situation harder for her. Just as Blair was finished choosing an item for the spell, Rebekah walked into the room, a small bundle half-hidden in her jacket. Blair was instantly tempted to ask about it but decided against it, and instead looked down at the magic circle in front of her.  

“Where’s Davina?” Rebekah asked as she looked around the room. She was expecting to see the little Witch helping out. Davina had seemed excited to help out so was surprised not to see her.

“She’s out with Kol,” Blair answered easily.

Slowly, Rebekah smirked, “She’s enjoying herself quite a bit, isn’t she?”

“Just don’t tell her that,” Blair’s smirk mirrored Rebekah’s as they were in agreement. It hadn’t escaped anyone’s notice the bright smile on Davina's face when she was texting Kol or how often they were meeting up. She and Raphael had made it a bet on how long it would take Davina to realise she was falling for Kol. It would have been wise to pull Davina out since she was getting too attached but Blair wanted to see how this would play out. She also suspected that Kol was having the same issue too, another running bet she had going with Raphael.

Looking around the room, Rebekah saw all the tools that Blair had laid out. “Are you ready for tonight?” This was the beginning of bringing their mother down and she wanted it to go perfectly.

Blair nodded her head, “As long as there are no last-minute surprises, we should be okay.” It had been decided that she wouldn’t trap Esther in the body of Cassie as this would give the Original Witch a chance to respond and mess everything up. Instead, Blair decided to take the sneakier route, one that would leave no visible mark, or clues and give them the advantage.

“Good,” Rebekah’s shoulders relaxed a touch.

From this, Blair expected the female Vampire to leave, but she stayed, lingering nervously. This made Blair curious. While she and Rebekah were friendly enough with one another, they didn’t usually seek each other out. She suspected that Rebekah was lonely and didn’t have many female friends – something Blair herself was guilty of. Luckily, she didn’t have to wait long before Rebekah’s impulsive behaviour gave away what was on her mind.

“Nik knows about my feeling for Raphael,”

For a moment, Blair didn’t visibly react. However, on the inside, she felt her heart clench and her stomach flip. This was not the news she wanted to hear but at the same time, she wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t exactly like Raphael and Rebekah had been discreet about their potential feelings for one another.

“Should I be warning Raphael to leave or should I be gearing up for a fight?” Blair asked, looking over to the other female.

Rebekah shook her head, “Nik said he approved of him,”

Silently, Blair nodded her head, filled with relief. She had no qualms about fighting against the Hybrid to protect Raphael, but she knew it wouldn’t be an easy fight and it would hurt a lot of people. Her involvement was none negotiable but she would leave and take certain people with her if she felt as though they were at risk.

“But I do have a favour to ask,” Rebekah said, standing straighter.

Arching a brow, Blair motioned for Rebekah to continue. Inhaling deeply, the Vampire reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the bundle that Blair had been curious about. Unwrapping the bundle, Blair saw five daggers made of silver. There was a slow eerie sound that emanated from them and that creepy song told Blair all about these daggers. These were the weapons that could immobilise an Original if it were to be stabbed into their chests with white oak dust.

“I need you to hide these,” Rebekah said lowly. She knew there was no one around that could hear her but she was feeling paranoid. Klaus had no idea that she had these daggers and if he did, he would be furious. Elijah was aware of what Rebekah wanted to do and had suggested handing them over to Blair, hence why she was there.

Blair stared down at the daggers, repulsed by their presence. She hated them instantly, their eerie song sending shivers down her spine. The cloth used to cover then had muted their melody and she wished them to be covered once more. Reaching out, Blair covered the daggers with the cloth and then looked to Rebekah. “Why?”

“Nik has always used these against us if we did something to ‘betray him’.” Rebekah explained with a pain-filled expression, “Each one of us has lost time. Finn spent nine hundred years with one in his chest. At one point, every one of us has suffered except for Nik. Sometimes he thinks we need a time out and we can only awaken when he chooses. I don’t want that over our heads anymore,” Most recently, she had lost nearly a hundred years because Nik had made a decision, one that she disagreed with and resented him for. Her brother had robbed her of her freedom and she hoped that with Blair’s intervention, this would never happen again.

Carefully, Blair took the daggers. She understood Rebekah's reasoning, finding it more than rational. “Do you want these destroyed or kept hidden?” Like the white oak stake, she had been asked to hide such a weapon but not destroy it in case they ever needed it.

“Hidden,” Rebekah answered. There was a chance they may need the daggers in the future, but as long as they were out of Klaus’ hands then she was satisfied. If she had kept hold of them, it would have been only a matter of time before Klaus found out and he would not be happy. After Hayley had given her the daggers, Rebekah had hidden them but she was fearful about them being found.

Nodding her head, Blair’s eyes glowed purple and she snapped her fingers, making the bundle of daggers disappear within the blink of an eye. Now, Blair could no longer hear their creepy melody she felt more at ease.

“Where did they go?” Rebekah asked curiously. She had seen the Fae vanish things before and wondered where they all had gone.

“Someplace only I have access to,” Blair answered with ease. It was best that no one knew where she stored things away in case, they tried to find them.

Accepting the answer, Rebekah nodded her head in appreciation. Now that the daggers were safely tucked away, she felt more at ease. A massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders now that she knew they could be used against her no more.

“Anything else?” Blair arched a brow.

Rebekah shook her head.

“Then leave me, I need to focus on this,” Blair said, looking down at the tools before. She needed to pick the instrument that she would tie this spell to.

Amused, Rebekah walked out, leaving Blair to do her thing.

ORIGINALS 

Later that night 

Night had fallen and everything was in place. The only people missing were Esther and Finn, who would be arriving at any moment. The compound was lit with candles, setting a rather sombre mood. The compound was empty, Davina was away with Raphael and she was doing the school work she had fallen behind on. Hope was with Hayley as Klaus didn’t want to risk having his daughter anywhere near Esther.

Blair walked into the dining room and saw both Klaus and Elijah dressed in sharp black suits and Rebekah in a lovely black evening dress. “Well don’t you all look dashing,” She smirked and watched as Klaus scowled darkly at her words.

Elijah smirked slightly, “Appearances are a way of showing respect. Mother may be more likely to surrender her true intentions,”

Klaus rolled his eyes, “Mother will not drop her guard if I am dressed like a bloody lawyer,” Suits were not his thing, whereas they were Elijah’s. He used to wear them when the century made them a requirement, but ever since the change of fashion, he had avoided them when he can.

“I think we look great,” Rebekah said with a grin. She had spent hours on her hair and make-up to make sure everything was perfect. She loved to dress up, even if the occasion was seeing their dead mother – again.

Elijah nodded his head in agreement, “Any advantage we can get,”

“You always did excel at diplomacy,” Klaus muttered lowly, but everyone in the room heard.

“Just keep them distracted so they don’t think anything is amiss,” Blair said, looking over the room. It had been very nicely decorated. Whoever Klaus had hired was superb and she reminded herself to let Klaus plan any future parties they may have. There was a subtle smell of food in the background and she was almost disappointed that she was going to miss this. She was tempted to sneak into the kitchen and sample some of the food.

Klaus smirked, “That can easily be arranged,”

Elijah lit a few more candles in the room, adding to the ambience. “With our track record, I would say an argument will start within ten minutes of them arriving,”

Rebekah rolled her eyes, “More like five minutes,”

“I bet I can manage to cause an argument in two minutes,” Klaus challenged, his eyes bright in amusement.

Snorting, Blair crossed her arms, “More like one minute,”

Klaus scowled at her, but it wasn’t filled with his usual malicious.

Suddenly, Blair felt a chill at the back of her neck. Someone had entered through the front door and was headed in their direction. After the Hunter, she had placed another barrier around the entrance, one that also told her who had entered. “He's here,”

At this announcement, everyone stood up straighter and all enjoyment left the room. They knew that she was referring to their eldest brother, Finn. If he was there, that meant that Esther wasn’t too far behind.

“Is she here yet?” Rebekah asked quietly. While she hated her mother, she was nervous at the same time. Esther could make Rebekah feel as though she was a little girl again and she hated it. Luckily, she knew she had the support of her brothers so she had nothing to fear.

Blair shook her head.

“Just let it be known that if she does anything, I will tear her new body to pieces,” Klaus announced out loud, knowing that Finn would be close enough to hear this by now. He too could hear footsteps as they made their way over to the dining room.

A low chuckle came from the doorway of the dining room. “You haven’t changed a bit, Niklaus,” Finn said as he walked into the light, one arm behind his back and dressed in a black suit. Finn looked to Elijah in disdain, “Linens and silk cannot disguise your pathetic self-loathing,” He then turned to Rebekah, “And those elegant gowns will never hide how much of a weak and impulsive brat you are,”

Hurt flashed in Rebekah's eyes before it was gone.

Finn then turned to Klaus, “And you, despite the arrogant façade, you’re still the same paranoid little  boy ,” He spat out the last word as pure hate flashed in his dark eyes. “Full of hate and fear.”

Klaus stared at Finn with a blank expression.

For a moment, Blair examined the eldest Mikaelson male and was unimpressed. While her drawing of him was completely accurate, she found herself bored with his attitude. Normally, she would instantly like anyone that would talk down to Klaus, but knowing who it was made it different. Now, she had some insight on to why he had been kept daggered the longest out of all his siblings.

Stepping forward, Elijah smiled politely, “I could say the same about you,”

Finn’s eyes flashed in surprise, not expecting this reaction.

“Been a long time, Finn,” Klaus said.

“It has,” Finn said before his gaze landed on Blair, “Now, what is she going here?” The disgust and loathing in his tone were almost laughable.

Blair arched a brow, “Just passing by. Don’t mind me,” She turned to walk away but she stopped when Finn spoke once more.

“I would be careful if I were you. You may not be passing by much longer,” Finn said, a deadly smile on his face. While his tone was polite, his words were a warning, one that no one in the room missed.

Before Blair even had a chance to respond, one of the knives from the table was flung in Finn’s direction. At the last moment, Finn managed to jump out of the way and everyone turned to see the knife deeply embedded into the wall. Turning her head, Blair looked to Elijah, sensing a murderous aura around him. Elijah was staring at Finn with a burning anger in his dark eyes, one that made her heart jump in her chest in surprise. It seemed as though everyone in the room shared her surprise also.

“That could have killed me,” Finn whispered lowly. From the height of the knife, it would have struck him in the eye. The strength behind it alone would have easily pierced his eye and cut into his brain. If he hadn’t reacted as quickly as he did, this would have been a different story.

“I would suggest never speaking to her like that ever again,” Elijah’s eyes flickered black, showing a true glimpse of the beast that dwelled within him. “If you do, I will make sure I don’t miss next time,”

Blair stared at Elijah unable to look away from him.

Rebekah and Klaus shared a look with one another. Klaus was amused by the turn of the events and found it comical as it was usually him that lost his temper around the family, but never Elijah. Rebekah, however, was inwardly smiling. She found his behaviour to be cute as she had never seen him so protective before.

Gulping loudly, Finn tried to regain back his composure. It wasn’t often that Elijah lost his temper, but when he did, the results were never good. “Noted,”

“I’ll be taking my leave,” Blair said as she walked out, her cheeks flushed pink. She could feel Elijah’s eyes on her, which only served to make her more nervous than she was before.

When Blair was gone, Rebekah turned to her family, “Shall we eat?”

“Excellent idea,” Klaus smirked.

Everyone sat down, with Klaus at the head of the table. Elijah sat to his left and Rebekah to his right. It was Finn that sat furthest away from everyone else, leaving a seat between him and Elijah. The moment they sat down, multiple servers entered the room and began filling up the wine glasses before bringing in the starter.

Picking up his wine glass, Finn inhaled deeply. “What an aromatic wine.”

“Well, it was a challenge to find a good pairing,” Klaus replied back, “What wine goes well with treachery?”

“Do not pout brother, tonight is meant to be a happy occasion,” Finn replied as a server placed down his starter. He smiled at her in thanks, silently dismissing her.

Rebekah looked at her eldest brother, “And what are we celebrating?”

“My return of course,” Finn answered back. “I spent nine hundred years lying daggered in a box,” He sent a pointed glare at Klaus, who didn’t look the slightest bit perturbed. “I am rather enjoying this new body, strolling about your lovely city that you’ve made your home. Now, do tell me, what have I missed? Regale me, with your contributions to society. Medicine, philosophy and art. Or have you three merely cut a path of destruction across time,” Scorn on his face, he placed down his wine glass harshly on the table, awaiting his answer.

“Last time we met, you were helping our mother to annihilate the lot of us. Let’s not throw stones in glasses houses,” Klaus answered plainly. That sting of betrayal had not yet healed and it still made him burn in anger.

Elijah took notice as a server placed out two additional plates at the table. One at the other end and the other across from Finn, “And who else will be joining us?” He asked, looking directly at their eldest brother.

Finn smirked, “Why, that would be mother of course. She will sit at the head of the table and the one opposite me… well I will let you guess who else from our Clan is back,”

Rebekah rolled her eyes, “I struggle to understand how Kol managed to get roped into this.”

“He wouldn’t listen to anyone but his ego,” Klaus continued, keeping up the act. It was then that Klaus was actually grateful for Blair’s vision because they would have all been taken blindside. They wouldn’t have had the advantage and there was no way Klaus was going to allow that.

Looking smug, Finn answered them, “Yet our mother managed to convince him, the wildest one of us has seen the error of his ways and accepted his new form. Change is inevitable,”

“You dare to face us, immortals, when the only thing inevitable is your death,” Klaus replied back, his eyes darkened in annoyance. He longed to put Finn back in that box and keep him daggered for yet another nine hundred years. Even then, that wouldn’t be long enough.

Finn sent him a condescending look, “Temper, temper.”

Rebekah sighed deeply, drinking deeply from her glass. “Can we please just get on with this, I am finding this evening rather dreary,”

“I am rather enjoying my evening,” Finn replied back, “I had nine hundred years to learn to be patient.” There was a moment of hesitation as he turned to look at both Elijah and Klaus, “Although, I am curious to know why I was kept in the box for so long,” In his short time back, he’d never had the opportunity to ask such a question and it had plagued his mind for some time – why him?

Klaus leaned forward in his seat, “You were daggered for being a simpering dullard. Did mother bring you back so you could wash her knickers?”

“She raised me because I was treated unfairly!” Finn yelled back, losing his temper. “I was cheated out of the smallest portion of my life!”

“Temper, temper,” Rebekah whispered lowly so only Klaus and Elijah would hear. Elijah hide a smirk behind his wine glass and Klaus didn’t even bother to hide his. This seemed to tick Finn off more, knowing that yet again, he was the odd one out.

Finn turned to Elijah, “I can understand this behaviour from him, but I always thought of you as being the compassionate one. What did I do to deserve you turning your back on me? Where you scared of Niklaus, are you still? Or perhaps it was jealousy as to why you kept me locked in a box. You coveted the duties as the eldest brother, in which case you had a millennium to fix the problems of this family but instead, you produced nine centuries of failure,” Needing a moment to himself, Finn brought his hands off his face, mentally willing himself to calm down. He thought he could have faced his family without his emotions getting in the way, but he was wrong. This family had a way of pushing his buttons as no one else could.

Elijah turned to Klaus and Rebekah and saw the amusement in their eyes, an emotion that was mirrored in his own expression. “You may reside like a parasite in another body but your tediousness has remained the same. You see Finn, like father, you’ve always despised our supernatural existence. Father slaughtered and consumed his own, whereas you, you became pretentious and dull, much like this meal.”

Finn’s eyes twitched and a deadly glint flickered in his eyes.

Sensing the rising tension, Rebekah decided to cut in. “When is mother going to arrive?” Rebekah asked, looking uninterested. While she did care for Finn, he often got on her nerves and they clashed at times.

A sudden spark went through each of the Vampires. It was almost like a sting on the back of the neck and they instantly knew that this was Blair sending them a message. Their mother had arrived and was on her way.

Unaware of this, Finn turned his attention to Rebekah. “And how could I forget our sweet baby sister. I will ask you the same question, how could you keep your brother in a box for hundreds of years? Did I mean nothing to you?”

“We may be family Finn, but you always treated me like a nuisance,” Rebekah answered him, staring directly into his eyes. While the body was not Finn’s actual face, it possessed his mannerisms and tone, someone no one other than their dullard of a brother could recreate. Finn had always accused her of following after Klaus like a lost puppy and Rebekah always disliked his holier-than-thou attitude. It was no wonder they used to clash and obviously that hadn’t changed.

“Did I mean anything to you?” Finn demanded.

Rebekah nodded her head, “At one point yes. But then you kept lecturing us and at times, acted like father,” Finn was the one who would always follow their father about, often being the one to go hunting with him. He believed himself to be the man of the house whenever their father was not there and Rebekah always hated it.

Hurt flashed in Finn’s eyes. He was about to say something but he stopped when a new voice was added into the mix. Once he heard the voice, he stood up and stared in the direction of it, surprised that he hadn’t even noticed her approach.

“Oh, my darling children,” A new, young and female voice said, “How I have missed you,” The body of Cassie appeared, young and youthful. But, inside, was Esther’s soul.

Upon seeing their mother, each child had a different reaction. Klaus felt anger like no other, Elijah looked blank of any emotion and Rebekah stared at her mother with hurt in her eyes. However, this only lasted for a few seconds before it was replaced with anger.

Sitting down at the head of the table, Esther smiled politely as a server poured more wine and served the food. Finn also sat back down, sitting straighter than before now that their mother had arrived.

“Why don’t you say what you needed to say so this wretched night can end,” Klaus said, already sick of seeing this mother. He wanted to reach over and snap his mother’s neck but knew it wasn’t time yet.

Esther looked around the table and frowned in disappointment. “It pains me that you, Elijah and Rebekah can look at me in such disdain. I wish you could see that my every action has been to protect you,”

Klaus glared at her, “You actually believe that, don’t you? I knew you were a liar but now I know that you are utterly delusional,”

“You can’t forget all the hatred that you cling to, but remember all the times that I have mended and healed you,” Esther replied back calmly.

Rebekah sent her mother an incredulous look, “Only after our father beat him to an inch of his life. You stayed with a man that hurt a child,” She was disgusted in her mother and no longer deluded into believing that she cared for them. Under the table, Klaus took Rebekah’s hand and squeezed in thanks. Rebekah squeezed his hand back, knowing that this wasn’t easy for him either. Esther was just as bad as Mikael with her emotional manipulation.

Rebuffed, Esther looked to Elijah for support, “Do you remember when Niklaus challenged Mikael to a duel? Did I leave your brother to die alone? What did I say when you came to me and asked me to help him?”

“That you would rather die than watch any of your children suffer,” Elijah replied back, but then continued, “But that does not excuse the fact you didn’t try and stop our father from hurting him. Niklaus was just a boy, your child, and yet you let him be continuously abused,”

Esther fell silent, almost shocked by his reply. She hadn’t expected this reaction of Elijah, one of her sons that were always compassionate and one of her favourites. He was her sensible boy and to know he had snubbed her as her other two children wounded her. Even Finn could not look anyone in the eyes at that moment.  

Thinking back to his past, Klaus remembered that day well. It was a day that he had seen actual fear in Mikael’s eyes but now he knew better. The rage he had felt that day had come from his Wolf side, from his true father’s side. “That necklace wasn’t spelled to protect me. It made me weak,”

“I sought to protect you from yourself,” Esther replied back instantly, “If you had killed your father in that duel or anyone else in the course of your life, you would have activated your curse,”

Klaus slammed his hands onto the table. “You ruined me. You left me to suffer at the hands of a man who valued only strength,”

“I kept you from becoming a beast as long as I could!” Esther argued back, desperate for him to understand.

“You lied to me!” Klaus yelled back and stood up. Elijah and Rebekah followed his example, ready to support him if need be. “It was to hide your own transgressions. I was made to live in fear, constantly denied the approval that I once longed for. You turned me into the weakling he hated.” All he had ever wanted was for Mikael to be proud of him like he was proud of Finn and Elijah, but he was never given that. When he was younger, he never understood why he was always treated differently but now he knew why.

Esther looked down, but Klaus wasn’t having any of it. “Look at me!” He shouted, causing his mother to look back up, “You rant and rave about the monsters we have become. But, you mother, you are the author of everything I am,”

Turning away, hurt flashed in Esther’s eyes as tears threatened to fall, “I want to fix everything. I want to give you what was taken from you,”

“And how can you do that?” Elijah asked calmly, keeping an eye on his brother, who was pacing around the room. They needed Cassie’s body alive while Blair performed the spell. If Klaus acted in haste it would push the plan back and then they would be back to square one. However, even Elijah was having a little difficulty not striking back against their mother.

Finn was the one who answered. “She can heal us. She had already healed myself and Kol,”

Esther nodded her head, “I can. I can make it so you can have a family, be free from this curse. I can place you in the bodies of mortals so you may have a life and experience joy in life,” Once they joined her, they would know true happiness, not this cycle of hatred that had been spinning for a thousand years.

Inwardly, Elijah rolled his eyes but gave no outward reaction. Rebekah pretended to gasp, acting as though this offer was brand new and she had never heard this before. Klaus looked apathetic and annoyed that she would even offer this to him.

“I can fix this, where you could all lead lives where you don’t have the Vampire curse inflicted on you,” Esther said imploringly. She regretted making them into Vampires and had been trying to fix her mistake from all those years ago. She had gone about it the wrong way in Mystic Falls and it had blown up in her face.

Klaus glared at her, “You’re a fool if you think we’ll accept anything you have to offer,” Despite being there not being many Hybrids, he was happy with what he was. He was one of the strongest being alive and had a daughter to protect. There was no way he was going to give up that power especially when he had so many enemies.

“You will,” Esther said, unperturbed in the slightest.

“And what of Hope?” Elijah asked, curious to know where his niece fell into this. Hope was the first of her kind. He found it unlikely that their mother didn’t have a plan for her too.

Finn hummed as he considered his words, “Nothing of importance,”

Klaus’ eyes flashed in anger, “That is my child you are talking about.”

“Enough,” Esther cut in, sending Finn a sharp look, one that made him back down. Turning her attention back to her other children, she smiled at them sweetly. “There will come a time where you will accept my offer, and when it does, you’ll beg for it.” Suddenly, she slumped forward into her seat and her face hit the plat below her.

Everyone except for Finn looked at one another, not knowing what just happened. For a brief moment, Klaus thought she had passed out and it was his doing, but then he, Elijah and Rebekah received another shock at the back of their necks. It was a sign from Blair, letting them know that the spell was done. Understanding filled him and he turned to Elijah and Rebekah, who had also understood the message. Esther had fled Cassie’s body and entered a new one.

Elijah turned to Finn, who didn’t seem surprised at all by the turn of events. “You may leave now. This evening is over,”

Glaring at him, Finn stood up and took Cassie’s body with him. They watched as he struggled, none of them offering to help him at all. After a few moments, Finn was gone and he was out of the compound. Once he was gone, Blair walked into the dining room, a mirror in hand.

“So, did everything go according to plan?” Blair asked with a smirk. She had heard a lot of the conversation and was impressed there hadn’t been any bloodshed.

Elijah smirked, “It went exactly as planned,”

“And you?” Klaus demanded.

Blair motioned to the mirror in her hand. “This mirror is our link. It will track her and show us who she had jumped into without her even knowing.” She had weaved her magic in a way that it would be undetectable to the Original Witch as she didn’t want her getting in the way. Waving her hand, her eyes glowed purple and suddenly, there were three duplicates of the same mirror in front of each Mikaelson.

“How does it work?” Rebekah asked as she picked up the mirror. She examined her reflection and found everything in place.  

“Tap the centre of the mirror three times and say your mother’s name,” Blair explained as she demonstrated. Once she did this, she looked up and saw that everything had followed her instructions. Looking down into the mirror, she saw Esther’s new body. It was one of an older Witch with dark skin and long dark hair.

Klaus smirked, “Now we know,”

“Thank you, Blair,” Elijah said, impressed with what she had done, “This will be a massive help,” After being around magic for as long as he had, he could recognise powerful magic. It wasn’t obviously powerful and that was the beauty of this. No one, not even his mother would suspect them of this.

Blair flushed slightly and nodded her head.

Looking down at the reflection, Klaus smirked evilly. He would get his vengeance and Esther would get what was coming to her. He would protect his daughter from his mother’s taint so she would never go through what he had.

Chapter 33: Chapter 33

Notes:

I am sorry about the delay with this chapter. I haven’t been well the past couple of weeks and so I couldn’t concentrate. Hope this makes up for the delay though!

Enjoy!

A few days later

Davina grunted as she aimed another punch in the direction of the Noble Original. Elijah blocked effortlessly and then stepped away when Davina aimed a kick at him. They were in one of the many rooms within the Abattoir, and this was a room that she used often when she was practicing offensive and defensive magic with Blair. However, this time, the young Witch had requested that she learn how to physically defend herself when magic wasn’t enough. A lesson she had learned when she had been ambushed by Witches under Esther’s rule. Elijah had been the one to volunteer and they had begun immediately. Davina found the Vampire to be a great teacher; he was patient with her, kind, and understanding when she got in her own head at times. He would push her when she needed it but also knew when she’d had enough. She was confident that under his guidance, she would be able to fight off people who came after her, but today was not her day.

After being flipped down on the training mat for the sixth time in a row, Davina let out a sigh as she got up. Elijah frowned, his brows furrowed together, “You’re distracted,” Usually Davina was sharp, absorbing any guidance that he would give her. Elijah found Davina to be the perfect student; diligent, determined, and stubborn. But today she seemed distracted and her mind wasn’t fully in the training session.

“I am,” Davina admitted, not hiding it.

Grabbing a water bottle, he handed one to the young Witch, who took it gratefully, “Is Timothy still messaging you?” Elijah was aware that Davina’s ex hadn’t seemed to get the message that they were over. He was more than happy to assist in getting that message across or erase Tim’s memories altogether but Davina had politely declined.

“That’s not the reason,” Davina shook her head. She had blocked Tim’s number as she was sick of it, but that wasn’t what was distracting her, “It’s about Kol,”

Elijah hummed in thought, that would have been his next guess. “Is there anything I can assist you with?”

For a moment, Davina considered her options. If she had any concerns about Kol, she usually asked Rebekah – as she knew her elder brother the best – or Blair who always gave her sound advice. But she knew how knowledgeable Elijah was and it never hurt getting another opinion. “The plan was to gain his trust, lure him in and kidnap him.” She didn’t know the next phase of the plan but she suspected it wasn’t good. If the decision was up to Klaus alone then he would probably have Kol put back in the coffin again, something Davina didn’t want to happen.

“Do you disagree with this plan so far?” Elijah asked, an eyebrow raised in question. Davina had done a marvellous job so far in luring Kol. Elijah had accompanied Raphael one time in watching the pair and he could easily see that Kol was enamored with the young Witch, just as she was with him. Elijah had suggested that Davina be pulled out of this job but Blair had declined, she had faith in the Witch. 

Davina made a conflicted noise, “I just think this could all be handled differently,”

“Oh?” Elijah was intrigued, interested to hear her idea.

Nervously, Davina picked at the sleeve of her hoodie, “What if we managed to… bring Kol over to our side?” She had seen another side to the Original. The pain, anguish, and longing in his eyes to be free. It was the moments when Kol would truly lower his guard around her. Times when he thought she wasn’t looking but actually she was.

Instead of dismissing her suggestion like she thought he would, Elijah smiled warmly, “I think your suggestion has merit, but what has brought this on?”

“Kol doesn’t like his mother, that much he has expressed, and I do believe him,” Davina explained quickly, not wanting him to change his mind, “I think given the chance, he would betray her if he knew he had his family around him,” This was where she had seen the longing – whenever the topic of the family was mentioned. Kol truly wished to be part of a family but he would never express this out loud, especially not to anyone who he thought would twist this.

Elijah nodded his head, “I see where you are coming from.” This was something he agreed with wholeheartedly. When he, Klaus, and Rebekah had made the vow, they had intended for Kol and Finn to be included, but because he hadn’t been included straight away, Kol has seen this as a slight against him. As much as he tried to hide this, Kol was sensitive and sometimes liked to overplay how confident he truly was. If Kol truly knew that they would accept him back with open arms, he would reconsider his position.

“But I am worried about what happens if he finds out the truth,” Davina expressed with a frown. Despite the whole situation being a mission, she had realised she had fallen for the wildest Original. Her feelings now complicated the situation and she was cursing herself for allowing this to happen in the first place.

Without her seeing, Elijah’s eyes flashed in amusement. Everyone in the compound was aware that Davina had feelings for Kol – a fact Davina was not aware of. But, instead of embarrassing her, Elijah hid his expression. “He will not react well and may see it as a personal betrayal. But I have a feeling he will not be able to hold it against you,” As his brother, Elijah knew that Kol dealt with betrayal in a very similar fashion to Klaus – and the outcome was never pretty. “But he may also attempt to get revenge,”

“Not that I would let that happen,”

Davina jumped when she heard Blair’s voice and turned around. Her face was flushed red in getting caught talking about Kol. Elijah was not as surprised as he had sensed her approach and waited for the Fae to make her appearance known. 

“Blair!” Davina called out in surprise, her voice shaky with nerves, “How much of that did you hear?”

Blair slowly smirked, “Enough to know you’re smitten,”

Davina's face flushed a darker shade of red, “B-Blair!”

Elijah and Blair share an amused look with one another. Behind Blair’s lively attitude was smugness and Elijah suspected that this was because she had won her bet with Raphael, an endeavour the female Fae had told him about.

Not wanting to further embarrass the young Witch, Blair moved on. “Besides, he wouldn’t attempt to get revenge because I can offer him something in return,”

Elijah arched a brow, “Oh, and what would that be?”

Blair grinned, “In due time,” If she had understood Kol correctly, there would be something she could offer him to make him reconsider turning against them. For now, she would keep her cards close to her chest until it was time to play them.

At her words, Davina relaxed, content in knowing that Blair had a plan. She knew that she could count on the Fae to help out but actually hearing the words reassured her and made her feel a lot better.

Staring at her for a moment, Elijah couldn't help but ponder her words. She seemed to have this ability to draw him, similarly like a Siren would to her prey, and her playfulness only seemed to entice him further. Usually, he did not like it when things were kept from him, especially any future plans regarding his family and their wellbeing, but for Blair, he could manage.

“So, how has training been?” Blair asked light-heartedly, moving on from her cryptic message. She could feel Elijah’s heated gaze and knew he was curious about her plans but she ignored it, not wanting her plan to be revealed too early.

“Good,” Davina said before wincing, “Well… I was a little distracted so I ended up on the mat a few times,”

Blair looked to Elijah, who shook his head, “An enemy would take advantage of her distracted state, I am teaching an important lesson,” In his long life, he had seen good people slip up the slightest of margins and end up paying for that mistake with their lives. One could never be careful, especially when the opponent’s intent was to maim or kill.

Nodding her head approvingly, Blair had to stop herself from smiling when she saw Davina pout.

“But I have magic so I will always be prepared,” Davina said defensively.

“Not always,” Blair said with a faraway look in her eyes.

“Besides, where my mother is concerned, I would not always rely on magic,” Elijah sagely advised with a passive expression. His mother always had a way of twisting the situation, something he hoped wouldn’t work this time around.

Blair snorted at this statement, causing Elijah to turn to face her with an arched brow.

“Do you have something to share?” Elijah asked.

“You’re saying not to rely on magic but you forget that we are magic,” Blair said, motioning to Davina and herself. “Magic is in our veins and it’s very difficult to fight against our instincts to draw on our magic when threatened,” This was one of the similarities between Witches and Fae and that was their need to use magic. For either group to ignore the pull to magic was unnatural and something Blair had never done. Davina, who was still a sapling, had pulled on her magic when she had been threatened because it had been instinctual.

Considering her words, Elijah’s expression was pensive, “Take away your magic, what would be left?”

Blair opened her mouth but no answer came out. What was left if she had no magic? The very thought made her feel cold and scared. Magic was all she had ever known, her only companion when she was alone and running away from the Hunter. Magic was her comfort blanket for when she was scared. To be without her magic would be devastating and she would be vulnerable. Blair could honestly say that without it, she would more than likely be dead.

At her silence, Davina frowned, “Blair, do you know how to fight?”

“No,” Blair answered honestly, “I’ve never needed to because I have always relied on my magic.” Also, time was never her friend because she had always been on the run. She never had the time to find a teacher for herself and she never saw the point. She had focused all her attention on something she was good at, not what she was weak at. If she was being honest, if she didn’t use her magic, she wouldn’t know what she would be doing half the time.

Davina looked at her in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she just heard. With how the Fae carried herself, Davina would have assumed Blair knew how to fight. But when she thought back to the fight with the Hunter, Blair hadn’t physically attacked back that much, she mainly relied on her magic, and even when she did, they hadn’t been planned nor polished. The more Davina thought about it, the more she realised how much Blair depended on her magic. She found it odd because she hadn’t seen Raphael use a lick of magic at all and this made her curious.

Sensing the young Witch’s disbelief, Blair looked at her, “Out of the two of us, Raphael is the most physically strong but he has very little magic in him. On the other hand, I am not physically strong but my magic surpasses most,”

Davina made a noise of understanding.

“Well, I think this would be a perfect opportunity for you to learn,” Elijah offered.

“That’s a great idea!” Davina chimed in with bright eyes.

Blair blanched but she quickly schooled her expression and smiled, “I wouldn’t want to disturb your lesson more than I already have,” She seriously regretted coming into check on Davina and Elijah, cursing her nurturing nature. Physically fighting never interested her. It wasn’t as polished as when she used her magic and she loved the buzz she got when she used it. The Alpha in the pack she met in New Zealand had offered to teach her before they were all massacred and after that, she never wanted to learn.

“I insist,” Elijah said, meeting Blair’s eyes unflinchingly. He could see that she was reluctant but he wanted to change that. With his mother now back, he didn’t want Davina or Blair to become too dependent on magic in case his mother somehow found a way to turn the tides in her favour.

“I’ve had enough for the day anyway. I am meant to be meeting Josh soon,” Davina said looking at the time. She had made plans with Josh to go shopping and to catch up. They hadn’t seen much of each other because of everything that had been happening.

However, Blair remained dubious. 

Slowly, Elijah smirked, “Don’t tell me you're scared,”

Any uncertainty left the Fae as she glared at the Vampire. She wasn’t scared, she just didn’t want to and didn’t see the point when she had magic and she was far superior to most others. She knew what he was trying to do and she did not appreciate it at all. He was attempting to goad her into accepting and from the playful glint in his eyes, he knew that she was onto him. The look was infuriating because it made her annoyed while also making her stomach flip with nerves.

A ghost of a smile appeared in Elijah’s face, the fire in the Fae’s eyes was something he loved and he hoped she would never lose that fire.

Coughing awkwardly, Davina stepped back, “I’m just going to head off…” She could feel the tension in the air as it seemed to shift into something, she wasn’t too sure.

Once Davina was gone, Elijah motioned to the mats, “Shall we begin?”

Blair grumbled but followed him into the mat, removing her high-heeled boots so they didn’t pierce it. She was dressed in a pair of tight blue jeans and a white tank top, not the greatest to fight in but it would also be accurate as to what she would be dressed like if she actually fought someone. At least she wasn’t like Elijah, who was still dressed in a suit, minus his blazer and his shirt sleeves rolled up. It made his arms look delicious and Blair had to fight not to stare at them.

Stood in front of her, Elijah began the lesson, “I want you to try and hit me, without magic,” He made sure to stress this last part. There would be no point if Blair used her magic against him since she’d learn nothing.

Scowling, Blair threw back her arm, like she had seen others do, and swung at the Original. Elijah caught her punch with ease and stared at her with a blank expression. “Is that it?”

This only served to infuriate her. Blair knew that she would never be able to land a punch on him but having him taunt her just made her want to punch his stupid face. Using her other arm, Blair punched out only for Elijah to catch that hand too. Swiftly, Elijah twirled her around so now her back was facing his chest. He pulled her close and his grip on her arms tightened as he pressed her arms to her sides, trapping her against his body. Blair attempted to struggle but his grip on her was too tight and she could barely move with him so close to her.

“While those punches have strength in them, they were crude and you left yourself wide open,” Elijah whispered, his face barely inches away from her ear.

A shiver went down her spine when she felt his breath on her neck. “Then show me.” Her own voice sounded breathless, though not due to any physical strain. Even though they were meant to be training, she was far too relaxed in his hold.

“Fighting has a rhythm, if there is music then there is a pattern. Let that rhythm beat within you.” Elijah muttered slowly but purposely, not once loosening his grip on her.

“And what if I want to dance to another beat?” Blair uttered back.

Quickly, Elijah twirled Blair back so she was facing him once more. She almost missed his warmth and tried not to show this disappointment.

“Well then, I will try and match that beat,” Desire flashed in his eyes for a moment before he fluidly stepped away and raised his arms once more, “Again,”

Inhaling deeply, Blair mimicked Elijah and raised her hands up. She had seen people do this when they fought one another and tried to emulate that. She had observed many fights in the past, most of them between Wolves and their packmates as they playfully fought one another. However, Blair knew that Elijah wanted her to be serious. The only other Vampire Blair had seen fight was Katherine – who was a surprisingly good fighter. Her pretty face made people doubt her and she used that to her advantage.

Charging at Elijah once more, she threw a punch at him. Elijah easily blocked this and stepped to the side. Raising her knee, Blair attempted to aim for his stomach but he grabbed the back of her thigh and pulled her closer to him, throwing her off balance. To steady herself, she grabbed onto his shoulders and manoeuvred to headbutt him. With a smirk, Elijah used his free hand and grabbed the back of her head before yanking it back and exposing her neck. Blair let out a soft noise when she felt him pull at her hair, not expecting it.

At this soft sound, Elijah paused for a moment, the noise stunning him. For a moment he thought he had crossed a line and was about to end the session. But when he looked at her face, he saw fiery determination and knew it wasn’t over yet. He felt as she moved her leg, trying to unbalance him but then he was struck with inspiration. Elijah allowed himself to tip backward as if he was going to fall.

Feeling a change in direction, Blair’s eyes widened as she held on tighter to Elijah as they fell to the ground. However, just as Elijah was about it hit the ground, he twisted them so now their positions were reversed so now he was on top of her. Blair stared up at Elijah, her eyes flashing purple as the urge to use magic to turn the tables was nearly irresistible. Her fall hasn’t been too harsh when Elijah had spun them around but she was caged in. His arms were at either side of her head and his legs straddled her waist. His body was just inches from touching hers, but he effortlessly held himself up. He was staring down at her, his eyes alight with amusement and there was a smug smirk tugging on his lips.

“I am pretty sure this wasn’t supposed to happen,” Blair said, trying not to focus on how close their faces were to one another. She could feel her heart pumping in her chest and hoped that he wouldn’t notice.

The smirk on his face only seemed to grow bigger, “What happened to dancing to another beat?”

Looking down, Blair noticed something. Her arms and legs were free and she could easily land a blow in a certain area but had a feeling that this was what Elijah wanted. He had left himself open on purpose – more than likely luring her into a trap that she refused to fall for it. Despite what it looked like, she wasn’t trapped and could easily get out of it if she wanted to. She also suspected that if she asked for him to get off her, he would without question. But Blair wasn’t too sure she wanted him to move.

“I sure hope Davina doesn’t get these types of lessons,” Blair arched a brow at him.

Elijah shook his head, “She is a model student,”

“And me?” Blair smirked tauntingly.

For a moment, Elijah's eyes darkened and emotions flashed through so quickly that Blair hardly caught any of them. However, one thing she could tell was that he enjoyed being in this position just as much as she did.

Instinctively, his eyes dropped to Blair’s lips and he had the sudden urge to find out if they were as soft as they looked. Blair had a habit of wearing different coloured lipsticks and lip glosses every day and they tempted him.

As if drawn to one another, slowly their faces began to move towards one another, neither one able to resist the pull anymore. It was just as their lips were about to touch that the moment was shattered.

“Elijah?” Hayley said as she walked into the room, only to stop when she saw the scene in front of her. Her face fell and her jaw clenched, this was not something she wanted to see at all.

Turning his head, Elijah looked at Hayley with a blank expression. “Hayley, what a surprise,” He had been so absorbed in Blair that he hadn’t noticed Hayley’s presence in the slightest. On the inside, he was seething in anger at being interrupted, wishing she would leave.

Blair rolled her eyes, an action Elijah didn’t miss, and had to stop himself from grinning.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Hayley scowled, “We need to talk. Privately,”

With a mental sigh, he looked down at Blair, who shrugged her shoulders as a response. The moment was ruined anyway. Elijah gracefully stood up before offering Blair a hand. Purposely, the Fae took his head and allowed him to help her now, not missing as Hayley’s whole form seemed to tense at the contact.

Once she was up, she looked at Elijah with mischief in her eyes, “We’ll continue this later,” With a smirk, Blair sauntered out of the room while grabbing her heels, passing Hayley as she did. When she passed the Wolf, she shot her a smug smirk.

Hayley glared at her, watching as she walked away.

Elijah cleared his throat, gaining Hayley’s attention. “What is it you needed to speak with me about?” He began to unroll his sleeves and button them back up. The training was now over and so there was no need for such a casual appearance.

“The pack has come to a decision,” Hayley started out, feeling nervous.

“And?” Elijah prompted. He and Blair had been more than generous, giving them more time to make a decision than originally agreed. As far as he knew, the pack was divided and had been for some time. He hoped they would make a decision soon as even his patience was beginning to wear thin.

“We’ve agreed to your terms,” Hayley said.

Elijah smirked but he managed to cover this by turning his back and putting on his jacket, “And will you be leading the pack now?”

For a moment Hayley was silent, making him turn to her. “I am… kind of… but there is a catch. The pack is split evenly. To bring some peace… I have to marry Jackson and lead together with him,” She looked at Elijah apprehensively, trying to gauge his emotions. She had been anxious about telling him about this because she didn’t know what his reaction would be. She didn’t know what she was more worried about – him reacting badly or him not reacting at all.

“Oh,” Elijah said, slightly surprised by this. However, he could see the advantage in this. Hayley and Jackson would make a good couple and make the pack strong. Also, he could vaguely remember that they meant to be engaged at one point but he wasn’t certain.

Hayley swallowed nervously, “It is some sort of mystical ceremony… a-and an Alpha bonding ritual.”

“It’s a logical decision,” Elijah nodded his head.

“I don’t love Jackson!” Hayley exclaimed out, hurt that he would say something like that.

Elijah paused and stared at her for a moment, not expecting this outburst, “Pardon?”

Stepping closer, Hayley looked up at him, eyes pleading. “I don’t love Jackson, but I know I need to do this to unite my people,” She hoped that he would object, tell her that she shouldn’t marry Jackson. She was hoping that he returned her feelings and maybe they could be together. As of recently, they may not have been close, but surely, he still felt that spark between them like she did.

Mentally, Elijah sighed to himself. He could see what she wanted and he had no intentions of giving in. If it had been nearly a year ago, he may have been more inclined to indulge her or would have been hurt by this proclamation but he wasn’t. He was not the slightest bit bothered by this news. “I think you should marry Jackson,”

“What?” Hurt shinned in Hayley’s eyes.

“You need to unite your people for what is to come,” Elijah told her, taking a step back from her. “By having the pack united, it creates more protection for your daughter,” Hope would need all the protection she could get at this point, especially since his mother was back.

Hayley visibly deflated slightly. “I know,”

Satisfied, Elijah made his way out of the room, ready to continue on with his day. He had much planned for the day, like whipping the Vampires in the French Quarter into shape. A few had been unruly and needed to be dealt with. However, before he could make it out of the door, Hayley’s voice stopped him.

“Do you think if I wasn’t marrying Jackson, you and I could have had a chance?” Hayley asked suddenly.

Turning his head, Elijah looked at her with a blank expression, “No,”

Shock filled her expression but it soon turned to anger, “Let me guess, it’s because Blair is here,”

Elijah shook his head and walked off, “I simply wish to not be the second choice, which would have inevitably happened.” There was also the fact Hayley had been with Klaus and Elijah had learned his lesson. Any time he courted anyone his brother had been with, it always ended in disaster.

Hayley stared after him, still simmering in anger.

ORIGINALS

A few hours later

Kol sat in the greenhouse, watching as his mother weaved spells. She had recently taken over the body of an older woman called Lenore so now it wasn’t so odd to be calling her his mother. When Esther had been possessing the body of a sixteen-year-old, it had been strange so it was a bit of relief. She and Finn were whispering with one another, no doubt sharing some secrets that Kol wasn’t allowed to be a part of. He knew that his mother was cautious and didn’t fully trust him – something he didn’t blame her for. He didn’t want to be there. If he could, he would have left, but then mother-dearest wouldn’t be happy and she’d make him pay. It was moments like that he really missed Rebekah – heck he even missed Elijah and Klaus.

“Kol, has there been any progress on Davina?” Esther asked, looking up at her youngest son.

“I am still working on it,” Kol flashed her a smirk, silently letting her know everything was under control. However, on the inside, he was starting to have doubts. Davina had not shown any indication that she knew where the stake was – and he couldn't check her house because she lived in the compound with his family. If they even got a whiff of him then they would be suspicious. But he didn’t want to share this with his mother as he knew the reaction wouldn’t be good.

Esther’s smile fell for a moment before it was back in place, “I am sure this little Witch is nothing for you. But remember, if she hasn’t given you any results soon then I am going to have to intervene,”

“Of course, mother,” Kol replied back confidently. Inwardly, he was cursing the situation. He knew exactly what his mother was inferring to – if Davina didn’t give them some answers soon the Esther was going to have her killed. He did not want this to happen, he quite liked the little Witch, found her to be quite the daring rebel.

Finn scoffed, “It shouldn’t take this long to get information out of a teenager,”

“And how’s your task at getting the student shrink to open up to you?” Kol challenged back, sending a dark look at his eldest brother. He knew that Camille wasn’t sharing anything with Finn, no matter how much he flattered and charmed her. It seemed as though Camille was a fighter, one that Finn was struggling against.

Finn glared at him but said nothing.

“Now, now, children,” Esther said with a fond smile, “All will work in our favour soon. We just need to be patient,”

Just then, Kol’s phone chimed. Looking down, he saw it was a text from Davina and it made him inwardly sigh in relief, “Well, I need to be off.” With a smirk, he strode off confidently. This was just what he needed – to get away from his crazy family.

Once Kol was out of sight, Finn looked to his mother, “He is far too involved with the Witch,” He massively disapproved of Kol’s methods, finding them crude and too wild. Kol was also spending less time with Davina and it made him suspicious.

Esther hummed in thought, “He might, but he knows that he has a job to do,”

“Davina is being protected by the Fae, do we have a plan to deal with her?” Finn asked, his face scrunched up in disgust at mentioning the Fae. Just like his mother, he loathed the creature, finding her repulsive and untrustworthy. He couldn't see how his brothers and sister were besotted with her.

Esther’s expression darkened at the mention of the Fae, but she soon relaxed. “Do not worry about her, I have a plan,”

“Oh?” Finn said, intrigued.

Picking up one of the many iron weapons in front of her, Esther smirked devilishly, “She is a distraction. Once we have her out of the way, Davina will be unprotected and grief-stricken. From what you’ve explained, Elijah will be too and Niklaus will be angry that he has lost his advantage.”

“When will she be dealt with?” Finn asked, excited at this prospect.

“Soon. Very soon,” Esther replied back cryptically.

This news seemed to please Finn until his expression turned cautious, “And what about Niklaus’ child? What is the plan for her?” This was the one plan his mother had yet to share but he knew why. He knew that it was very important for Hope to be dealt with as soon as possible.

Esther's expression grew grim as she put down the iron weapons. “She will need to be killed, lest we bring Dahlia to us,” 

Finn nodded his head in understanding.

Just outside, Kol stood by the doorway with his eyes wide. He had stayed behind to eavesdrop because he knew that things were being kept from him and he was right. He knew that his mother hated the Fae but the very thought of Blair being dealt with made him feel uncomfortable. Although Davina hadn’t said her name, she had expressed how close she was to Blair and considered her a guardian. If anything happened to Blair then it would devastate Davina and he didn’t want that. Kol had not told his mother about his interaction with the Fae – and for good reason. However, it was the news about Hope that made him listen intently. Kol knew that Esther was twisted, but to plan the murder of a baby was beyond ludicrous – even for him.

As quietly as he could, Kol snuck off to meet with Davina.

 

Chapter 34: Chapter 34

A couple of days later

Morning rays lit up the room and caused Raphael to stir from his sleep. Groaning, he turned his head and snuggled into the person beside him, who hummed softly as she slowly awakened too. Rebekah’s blue eyes opened and she looked around her room, spotting the clock on her dresser. It was still early and she couldn't hear anyone in the compound moving. Turning around so she now faced Raphael, she tried to go back to sleep but this was where she struggled. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't go back to sleep and this annoyed her. Instead, she started to think about everything that had happened – including the situation with her family. Why couldn't she have just been born into a normal family?

“I can practically hear you thinking,” Raphael mumbled sleepily.

“A lot is going on,” Rebekah replied back thoughtlessly. She began drawing a pattern on Raphael's bare chest with her index finger mindlessly. She still couldn't believe that they were lying in bed together, everything seemed so surreal but she was happy.

After Klaus has given his approval and promised that he wouldn’t hurt Raphael, Rebekah had been conflicted. She had immediately wanted to tell the male Fae her feelings but she was scared. She was scared that Klaus would take back what he said as a cruel trick but as time went on and it hadn’t happened, she had taken her chance. She started off small by accompanying him when he watched over Davina and then helped out with any jobs he needed doing. However, Raphael seemed to have noticed something had changed and eventually asked, which led to her blurting out that she had feelings for him. It had been the most unromantic confession she had ever given in her one thousand years, but Raphael had treated it like such a precious thing. He wouldn’t let her take back what she had said and very quickly admitted that he felt the same. The rest was history and Rebekah couldn't be happier – but the whole situation with her family did sour the mood.

“You’re thinking about your mother, aren’t you?” Raphael asked quietly, his grip on the female Vampire tightening. He knew how painful of a subject her mother was and how much she had been hurt.

“I just can’t get over how much she wants to hurt us. We’re her children and yet she seems to hate us, all while claiming she loves us,” Rebekah’s voice quivered for a moment, her heart aching at the thought of her mother. Esther hated her and her siblings for what they had become – but it had been her fault they were like this in the first place. Without their mother intervening they would have remained human and never would have become Vampires.

Raphael shook his head, “She is a horrible woman, one that will regret messing with this family,” He would make sure that Esther paid for what she had done. He could see that everyone in the Mikaelson family carried this guilt around with them for just simply being alive. Even Finn and Kol carried it from what he had observed. Klaus hid his guilt the best but he had also learned how to weaponise his pain to make it deadly.

His words warmed her heart, “Thank you,” She whispered while kissing his chest, just over his heart.

Smiling down at her, he held her closer to him. “My pleasure,”

Content, Rebekah smiled. She loved the feeling of being in love, there was nothing that seemed to beat it. She had been searching for a partner, a mate for years, and now she felt as though she had found it. She had been with many people – humans, Vampires and even Wolves, but she had never once dated a Fae. Maybe that’s where she had been going wrong all her life because so far, Raphael had treated her like a queen and she’d had no complaints.

“Has Blair told you anything about her plan with Kol yet?” Rebekah asked after a few moments of silence. This had been on her mind for some time. Rebekah was on board with Davina’s plan of action by bringing Kol over to their side – a plan which she would have suggested but the young Witch had beaten her to it. Blair had mentioned a plan but had yet to unveil what it was.

Raphael shook his head, “No, she has yet to share those plans. I think she is keeping it close just in case,” He knew how paranoid Blair was and so knew she wouldn’t share her plans until it was time. He didn’t push this either as he had faith in his fellow Fae.

Rebekah sighed deeply, “I thought as much.”

“She’s just cautious, she’ll reveal it when it is time,” Raphael said, kissing the top of her head.

Rebekah hummed as a response.

“How did your family take it when you told them?” Raphael asked, slightly nervous. They had only got together recently so everything was new. They had spent the past couple of days just cooped up in their own bubble and hadn’t told anyone they were together, just wanting some private time with one another. However, just the day before, they had agreed to tell other people. Rebekah would tell her siblings whereas Raphael would tell Blair and Davina.

“They were…good…happy for me,” Rebekah answered back, still confused by their reaction. Usually, when she announced that she was dating someone, the reaction was never positive. Often, her partner ended up dead by the end of the night or they forbid it and she would have to sneak around to be with them. However, Klaus seemed pleased and Elijah was happy for her, congratulating her.

Relieved, Raphael relaxed slightly, “Good.” He was worried that Elijah and Klaus would react badly to the news, not taking the fact he was dating their baby sister well. He knew they would never physically harm him because Blair had made it very clear she would fight anyone who tried to harm him. But there were other ways a person could be hurt, like watching Rebekah be upset by the fallout.

“And what was Blair and Davina’s reaction?” Rebekah asked.

He grinned, “Davina was happy for me and said we were perfect for one another,” The young Witch had been extremely excited for him, saying how great it was that they were together. He did consider Davina to be a little sister and so he was glad when she reacted positively.

“And what did Blair say?” Rebekah asked, slightly nervous to know the Fae’s answer.

Raphael snorted at the memory, “She said that it was about time,”

Rebekah rolled her eyes in amusement, “Says the person who has been dancing around my brother for months,”

“I nearly said it but I didn’t,” Raphael admitted with a grin.

“I would have paid to see it,” Rebekah said with a sigh.

Before Raphael could respond, his phone beeped. Reaching over, he looked and saw that he received a text from Hayley. Unfortunately, it wasn’t good news. Sighing deeply, Raphael began to get up from bed.

“What's wrong?” Rebekah asked, sitting up in bed. She could see by his reaction that the text wasn’t good.

“Esther’s made a move,” Raphael said as he began getting dressed, “I need to inform everyone,”

Frowning, Rebekah mentally cursed her mother. She began getting ready for the day also, knowing that there was no way she was getting a lay in now.

ORIGINALS

It wasn’t even an hour later yet everyone in the compound was awake and sat in one of the living rooms. Raphael had raised the alarm that Hayley was on her way with news about Esther’s next move and to say people weren’t happy was an understatement. The moment his mother had been mentioned, Klaus’ mood had immediately soured and Elijah became pensive. Blair was mentally cursing the Witch and Davina was snoring softly on the couch. She had stayed up late into the night texting Kol and so only had a few hours of sleep. Blair had tried to get her to go back to bed but the Witch had refused, then fell asleep five minutes later.

“Did Hayley say what was so important we all had to gather here?” Klaus demanded. The message in the morning had been too vague for his liking and left too much to the imagination.

Raphael shook his head, “No, she didn’t specify. I tried to get more information but she didn’t reply back,”

Klaus scowled in response.

“She must have a good reason to have sent an alert,” Elijah said diplomatically.

“It had best be important,” Blair said with a frown. Beside her, Davina was leaning on her, having a little nap. She was aware Davina had little to no sleep that night and so didn’t protest when the little Witch used her as a pillow. Blair had already said she would awaken her when Hayley arrived – not that she intended to do that.

Rebekah looked to her brothers, “What do you think our mother has done now?”

“No doubt something maniacal,” Klaus snorted.

“Has there been any activity from the mirrors?” Elijah asked, looking to Blair. Out of all of them, the female Fae was the one who used the mirror the most to check up on Esther, just in case she jumped bodies. Blair had warned them not to overuse the mirror in case Esther realised someone was watching her. This spell replied upon the fact she was unaware of this spell and so having too many people watching could potentially undo all the work.

Blair shook her head, “No, she is still in the same body,”

“Have there been any disturbances with the Vampires or Wolves?” Klaus asked, looking to Elijah. The Noble Original had been in charge of whipping the French Quarter into shape by making sure they knew how to fight and who to bow down to. Elijah had been doing an excellent job so far Klaus was aware that he had a spy within the Crescent Wolves.

“There have been none on both sides,” Elijah reported back with a frown.

“That just leaves the Witches,” Rebekah pointed out.

Klaus looked contemplative, “It is a shame we don’t have a spy within the Coven…” His eyes lingered for a moment on the sleeping Davina.

Blair’s eyes narrowed and her grip tightened on the young Witch, “Don’t you even think about it,” She could see where Klaus was heading with his thoughts and she would never allow it. To send Davina back to her old Coven would be dangerous and foolish. They would never fully trust Davina with any plans or secrets and this would be exactly what Esther wanted. Esther wanted Davina because they assumed, Blair would have told her about where the white oak stake was.

Elijah placed himself between Blair and Klaus, “I agree, it would not be wise and we would be playing into our mother’s hand,”

Klaus huffed but didn’t mention it again.

Luckily, they weren’t left waiting for too long. The boundary spell that Blair had placed at the entrances of the Abattoir went off and let her know that Hayley had arrived, but with someone else. Soon after, Hayley walked in with an unknown male in tow. This male was someone Blair had never seen before but she could immediately tell that he was a Wolf. He was tall and bulky with short blonde hair and brown eyes. He looked like a bodybuilder who had spent too many hours in the gym. However, what gave him away was how he carried himself and how on edge he seemed in the presence of Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah.

“Esther’s made her move,” Hayley said the moment they walked into the room.

“And what pray tell is that move?” Klaus asked with an arched brow.

The man cleared his throat, gaining everyone’s attention. “The Witch hired a Wolf pack outside of New Orleans – my pack. She offered us moonlight rings in exchange for our services and we agreed.”

“So, it has been your pack that has been causing a racket in the Quarter?” Elijah asked, not impressed with this riff-raff.

“They didn’t have much of a choice,” Hayley defended. “Andrew was looking out for his pack,”

“Everyone has a choice,” Raphael said, sending Andrew a look.

Andrew swallowed thickly, “I know and now we regret it. We tried to get out of the deal with the Witch but…”

“She took their kids,” Hayley finished for him, seeing how much he was struggling.

Rebekah’s eyes widened at the news and she nearly gasped.

Blair had to hold back a snort at the irony. For hundreds of years, the Fae had always been accused of stealing children out of their beds by Witches, but now a Witch had stolen children. The irony was not lost on her and she found herself slightly amused.

“For what purpose?” Elijah asked.

“She plans to turn them into soldiers, make them awaken their curse,” Andrew explained, his face pale with nerves. They had quite a few young children within their pack and without them knowing, Esther and Finn had come in and stolen them. Then they had taunted them, claiming they would make fine soldiers. Everyone knew how to awaken the Wolf gene – to kill a human – and he didn’t want that for his pack.

“And what do you expect us to do about it?” Klaus asked with a blank expression, “You lot jumped into bed with my mother and you expect us to clean up after your mess,”

“Klaus!” Hayley admonished.

“He’s right,” Blair said, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. “You joined forces with someone you didn’t know and butted into something you had no business doing. As an Alpha, you are meant to look after the wellbeing of your pack and yet all you’ve done is endanger them,”

Andrew looked down, ashamed of his actions.

Hayley glared at Blair, “You owe us,”

Glaring right back to her, Blair replied back, “I said I would help out with the pack, he isn’t part of the pack. I never said I owed you.” She could see what Hayley was trying to do and she didn’t appreciate it. She hated it when people twisted her words for their own agenda which was what Hayley was attempting to do.

“Blair is correct,” Elijah cut in.

For a moment, betrayal flashed in Hayley's eyes but she quickly covered it up. “She is your mother and your problem,”

“They agreed to help our mother,” Rebekah argued back, not liking what Hayley was trying to do.

Raphael looked down to Blair, “But the children are innocent,” He had whispered this so only those close could hear this, but it managed to bring everything into perspective. It made Blair inwardly curse that Raphael could act as her moral compass at times because it was annoying. His words seemed to shift the atmosphere in the room as most went silent, even Klaus and Rebekah.

“What do you expect from us?” Elijah asked eventually after a moment of silence.

“To get the kids out,” Andrew explained simply.

“What’s your stake in this all?” Klaus asked curiously. The fact the Alpha of a Wolf pack was asking a Vampire for assistance was a serious thing. If caught, other Wolves would see this as a sign of weakness but Andrew didn’t seem to care.

Andrew’s expression turned grim, “My son was taken by the Witch.”

Klaus’ face remained blank giving away nothing.

“And what do we get in return?” Elijah asked, getting this conversation back on track.

Andrew easily answered this, “Once we have them out, our pack plans on leaving. We want nothing to do with that Witch.” He regretted ever accepting the deal with Esther. While in New Orleans, many of his pack mates had been used as pawns. Some had died because of being involved and now their children had been taken – used to blackmail them. This was enough and he refused to endanger his pack further than he already had – moonlight rings be damned.

The Mikaelson siblings looked at one another. Rebekah was on board with this idea and so was Elijah, though he did have his reservations. However, they were waiting on Klaus and his decision, knowing that he would get the final say in the matter. If Blair, Davina and Raphael helped out then that was up to them.

Eventually, Klaus relented and nodded his head. “Fine, we will help. But if you don’t leave this city afterwards then I will slaughter the lot of you,”

Andrew sighed in relief, “You have my word,”

“One more thing,” Blair cut in quickly, seeing that Andrew was about to take his leave, “Has Esther told you anything about what she has planned?” If they could get any information then that would be helpful. She doubted Esther would have fully informed the Wolves of her plans but it never hurt to ask.

Andrew shook his head, “She didn’t mention much. She's made it known that if we saw Davina or Hope then we are to grab them,” The fact Esther had been after a teenager and a baby never sat right with his pack. Even the ones that had been on board with getting moonlight rings had begun to question Esther.

The reaction to this information was anger. Hayley tensed up, anger in her eyes. Klaus’ threatening growl made Andrew jump and nearly woke up Davina. Elijah's eyes darkened in cold fury and Rebekah’s grasped Raphael’s hand, stopping herself from doing to saying something.

“That will be all,” Elijah dismissed them.

With one last glance at Elijah, Hayley and Andrew left the compound. Once they were gone and out of the vicinity, that’s when Klaus jumped up, picked up a nearby glass and lobbed in the direction of the wall. The glass shattered loudly and this actually caused Davina to wake up, jerking awake from the crash.

“Did I miss something?” Davina whispered to the female Fae.

“I’ll tell you later,” Blair promised, using her magic to repair the glass that Klaus just threw. He simply lobbed that same glass and Blair repeated the process. This way, nothing else suffered Klaus’ wrath and it was quite fun to watch.

ORIGINALS

Later that day 

The plan was in place to get the children out. Andrew and the rest of his pack had been extremely helpful but he had warned them that Esther had brought a few of his pack members to her side. They were no longer loyal to him and so he had no control over some the Wolves anymore. However, the ones that had remained loyal gave very good intel and so they were able to plan everything accordingly.

Through Elijah’s network of spies, they had found an escape route out of New Orleans. The intel had given clear indications that there was one hidden route to escape without detection – but they weren’t using it. The plan was to get the children out while out in plain sight. Rebekah, Raphael and Davina were in charge of getting the children into the vehicles to take them out of town. However, that secret route would be covered by Klaus, Elijah and Blair. Just in case Esther attempted to come for Hope, Hayley and the Crescent Wolves were at the compound, protected by a mass of spells Blair had left behind. Half the pack was then sent back to the Bayou to confuse Esther and make her think Hope may be kept in the Bayou instead. Either plan would give enough time for Klaus, Elijah and Blair to make their way to whichever location that was picked and they could act as backup. Vampires were also on the lookout, under direct orders from Klaus and Elijah to inform them if any of the Witches made a move.

In a garage full of cars, Klaus, Elijah and Blair stood around, waiting for something to happen. Night had fully fallen and they were just waiting for the news that the children were out. They knew that the Wolves would follow them, they were the ones that Esther had targeted. Just for extra measure, Blair had placed a cloaking spell on the children, Rebekah and Davina so Esther could not find them at all.

Blair’s phone beeped and she looked down, seeing that it was a text from Davina – one of five people who had her number, “The children are on the move and nearly out of the city,” Blair informed both of the Originals. Davina had texted her and let her know that all the children were in the vehicles and they were all being driven out of the city. This was where the rest of the pack would meet them and they would leave, never to step foot back in New Orleans or the French Quarter again.

“Good,” Elijah said as he nodded his head.

Klaus smirked, “Now we just have to wait for the Wolves,”

Right in schedule, the door to the garage opened and Wolves flooded into the room like cockroaches. They surrounded Klaus, Elijah and Blair, no doubt trying to intimidate them to no avail. The Wolf that was leading them was a big bulky man, similar to Andrew, but he lacked any kindness and seemed like a menace.

“Let the fun begin,” Klaus muttered lowly, excitement in his eyes.

Elijah removed his hand from his pocket and Blair’s eyes glowed purple, magic crackling at her fingers. She was ready for a fight.

“Don’t bother trying to run, we’ve got you surrounded,” The bulky man said, no doubt trying to act like the Alpha of the group.

Klaus scoffed and smirked wider, “Do you really think we would be foolish enough to bring the children here?”

“Yes, I do apologise for any inconvenience,” Elijah smiled politely as he stepped forward, “The little ones you seek are elsewhere, which I suppose leaves you here with us,” He motioned to Klaus and Blair who smirked wickedly at him.

The bulky man seemed unmoved by Elijah’s words, “You’re the ones that don’t seem to understand. Where not looking for the kids, the Witch wants you and her,” He said pointing to Elijah and Blair.

Klaus and Blair shared a surprised look with one another.

The air around Elijah shifted to the point the Wolves started to move around nervously. It became harder to breathe and more menacing. Elijah’s eyes darkened a fraction and his voice was silky, “Listen to me very closely because I will only say this once. You nor my mother will touch me or Blair. If you try, I will kill everything single one of you.” Slowly, Elijah removed his jacket and tossed it aside, not wanting it to become damaged in what he felt was an unavoidable battle.

Blair shivered at his words, she could practically feel the killing intent oozing off him in waves.

“Step down and you get to live,” Klaus commanded loudly so that every Wolf in the vicinity heard him. “But stay and your lives will be forfeit,”

A few Wolves looked at one another before running off in fear. They didn’t want to deal with this – this isn’t what they signed up for. However, the rest of the Wolves stayed, all gearing up for a fight. The leader of this group huffed out, a low threatening growl vibrating from his chest.

Blair’s eyes glowed purple once more, “This is going to be fun,” Magic came to life at her fingertips as she prepared herself for a fight.

It was a Wolf that attacked first. They attempted to attack Klaus from behind but the Hybrid was too fast for him and snapped his neck without hesitation. After seeing their packmate killed so effortlessly, the Wolves jumped into the fray, creating a mosh pit of violence and blood. Blair was attacked from all sides, Wolves snapping at her wrists, legs and head. However, none of them got close. Creating two water whips in her hands, she struck out at anyone who tried to attack her, snapping their necks with practised ease. Despite being stronger and fierce, Wolves could not heal from a broken neck like a Vampire and Fae could, something Blair used to her advantage.

Klaus let out a roar as he attacked his prey, glee shining in his eyes. It had been a while since he was allowed to run free and kill so many people in one go, it was the reprieve he needed. With fangs out and eyes gleaming their Hybrid golden colour, Klaus furiously attacked, snapping necks and drinking blood in such an organised frenzy that he revelled in their screams of pain and fear.

Elijah was weaving between the Wolves, snapping necks and ripping hearts out of chests. While Blair and Klaus went to work annihilating the Wolves, he was making sure none of them managed to slip away and call for reinforcements, killing any that tried to get away. If any Wolf seemed to be making a sneak attack on either of them, Elijah would slip in and kill them with practised ease. He made sure to avoid Blair’s water whips as he knew how deadly they could be and he also avoided Klaus during his frenzy.

Eventually, everyone but the bulky man was dead, bodies littered the ground and blood was splattered everywhere. The man lay on the ground, heavily wounded but still alive. He was staring up at the trio with horror in his eyes. His mind couldn't seem to handle everything that had happened and ended up passing out cold on the ground.

“What do you think we should do with him?” Blair asked as she looked down at the pathetic man. He had been all bravado, but the moment it came to fighting, he had left the other pack members to do the dirty work. Looking down at herself, she was covered in blood and she desperately needed a bath – a long hot bath.

“Maybe send his head to our mother,” Klaus suggested, also heavily decorated in blood. It was his face that was heavily covered in blood from where he had drunk from his victims.

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” Elijah said thoughtfully. He too was covered in blood, his hands coated more than anything.

Blair was about to respond when there was a sudden searing pain in her chest. Grunting lowly, she fell to her knees and looked down. She could see an iron blade impaled into her chest making her confused. She attempted to pull the blade out but her hand burned even worse than the stab wound and she let out a yelp. She didn’t understand how the blade had got there in the first place, she hadn’t sensed anyone approach and neither had Klaus nor Elijah. They would have said something but they hadn’t. This made her worry because there was someone else here.

Turning their heads, Elijah looked at her and his eyes went wide, “Blair!” He was about to rush to her side when an excruciating pain filled his mind. It was so bad that it caused him to fall to his knees, unable to move.

“Someone else is here!” Blair called out to Klaus, hoping he could help. With the iron blade inside her, she couldn't use her magic. She tried and was shocked when she was racked with agonising pain.

Klaus became more alert looking for the intruder. “Come out and face me, you coward!” Moving closer to Elijah and Blair, he made a move to protect them from the incoming threat.

“I’m just warming up,” Finn said as he walked onto the scene, a smirk on his face. Using his magic, he kept Elijah on the ground so he couldn't intervene. He smirked because he also knew that the Fae wouldn’t be able to help them either as she was a little stuck. He had waited in the shadows, slipping in when the fight had begun so no one would notice his presence, using magic to cloak himself just as an extra precaution.

With a snarl, Klaus threw himself at Finn, but Finn used his magic to attack Klaus’ brain. Falling to the ground, Klaus held his head, feeling blood pour from his nose and ears. If he were a human, he would have died instantly, but his supernatural abilities allowed him to heal instantly. But it created a constant cycle, one that wouldn’t stop until Finn’s spell was interrupted.

Now with his brothers occupied, he made his way over to his target. With a smirk, Finn walked over to Blair, taking out another iron knife. “Now it’s just you and me,” He said with a smug gleam in his eyes. Everything was going according to plan and by the end of the night, the Fae would be dealt with and they would have the upper hand.

Hissing out in pain as she tried to move away from Finn but she couldn't get far. Blair could feel herself become delirious. The iron inside her was affecting her to the point she couldn't focus on much and it was very difficult to. Suspecting that the blade had been hexed by Esther, Blair knew that she wouldn't be able to remove the blade – she needed either Elijah or Klaus to do so. Despite the situation, she could still hear the dark song that came from the blade Finn was holding. If that blade even nicked her then it would kill her. She needed to do something and fast otherwise she would die. In a moment of madness, Blair remembered that she always carried at least one weapon on her. Painfully reaching into her thigh holster, she grabbed the iron knife and waited. If she was going to die then she would go down fighting. 

“That isn’t going to help you,” Finn said as he raised his cursed iron blade, ready to kill this Fae.

Blair hissed at him, daring him to approach. She was too delirious to throw the knife and she would more than likely miss. She wasn’t going to lose her weapon, she was going to keep a hold of it until he was close enough for her to do some damage.

However, it seemed as though fortune was smiling down on her. Finn stumbled on his feet and ended up tumbling too close to Blair. Seeing her opportunity, Blair swung her knife down and stabbed Finn in the foot, the blade easily cutting through the leather material.

Finn let out a howl of pain, not expecting this attack. This pain was enough for him to drop the spell he had on both Klaus and Elijah. With their advanced healing, they were on their feet in seconds and Klaus lunged for Finn, knocking him unconscious with a clean punch to the side of the head. Elijah was by Blair’s side at a moment’s notice, looking down at the wound with a worried expression.

“Tell me what to do,” Elijah desperately asked.

“Get it out,” Blair grit out painfully. The iron was burning her from the inside out and she felt like she was going to burst into flames at this rate. Whatever Esther had done to this blade had made it extremely deadly. It was tremendously dangerous to have an iron blade this close to her heart. If it had been an inch or two further upwards, it would have stabbed her in the heart and she would have been dead instantly. The Witch knew what she was doing when she gave Finn the tools to dispose of her.

Elijah gently removed the iron blade, careful not to cause any more damage than had already been done. Quickly, he bit into his wrist and then moved his bleeding wrist to her, “Use my blood to heal yourself,”

Without hesitation, Blair moved his wrist to her mouth and drank his blood – something she found she was doing more often. The more she drank of his blood, the better she felt and soon she felt the pain disappear. Any effects from the iron were gone and she felt rejuvenated once more. Pushing away his wrist, she smiled at him appreciatively and he returned it, relieved that she was okay. Standing up, Elijah offered his hand to Blair, not wanting to insult her by picking her up. She was not weak and he would not treat her as such. Gratefully, she took his hand and stood up and walked over to Klaus.

“I have half a mind to kill him,” Klaus hissed out, looking down at the unconscious body of Finn. He had been debating with himself what to do because there were so many options. He wanted to make Finn pay for what he had done – as well as make their mother pay.

“No,” Elijah interjected with Blair by his side. He had yet to remove his hand from hers, quite liking how her hand fit in his. “This would be a great time to take him and extract what knowledge he has,”

Blair nodded her head in agreement, “Besides, this means you get to prolong his torture,” Killing Finn was too good, she wanted to make him suffer for that attack on her. It had been too close for comfort and she wanted to return the favour.

For a moment, Klaus said nothing as he debated his options. However, he found he liked Elijah and Blair’s choice much more. “We take him,” He had much planned for his dear eldest brother – it had been a good while since he had last tortured someone and it was well overdue. He was sure that Rebekah would get a kick out of this as well.

“We should get out of here before someone else comes for Finn,” Blair said, looking around suspiciously. She didn’t want to have to endure another sneak attack, one was enough for one day.

Elijah nodded his head in agreement, “Agreed,”

Klaus grabbed Finn by the scruff of his neck and dragged his unconscious body away. He was not being gentle in the slightest, his inner beast calmed as he knew Finn would get his comeuppance soon.

Blair spared one last glance around the room, her eyes narrowed before she followed Elijah’s lead. She had yet to let go of his hand, finding his presence to be comforting after everything that had happened.

ORIGINALS

At the same time

Kol was starting to panic.

Firstly, he had been worried about Davina. He suspected that something was going to be happening today and didn’t want Davina anywhere near it – whatever it was. However, when he tried to call her, she never answered her phone which made him alarmed. So, he went out and to find her, and she was luckily safe. With both the male Fae and Rebekah with her, it made him feel a lot better.

Secondly, he had been concerned about the plot against Hope and so went near the compound but found the Crescent Wolves there. He knew that they could keep Hope safe and so this helped calm his nerves.

However, now came the issue with his brother, Finn.

Kol had followed after Finn to make sure he didn’t kill Blair. He knew how fatal it was for Fae to be attacked with any form of iron and Finn had left with loads of it on his body. He had watched in the shadows, debating about intervening. If he did anything obvious, and word got back to his mother, he would have hell to pay, but he didn’t want Davina to lose anyone else.

It was a dilemma. 

But now Finn had been taken by Klaus and Elijah and he didn’t know what was worse. It was likely that Finn would be spiteful and give up Kol’s identity just to save his own skin. Even worse, Finn could succumb to the torture they had planned and reveal his name either way. Also, he was pretty sure Blair had sensed his presence.

Kol knew that he had no other choice, he had to reveal himself before Davina found out from someone else. If Davina found out the truth from someone else then it wouldn’t end well. With his mind made up, Kol left and went in search of Davina, texting her a quick message that he needed to see her.

 

Chapter 35: Chapter 35

Despite it being late at night, the streets were still alive with people. There seemed to be a party happening and loud music boomed through the streets as well as a band full of people. Usually, Davina would have been in bed, settling down for the night or practising her magic, but instead, she was outside, sitting in a diner that was still open. After the whole situation with getting the Wolves out of New Orleans, Davina just wanted to relax but then she received a text message from Kol. The message had been cryptic but she could sense the panic within it. It was unusual, not like anything Kol had sent before and this made her worry. It also didn’t help that she had six missed calls from Kol and so she agreed to meet him. Blair had been reluctant to let her out this late but conceded eventually under the promise that she could contact either Raphael or Blair if anything out of the ordinary happened. Blair was concerned that Esther would attempt some revenge as they had taken Finn.

Kol was taking his time and this made Davina worried. Taking out her phone, she was about to give him a call but then he walked through the diner, his eyes frantically looking around until he spotted Davina.

“I was just about to call you,” Davina said as he approached.

Kol silently sat down opposite her with a weird expression. It was one that Davina had never seen on him and it made her even more concerned than before. He looked nervous, scared and everything in between.

“Kaleb, what’s going on?” Davina asked, confused by this sudden behaviour. This went against everything she had seen and what Rebekah had told her. Kol was confident, cocky but also vulnerable – but he was never anxious.

Inhaling deeply, Kol met her eyes, “There is something I need to say because I don’t want you to find out the truth from anyone else,”

Unnerved, Davina leaned back and waited. She was ready in case anything happened, her magic was bubbling under her skin and she was ready to call Raphael if needed. If it escalated any further then she would call for Blair.

“I haven’t exactly been truthful about who I am,” Kol began, twiddling with his fingers, now not able to meet Davina’s eyes. “My name isn’t Kaleb and I am not a Witch. Well, I used to be a Witch but then I was turned into a Vampire… then I killed and my mother brought me back as a Witch…”

Davina’s eyes widened when she realised what was happening. Kol was confessing to her – he was telling the truth. Luckily, he wasn’t looking at her so couldn't see the sheer panic she couldn't hide. Out of all the things she thought it could be, she never predicated that Kol would be the one to confess everything – in a diner. She didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t ready. She thought she had more time before the plan went into action. Fortunately, he wasn’t a Vampire anymore so he couldn't hear how much her heart was racing because it was thumping very loudly in her ears.

“…But what I am trying to say is that I may have been forced to talk to you, but I have enjoyed every minute,” Kol finished, feeling himself become lighter at revealing the truth. Now, he chose to look at Davina, expecting her to be shocked but found her face to be blank of all emotion. “Davina?”

“I… I-” Davina muttered.

Kol frowned. This wasn’t the reaction he was expecting. He thought there would be yelling, anger and shock, but Davina showed none of this. This was why he had chosen a public setting, Davina would be less likely to lash out in public but she gave no reaction at all which was really weird… unless…

“You already knew,” Kol’s voice was barely above a whisper.

Slowly, Davina nodded her head. “I did…”

Anger bubbled in his chest as he fought to unleash it. “Since when?” Even to his own ears, his voice sounded rough and edgy.

“Since the start,” Davina answered him truthfully. If he was being truthful then so would she.

Kol was about to jump up – to shout, to do something – but Davina couldn't allow that. If he walked away then there was a possibility that he would report back to Esther just to be spiteful. Instead, Davina acted faster and used a spell that Blair had taught her. Blowing into Kol’s face, she watched as his eyes grew heavy and he fell back into his seat, fast asleep. Looking around, Davina noticed that no one was looking in their direction, everyone too focused on their own lives. Turning her head to look at Kol, she saw such a serene expression on his face and couldn't help but feel guilty. She knew that the truth was going to come out eventually, she just didn’t want it to happen this way.

Taking out her phone once more, she called Raphael, she needed his help.

It took Raphael barely ten minutes to arrive, calmly walking into the diner so as not to bring attention to himself. He walked over to Davina and spotted the unconscious Kol.

“Did he try something?” Raphael asked, concerned.

Davina shook her head, “He knows,”

Raphael cursed slightly under his breath. “Alright, let’s bring him back to the compound,” He reached over and helped to pick up Kol. He made sure to be careful, despite his soul being very old and resilient, Kol’s body was very much human at this point and so vulnerable. He easily carried Kol’s weight with Davina following behind him, anxious about what was to come.

ORIGINALS

At the same time

It didn’t take long for Elijah, Klaus and Blair to return back to the compound. However, the longest part was cleaning up the aftermath. Blair had to take down a few barrier spells around the compound and this was where she had discovered that Esther had indeed attempted to come for Hope but had not managed to break it. Luckily, this had been accounted for and Hope was safe with Hayley and the rest of the pack. Blair decided that she would leave the protection spells she had weaved around the Bayou, knowing that the Crescent Wolves needed it since Hope was currently there.

The next step was to deal with Finn. The eldest of the Mikaelson family was currently being hung in the basement of the compound, a place where he could be tortured without too many people hearing it. When Rebekah had seen Finn unconscious, she had been shocked but that quickly turned into vindictiveness because she remembered how deeply his words had cut her during their dinner together. Now, she looked like she wanted to kick him and make him pay.

Chained up the wall, Finn would not be going anywhere soon. He was still unconscious, the hit to the head was much harder than anticipated but he was still very much alive. While they were waiting for him to wake up, everyone had left the room to go and change. Elijah was in a new suit, Klaus was blood-free and Blair had a quick bath, all blood had washed out from her hair.

“Why do you think mother wanted you and Blair?” Rebekah asked the question they were all thinking. They were all standing in front of Finn, waiting for him to wake up so this session could begin. Raphael would have been with them but he had left to go and see Davina.

“No doubt trying to divide us. Picking us off one by one with false promises,” Klaus answered back sadistically. He was his mother’s son after all and he knew her best.

“She hates me, as most Witches do,” Blair answered easily. She felt the hatred that Finn had for her and she could only imagine that it came from Esther.

Elijah nodded his head, “I am often seen as Niklaus’ voice of reason. To turn me against him would give our mother power,” Kidnapping him would take him out of the game for who knows how long. Depending on what his mother had planned, things could have ended very differently.

“That means they could target Rebekah next,” Blair pointed out. It was well known how loyal Rebekah was to Klaus and turning his baby sister against the Hybrid would easily devastate him. It was a smart plan and she was beginning to see where Klaus had got his brains from in the family.

“I’ll kill anyone that comes after me,” Rebekah answered back plainly. She wouldn’t lie, the option of being human was tempting. The option of having a family and not having to carry around this curse would be wonderful – but it would also leave her vulnerable and the Mikaelson siblings had a lot of enemies out there.

“On that note, we left the Wolf behind,” Elijah said, referring to the one Wolf that they had left alive. If not for Finn’s intervention, they had planned to send the head to Esther has a message. He was prepared to make the trip back down and collect the body, but it seemed as though Blair was one step ahead of him.

Blair smirked, “Already done.” She had magicked the body of the leader of the Wolves that attacked them. While it would have been satisfying to send the head, they just simply didn’t have the time so this would have to make do. Either way, it had been sent to Esther to show just how much they appreciated being targeted.

“Pity,” Elijah said, “I would have liked to remove his head,”

“Next time,” Blair promised him a grin.

Elijah’s lip curved into a vindictive grin.

Rebekah turned to look at Klaus, “So, what’s the plan for Finn?” Their family had made torturing people a game, often taking turns to see who could inflict the most pain. The person who broke them first won the game. However, a family member had never been on the receiving end of this before so she was wondering if it would still be the same.

“I would definitely like to participate in this torture session also,” Blair pointed out, making sure she wouldn't be forgotten.

Klaus hummed in thought, having no issues with Blair joining them. In fact, it would make it much more interesting. Torturing someone with Blair’s level of magic would add an extra layer that had yet to be discovered. He had seen what she had done to the Hunter and was intrigued to see what else her powers could do.

Before anything more could be said, Blair’s phone vibrated. Looking down at the device, she saw that Davina had messaged her and it wasn’t something she was expecting. “Guys, we may need to focus on Finn another time. Davina and Raphael are on their way back with Kol, apparently, he confessed everything to Davina and she knocked him unconscious,” She could practically feel how stressed and panicked Davina felt just through a text message and she was glad Raphael was there.

“He confessed?” Rebekah echoed in shock.

Elijah arched a brow, impressed. “She knocked him unconscious?”

Blair nodded her head, feeling proud of the little Witch, “Yes, they’re bringing Kol over now.”

Nodding his head in understanding, Elijah looked to Klaus, who seemed visibly agitated. “We must come up with a plan then. Should we divide and conquer?”

Klaus shook his head, “Divided we fall but united we stand tall. This is a family matter and we will deal with it as a family, with some help,” He looked to Blair at the end, making sure to include her. He wasn’t too proud to admit that without Blair, Davina or Raphael, things probably would have gone differently. The scale was tipped in their favour and he wanted it to remain that way.

Pride flashed in Elijah’s eyes and Rebekah almost looked like she was going to cry.

“They’re here,” Blair announced, looking down at her phone once more.

With that said, everyone moved upstairs. However, before Blair left the basement, she made sure to cast two spells – one was a cloaking spell so Esther could not find Finn, and the other was a sleeping spell. While Finn was unconscious for now, there was no telling exactly when he would wake up and then try to use his magic to escape. With that sleeping spell in place, he wasn’t waking up until it was time for him to be dealt with. After those spells had been put into place, she walked out of the basement, content.

Upstairs, Raphael and Davina had already secured Kol. They had tied him to a chair in one of the lounges and Davina had placed a magic draining cuff on his wrist – a present from Blair in case she ever needed one.

“What happened?” Klaus demanded the moment he walked into the lounge area. Elijah and Rebekah were close behind him, eager to know what had happened with their younger brother. Blair was the last one to enter the room, walking in at a much calmer pace.

Davina shook her head, “I don’t know! He asked me to meet up with him and I did, but he seemed… nervous and unlike his usual self. Before I knew it, he was confessing who he really was and then I panicked!” Even now, it didn’t seem real, almost like it was a bad dream.

“He was there, when Finn and the Wolves attacked,” Klaus deduced with a grim expression. He had scented another person there and he had his suspicions but now he was sure. The same scent and the one that hung around Kol was the same. Kaleb had a different scent to Kol’s, that’s why he wasn’t able to identify it so quickly.

Blair nodded her head, “I think he was. I thought I could sense his magic,”

“Then it was Finn getting captured that spooked him. He thought Finn would tattle on him,” Elijah reasoned, seeing it as the logical explanation.

“But Kol doesn’t get spooked,” Rebekah argued.

“Not around us,” Klaus agreed with his sister, “But with someone else…” He let his words trail off as everyone turned to look at Davina, who flushed under everyone’s scrutiny.

“We’re still doing what was planned, aren’t we?” Rebekah asked, slightly worried that this would change things. She desperately wanted Kol on their side, no longer being manipulated by their mother anymore.

Elijah nodded his head, “Of course, we are,” He then looked to Davina, “It might be best you leave the room for now. It would be easier if we tackled one issue at a time,” If the young Witch was here, then Kol may not react so positively considering she had felt she needed to put him to sleep. He didn’t want Kol to become overwhelmed and it may cause Davina unnecessary stress.

For a moment, it looked as though Davina was going to argue but she nodded her head instead before leaving the room. Raphael followed after her, intending to keep her company. Blair could practically feel the hurricane of emotions that Davina was going through and knew that it would be best if she weren’t alone were, she would overthink and over analyse things. Raphael would be that calming force that would keep her sane. However, before Davina left, she made sure to lift the sleeping spell that she had put Kol under as well as magically untying the rope. Luckily, by the time Kol was fully awake, Davina was safely in her room with Raphael and Blair had already soundproofed the room. Seeing that her job was done, Blair left the room, giving the family some space. This was a family matter that needed to be sorted out – she would speak with Kol at a later time.

Groggily, Kol woke up, rolling his neck back, “Davina…?” He opened his eyes and found his family standing in the room with him. This caused confusion to flash in his eyes before he smirked smugly, “Oh would you look at that, it’s a family reunion. All we’re missing is our parents and Finn, speaking of which, where is the boring sod?” He looked around, expecting to see their eldest brother chained up somewhere but he couldn't see him.

“He is awaiting his punishment,” Klaus smiled sarcastically.

“And what’s going to be my punishment?” Kol asked.

Elijah shook his head, “There will be no punishment. We simply wish to talk with you,” It hadn’t escaped his notice that Kol’s first reaction is to wonder what the chastisement would be and this made him feel troubled.

Kol rolled his eyes, “Well, those talks always end up with a dagger in my chest. I would rather get this over with,”

“Kol, that’s not what we’re here for,” Rebekah said, her eyes pleading, “We truly want to speak with you.”

Considering his sister’s words, Kol appeared thoughtful, until he looked back at Klaus. “His idea of talks never ends well, especially for the other person.”

“Well if you don’t fancy a chat, we can move into something else,” The smile on Klaus’ face was nothing short of sinister and it promised pain.

“Niklaus!” Elijah reprimanded severely, “We’re not here to punish him. If you are unable to correctly conduct yourself then please leave the room,” He would not have this chance ruined by his brother’s usual antics.

Klaus fell silent.

“Has he learnt any more tricks?” Kol snidely asked.

Elijah’s dark eyes turned to Kol, “And the same goes for you. We are trying to bridge our differences and we can’t do that if we are at each other’s throats,”

Kol sneered and made another snide comment about Elijah, one that made Klaus reply back just as nastily. This soon spiralled into an argument, both raising their voices until even Elijah struggled to make out what was being said. Rebekah attempted to help but Kol would just snap at her to stay out of it and Klaus would growl back at him. It was a constant cycle of hate, one that made Elijah weary. It had been a long while since he’d had a headache but he was sure that one was starting to arise. This was why Kol never managed to stay with the rest of the family because he and Klaus would always clash. Kol may look like Elijah, but he had such a similar personality to Klaus that the two butted heads more often than not.

Elijah was starting to doubt whether the rift between his family could be healed. He watched his brothers argue with one another, both getting increasingly more frustrated as time went on. He was snapped out of his thoughts when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling out his phone he saw that it was a text from Blair.

How is it going?

Frowning, Elijah quickly texted a reply back.

Not good. Kol and Niklaus are fighting.

Within seconds he received a response.

Kol is lashing out. He thinks none of you cares about him.

“Do you think we don’t care about you?” Elijah asked, feeling his heart ache at this.

The argument between Kol and Klaus seemed to disappear instantly. Elijah looked up at his family and saw that similar heartbreak in Klaus and Rebekah’s faces. Kol was blank of all emotion, not revealing anything about how he truly felt, but Elijah suspected that it was true.

“How could you even think that?” Rebekah asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “You’re our brother and we love you,”

Anger flashed in Kol’s eyes. “I was only daggered a dozen times. I bet you lot didn’t even care when I was killed,”

“You were mourned,” Klaus said slowly, pain in his eyes as the remembrance. “I sought to get revenge for what happened to you, that I swear,”

Elijah nodded his head in agreement, “You are our brother, when Niklaus informed me of what happened, I was furious and wanted to raze the entire town of Mystic Falls.” His anger had known no bounds that day, he had destroyed his apartment and killed anyone that got too close. That was his brother that was killed and it was only Klaus’ promise of vengeance that kept the beast at bay.

Kol remained silent but even he couldn't hide the surprise he felt.

Kneeling down next to Kol, Rebekah took his hand in hers. “We did truly miss you and I thought I would never see you again. You do not realise how happy I was when we realised you were back,”

“But… what about the vow? I was never included in that,” Kol said, trying his hardest to hold onto his anger but even he was struggling.

Inhaling deeply, Klaus joined Rebekah’s side by kneeling down, “I am sorry that you have felt slighted. You have every right to feel that way. All of your acts of mischief have been cries for attention and I am sorry we didn’t see it sooner. You've always wanted to be a part of this family but maybe there is still time to make it up to you,”

A whirl of emotions swam in Kol’s eyes, unsure of what to do next. “You say that now, but as soon as Esther is gone, I’ll be thrown out the front door,”

Elijah shook his head, “No, you will not. Regardless of whether our mother is here or not, you are our family and nothing will change that,” He could see the pain in Kol, the pain of rejection and hurt that he tried his best to hide. It made Elijah feel like a failure that he hadn’t done something about this sooner. If only they had helped Kol sooner.

Kol fell silent, unable to say anything more. These were the words he had been wanting to hear – needed to hear the most. He had always thought his family hadn’t cared about him, hadn’t mourned him and hadn’t been bothered when he died. Esther had whispered into his ear about how they hadn’t cared and now he was angry at himself for believing mother’s lies once more.

Taking this opportunity, Rebekah reached up and hugged Kol, tears falling down her face. Klaus stayed where he was and Elijah placed his hand on Kol’s shoulder. Slowly but surely, Kol felt his defence crack and the silent tears flowed. All the years of rejection, hate and loneliness hit him all at once and he couldn't stop. He clung onto Rebekah like she used to do with him when there had been storms when they were human. He clung to the hope of a chance of being part of the family. To truly belong.

ORIGINALS

Early the next morning

Barely anyone was awake the next morning and this was when Blair decided to strike. She needed to put her plan into place before Esther found out about Kol’s change of allegiance. The Fae was aware that the chat between the siblings had gone well as Rebekah had given her a heads up but Blair wasn’t satisfied. The Mikaelson siblings tended to squabble far too much and she needed to make sure Kol wouldn’t be tempted to betray them in any way and she had a plan. With a goal in mind, she walked over to Kol’s room early the next morning and knocked on his door.

She already knew that he was awake – he had been for a few hours – and so when he opened the door, she wasn’t surprised when she saw him fully dressed and ready for the day. “We need to talk,” Blair immediately said, getting straight to the point.

For a moment, it seemed as though Kol was about to deny her, but sent her an intrigued look, “If it were anyone else, I would tell them to piss off, but you’re right,” He opened the door wider so Blair could come inside.

Walking in, Blair looked around the room. Rebekah had already mentioned in a text that Kol was back in his old room, a room that hadn’t been touched. It was clean but rather plain. The only thing that stood out was the grimoires neatly tucked away in one corner. It was rather surprising that Kol – the wildest Original – had such a neat room.

“So, what can I do you for?” Kol said curiously. He had wanted to speak with the Fae for a while and this was his opportunity. He hadn’t predicted that she would seek him out but he would take this opportunity nonetheless.

“Firstly, I wanted to thank you,” Blair started, feeling a little awkward. It wasn’t often that she thanked someone but she recognised that without his help, things could have ended a lot differently. “You stopped Finn from killing me and I wanted to thank you for that,”

Kol grinned, “I don’t know what you’re talking about love, but I will take the thanks anyways,”

Blair arched a brow, “So it was just a coincidence that Finn missed my heart by mere inches and that he tripped on his own accord?”

“Of course,” Kol replied back confidently.

“You’re full of shit,” Blair rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, “I know for a fact it was you. Finn wouldn’t have messed up so easily and I don’t think he’s realised that it was you. The magic that you used was extremely subtle and meticulous.” As someone who used magic daily, she could appreciate the intricacy of his magic and it impressed her. Kaleb didn’t possess a lot of magic but Kol utilised it very well. 

Kol shrugged his shoulders, “You were just lucky,”

“You’re a prodigy at magic, that much I can tell,” Blair told him bluntly, not listening as he tried to deflect. She was aware of his history thanks to Davina and Rebekah – he was the only one out of his siblings that took to magic when they were human and he showed a lot of skill at it, but he had to hide it from his father who didn’t approve. To be able to manipulate someone in a situation in such a subtle way without being detected was a very handy skill. It made Blair wonder what kind of Witch Kol would have been if he had remained human.

Kol’s face relaxed and became blank of all emotion. “What are you after?” He wanted this over with, not liking how Blair could see past his façade.

“I want you on our side, fully,” Blair answered him easily, “I want to know that you fully intend to help your siblings and won’t kick off if you fall out again,” While Rebekah and Elijah had assured her that the heart-to-heart went well, Blair wanted to hear it with her own ears.

Rolling his eyes, Kol scoffed, “And why should I tell you? You’re not even part of this family. You don’t understand them as I do,”

Blair smirked, “I think I understand them quite fine, if I didn’t then I would be dead by now. Also, I can assure you that Klaus won’t be able to dagger you at any point if that’s what you’re concerned about,”

Kol stilled and his eyes narrowed, “Excuse me?”

“Rebekah gave me the daggers and I have hidden them,” Blair’s smirk grew bigger, knowing that she had his full attention, “No one other than me knows where they are and only, I can access them,” Those daggers had caused too much strife in this family and they needed to be removed. It stopped Klaus from exerting some power over his family members – of which he used way too much.

“Why?” Kol demanded. He almost didn’t believe Blair because it seemed impossible. He had tried to hide the daggers in the past but Klaus always found them and he suffered the consequences. He couldn't understand why a Fae would risk his brother’s ire.

“Because I don’t care if this upsets Klaus,” Blair answered him bluntly, “I have also hidden all the dark objects from the Clair crypt,”

Anger flashed in Kol’s eyes, “You what?!”

Blair snorted, “Did you really think I wasn’t aware of that?” She and Davina had gone into the Claire crypt ages ago and cleared out all the dark objects. Through her vision, she was able to see what Kol’s plan was and decided to throw a wrench in it. Kol was still after revenge for everything Klaus had done to him in the past and planned to fashion a weapon similar to the silver daggers but Blair wasn’t going to allow this.  Not only would Kol try to recruit Davina, but he would also try and turn the young Witch against them, something Blair wasn’t going to allow. Then there was also the fact Kol would attempt to get revenge on Rebekah and this was a conflict she would rather avoid.

Kol lunged at the Fae but she had anticipated this reaction and was prepared. Eyes glowing purple, she extended her hand and used magic to stop him. Kol attempted to use his magic to fight but he found it was nothing against the Fae.

“I wouldn’t act so rash if I were you,” Blair taunted with a smirk, “You haven’t even heard what I am willing to offer in exchange for your sworn loyalty,” To rely solely on the chat the Mikaelson family had the day before would be foolish as they had a habit of falling out with one another – usually Klaus’ fault in all fairness.

“What could you possibly offer me?” Kol demanded.

“Your real body,”

Kol froze where he was and all struggling stopped. “What?”

Blair’s eyes dimmed as she stopped using her magic to restrain him, “I am willing to offer you your body back – your Vampire body. I will place a lock on it to so Esther cannot try to remove you from it.” She planned to offer this locking spell to the rest of the Originals as she knew that Esther had plans for all of them, especially Rebekah.

For a moment, Kol was stunned to silence. This was the last thing he had expected Blair to say when she entered his room and it made him suspicious. “How do I know this is not a trick?”

Blair shook her head, “No trick. Klaus is aware that I am offering this. He still has your body and procured it for me before I made this offer,” She’d had to ask him for Kol’s body because without it then she wouldn’t have been able to make this offer. However, he wouldn't release the body until he understood why and so she had no choice. After she had explained, Klaus had been more than happy, genuinely wanting his family to be back together.

“Why are you offering this to me?” Kol’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“Because you mean something to Davina,” Blair answered him truthfully, “This body is not up to the task of fighting with her, she would need to protect you. However, as an Original, you would be able to assist and protect her,”

“And what of the other conditions attached to this deal?” Kol asked, suspicious of the strings attached.

Blair had to admit that Kol was more intuitive than first thought, “As stated before, I want your loyalty to your family. If you betray them in any way then I can simply return you back to a mortal body by undoing the lock – and I will not choose a handsome one.” Kol visibly winced at this stipulation but said nothing and allowed Blair to continue. “You are also not to drink any of mine or Raphael’s blood, it is off-limits,” She made sure to stress this last part. Kol was known for his binges, especially in Fae blood. He was partially responsible for the Fae nearly dying out and she would rather avoid that.

Kol’s eyes glazed over as he remembered drinking the blood. It had been intoxicating and made him shiver at the memory. Already knowing where his mind was heading, Blair added in another stipulation, “Lastly, if you harm Davina in any way possible, I will hurt you. I will make you regret it and you will wish you were dead after I am done with you,”

At the mention of Davina, uncertainly flashed in his eyes. The young Witch was all he had thought about since he had made up with his family. He wanted to speak to her but Rebekah had warned him to give Davina space, which he had respected.

“Those are my conditions,” Blair finished, satisfied with her argument.

Kol fell silent for a moment as he considered his options. There was no doubt that he wanted his Vampire body back – being in a mortal body sucked. Though he did enjoy using magic again, it was just too painful. It reminded him of when he first lost his magic – that had been a rageful time, one that didn’t want to repeat. Also, the Fae’s words had struck true, this body wouldn’t do for what was to come. His family had already shared that they knew what was coming and Blair’s foresight, something that fascinated him. Kol had met many seers in his long life and had slept with a lot too. However, if he were to agree to these terms, he would have to stop attempting to get revenge on Klaus – something he had vowed to do. Klaus had got away with too many things in the past and needed to be brought down a peg, but now Blair had cleared away the one weapon that had held promise. Then there was the matter of Davina…

“Would you like some more time to think about it?” Blair offered. She could see the struggle in his eyes as he weighed up his options.

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, “You ask a lot of me, Fae. Klaus has done a lot that needs retribution for,” Too many times had he been daggered and too many times had he been forced to obey his brother. He was sick of it.

“Klaus in an ass, that much we can agree on,” Blair nodded her head in agreement, “I am not asking for you to completely give up revenge, at least until Esther has been dealt with. I haven’t been around that long but even I can see how controlling he is and I would want to get back at him as well. But this family has been manipulated by foes who want to see you all dead by simply turning you all against one another and you guys make it so easy for them,”

Kol sniffed haughtily, “It is not my fault Klaus is such a control freak,”

Blair sent him a severe look, one that made him inwardly wince.

“Why are you trying to help this family so much?” Kol asked curiously. Elijah had told him how much the Fae had helped this family and it made him wonder. No one else had attempted to help them in such a way, everyone was far too scared, but Blair fought back.

“Because of Hope,” Blair answered him honestly, “and I do actually like this family, despite all the flaws,”

Kol scoffed, “I am flawless,”

Rolling her eyes, Blair continued, “Also, the Queen of the Fae is after Hope and I want to help protect her. Maeve plans to use Hope as her own personal weapon against the Witches. I and Raphael are the only ones who know Maeve and we want to help,”

Slowly, Kol nodded his head. He had yet to actually meet his niece but he was unsure of how he felt. He didn’t like children, but this was family and everyone seemed to be bewitched with this child. He almost wanted to see what the fuss was about.

“So, do you need more time?” Blair asked, referring to her earlier offer.

“I accept.” Kol said, “Give me back my body,”

Inwardly, Blair smirked smugly.

Chapter 36: Chapter 36

The next day

Klaus was walking down the already busy streets of the French Quarter, anticipating what was to come later. Finn would get thoroughly interrogated later but first, he had a job to do. Klaus needed to deliver some herbs to Camille – a concoction made by Davina and Blair. It was to stop the body-swapping process Esther had planned. Through Blair’s visions, they had realised that Esther planned to use Camille’s body as Rebekah’s replacement, something they weren’t going to allow to happen. The moment Camille mentioned feeling weird and marks appearing on her body, the Fae and young Witch had sprung into action, knowing that they needed to act before it was too late. Klaus had wanted to deliver the potion in person as he wanted to check up on the barmaid and was assured when she appeared well.

His happy mood was burst when he felt someone following him.

He could hear a pair of steady footsteps behind him and he wondered if it was someone sent by Esther. She would be trying her luck, attempting to entice each and every one of them with the promise of being human or Wolf once more – something Klaus did not care for. He was happy being one of the most powerful creatures alive because it gave him more power. The power he could use to protect his family. There was a brief moment where he considered just killing whoever was following him but his curious nature won over. He was interested to know who would dare to follow him, the leader of New Orleans. It couldn't have been a Vampire, none of them had the guts to do so, and he also writ off the Wolves as they didn’t care for him. That left the Witches and the Fae, but Blair had said that the Fae wouldn’t make themselves known – especially not to him.

Deciding to take a detour, Klaus walked further away from the commotion of the city. If there was going or be a fight, he would rather it be away from mortal eyes. Picking up his pace, he made his way out of the city and into the forest and was even further intrigued when the footsteps were still following him. It was only when he knew that they were completely alone that he’d had enough of waiting.

“Come out now and you might leave with your life,” Klaus announced as he turned around to face the person following him. Now that he was away from all the overwhelming scents of the city, he could easily focus on his stalker. From his scent alone, Klaus could identify that it was a male following him. However, curiously, the man smelt like an old Werewolf. Very old.

There was silence in the woods before someone walked, footsteps confident yet careful. When Klaus saw who it was, his eyes widened and his cocky façade dropped, not able to hide his reaction. The man that stood in front of him looked eerily familiar and there was a striking resemblance between them. Despite his usual quick thinking, he was stumped. Blair had warned him that Esther would throw a curveball at him – something specifically made to make Klaus stumble.

It was his biological father.

“I have no intentions of taking Esther’s bargain of being made mortal. Now kindly piss off,” Klaus snarked once he had recovered. It was a cruel trick to play on Esther’s part, and it made his hatred for his mother burn even brighter than before. He had never met his biological father and had always wondered what he would be like, something his mother surely knew and was now trying to use against him.

Ansel shook his head, “That’s not what I am here for,”

“Oh?” Klaus questioned, not believing him, “That’s not why Esther sent you here,”

“She wants to make you mortal again, I just want to get to know you,” Ansel answered him honestly. He had been brought back by Esther when the veil nearly collapsed and had been living with the Crescent Wolves ever since. He had stayed in the background, never getting involved, just lying in wait until he could see his son again. Esther had made her plans known to him and wanted his help but he had no intentions of doing this.

For a moment, Klaus considered his words and he truly didn’t know what to feel at this point. “You know, I used to tell myself that my father must have had no idea that I existed, otherwise he would never leave me to suffer under Mikael,” If his father was being as truthful as he intended, Klaus would let him know how he felt. He would not hold back because even he had questions.

“Esther forbade me from seeing you. So, I waited because I knew that one day you would need me when you triggered your curse,” Ansel explained, his eyes darkening at the memory, “But Mikael found me first and I fought him for you,” The closer he had got to the village the more he heard of how badly Mikael treated his son and it enraged him. Ansel had acted carelessly by challenging Mikael and he died as a result.

“Yes, well your grand declaration is just a few years too late,” Klaus hissed back, hiding how much Ansel’s words affected him.

Ansel sent him a knowing look, “As much as you joke, I know that you’ve felt a void in your life,” At Klaus’ scoff, Ansel continued, “I have watched you from beyond the veil for centuries. You have travelled all the corners of the world, seen monuments erected, feasted on the blood of the most extraordinary men and women but you’ve never managed to find true peace… until you became a parent,”  

Klaus stared at Ansel, stunned by his words.

With a smile, Ansel recounted moments that made him proud, “I watched as you climbed the Himalayas, as you tended to the horses, as you read that child Shakespeare,”

“Please stop,” Klaus whispered, shaken by his father’s words.

However, Ansel would not give up, “I watched you paint. I watched you feel your daughter kick for the first time and I watched you hold her,”

“Stop!” Klaus yelled out and violently grabbed Ansel by the front of his shirt, “You have had a millennium to observe me. Did you close your eyes when I slaughtered whole villages? Or when I fed my way through thousands of innocents? Because let’s face it, I have a tendency to play with my food,” Slowly, he let go when he realised there was no fear or judgement in his father’s eyes, only understanding.

“I saw everything. I watched as you endured everything life has thrown at you,” Ansel replied back calmly, not affected by Klaus’ fit of rage, in fact, it looked as though he had expected it.

For a moment, Klaus didn’t know what to say. It did hurt him. It hurt him to know that he would have to deal with his father because Esther had made him a player. If Klaus didn’t get rid of Ansel then he could be used against him and he refused to be treated like a pawn.

Before Klaus was allowed another moment to contemplate his next move, his phone rang. Without another thought, he answered it, “What?”

“Niklaus, where are you?” Elijah asked.

Sparing a glance at his father, Klaus turned away, “I was waylaid. My biological father made an appearance,”

There was a brief silence, “Is he still alive?”

“Yes,” Klaus said. But he wouldn’t be for long.

Hearing his brother’s unsaid message, Elijah responded, “It doesn’t have to be that way.”

“You know as well as I that our mother would attempt to turn the situation in her favour,” Klaus argued back.

“Then we must attempt to twist it in our favour instead.” Elijah answered back calmly, ready for his brother’s rebuttal, “Mother is not the only one that has magic on her side,”

Klaus fell silent for a moment as he considered his options.

“I expect you home soon. Rebekah is getting twitchy,”

Snorting in amusement, Klaus smirked, “I see she hasn’t lost her zeal. I’ll be home soon,” Ending the call, he turned and looked back to his father, who was standing nearby, patiently waiting for him to pass judgement.

“So, am I to live?” Ansel asked, eyebrow arched. He wasn’t blinded nor was he a fool. He had watched his son for a thousand years and had learned his habits. Klaus’ first reaction to most unforeseen things was to kill and then ask questions later. Ansel hadn’t expected a warm reception on their first meeting and saw it as a win that he hadn’t been maimed or killed.

Klaus smiled sarcastically, “That is yet to be decided,” Walking away, he made his way back to the city and his home. He needed to get back so he could have a chat with Finn – a very long and overdue chat.

Ansel followed him, watching for any unexpected movements.

ORIGINALS

Back at the compound

Finn’s body had been moved into the living room and sheets of plastic had been brought out. This was to protect the living room’s furniture and designs. Clear plastic sheets were covering the walls, floors and furniture. Blair had been surprised with how meticulously they were and also impressed – they had even covered the ceiling with the plastic sheets – which gave a taster on what was to come later. Finn, currently tied down a chair, the magic draining cuff on his wrist and he was still unconscious as they were waiting for Klaus to come back.

“Can’t we just start without him?” Rebekah asked for the tenth time.

Elijah shot his sister an exasperated look, “No, Niklaus said he would be back soon,” He had just called his brother no more than ten minutes ago and knew it wouldn’t be long. While it was tempting to start without Klaus, he wanted to see Finn’s expression when he saw the whole family standing against him.

Huffing, Rebekah crossed her arms over her chest.

“He met Ansel,” Elijah informed them with a grim expression.

Blair mentally sighed, checking Ansel’s appearance off her mental list. She had a strong suspicion that there was much more to come, more than her vision told her, but at least this could be crossed off the list. Having had her foresight powers for a long time, she could tell when a vision was unfished and knew that there would possibly be another vision coming soon – she just didn’t know exactly when.

Fury flashed in Rebekah’s eyes, “That bitch,”

Elijah nodded his head in agreement.

“Is Ansel still alive?” Blair asked curiously.

“When I spoke with him, he was alive,” Elijah answered. Whether Ansel was alive after the call ended was another matter entirely but he silently hoped his brother hadn’t taken that step yet. He knew how much Klaus longed to meet his biological father despite him not saying anything about it. Elijah suspected that this had hit his brother in a vulnerable spot, one of which he didn’t allow many people to know about.

Luckily, they weren’t left guessing for long. Another couple of minutes passed and Klaus waltzed back into the room, his mood sombre and contemplative. However, Ansel was not with him and this made Blair pause.

“Is he alive?” Elijah inquired with a neutral tone.

Klaus hesitated before answering, “I sent him back to the Bayou.” If Finn hadn’t been waiting to be interrogated, he would have dealt with Ansel there and then, but he found he needed more time to think.

Blair stared at him for a moment, almost not able to believe that he had left Ansel alive. In her vision, she had seen him kill his biological father – a machete through the chest – but she had also seen him devasted by his actions. Klaus caught her gaze and shook his head at her, silently conveying that he would seek her out after this and she understood.

“Now, let’s get on with this,” Klaus announced with a wicked grin.

Sensing that this was her queue, Blair used her magic and removed the sleeping spell on Finn. Slowly, Finn roused from his deep sleep, groaning and rolling his stiff neck around. Opening his eyes, Finn looked around the room and found his family – minus Kol – and Blair stood in front of him. Panic shone in his eyes and he attempted to move but found he was tied to a chair and he could not feel his magic at all.

“Had a good nap?” Rebekah grinned.

“Why am I here?” Finn demanded.

“You’re going to answer a few questions we have,” Elijah responded back, his whole demeanour calm and sophisticated.

Finn scowled, “And why would I answer anything you have to ask?”

Patience already running thin, Klaus snarled out, “You will answer us or you will be put right back in your box,”

At the mention of the box – the one he had spent over nine hundred years in – Finn’s eyes widened in genuine fear.

“Don’t go threatening anyone without me,” Kol’s velvety voice sounded as he walked into the room. However, it sounded different and it made everyone in the room turn to look at him. He was leaning against the opened door, just waiting for the opportunity to make a grand entrance. He had listened in, wanting his appearance to have the biggest impact and he had timed it perfectly.

Rebekah gasped when she saw Kol and Elijah’s eyes widened. Kol was back in his body – his body – and not Kaleb’s. Even though Klaus knew about it, he couldn't help but stare at his brother in wonder. Despite the fact she had already seen his new form, Blair’s eyes widened slightly. Kol was handsome, extremely so and he looked so similar to Elijah. Looking between the brothers, the Fae couldn't help but think that Elijah and Kol could have passed for twins.

However, it was Finn’s reaction that caused Kol the most satisfaction. “You betrayed mother!” Finn yelled out angrily, his eyes narrowed in thinly veiled fury.

Kol grinned, “And it was so easy,”

Looking to the Fae, Elijah couldn't hide his surprise, “Was this the plan?”

Nodding her head, Blair grinned, “Of course,”

Hearing that it was her doing, Finn glared at Blair in hatred.

Klaus walked up to Kol, who tensed, unable to gauge Klaus’ reaction. Once close enough, Klaus pulled him into a hug, “Welcome back, brother,”

Kol was rooted to the spot in shock.

“Kol!” Rebekah jumped at him, also pulling him into a hug, which pulled Kol out of his stupor and he hugged his baby sister back.

Elijah walked up to them and placed a firm hand on Kol’s shoulder, a warm smile on his face.

Looking over to Finn, Blair smirked, “See, this is what you’re missing,”

Finn scowled, “It will never last. Niklaus will soon lose his patience and will dagger one of them. It is inevitable,”

At his words, Kol, Blair and Rebekah shared a look with one another. All of them knew that this would never happen as Blair had hidden the daggers somewhere only, she knew. The Fae would never allow Klaus one of the silver daggers – not that he was aware.

“If I am to dagger anyone, it will be you,” Klaus snipped back with a glare.

Finn rolled his eyes at his attitude, “Always so temperamental. Besides, aren’t you going to try and convince me to join you? Try to turn me against mother like you have Kol?” He sneered at the wildest Original in contempt.

“Why bother?” Elijah asked, “When we know you’re so loyal to mother,”

Finn faltered for a moment, not expecting that answer.

“I could never understand why you were so loyal to Esther,” Blair said with a frown, “Considering she is the one who made you a Vampire in the first place,” She had heard stories from all the Mikaelson siblings of how much Finn hated his existence, oftentimes putting himself and the family in danger because of his own twisted thoughts. He thought them to be abominations and even helped Esther in an attempt to kill himself and his siblings.

“She was trying to make us mortal again,” Finn argued back fiercely, “and you’ve all refused her. It just shows how much you’ve all fallen,” He looked at his siblings in disappointment, as though they were the ones at fault. “I expected better from you, Rebekah,”

Rebekah rolled her eyes, “Does it look like I care? Our mother is a twisted woman that has done nothing but try to kill us. Why would I trust her?”

Finn’s dark gaze landed on Blair, “Our mother was benevolent enough to try and help us, and then you sought aid from a Fae,”

A low growl sounded from Elijah, “You will not talk to her in that manner again, am I clear?” He moved so he was stood in front of Finn, his eyes darkened in anger. He had already warned Finn in the past and didn’t like the fact he had to repeat himself.

Finn fell silent, knowing better than to provoke the situation further.

 Blair smirked smugly and watched as Finn glanced at Elijah in nervous fear.

“We could have offered you freedom, but instead you chose to side with her,” Klaus sneered, unimpressed but not surprised by his brother’s loyalty.

“I am free,” Finn argued back.

Blair snorted, “Yeah, because being tied to a chair without your magic really screams freedom,”

Finn glanced at her, but chose to ignore her, “Our mother loves each and everyone one of us. All of you would not exist if it wasn’t for her sacrifice,”

Rebekah scoffed at his words. Even as a child, Finn would always hang onto their mother’s every word and it was disappointing to see that this hadn’t changed.

Her action incited Finn and he turned to her, “Our mother was barren, she could not have children. But she was so desperate that she begged one of the most powerful Witches for help – her sister, Dahlia,”

The name jolted Blair, making her stand straighter. She had heard of that name before, and there were no positive connotations to that name.

“And why is this relevant?” Elijah inquired.

“Dahlia’s price was high.” Finn explained grimly, “The price that our mother had to pay was her firstborn child. Having no choice, our mother gave away Freya,”

Kol shook his head, anger flashing in his eyes, “Our sister died of the plague.” Their eldest sister’s death was something that had always hung over them like a shadow. According to their mother, Mikael changed drastically after Freya’s death and Esther became even more protective over the rest of her children. It was suffocating to live with.

“Esther gave her away,” Finn argued back.

“But shouldn’t this make you dislike Esther? She literally gave away one of her own children,” Blair chimed in with a frown.

Klaus stared at Finn with cold eyes, “If what you say is true, then death is too delicate of a fate for her,” The thought of giving away Hope made him angry – furious. The fact that his own mother had done such a thing made her even more of a monster to him.

“But what were her plans for Hope?” Elijah asked, getting back on track. This was the whole reason they wanted to talk with Finn and they were deviating away from that.

At the question, Finn remained silent and refused to answer it.

Rebekah scoffed, “Now he remains silent,”

“Do you have any idea?” Elijah asked, looking to Kol for an answer. He didn’t think his brother would, but on the off chance, he would ask.

Kol grimaced, reluctant, “I did eavesdrop on a conversation between mother and Finn. They were talking about killing Hope and mentioned someone called Dahlia,”

Already annoyed with everything that had happened, Klaus was nearly at his limit. This news had him nearly seeing red and it was only Elijah and Rebekah holding him back that stopped him from killing Finn there and then.

Seeing that this was going to go south very quickly, Blair stepped forward, “That I can help with,”

This statement caused everyone to pause, “Oh?” Elijah inquired.

“How so?” Kol asked, curious about the type of magic she would use.

Blair smirked slightly, “Just a little truth spell. Once that is in place, he will spill his guts,”

“Do it, now,” Klaus ordered roughly.

Inwardly, Blair was tempted to not do the spell. She didn’t like it when people ordered her around, especially Klaus. But even she had the sense that this was not the time nor the place to be acting in such a manner. Keeping silent, Blair walked over to Finn and grabbed him by the face. He stared up at her with hate in his eyes, something she ignored. Tapping his forehead three times and then his lips just once, her eyes glowed purple as her magic came to life. After a few seconds, the purple colour disappeared and she stepped back.

“He’ll talk,” Blair announced smugly.

Taking the lead, Elijah was the one who asked the first question, “What is Esther’s plan regarding Hope?”

For a moment, Finn said nothing, visibly struggling against Blair’s magic. It was strong. Too strong and not what he was expecting. He knew that the moment he started to talk, he would be cast aside but he couldn't stop himself. “She was trying to save Niklaus from the pain she endured. She was trying to save you from the curse that follows our family,”

“What curse?!” Niklaus yelled out angrily.

Still trying to resists, Finn’s answer came out rough and raspy, “The deal… that our mother made with … Dahlia. She asked for … every firstborn of every … generation.”

Blair’s eyes widened at the news and Rebekah let out a broken gasp. Kol and Elijah seemed stunned by the news, not knowing what to say. However, it was Klaus’ reaction that was the most terrifying. He went quiet and his eyes were murderous.

“And what if we refuse?” Elijah asked.

“Then Dahlia would come and destroy us all,” Finn replied back, his head slumped in defeat.

The room went silent and no one dared to breathe. The atmosphere was so thick and tense that Blair shivered in anticipation. Both Elijah and Klaus were emitting murderous auras and she glanced at them cautiously. Their anger wasn’t directed at her, but she didn’t want to draw attention to herself.

“Kol!” Klaus roared out angrily, “You can have the first session,”

Kol’s eyes lit up, “Really?” It wasn’t often he was allowed first picking because usually, there wasn’t much left after him. He was the wildest out of them for a reason.

“Then Rebekah,” Klaus continued.

Rebekah grinned viciously, unable to hide her excitement.

“Then Blair and Elijah, and followed by me,” Klaus commanded and no one objected to this order.

Finn watched them all in fear and tried to wriggle away as Kol approached him, to no avail.

ORIGINALS

Many hours later

Blair was back in her room, writing things down into a journal Davina had bought her on a whim. Blair was writing down everything from the vision she had, trying to remember if she had missed something – and she had. She had forgotten that Dahlia appeared in her vision and so did Freya, the lost eldest sibling of the Mikaelson family. This was the one bit of information she hadn’t shared because the vision had been incomplete but she knew it would need to be done.

Her session with Finn had been long – mainly she just used her magic to make him relive his experience back in his coffin, a time she knew he feared greatly and watched him squirm. By the time she had got to him, Kol and Rebekah had already dealt him a lot of physical torture and so she didn’t want to replicate what they had already done. The Mikaelson siblings had a lot of pent up rage against Finn because of everything that had been done and so was venting. Blair just wanted revenge for him nearly killing her. Finn had got uncomfortably close to killing her and she didn’t like it. If she’d had the opportunity, she would have killed him and be done with it, but she knew that there was much more coming for Finn and she didn’t want to get in the way of that.

A phantom pain stung in her chest, where she had been stabbed with the iron knife. However, before she was given any more time to ponder on this, there was a knock on the door. “Yes?” Blair called out, not expecting anyone this late at night.

“It’s me,” Elijah said through the door.

“Come in,” Blair said as she tucked away her notes. She didn’t want anyone to see them until they were finished.

Opening the door, Elijah stepped through, closing it behind him.

“I take it your turn with Finn is over?” Blair questioned as stayed on her bed. She never would have guessed by how impeccably dressed and put together he was, but she could hear Finn shout out Klaus’ name so she safely assumed.

Elijah nodded his head, “Yes, Niklaus is now with him,”

Blair smirked, “Good,” She knew that the Hybrid would not show any mercy to his sibling after everything that had been done. Now that Hope was being threatened, Finn stood no chance against Klaus’ anger. It wouldn’t be long before Hayley would want in on this action against Finn and Esther.

“Did you learn anything going through his mind?” Elijah asked curiously. One thing he had asked for the Fae to do was to check for any mental manipulation from Esther. A small part of him hoped that this was the case.

Blair shook her head, “There was none,” All of Finn’s actions had been his own and there was no manipulation from their mother needed. Finn truly hated being a Vampire and resented his family for everything that had happened.

Elijah exhaled in disappointment, “I had thought as much,”

“What does Klaus plan on doing with him?” Blair asked.

“He will be put back in the coffin,” Elijah replied with a blank expression.

Blair snorted, “Good riddance,” To a certain extent, she could say that she actually liked the Mikaelson family, but she was not a fan of Finn.

Elijah smiled in amusement before he sighed, “I would like to apologise for my family. They are a lot, that I know,” Not many people could survive meeting his family, Marcel being one of the very few, and even he ended up perishing in the end.

“They’re not the worst family I have met,” Blair grinned slightly.

“Oh?” Elijah arched a brow.

“Oh yeah,” Blair said, “You guys aren’t the first family I have seen try to kill one another. Though this is the first family I have met where someone like Klaus and Kol exist.” They were both ruthless in their attacks. From observing Kol have a go at Finn, she realised that the youngest male really did take after Klaus.

Elijah’s eyes flickered with mirth.

“But,” Blair’s expression turned serious for a moment, “I have also never met a family so loyal to one another. Despite wanting to kill each other every two seconds, you guys come together when push comes to shove. That’s why I know what Finn has done is serious,” She had heard of the vow they had made multiple times and she actually found it endearing. Despite everything Klaus had done to his family, they always came back and supported him when needed. It had also made her wish she’d had that.

“Blair,” Elijah muttered softly.

Looking at him directly in the eyes, Blair smiled softly. “I don’t regret meeting you – any of you. If it weren’t for all of you, I still would be running away from the Hunter – or dead. Yes, it has been a wild ride, but it is one that I do not regret at all,”

Speechless, Elijah stared at her, unable to think of anything to say. The softness in her face, the delicate quality of her voice called to him. He could hear her heart rate speed up slightly, just as it had when he first entered the room. He had been feeling this pulling sensation when he was around her and he when he was away, he often longed to be near her once more. It was at that moment that Elijah had decided that he’d had enough waiting. He couldn't wait anymore.

Blair was going through something similar. There was a warm feeling in her chest and she was pretty sure she was blushing. Mentally, Blair cursed herself. She should have stayed quiet because now, Elijah was staring at her with those dark smouldering eyes that made her inwardly swoon. Swallowing thickly, Blair stared at him, her eyes dropping to his lips and that urge was back once more – the urge to taste him. For a while, she had wondered what type of kisser he would be and only in her dreams could she play out the different scenarios.

Like the predator he was, Elijah gracefully stalked closer to the Fae, seemingly under a spell he didn’t want to be free from. Kneeling onto the bed, Elijah tenderly placed his hand on her cheek, his thumb stroking the soft skin.

“Tell me you don’t want this and I will stop,” He whispered lowly.

“Don’t you dare,” Blair muttered back with dropped eyes. If he even thought about leaving now, she would kill him.

Leaning his body forward, Elijah dropped his head and kissed her. Blair nearly gasped at the contact, not expecting her body to tingle. As dramatic as it seemed, Blair felt her soul sing in relief that they finally took that step. Without hesitation, she wrapped her around her his neck, her hand resting at the nape of his neck. Moving her head to the side, Blair returned the kiss and things seemed to escalate from there.

What had started off as an innocent kiss soon turned passionate. Elijah couldn't get enough of her. She tasted divine. He’d had many loves in the past, but none compared to this moment. Like a man starved for water, Elijah felt his body heat up and he needed more. He needed to kiss her more, feel more of her. The hand holding onto her face soon moved behind her, bringing her even closer than before.

It was when Elijah started to notice Blair’s heavy breathing that he reluctantly pulled away. He rested his forehead against hers, his own breathing slightly shallow. The sight before him was so divine that he needed to savour it and burn it into his mind. Blair’s eyes were blown open, her cheeks heavily flushed and her lips slightly bruised. Male pride hit him when he realised, he had been the one to make her react in such a way.

Kissing her forehead, Elijah smiled, “I have been waiting to do that for a long time,”

Staring up at him, Blair stared at him with a dazed expression. In all her fantasies about him, she could never imagine how great of a kisser he truly was. Instead of saying anything, Blair brought his head back down and kissed him this time, unable to resist the urge. Elijah instantly responded, carefully manoeuvring them so they were laying down in the bed instead.

To say it was a while before Elijah walked out was an understatement.

Chapter 37: Chapter 37

Notes:

A quick question for everyone: how many of you are Klaus x Caroline shippers?

The next morning,

Sleep was slowly fading for Blair and she didn’t like it. She could feel that it was morning time because she seemed to have got a decent night's sleep and it was beginning to feel suspicious. But she didn’t want to wake up. She was comfy, extremely so. It also didn’t help that she was cuddled up against the man she had been fantasising about for months on end and she didn’t want it to end. She knew that the moment they woke, she would have to wait hours to have him back in her bed.

Feeling Elijah stir beneath her, his arms tightened around her waist as he rolled them over so they were laying on their side. Looking up, Blair’s green eyes met Elijah’s darkened eyes.

“Morning,” Blair muttered softly, her heart already fluttering. Her face flushed red when she remembered the night before. It had been an amazing night – one filled with many heart-racing moments and a lot of pleasure.

“Good morning indeed,” Elijah swooped down and captured Blair’s lips into another kiss. Even after tasting her the entire night, he needed more. She was addictive and exactly what he needed.

Whining into the kiss, she could help but instantly respond, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him even closer. They were so close that she could feel his heart beating against her chest and vice versa. Slowly, Elijah pulled back from the searing kiss and instead, placed soft kisses all over her face. Her forehead, cheeks, nose and even her eyelids. Blair giggled at the action, finding it endearing as she nuzzled the side of his face, loving how the stubble on his face scratched her slightly. 

Satisfied that he had covered her in kisses, Elijah and Blair settled back to cuddling one another. Blair was the perfect height for her to be snuggling into his chest, her ear pressed against him so she could hear his heartbeat. It was a soothing sound and one that nearly lulled her back to sleep.

“So… how long have you been waiting to kiss me again?” Blair asked, absentmindedly tracing random patterns with her finger on his bare chest. They certainly hadn’t done much talking during their night of passion but it was a question that was playing on her mind.

Expecting this question, Elijah placed another kiss on the top of her head, “You had always captivated me so it is hard to say for certain. But I would definitely say that it was when the Crescent Wolves were freed from their curse,” He had been distracted by Hayley and when she had betrayed him, it was like a fog had cleared and he could see Blair clearly. Ever since then, he had developed feelings for the Fae.

Blair practically purred at the answer, “I can definitely say that that I wanted you since the moment I met you. But I realised that I was in love with you fairly recently,”

Placing a finger under her chin, Elijah raised her head, “And I love you,” To prove his words, he kissed her once more, but this time, slowly and sensually.

His passionate kisses always left her breathless, but this kiss made her knees weak and she was glad she was already laying down. “So, what does that make us?” Blair muttered lowly, placing her forehead against his chest. Before, she hadn’t been ready to be in a relationship, but now she was. After a lot of thought, she realised that she could envision them being together, something she had never done before.

Elijah hummed in thought, “Well, I suppose the term nowadays would be boyfriend and girlfriend,” Things had changed in the time he had been alive, terms changing every few centuries, though some staying the same.

Blair made a face, unimpressed, “It sounds so childish,”

Chuckling, Elijah nodded his head in agreement, “I will admit, it is not a term I would personally use,”

Looking up, met his eyes curiously, “What term would you use then?”

Elijah was silent for a moment as he considered the options. Partner was an option but it didn’t seem to fit them, neither did lover, as that was much too crass for his liking. Then there were the newer terms like boo and bae but he disliked them and found they did not fit them. There was one term that stuck out to him but he was unsure of where Blair stood on it.

“…How about mate?”

Blair's eyes widened at the word, her heart-stopping for a brief moment. “M-mate?”

“It fits. I have felt this pulling sensation while I am around you like I need to be near you.” Elijah explained, finding her reaction completely adorable.

Knowing that he had been feeling the exact same feeling elated her. “I like it,” Blair admitted, being completely honest. The word, mate, had different connotations within every group. Witches didn’t believe mates existed but nearly every other group did, especially the Werewolves. They believed it to be predestined by fate and that no one could interfere. The Fae and Vampires believed that they existed but it was rare to find someone's mate, but if one did find them, it was something that couldn't be trumped.

“I think the bigger question is my family’s reaction,” Elijah said with a sigh. Any time someone in their family got into a relationship, it was always hell. Rebekah’s suitors were always killed, his partners were chased away and Kol’s eyes always killed – though Kol did a lot of the killing as well – if Klaus was left out.

Blair snorted, “I have no plans of hiding our relationship,”

“And neither do I,” Elijah kissed the top of her head.

Suddenly, there was violent knocking on the door, making Elijah and Blair stared at the door. The handle rattled but never opened, the person on the other side not having permission to enter Blair’s room.

“Can they hear us?” Elijah asked the Fae.

Blair shook her head, “I placed a silencing charm around my room last night. We can hear what happens outside, but they can’t hear inside.” There were two Vampires, one Hybrid, a Fae and a Witch living under this roof – four-fifths of them had an advanced hearing range. She would never dream of hiding their relationship but she wanted her privacy at the same time.

“Smart,” Elijah smirked slightly.

“I know you two are awake!” Klaus’ voice thundered from the other side, not sounding pleased. “Get downstairs within the next thirty minutes, we have things to discuss,” The sound of Klaus’ footsteps disappeared, indicating that he was giving them time, but he would more than likely come back.

Elijah rolled his eyes, this was typical Klaus behaviour.

Sighing deeply, Blair rolled out of Elijah’s arms and out of bed, “We should probably get up before he gets back,” Knowing how stubborn the Hybrid was, he’d probably attempt to break the door down or target someone who did have permission to enter the room to annoy her.

A low growl sounded in the room as Elijah stared at Blair’s naked body. Blair coyly looked over her shoulder and winked at him. “Down, boy.”

“If I didn’t know how much of a nuisance Niklaus would be, we would not leave this room,” Elijah’s voice was thick with desire.

“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” Blair purred back, her eyes mirroring his desire.

Inhaling deeply, Elijah had to call upon his self-control as Blair wasn't making it any easier. Getting up, Elijah swiftly collected his clothes from the floor before he disappeared into the ensuite. Before he did that, he gave her a chaste kiss one more time before closing the door behind him. Blair watched him go, a soft smile on her face. She then set out to pick up her clothing that was thrown all over the floor, starting with trying to find her underwear.

It was exactly thirty minutes when Elijah and Blair stepped out of her room and made their way into one of the living rooms in the compound. In that living room, there was Klaus and another person who Elijah had never seen before. The moment Blair saw Ansel, her eyes widened slightly but then it disappeared.

“To what do we owe the pleasure of your biological father being here?” Blair asked as she stared at Ansel. He was handsome, very much so. He looked like an older and rougher version of Klaus and he felt old – extremely so. She could feel the ancient magic clinging to him like a thick mist and could instantly feel Esther’s magical signature all over him.

“Oh?” Elijah arched a brow.

“Niklaus asked me to come here,” Ansel explained calmly, cautiously watching Elijah and Blair while remaining respectful. Every instinct inside him was telling him to leave and he didn’t know which one of the two was setting this off. Elijah had a similar reputation as his son, but he had seen first-hand the power the Fae had and it made him weary.

Looking over to the Hybrid, Elijah spoke, “Do you have a plan in mind?”

Klaus nodded his head, “She intends to use my father as a pawn and I refuse to let that happen.” The more he thought about it, the angrier he got at the thought of his mother messing with him and his family.

“How so?” Blair asked.

“Can your magic prevent Esther from manipulating him?” Klaus asked, getting down to business.

Blair nodded her head, “That I can. I can also cloak his presence so she wouldn’t be able to track him,” She could have found it cheeky that Klaus was asking for a favour after interrupting her time with Elijah, but she didn’t. It wasn’t often that Klaus was asking her to save someone – and if it meant she messed with the Original bitch then she was down.

Klaus smirked smugly, “Perfect,”

Approaching the ancient Wolf, Blair looked down at him, “Is this okay?” Klaus had made his wishes known but there would be no point in wasting her magic if Ansel wasn’t in agreement with this idea. If Ansel was on team Esther then she would send him away, or place a curse on him.

Ansel studied her for a moment, finding that it was Blair that unsettled him. He could feel how powerful her magic was despite not looking lethal. “Your magic is extremely powerful,” He muttered lowly, watching out of the corner of his eyes as Klaus and Elijah began to converse with one another. It was evident that his son had faith in this Fae to do what he asked otherwise he would have been watching like a hawk.

“I’d like to think so,” Blair smirked smugly, her eyes flashing purple as she raised her hands. She began to silently perform the two spells that Klaus requested.

“I have met a few Fae in my time, none as powerful as you,” Ansel observed intently, practically tasting the magic in the air.

Blair hummed absentmindedly.

“I thought all Fae stayed away from conflict?” Ansel asked, prodding for more information.

Looking down at him with glowing eyes, Blair met his unflinchingly, “I am here to help protect Hope,” Protecting Hope from Esther and Maeve, but he seemed to understand her unsaid message. She would kill him if he became a threat.

“Have we got a plan going forward?” Elijah asked as he watched Blair work her magic from the corner of his eye.

“Yes, killing our mother,” Klaus replied back.

Sighing deeply, Elijah sent him a deadpanned expression, “Well that is a given,”

“Well I was making plans last night with Kol and Rebekah, but you seemed more interested in someone else,” Klaus sent a pointed expression. After his session with Finn the night before, he had tried to find his family to come up with a plan but he couldn’t find Elijah anywhere. It had annoyed him and it only got worse when Raphael had informed him that he had seen Elijah disappear into Blair’s room and didn’t come out all night.

“Something important came up,” Elijah said with a pleased glint in his dark eyes.

Scowling, Klaus’ expression turned dark, “Is this something I should expect for the future? You abandoning this family for a night of passion,” While he did want his brother and the Fae together, he didn’t appreciate Elijah’s shift of priority. During times like this, Elijah should be focussing on his family.

Elijah’s eyes narrowed, “I’d watch your tone, Niklaus,”

“Yes, Niklaus,” Blair dangerously purred, turning her head to face the brothers, “Be careful what you say next,” She could hear everything that they were saying and did not appreciate what he was saying.

“We needed him,” Klaus argued back.

“He was pretty busy,” Blair smirked as she looked to Elijah, who winked at her.

Klaus scowled unhappily. It was bad enough watching them flirt with one another, but he could also smell them. Both of their scents were intertwined and it unsettled him – this change unsettled him.

“I thought you’d be happy,” Elijah commented lightly. Rebekah had told him in passing Klaus’ plan with him and Blair, to somehow tie her to this family.

In response, Klaus huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

“It’s because Niklaus feels as though his authority has been challenged,” Ansel explained, speaking up after observing them for some time. He had been watching the dynamic between his son and the other two, finding it amusing.

“What?” Blair questioned with a frown.

When Klaus sent his father a curious expression, Ansel smiled in understanding, “Niklaus is an Alpha and he considers both of you part of his pack. You guys may not be Wolves, but it seems an unconventional pack has been formed, which has happened before.” It made sense why Klaus seemed unaware to this as he had never been taught what it meant to be a Wolf, that part of his heritage was taken away from him by Esther.

Elijah looked to his brother, “Do you consider us a pack?”

Klaus refused to meet anyone’s eyes. On the outside, he was the picture of nonchalance but on the inside he was nervous. Half of him was a Wolf and he’d once had a pack when there were other Hybrids like him. However, they had betrayed him and made the Wolf inside him howl in rage. He was an Alpha with no pack and it hurt him.

Despite not knowing him for long, Blair could decipher the pain and slight embarrassment radiating from him, “If that’s the case then why does he treat everyone with hostility?” On one hand, Blair felt touched that Klaus actually saw her as part of the pack but then she also felt surprised because they had never exactly got along.

Ansel smiled slightly but understood the confusion, his son wouldn’t have made it easy for anyone. “Niklaus considers himself the Alpha of this pack, but he thinks of you as a challenger for his rule,” When he was behind the veil, he had seen his son and the Fae go head-to-head several times and hadn’t connected the dots. But now everything made sense and he could see everything clearly.

“But what about me?” Elijah inquired, wondering where he fit into everything. He and Klaus fought constantly so he was wondering if he was also considered a challenger.

“You’re his second in command,” Ansel explained easily, “He knows he can rely on you if anything were to happen to him. You all have a role within this pack, but he sees you as a threat,” He looked to Blair at the end, almost apologetically.

“I do not!” Klaus protested loudly.

Blair stared for a moment and Klaus turned to glare at her, silently challenging her to contradict him. It was tempting to argue with him but she found herself more entertained than anything. Klaus actually saw her as a threat – a serious threat – and things began to make sense. Klaus wasn’t just worried about her spending time with Elijah – he was worried that she was going to take Elijah away from him.

“Are we done?” Klaus demanded, his form visibly tense.

Elijah and Blair shared a look with one another. Elijah subtly shook his head, they shouldn’t push or tease him anymore about this. It was tempting to ignore Elijah’s advice but Blair slightly nodded her head in understanding.

“Yes, we’re done,” Blair said, stepping away from Ansel and her eyes no longer glowing, “Your mother shouldn’t be able to track him anywhere and she won’t be able to mentally manipulate him.” By putting those mental shields in place, it protected him, something she was sure Esther would hate. As an extra layer of protection, she had rigged the shields so that she would be alerted if Esther tried anything against Ansel.

Klaus stiffly nodded his head, “Good, that will be all for now. I think it’s time for you to go back to the Bayou,”

Silently, Ansel nodded his head and stood up. Recently, his cover in the Bayou had been blown and now he was teaching the younger Wolves what it truly meant to be a Wolf. The old values and traditions had been lost over time and Jackson wanted to bring some of them back, something Ansel was more than happy to do.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have things I need to do,” Klaus walked off, not looking at anyone as he left.

Once Klaus was out of earshot, Blair looked to Ansel and smirked, “You totally did that to embarrass him,”

Ansel grinned slightly, “I may have,”

“I’d be careful not to push too much,” Elijah warned, not hiding his smile. He had held his judgement against Ansel, just watching and observing to get a better sense of the man in front of him. Many people would attempt to use Klaus for his power, but Ansel didn’t seem interested in the slightest about it. Elijah just hoped that it remained that way.

“Noted,” Ansel nodded his head.

ORIGINALS

Later that same day,

Davina felt ready to collapse on her bed. She’d just had another session with Blair and then a training session with Elijah straight afterwards. Blair was pushing her further with her magic, pushing her to be stronger and faster, even focusing on her weakest element to cover all her bases. Elijah had physically pushed her further, aiming for her to be quicker than her enemies, especially if they were Witches and Wolves. Mentally, she was kicking herself because she had asked to be kept busy and the female Fae had kept true to her promise. She was exhausted and just wanted to sleep for a week straight.

However, it would seem that the universe had other ideas. There was a knock on the door and she groaned loudly.

“What?” Davina asked loudly, not moving from her position from her bed. It was comfy and soft, and if it wasn’t important then she was going to send whoever it was away so she could sleep.

“It’s me,”

Davina's eyes shot open when she heard Kol’s voice. Suddenly filled with energy, she jumped off the bed and looked at herself in the mirror, making sure she looked presentable. Her hair was slightly frizzy and her face flushed with all the exercise she’d had earlier. However, there was nothing that could be done about it as he was right outside her door. Inhaling deeply, Davina walked over to her door and opened it, shyly peeking out.

Kol was standing on the other side, looking perfect as always and it made her mentally curse. “Can we talk?” He asked hesitantly, missing his usual bravado.

Not finding the courage to speak, Davina nodded her head and stepped inside, letting him enter her room. Once he was inside her room, he closed the door behind him and appeared more nervous than before.

“I am honestly surprised it took you this long to come and see me,” Davina tried to joke, but it came out flat.

Kol winced, “I would have… but Blair forbade me. She said to give it time for me to cool off,” Usually, Kol did not take orders very well, but this one he did. He had an explosive and volatile tempter, and it was very likely he would have done something he would seriously regret if he hadn’t taken time away.

Davina nodded her head in understanding. The Fae had given her the same warning too so she wasn’t surprised. “Did it work?”

“It did,” Kol said, more confident than before, “It allowed me some time to think and get my head around the whole situation. But before I say anything else, I have a question: was everything between us faked?” This was something he was desperate to know because now he was unsure of how real everything was. Before all of this happened, Kol was pretty sure that they had a strong bond but now he wasn’t too sure.

Her heart started to beat faster with nerves, something Kol had picked up on but didn’t comment on, “No, not everything was faked. In the beginning, yes but that changed. Did you fake anything?” It wasn’t just her playing the game and she needed to know if he felt it too.

“At first, yes,” Kol admitted with a frown, “I was just going along with everything because my mother asked me to get information from you. But then I began to get to know you and you charmed me. It became evident quite early on that you didn’t know where the stake was but I couldn't let my mother know that otherwise, she wouldn’t let me spend time with you,” It had been easy to lie to Esther because if he hadn’t, she would have seen Davina as a distraction and had her removed altogether.

“Are you angry?” Davina asked, slightly worried about the answer.

Kol smirked cheekily, “I wouldn’t be here if I was.”

Davina sighed in relief, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“Are you angry with me?” Kol asked.

Shaking her head, Davina smiled weakly, “No, I wasn’t,”

“I was angry,” Kol admitted with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. He needed to get this off his chest, “As you probably already know, I don’t take people lying to me very well and I felt as though I had been played a fool. It wasn’t until both Elijah and Nik explained everything to me that I calmed down,” He wasn’t proud of his tantrum when the news had been broken. He had wanted to make Davina hurt and pay for what he perceived to be a betrayal but Elijah had talked him down and Klaus had knocked some sense into him.

“If it means anything to you, I am sorry,” Davina said whole-heartedly. As the whole charade continued, she felt guilty and had wanted to stop but couldn't. Davina knew that if she had gone to Blair or Elijah, they would have stopped this but she couldn't. She had to see this through until the end especially when she knew that Kol would be saved. 

Kol smiled slightly, “I am sorry too.”

“But I don’t regret it,” Davina said, meeting his eyes fearlessly, finding her courage. She didn’t regret it at all because she’d got to know him on a personal level and was able to see behind his bravado that he presented to the world. She saw the person who longed for a family and yearned to be loved.

Falling silent, Kol returned her gaze fearlessly, never looking away. This was the girl that had impressed and intrigued him. This was the girl that made him question everything about himself and wants to do better. He wanted to be a better person than before and she shared his sentiment. He didn’t regret it, but he wished they had met during better circumstances.

Inhaling deeply, Kol held out his hand, “How about we start over?”

Davina smiled, “I’d like that,” She took his hand in hers, feeling the butterflies in her stomach flutter once more.

Bending down, Kol kissed her knuckles, “Why, hello, gorgeous. My name’s Kol Mikaelson,”

Giggling at his action, Davina played along, “And my name’s Davina Claire,”

“Charmed,” Kol said with a playful glint in his eyes.

ORIGINALS 

Later that same day,

Everyone was gathered in the living room of the compound, all arguing over what to do with Finn and Esther. However, no one seemed to agree on what to do with Finn and they hadn’t even begun to discuss what to do with their mother as of yet. Blair and Kol were advocating to kill him and be done with it, but Raphael and Rebekah were arguing that they should keep him alive. Elijah was attempting to play the diplomate in the family but even he was starting to get frustrated by the lack of order and decisiveness, especially since Klaus had refused to say anything the entire meeting. Davina had also stayed silent, but she did agree with Kol and Blair’s suggestion but knew better than to get involved, especially when she could feel the tension rising drastically.

Having enough of the arguing, Blair’s magic bubbled under her skin, “Enough!” As soon as she was stood up, everyone in the room went quiet, “We need to come up with a solution and soon. The longer we leave this, the more likely chance Finn becomes a bigger problem,” From her vision, she had seen Finn became an even greater nuisance before it was cut off. She could only imagine the trouble he would cause, being a Mikaelson, but for the moment they had him contained. Still, she didn’t want to test fate and accidently let him get loose.

“But he’s our brother,” Rebekah argued back as the Fae sat back down.

Kol snorted, “Who is also trying to kill our niece,”

“To stop your crazy aunt from stealing Hope,” Raphael replied back calmly, his arm wrapped around Rebekah.

Elijah looked to Klaus, who had been strangely soundless, “It’s not like you to be silent, Niklaus,” The only times he was silent was when he was plotting and they never usually had good outcomes.

“You’re all right,” Klaus said, his voice calm and steady, “Finn needs to be dealt with, and our sessions were not enough to dissuade him from his crusade,” Despite everything they had thrown at their eldest sibling, he had not budged in his conviction. He still believed that Hope needed to die otherwise Dahlia would bring chaos to this city. Their mother had truly twisted Finn in a way that not even he could be salvaged. “But death is too good for him,”

“Then what do you suggest?” Kol asked, interested by his ominous words.

A sinister gleam flickered in the Hybrid’s blue eyes, “We turn him back into the very thing he hates.”

Rebekah’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, “Oh, he would really hate that,” During their session, Finn had made it known he would not stop his cause until every Vampire was dead. To make him a Vampire again would be poetic justice.

“Could it be done?” Raphael asked with a frown. As far as he was aware, Finn’s body had not been left in good condition whereas Kol’s body was. Klaus had handled Kol’s body with care but Finn’s body would need a lot of work before he could be transferred.

Davina had a thoughtful expression, “It could be done,”

“Then what happens to him?” Blair questioned as she looked to Klaus, “Surely you wouldn’t let him loose with powers of an Original Vampire?”

“That’s when he will be put back in his coffin,” Klaus smirked wickedly. He knew how much Finn feared being daggered and put back in his coffin, hence why he thought it to be a fitting ending.

Blair decided not to say anything and instead nodded her head. She shared a look with Rebekah and Kol, who both seemed slightly nervous. If it came down to it, Blair would give Klaus one of the daggers and that was it and even then, she didn’t feel confident about giving it to him.

“Now, what about mother?” Kol asked as he looked at his siblings. Now that the issue with Finn was finally settled, they could look at the other adversary they had left to deal with before Dahlia became a player.

Once again, this caused everyone to share their opinions at the same time. It was starting to become annoying and Blair swore that she was starting to get a headache from all this. Sensing her irritation, Elijah wrapped his arms around her and ran his hands through her hair, eyes still focused on his family. Sighing into him, Blair closed her eyes and relaxed. However, just as she started to relax, she began to feel weird. A wave of dizziness hit her and that familiar sickness washed over her.

Realising that she was going to have a vision, her nails dug into Elijah’s thigh, making him look down at her, “What's wrong?”

“Vision,” Blair muttered out before her vision went white as her powers activated.

Eyes widening slightly, Elijah acted swiftly, ignoring as his family called out his name in surprise. Picking Blair up, he sped out of the room and into hers, so that she would be at ease. Blair had shared once that she didn’t feel comfortable being around people when she had a vision because of how vulnerable it left her. Not wanting her to be uncomfortable, Elijah placed her on the bed and watched as she convulsed in the bed, her eyes white and her magic cocooning around her.

Blair was assaulted by a vision of white and then everything began to play out like in a cinema.

The vision started with Esther and Rebekah talking, but the whispers were loud and harsh. The scene then turned sinister when Esther performed a spell on Rebekah, only for the Vampire to collapse and then the scene shifted. Blinking twice, Blair was now standing in front of a house, and there was a sign nearby. It read Dowager Fauline Cottage and it looked like a nice little cottage but then she heard the screams. Inside the place, there seemed to be Witches, all seemingly either deranged or scared. However, Blair could hear Rebekah scream her name and demand to be let out. Suddenly, it shifts once more and Blair watches a familiar person appear – Freya. She was inside the house but broke free along with Rebekah, who was in another body and wasn’t someone who Blair recognised. The whispering got louder and louder until Blair had to cover to ears and close her eyes. It was painful and Blair knew that it was all coming from Freya – the pain, the sadness and the longing. However, it suddenly stopped and when Blair opened her eyes once more, she saw Dahlia and Freya. They were fighting one another but Dahlia’s magic was too powerful and that’s when she noticed the resentment in Freya’s eyes – the hatred. The whisper turned to shout as Dahlia became angry and then it stopped. Blinking once more, the vision changed and this time, Dahlia was standing in front of everyone – including herself, Raphael and Davina. They were all on the ground and Dahlia was using her magic to kill them all. Then Esther appeared and everything was calm once more.

Gasping for breath, the vision came to a gradual end and then stopped. Once the light cleared from her eyes, she sagged in relief. Finally, the vision she’d had months ago was complete but it filled her with a sense of foreboding. She wasn’t able to think on the vision much more before her vision went dark and she fell into a slumber.

Chapter 38: Chapter 38

A few days later

Esther was in her cove, grinding away some herbs with the mortar and pestle aggressively. She was attempting to locate Finn but was having difficulty. There seemed to be a powerful spell in place that prevented her from locating him anywhere in New Orleans, the same with Kol. At the thought of her youngest male child, she sighed deeply. Esther knew that she should have kept a tighter leash on him as he was known to be the wildest and she had underestimated him. The one thing Esther never expected was for Kol to return to Klaus’ side considering the animosity between them but she had been proven wrong.

However, it was Finn that worried her the most. She knew that he was loyal to her, the precious boy that he was. He understood her reasons for doing what she needed to and had vowed to help her. He could see that her idea was the only correct thing to do to restore balance and stop Dahlia from coming for them all. She was sure that Klaus was subjecting Finn to unspeakable torture and she wanted to save the one child who had stayed by her side no matter what.

Esther stopped grinding down the herbs when she sensed someone’s presence. Turning her head, her eyebrow arched when she saw Rebekah walking towards her, “Rebekah, it’s lovely to see you,” Esther said with a genuine smile, happy to see her daughter. Rebekah stared at her with a blank expression, one that slightly stung Esther. The fact her own daughter could look at her in such a fashion hurt.

“Why do you not give up, mother?” Rebekah questioned haughtily, “You know that Nik will not accept your deal and neither will Elijah,”

This statement caused some hope to flicker inside her, “But you have you considered my offer?” Esther asked as she placed down her tools.

“It’s a lot of ask,” Rebekah stated with a frown, “To give up eternal life and to be vulnerable. We’ve made a lot of enemies over the years,” Their list of allies was low, but the list of enemies was extremely high. Their strength alone was one of the only things keeping those enemies away but if that were it change it could end disastrously.

Esther nodded her head, very much aware of the atrocities her children had committed over the millennia, “That much is true,”

Rebekah arched a brow, “Is that the sales pitch? You’re really going to have to be better than that,”

“I only offer what you already want,” Esther said as she moved over and poured some wine. She would have made tea on this occasion but suspected that Rebekah would want something stronger than that.

“And how do you presume to know that?” Rebekah questioned.

Esther smiled as she poured the wine into the glasses, “I am your mother. Elijah is happiest when there is order and music and Niklaus when he is the centre of attention and in control. Kol is also happiest when he is the centre of attention, particularly the females. But you, are my only child who is capable of joy, and you are happiest amongst humans. I have seen you yearn for that life, for that kind of love,”

“I would be giving up eternal life for this, for a moment that I barely remember. Power for weakness, strength for frailness. It would be a brief mortal existence,” Rebekah countered back, watching her mother carefully. She was making sure magic wasn’t being used or if something was slipped into the wine.

Esther stepped closer, the two glasses of wine in hand, “The choice is simple. You could have another thousand years where you could long for something or a few years where you are finally happy,”

Slowly Rebekah took the glass of wine and watched as Esther drank from hers. Rebekah was about to take a sip when her mother spoke once more.

“But of course, you’re going to have to cut that boy loose,” Esther commented as she sighed lowly.

Rebekah frowned, “What do you mean?”

“You can’t possibly stay with that Fae,” Esther sneered in disgust, “He's not right for you. I am sure you’ll find someone who deserves you,” She’d heard rumours about Rebekah and her affair with the male Fae. Witches from the Coven had seen them out together and reported back to her. To say Esther was disappointed that her daughter had fallen so low was an understatement.

The glass Rebekah was holding in her hand cracked under the pressure. Anger flashed in her eyes, “Raphael is a sweetheart and treats me like a queen. I will not get rid of him,”

“Of course, you will,” Esther replied back confidently, “Because if you don’t, then I will not help you,”

Before Rebekah could say anything, there were footsteps behind them as Klaus appeared. He was staring at Esther with a blank expression, but there was a silent fury in his eyes. Behind Klaus was Elijah, who strolled in looking as calm as ever. However, the moment Esther saw them both, the confident look on her face dropped and uncertainty flashed in her dark eyes.

“I should have known that this was too good to be true,” Esther said as she stared at Rebekah in displeasure.

Rebekah was thankful that the look didn’t hurt anymore – in fact, she felt nothing.

“Oh, don’t be too disappointed mother,” Klaus began, a slow grin appearing on his face, “The family is nearly back together,”

“Kol and Finn are still missing though,” Esther pointed out grimly.

Elijah grinned slightly, “Finn is getting what he deserves, and Kol is where he belongs, with his family,”

Hurt shimmered in Esther’s eyes but it was quickly gone, “I could have given you all a new life yet you all reject me.” At every turn, they dismissed her offer no matter how much she tried. She would have tried accessing their dreams but it seemed as though they were protected by powerful magic and nothing, she did could penetrate it. She had planned to talk with Elijah privately, but she could never get him alone and Klaus hadn’t seemed moved by Ansel’s visit. Rebekah truly was her last hope but it seemed as though she would not get her to wish.

Klaus smirked, “That’s not all I’ve done,” With the speed that only a Vampire could possess, he disappeared and reappeared within seconds, this time carrying a body. Klaus threw the body down at Esther’s feet and smirked viciously.

The moment Esther saw who it was, she let out a scream and unfiltered horror filled her face. At her feet lay Ansel, who was covered in blood and gashes. It looked as though he had been mauled to death. Esther fell to the ground, crying out in anguish.

“Now!” Elijah ordered.

Within a flash, Klaus lunged for Esther and grabbed her, forcing her to stand upright. Next, Rebekah appeared before her and forced her bloodied wrist into the Witch's mouth. Esther attempted to resist but Klaus was too strong. It all happened in a space of seconds and Esther was powerless to stop it because she was too slow. Elijah appeared from Klaus’ side and snapped their mother’s neck with practised ease, her body falling to the ground with a thud.

There was a moment of silence as they all stared down at their mother’s dead body. No one said anything for a couple of minutes before Ansel twitched.

“It’s safe to get up, Ansel,” Klaus said as he looked down at his father.

Ansel opened his eyes and looked around, only to find Esther dead on the ground. Sighing deeply, he sat up and winced, “Did you have to be so rough?” He asked as he got up. He was already starting to heal but that didn’t mean he wasn't in pain.

“It had to be convincing,” Elijah said nonchalantly. The plan was to use Ansel as a distraction, but Esther had to truly believe he was dead, that was so she wouldn’t look for him in the future. If she believed him dead then he was safe and it would leave her vulnerable, defenceless enough where they could strike without her reacting in time.

Rubbing his sore shoulders, Ansel said nothing. He had seen the logic in their plan and so had agreed to go along with it. He didn’t regret it but wished they hadn’t been so harsh.

Klaus glanced at his sister, “And you missy, nearly blew it,” They had been watching in the background, waiting for the perfect time to strike. The plan had been for Rebekah to spike the wine so Esther wouldn’t know that she had been given Vampire blood, but Rebekah had acted out.

“Don’t blame me!” Rebekah yelled back angrily, “She was talking bad about Raphael, I wasn’t going to stand for that!” She could deal with a lot of things, but insulting the man who made her happy was not one of them. Esther had acted like Raphael was less than a person and Rebekah wasn’t having it.

“Leave her, Niklaus. We have accomplished what we set out to do,” Elijah chided in, coming to Rebekah’s aid. He would have done the exact same thing in Rebekah’s shoes, especially if his mother had started to slander Blair.

Klaus huffed but didn’t say anything more.

“Now, let’s get her locked up before she wakes up,” Elijah said, getting everyone back on track. They had a limited time before their mother woke up while in transition. They needed to get her to a safe location before then.

Klaus picked up Esther's unconscious body and flung it over his shoulder, “Let’s go,” He said as he stormed off, the rest of the following close behind. 

ORIGINALS

Blair was in the Garden putting the final preparations in place with Raphael by her side. They were remodelling the Garden, which had been previously used by Marcel. However, now that the Mikaelson family was running the city, the female Fae thought that it would be appropriate to repurpose it. Elijah had been in complete agreement and gave her free will to do as she pleased with the place. Raphael had been a big help by physically moving things around and Blair had spent a large portion of her time placing barrier spells around it. She had carved ancient runes in the walls, stopping people other than herself and Davina from using magic while in the Garden.

Just as she was finished, Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah made their appearance. Ansel had made his way back to the Bayou as he needed to help set up the wedding for Hayley and Jackson. The moment they were inside, Klaus flung Esther onto the ground carelessly.

“I see you were successful,” Blair commented as she stared down at the Witch’s unconscious body. She could see the blood caked on Esther’s face and had an idea the plan hadn’t exactly happened as intended.

Elijah walked over to his mate and placed a kiss on top of her head, “You guessed correctly,”

Klaus snorted, “Rebekah nearly lost her cool,”

Glaring at him, Rebekah did not appreciate his words but calmed down when Raphael took her hand in his. Just being in his presence calmed her down and made her feel safe.

“Regardless, it’s done,” Elijah said, moving them on. The whole way there, Rebekah and Klaus had bickered with one another and it was exhausting to listen to it.

Klaus looked around the Garden, clearly impressed with the work, “You two have been busy,” It looked completely different than before. It was void of any magic making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. This would be a Witch’s worst nightmare and it made him grin with glee.

“I wanted to get rid of Papa Tunde’s taint,” Blair sneered as she remembered the harvest Witch that had come back. Even after his passing, Blair could still sense his magic lingering in the air and she had eradicated that completely.

Rebekah nodded her head in appreciation, “Good, we don’t need any reminder of him,”

“Are the barriers in place?” Elijah asked.

Raphael was the one who answered this, “Of course. Blair spent a lot of time setting them up. There is an alarm that will inform her of any intruders as well as a barrier that doesn’t allow the prisoners to leave,” He had watched as Blair set up everything, still finding her level of magic to be fascinating.

Blair nodded her head, “He’s right, with this barrier in place, no one will be allowed to leave unless they have permission from one of us.” Other than the Abattoir and the Bayou, this place was one of the safest locations within the French Quarter, all to ensure that the Original Witch did not escape her prison.

At this answer, Klaus seemed satisfied and his shoulder dropped ever so slightly. The stress of the whole situation was starting to get to him because there always seemed to be a danger against his family. It was true that he thrived off chaos and fighting, but he did not enjoy it when his daughter was at risk.

Just then, Esther groaned and everyone stood up straighter. They hadn’t expected her to wake up so quickly but they all improvised. Forming a circle around her, with Klaus at the head and Elijah and Rebekah at either side of him. Blair watched as Esther slowly woke up groggily, and watched as she looked around in confusion.

“What did you do?” Esther demanded as she stared at Klaus with accusing eyes.

Klaus smirked, “You’re in transition, mother,”

Revulsion swarmed her eyes, “No, no, that can’t be possible!” However, it soon hit her as she remembered what happened. Klaus had been the one to hold her back while Rebekah gave her blood. She vaguely remembered seeing Elijah and suspected that he was the one who killed her.

“Becoming the very thing you hate, how poetic,” Elijah said softly as he looked down at his mother with no sympathy.

Rebekah snorted, “Kol would be so disappointed to miss this,”

“I’ve promised him that he can take the lead when we deal with Finn,” Klaus brushed off, knowing that Kol and Davina had an important job to do, otherwise they would have been here.

Raphael threw a blood bag into the middle, the bag landing directly in front of Esther, “You might want this,”

At the sight of the blood, Esther’s face became ashen and she started to shake.

Kneeling down, Elijah looked directly into his mother’s scared eyes, “We’re giving you a choice. You’re much too problematic as a Witch, but as a Vampire, you are weak to our compulsion. If we die, so do you,”

“Which is more than you ever gave us,” Klaus snorted.

Blair smirked, finding the situation to be laughable. It was Esther’s reaction that tickled her. She truly believed what she was doing was right by trying to rid the world of Vampires, and now her bubble was burst because none of her family wanted to join her. Finn didn’t count because he was scarily devoted. Blair wondered what Finn’s reaction would be to this whole situation and couldn’t wait to find out.

“In the meantime, you’ll be here, regardless of your choice,” Elijah said as he stood up. He moved closer to Blair, who was standing beside him and took her hand in his.

Esther looked down at the blood, desperation colouring her face, “My own family has really betrayed me…”

“You’ve tried to kill them, several times,” Blair cut in bluntly, “What do you expect?”

At hearing the Fae’s voice, Esther’s whole demeanour changed. No longer was she sad and depressed, but angry and irritated, “And everything I have done for all of you, this is how I am repaid.” This time, she turned to look at Klaus, “I even planned to reunite you with that girl from Mystic Falls,”

Klaus became deathly still, “Excuse me?”

Looking between his mother and brother, Elijah became cautious, “Whom are you referring to?” It was a very leading sentence, but if Esther was talking about one particular girl then he feared for Klaus’ reaction.

Laughing, Esther smirked wickedly, “A young sweet girl came to New Orleans looking for you. She had no idea who I was when she came asking for directions.” She remembered how smitten Klaus had been over her in Mystic Falls and thought it to be perfect. If Ansel hadn’t managed to convince him, then this girl certainly would.

Rebekah let out a gasp as the penny dropped. There was only one woman Klaus had been so enamoured with in Mystic Falls. Raphael and Blair looked at her, not knowing what had caused her to react in such a manner.

“Where is she?!” Klaus demanded, taking a threatening step towards his mother. He would have had her pinned against the wall by her throat if it wasn’t for Elijah, who was holding onto his shoulder tightly.

“We need her, Niklaus,” He whispered lowly so Esther wouldn’t overhear. Blair had explained that her vision showed that Esther was important for dealing with Dahlia, how exactly was uncertain. It was already revealed that Esther would choose to transition to become a Vampire in her vision, but this new ploy by their mother had not been shown.

While Elijah held back Klaus, Blair placed a quick barrier spell around Esther, so to protect her from his wrath. She never thought she’d be protecting the Original Witch and it left a bitter taste in Blair’s mouth. However, she could see how much this was affecting Klaus and knew that it was serious for him to flip at such a crucial time.

“Only I know where she is,” Esther provoked smugly, not truly seeing how much danger she was in, “And I will take it to my grave,” To prove her point, she threw the bag of blood out of reach.

Klaus snarled in response and his eyes flashed the Hybrid gold colour. This caused Elijah to tighten his grip on him considerably and Rebekah moved over to assist, grabbing Klaus’ other shoulder.

“We can force her to transition then you guys can compel her,” Raphael suggested, making Blair nod her head in agreement.

“That’s if you find her in time,” Esther said ominously.

“Where is Caroline?!” Klaus shouted, his patience had snapped at this point.

Elijah looked to Blair, hoping she could help, “Do you think you could find Caroline?” His mother’s words concerned her as if there was a time limit on her safety.

Blair nodded her head, “I can try,”

Hearing this, Klaus relaxed massively, enough for Elijah and Rebekah to let go but stay close to him in case he attempted something. Stepping back, he kept his deadly gaze trained onto his mother, “Rebekah, Raphael, I want you two to stay with her. I want her changed over, but leave it to the last minute. I want her in as much pain as possible.” It was the most pain he could inflict on her at that moment but he planned to come back and get revenge. If anything happened to Caroline then he would repay the favour ten times over. When Esther was a Vampire, she would be fair game.

Raphael and Rebekah nodded their heads in understanding.

Storming out of the Garden, Klaus motioned to Elijah and Blair to follow him. They had a Vampire to find.

ORIGINALS

At the same time

Kol and Davina stood in front of the Dowager Fauline Cottage. It was a two-story house that appeared lovely on the outside, but the horrors that awaited them on the inside put a downer on the niceness of the outside. The gate surrounding the cottage was decorated in dolls' heads, which only added to the creepiness factor and often made people think twice before getting too close. It was imposing and brought back bad memories for Kol, making him visibly wince. This had not been the finest moment in his life and a time when he’d got daggered by Klaus as a result.

Seeing this reaction, Davina looked to him, “Are you okay?”

“Just brings back some bad memories,” Kol admitted slowly, ashamed for Davina to see this. At first, when it had been proposed that he and Davina were to come here, he vehemently refuted this and demanded that someone else went. He hadn’t wanted Davina anywhere near this place but she stubbornly refused to be side-lined and had argued back. It took some time, but Kol gave in, knowing that her stubbornness wouldn’t let this go, but he demanded that she not leave his side.

Taking his hand in hers, Davina smiled encouragingly, “I am here if you need me,”

Kol squeezed her hand in appreciation. Dowager Fauline Cottage was his and Klaus’ doing. The Witches that lived in there was basically his Witches. “What do you know about this place?”

Looking at the building, Davina frowned, “There used to be ghost stories about this place when I was in the Coven. It was said that all the bad and crazy Witches got sent here because nowhere else could contain them. It was said that once you were inside, there was no getting out,” Elders used to threaten the fledglings that if they didn’t behave, they’d be sent here and it kept most people in line. Davina had almost forgotten about it until Blair mentioned what she had seen in her vision.

Considering her words, Kol pursed his lips together and nodded his head, “That isn’t far off. This place was spelled in 1914 to trap my Witch allies because I was searching for something to kill Klaus with. Unfortunately, Klaus found out about my plan and trapped all my Witches inside with one of his own. They were never allowed to leave with how powerful the boundary spell is around the property,” He was pretty certain that all the original Witches that had been trapped inside the house were dead. On the way, he had spotted a graveyard in the back and guessed most of them were buried there. When a Witch was sent to this cottage, they were essential ex-communicated from their Coven and were buried there, unless someone from the Coven came and claimed the body, which didn’t happen very often.

“Your Witches?” Davina questioned with a frown.

Kol flashed a smirk, “I am pretty popular with Witches, love,”

Davina rolled her eyes.

“I just can’t imagine that anyone would want to be here, willingly,” Kol commented with a frown. Blair had shared her vision of how Freya had placed herself in the cottage, a fact that baffled him.

“Well, once we get Freya, we can find out why,” Davina said as she took a step forward. As she got closer, she could feel the powerful boundary spell but paid it no mind. Kol had been worried that she would get trapped in this place, but Blair had assured her that the protection mark she’d placed on Davina would prevent that.

Kol followed closely behind her, eyes peeled for anything dangerous. They made it past the gate that was littered with severed doll heads and opened the door. Once inside, they were immediately greeted with a sombre sight. Witches were wandering around the house like a bunch of zombies, all looking zoned out and sickly.

“Oh god,” Davina whispered when she was filled with a sense of dread. It was like this place sucked out any happiness in people. It made her uncomfortable because these used to be her people. It was said that being here was a fate worse than death and she was starting to agree with this.

“Let’s hurry up before we’re spotted,” Kol said as he grabbed Davina’s arm. Using his Vampire speed, he and Davina flashed away, trying to find what they had come here for. He wanted Davina out of this place as soon as possible.

It was surprisingly easy to navigate the house without being seen. The wardens of the house were much too preoccupied exerting their authority over the Witches to even notice them. The Witches in the house didn’t seem to notice them either, all too zonked out to notice their presence. There was screaming radiating from the other room and Davina spotted some of the wardens forcing some pills down a Witch’s throat. Kol was quick to move her away from there and they continued their search but seemed to be struggling. It wasn’t until they got to the last room that they noticed something different. There were protective charms around this room and it seemed as though the wardens avoided this room.

Peeking inside, Davina spotted a glass coffin with Freya inside

“Found her,” Davina whispered softly as they moved into the room. Looking around, it seemed to be quite bare and desolate.

Kol looked down at Freya, the sister he thought had died during a plague. She looked like a Mikaelson and resembled Klaus and Rebekah quite a bit. Looking down at his sleeping sister, he thought it to be eerily similar to when he and his siblings were daggered. Freya seemed to be holding something, a necklace and was wearing an old dress, one he hadn’t seen in a hundred years but it looked familiar.

“She’s really alive,” Kol said as he watched Freya’s chest move up and down. If it weren’t for that, he would have thought her dead.

“We need to get her out,” Davina said, drawing Kol away from his thoughts.

Nodding his head, Kol looked at the glass coffin, “There seems to be a spell around it, protecting her,” Despite no longer having magic, he was still sensitive to it and could feel it in the air. There was a powerful spell surrounding Freya, protecting her from any harm.

Examining the spell, Davina frowned, “I don’t think I have the power to disable it,” It was much too advance and powerful for her to begin to unweave.

Kol hummed as a thought came to him, “Channel me, that will give you enough power to undo the spell,” Every supernatural creature possessed magic, and everyone used it differently. Just because he couldn't use it like the Fae and Witches didn’t mean he didn’t have it.

Without hesitation, Davina took Kol’s hand in her and closed her eyes. Slowly, she began to chant a spell, siphoning Kol’s magic and began to unweave the spell around Freya. It was a slow process and one that took time and patience. She couldn't rush it in fear something would go wrong and this trip would be for nothing.

Minutes later, the sound of clicking echoed in the room as the locks came undone to the glass coffin. Cancelling the spell, Davina grinned widely, “We did it,”

“You were marvellous, my little dove,” Kol kissed the top of her head, proud at what she had done. 

“Now, we just need to get out of here,” Davina said.

Wordlessly, Kol moved and opened the glass coffin with no resistance. Carefully, he picked up his unconscious sister, “Hang onto me,” Kol said as he looked to Davina. Entering this place was the easy part, but leaving with someone from here wasn’t going to be easy, especially if they were spotted.

Having an idea of what Kol planned to do, she held onto his arm tightly. Within seconds, Kol used his Vampire speed and flashed out of the room and the cottage. Now that they were outside, they relaxed slightly. They hadn’t been spotted and there was no interference.

“Let’s go home,” Davina said as they walked out of the gate. She could feel the boundary spell trying to keep her inside but the mark Blair placed on her repelled the spell. She made sure to keep hold of Freya so the mark would protect her as well, allowing Freya to easily pass through the boundary spell. Mentally, Davina sighed in relief when this seemed to work. She would hate to be trapped here and was silently thankful for the mark.

Chapter 39: Chapter 39

It had been well over two hours since Klaus, Blair and Elijah had begun their search for Caroline but were yet to be successful. She had been hidden away somewhere that even Blair had troubling finding. The magic that Esther had used wasn’t powerful, but it was complicated. She had weaved a multitude of spells together to conceal the baby Vampire and it was more than annoying to deal with. Even Klaus was struggling, he had attempted to locate the woman using his superior sense of smell due to being a Hybrid, but he too had turned up with nothing. He had Caroline’s scent memorised and yet could not detect a single note of her scent anywhere. It was so bad that Klaus had assumed that their mother was lying once more to distract him but he refused to take the chance. If there was even the slightest chance, she was in his city, he wanted to know.

It was during their second hour of searching that Klaus had finally brandished something of use, a personal object of Caroline’s. It was a pair of underwear, which he had taken after their dalliance, wanting a little reminder of the event. Despite being disgusted, Blair managed to find her. As it turned out, Caroline was being kept in the Fleur-de-Lis Sanatorium, where Klaus had been kidnapped by Genevieve. It was abandoned and far away from the French Quarter, a perfect place to hide the body of someone without arousing suspicion.

On arrival at the Sanatorium, Klaus went mad. Disappearing in a flash, he scoured the whole building trying to find her.

Now alone with Elijah, the female Fae looked to him, “What's his deal with this girl?” Blair had never seen Klaus react in such a manner. She had assumed that he had a thing for Camille, but he had never reacted this way with the barmaid.

Elijah hummed as he looked around, not in a flurry like his brother, “When my family and I arrived in Mystic Falls, we were met with hostility. It was there that my brother sacrificed someone of importance to them. A Doppelgänger,”

Blair looked at him in surprise, “They’re still going?” She had known that Katherine was a Doppelgänger but she had thought the line had died with her when she transitioned into a Vampire. Blair vaguely remembered Katherine mentioning something about a daughter she had, but the Fae had assumed that the daughter was also dead and that Katherine had found no leads. Evidently, she was wrong. She was aware of their being two Doppelgängers, one male and the other female, apparently, the origin had something to do with Silas, not that she really cared. The Fae as a community had a disliking towards the Doppelgängers and Silas because he had attempted to manipulate the Fae to do his bidding in the past and it hadn’t ended well. The magic surrounding the Doppelgängers was also extremely annoying to deal with as Travellers were never far behind and they were mind-numbingly stupid. As a rule, Blair avoided Travellers and Doppelgängers, the exception being only Katherine.

“They are,” Elijah nodded his head, “But while we were there, a lot of havoc was raised and mother tried to kill us with the aid of Finn. It was there that a certain Caroline Forbes caught Niklaus’ attention. Her sharp tongue and disregard for his whole being ensnarled him,” His brother was never soft around the women he was with, but with Caroline he was. It was as if Klaus brought down his guarded walls around her and made him less brutal. He had watched his brother pine for the girl once they had left Mystic Falls and assumed that’s why he had taken to Camille as they were similar in appearance.

“I kind of like the sound of her,” Blair smirked, finding it amusing. Klaus was so arrogant that he needed someone who would bring him down a few pegs.

Elijah nodded his head, “I will admit, she was one of the better people we met in Mystic Falls.” Despite the fact she would get roped into the plots to kill his family, he actually liked Caroline and didn’t fault her. However, there were others he was less keen on and tempted to go back and teach them a lesson on respect.

“And what do you think Klaus is going to do if something happens to her?” Blair asked, just as Klaus zoomed past her, not even paying her another glance. He was leaving no stone unturned, very much acting like a territorial Wolf.

“The outcome will not be pleasant,” Elijah replied back grimly.

Blair hummed lowly in the back of her throat, “And what would you do if I were ever taken?” She asked, curious to know what his response would be.

Elijah looked at her in bemusement, “That’s assuming anyone would be able to capture you,”

“Just humour me,” Blair nudged him with a grin.

Falling silent for a moment, Elijah considered his answer, “If for whatever reason, you were taken, I would more than likely be worse than Niklaus,”

“Worse?” Blair echoed, almost in disbelief.

Stopping in his tracks, Elijah turned around so he was facing the Fae. He grabbed her hand and placed it over his heart, the slow rhythm beating under her hand, “Never doubt me when I say I love you. I am the rational one in the family and if you were taken, I would be no different than Niklaus, except there would be no one to reign me in, not until I knew you were safe,” Using his other hand, Elijah cupped Blair’s face, his eyes darkening at the thought of anything happening to her.

Blair’s face flushed red at his words, the beat of her heart picking up. She suddenly had a very strong urge to kiss him and mentally cursed his smooth-talking ways. He knew exactly what to say to make her red in the face.

“Now, humour me,” Elijah smirked, finding his affect on the Fae to be enticing, “What would you do if I was ever taken?” Absentmindedly, the hand he had placed on her face was moving, running his hands through her hair in such a manner that it made her nearly groan. He knew how much she loved having her hair played with.

Blair answered him with no hesitation, “I would drown everyone and everything until I found you,”

“Good,” He practically purred back, his voice low in her ears.

Having no more patience, Blair pulled him down by his tie and kissed him hard, finding the small groan he let out to be the sexiest noise she had ever heard. Walking forward, Elijah pushed Blair up against a nearby wall, kissing her with everything he had. He wasn’t one to act so bold out in public but she drove him absolutely crazy. The kiss was beginning to get more desperate, especially when she began to nibble on his lower lip which caused him to growl lowly in his chest. They were so wrapped up in the kiss that they barely heard Klaus shout out.

It was Elijah that reluctantly broke the kiss and listened out, hearing Klaus yell out once more that he’d found Caroline. Sighing deeply, he looked down at Blair and nearly forgot what he was about to say. Her lips were swollen, cheeks flushed red and her eyes alight with desire. Mentally cursing the situation, Elijah gently kissed her on the forehead, “We will finish this later,”

“You better,” Blair breathily replied back.

Gently taking Blair’s hand in his, Elijah used his Vampire speed to run over to where Klaus was. Blair blinked and it was over, Elijah placed an arm around her to make sure she was steady. Looking around, Blair could see that she was in the basement and it was rather desolate and destroyed. The only thing noteworthy of interest was the fact the body of a blonde woman lay in the far corner of the room.

“Is that her?” Blair whispered into Elijah’s ear, wanting to confirm it.

Elijah nodded his head, giving him her answer.

“I hope I didn’t interrupt,” Klaus said with a large grin on his face. With the amused twinkle in his eyes, he knew precisely what they had been doing. He hadn’t needed his advanced hearing to know that he had interrupted a moment between the couple, all he needed was his eyes. Elijah’s usually immaculate suit was slightly crumped at the lapels where Blair had grabbed and her hair was dishevelled.

“You did actually,” Blair replied back bluntly, not one to be embarrassed. She was still annoyed that he had ruined the moment.

Rolling his eyes, Klaus quipped back, “Well I am sorry to disturb, but we have more pressing matters than you two getting freaky in a Sanatorium,” If the situation wasn’t as pressing as it was, he would have savoured this moment to tease the couple, but he had other issues on his mind.

Sighing deeply, Elijah shook his head. “How is Caroline?” He hoped this question would distract his brother as he would rather not discuss this.

“She won’t wake up, she’s in a deep sleep.” Klaus replied back with a frown, “I even tried feeding her my blood to no effect.” He had hoped that his blood would break whatever sleep his mother had used but it was no use. Caroline hadn’t even blinked as he fed the blood to her.

“Mother must have placed her in a magically induced stasis,” Elijah said grimly.

Klaus turned on Blair, “Fix her, now,”

For a moment, Blair’s eyes flashed purple as her magic reacted to his hostility, not liking it. The way he was speaking to her was like he thought her a servant who would do as he wished. She had been lenient to him before in the past but now it was really starting to grate on her.

Sensing the hostility, Elijah moved so he was shoulder-to-shoulder with Blair, “Niklaus…” Elijah warned his brother, a dark look in his eyes.

Inhaling deeply, Klaus pulled himself back, “Will you look at her, please,” His voice was still filled with venom but at least his manners were there.

“I will do my best,” Blair replied back, satisfied with his attitude adjustment. She sent a grateful glance over to Elijah before walking over to the unconscious Caroline. As she did, she could hear the dark song humming lowly in the background and it only got louder the closer she got. Blair stopped when she was a few feet away and she listened to the song. Closing her eyes, she let her magic get nearer to Caroline but stopped abruptly before it could touch her. Opening her eyes, Blair took a step back and instantly called back her magic.

“What’s wrong?” Elijah asked with a frown. He had never seen Blair react in such a way, she never once shied away from a task.

“What has our mother done?” Klaus demanded, vowing to get revenge.

Blair turned to look at the Originals and shook her head, “I can’t touch her. Esther has used very dark magic and she’s planned for this. If I even try to touch her at all, she will be in excruciating pain and will die,” Esther had foreseen that they would find Caroline and had placed a barrier in the way, stopping them in their tracks.

A low vicious growl echoed as Klaus’ eyes flashed their Hybrid gold colour.

“What can you tell us about this spell?” Elijah asked, eyeing his brother with narrowed eyes.

“Esther has essentially placed Caroline into a coma but it feels… wrong,” Blair said as she narrowed her eyes in concentration. She was still listening to the dark song that was going on in the background. It was taunting her, laughing at her and she hated it, “From what I can tell, you’re the key to unlock this,” She looked to the Hybrid and took a further step back. There was nothing that could be done from her end, it was up to him.

Klaus immediately walked forward and kneeled down beside Caroline. He took her hand in his hand and nearly flinched. She was ice cold and laying so still that he thought she was dead – more so than she already was. The only good thing was that she didn’t appear to be in any pain. He longed for her to open those eyes of hers but he was left wishing.

“Is it safe to move her?” Elijah asked, conscious it wasn’t best to leave her here.

Blair nodded her head, “Yes, nothing is tying her to this place,” If there had, they would have had to leave her behind and she suspected Klaus wouldn’t have reacted well to that.

Needing no further instructions, Klaus picked Caroline and held her close to him. “What else do I need?” Klaus asked, looking to the Fae. She had said he was key, but there must be more – there needed to be more.

Pausing for a moment, Blair listened to the final verse of the dark song, “You need a Witch, a powerful one,”

“Will Davina do?” Klaus all but demanded.

“She’s my protégé,” Blair replied back with a smirk, “She will more than do,” Davina was still a fledgling but she had learned a lot under the Fae’s tutelage. She didn’t doubt for a moment that Davina could do this.

Elijah eyed the basement, “We best leave now, who knows what else our mother has left behind,” He wouldn’t put it behind Esther to leave a trap and he would rather not gamble on it.

Sharing his sentiment, Klaus sped out of the building within the blink of an eye, carefully making sure that Caroline wasn’t jolted too much. Elijah placed his arms around Blair and followed suit, not wanting to be left behind in the Sanatorium.

ORIGINALS

Back in the garden

Rebekah sat in the far corner of the garden with Raphael by her side. She was staring at Esther with narrowed eyes and a clenched jaw. It was pathetic. She had been watching her mother for the past two hours and she had barely moved. The only thing Esther had done was cry out – wailing and screaming about how they had betrayed her. Rebekah was very nearly going to kill her before she even transitioned but knew it would cause upset in the family if anything happened to Esther before the time was right. Blair had said that their mother was needed to deal with Dahlia but, at that moment, Rebekah didn’t care.

“Talk to me, Rebekah,” Raphael said, his voice pulling her out of her thoughts, “What are you thinking?”

Scowling, Rebekah answered him, “That I want to kill her where she stands. I want to force that blood down her throat and turn her into the very thing she hates.” It was the perfect punishment and she was getting twitchy. She was starting to have reservations that her mother would ever take that plunge but Blair had been too confident to cause any doubt.

Raphael hummed lowly, “All good options, and it will happen, just not now,” He could see how anxious she was and wanted to alleviate some of that tension. If it wasn’t for the fact Klaus had barked his orders, he would have looked the other way and allowed Rebekah her fun, but he knew Rebekah would be the one to suffer Klaus’ wrath.

Sighing deeply, Rebekah leaned into him, “I know, I know.”

Looking down at his watch, Raphael saw that it was getting rather late. He was aware that Rebekah hadn’t fed on any blood in the past few days and knew she needed some, “I’ll go and grab some food for us, can I trust you to behave?” He asked with a grin.

Rebekah rolled her eyes but smiled, “Of course, I’ll be good as gold,” Leaning forward, she kissed him softly and he sighed into the kiss. After a few seconds, she pulled back, “Come back soon,”

Kissing her forehead, Raphael ran out of the garden, vowing he’d be back as soon as he could.

Now alone, Rebekah leaned back against the wall, already missing him. She never expected to fall for him and she was glad she had. Raphael was exactly what she needed in her life and for once, she was well and truly happy. What made it truly even better was the fact he was approved by her all brother – minus Finn – and there was no chance of him being killed off because he was also under Blair’s protection.

“How could you lower yourself to be with him?”

Rebekah turned to her mother, a scowl on her face. She couldn't believe that Esther had just asked such a stupid question and it irritated her to no end how she treated Raphael, “I love him, and I don’t share your stupid view about him,”

“They are deceivers, liars and charlatans,” Esther bit back venomously, her face stained with tears.

Resisting the urge to snap her mother's neck, Rebekah stood up and walked closer until she was a few feet away. As she approached, Esther grew tenser, something Rebekah relished in, “I want to make something very clear. I do not care what you may think about my relationship with Raphael – which is his name by the way. I do not wish to hear your opinions on him because they do not matter,”

“He is lying to you, biding his time. Then when you least expect it, he’ll break your heart,” Esther was not deterred and refused to acknowledge what her daughter said.

“He will not!” Rebekah argued back.

Esther shook her head, “It is my fault. I shouldn’t have warned you about those Fae, they bring nothing but trouble,”

“They have helped our family!” Rebekah continued, taking everything that her mother said personal, “Even Elijah and Nik agree, Elijah has even got together with Blair,” Blair was different from all the other people and she suspected the Fae would be sticking around for a while, same with Raphael.

Visible disappointment flashed in Esther’s eyes as she shook her head. She never expected the one sensible child she had to fall for the Fae’s tricks. It only made her hatred for the kind run even deeper knowing they had ensnarled two of her children.

Falling silent, Rebekah stared at her mother in bewilderment. Esther was so narrow-minded that it was almost astonishing. But this grudge against the Fae seemed personal. Both Raphael and Blair had explained how Witches inherently hated the Fae and vice versa, but Davina held none of the resentment.

Sighing deeply, Rebekah threw her hands up in the air, “Why do you hate the Fae so much anyway?!”

“They tried to split up our family,” Esther spat out angrily.

“What?” Rebekah asked, confused.

Shaking her head, Esther stared off listlessly at the nearby wall, “You were too young and wouldn’t remember the stories. But a Fae used to live in our village, her name was Circe. She used to look after the orphans whose parents died in battle,” She used to respect this woman, found what she did to be admirable. Mikael thought her to be a pest but Esther used to stand up for that Fae and would often trade her potions to help aid the children.

Rebekah stared at her mother in shock, she didn’t know this. She didn’t remember much from her human life anymore, but she certainly didn’t recall a Fae being part of their village. They had lived in a small community and none of them stuck out too much.

“But then she betrayed me,” Esther hissed lowly, her whole body shaking in anger from the memory, “It was when Mikael found out about Ansel and how Klaus wasn't his child. Circe tried to take him away from me, saying she could look after him. I caught her in the middle of making off with him after a particularly bad night with Mikael and I killed her for it,” She had already lost one child to her sister Dahlia, she refused to let another one of her children be taken away again.

“So, let me get this straight,” Rebekah began, her brain finally catching up with her, “Circe, a Fae, tried to take Nik away. Tried to save him from the abuse Mikael put him under and your answer was to kill the Fae and let him get continually abused,” Looking back, Rebekah could never understand why her mother hadn’t intervened. She could have helped Klaus so much more than she did. This was something Rebekah could never forgive her mother for.

“He is my son!” Esther yelled out.

“And you let him get continually abused,” Raphael responded as he walked back into the Garden. He had heard the explanation and had hung back, letting this play out, but he couldn't help himself. The Fae that Esther had killed did not deserve to be badmouthed.

Esther glared at him, “Stay out of this, child snatcher,”

“Do not speak to him like that!” Rebekah shouted out angrily.

Raphael stared at Esther with a blank expression, “That Fae attempted something admirable and was killed for it. She could see that Klaus was not safe and tried to do something about it. At least she tried, instead of enabling the abuse and doing nothing. You should be ashamed of yourself,” A parent who never raised a hand to stop abuse was just as responsible, especially for a supposedly powerful Witch like Esther.

“I tried my best!” Esther argued back.

“Not good enough,” Rebekah said, taking Raphael’s hand in hers.

Esther fell silent.

Saying nothing more, Rebekah and Raphael retired to the back of the room, not wanting to be anywhere near the woman. However, they stayed closed enough where they had eyes on her. There was no way that she could leave the Garden without permission but Esther was cunning and so they didn’t want to risk anything. Instead, they watched as Esther stared at the bag of blood, the clock ticking until a decision needed to be made.

“It’s nearly over,” Raphael whispered softly in Rebekah’s ear.

Rebekah sighed deeply and leaned into him, taking the blood he had brought for her. She really needed it after dealing with her mother.

ORIGINALS

Klaus, Elijah and Blair all arrived back at the Abattoir, Blair making sure to keep a fair distance away from Caroline. It was easy to do because Klaus was constantly moving away so she also didn’t get too close, extremely conscious of the baby Vampire’s comfort. To appease the situation, Elijah had positioned himself between them so there was an extra barrier, which seemed to work and make Klaus calmer.

Once they stepped through into the living room, they were greeted by Kol, who had been waiting for the past few hours. Upon seeing his brothers, Kol turned to them, “What the bloody hell took so long?” He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw an unconscious Caroline in Klaus’ arms, “Don’t tell me you kidnapped the poor lass,”

Klaus bared his teeth at Kol, “I would never!”

“It was mother,” Elijah explained with a sigh, shaking his head at Kol’s accusation.

That answer alone gave Kol everything he needed, “Of course she did,” He scowled, not surprised by his mother’s actions. For a brief moment, Kol had assumed his brother had kidnapped the girl from Mystic Falls because he had been sweet on her. He thought her much too good for Klaus and had voiced that before – that had earned him a snapped neck but it had been worth it.

“Where’s Davina?” Blair asked when she couldn't see the Witch.

“Upstairs with Freya,” Kol answered.

“Were there any complications?” Elijah asked as he watched Klaus place Caroline down on the nearby couch. No doubt it would be much comfier than the hard floor she had been left on for who knows how long.

Kol shook his head, “It was a pretty simple task, quite boring actually,” If Davina hadn’t been there, he would have caused a bit of chaos and made it more dramatic, but he hadn’t wanted to put her in danger. He could be reckless with himself but never with her.

Getting visibly impatient, Klaus turned his head and yelled out, “Davina! Get down here now!” He did not care for the mindless prattle, it was not important and was grating on his last nerve.

Kol frowned and looked at Elijah and Blair, “What’s got him so riled up?”

“Esther placed Caroline under a curse. It’s warded against my magic and if I tried, it wouldn’t be pretty,” Blair explained, shaking her head.

Kol made a sound of understanding.

Just then, Davina made her way downstairs, a confused expression on her face, “What’s the rush? I was just making sure Freya was comfortable,” Kol hadn’t seen this task as necessary and he would have dumped Freya on the couch if it hadn’t been for her intervention. A room had been set up for Freya – it used to be Finn’s room – for when she woke up but it was petty bare and Davina was making it look less hollow.

“We require you, little Witch,” Klaus commanded, not moving away from Caroline’s side.

Davina looked to Blair, still confused.

“We need you to try and undo a curse that’s been placed on Caroline,” Blair explained. It appeared as though Klaus wasn’t in the mood for explaining anything and so it was up to either her or Elijah, but he was too preoccupied with keeping Klaus from doing something stupid. “Esther has used a curse that will cause Caroline pain if I use my magic, so that leaves you,”

Understanding flashed in Davina’s eyes, “I’ll try my best,” It was daunting that they were coming to her for magic. Usually, Blair made sure she wasn’t used by any members of the family for her magic, and Davina was grateful for that, though she wished to be useful as well. However, the fact that Blair wasn’t able to touch the spell made her worry. Would she even be able to do it? Walking over to Caroline, she hesitated for a moment when she saw how angry Klaus looked but relaxed when she noticed Elijah and Kol close by. Davina knew that both of the brothers would step in if Klaus attempted to do anything if she were to fail.

Summoning her magic, Davina closed her eyes and felt for the curse with her magic, sensing its maliciousness of it. It almost made her back away instinctively, but she fought against it. Chanting a few words under her breath, she suddenly stopped and stepped back, mirroring exactly what Blair had done previously.

“What happened?” Kol asked, looking down at her concerned.

Davina shook her head, “The spell, it can’t be undone by just anyone. It needs to be broken by a Mikaelson Witch,”

Klaus looked at Blair and glared at her, “You assured me that Davina would be enough,”

“It’s not my fault that your mother is a psycho!” Blair argued back, offended that he didn’t think Davina did a good job. She had managed to unmask another layer of Esther’s schemes, something she hadn’t seen.

Elijah shook his head, “Squabbling will do nothing, we need to think of a plan,”

“What if we transferred Kol in the body of a Witch? He was originally a Mikaelson Witch so that would count,” Davina suggested, looking over to her boyfriend. Kol had a thoughtful expression on his face as he considered his options. It didn’t sound too bad, and he knew that either Blair or Davina could put him back in his Vampire body at any point.

Blair shook her head, “It wouldn’t work. The blood of the body wouldn’t belong to a Mikaelson, and Kol would then need to be taught how to undo this spell. We don’t know how long we have,” Esther had given a warning of a time limit, which in itself was ominous. They couldn't afford to waste time.

Deflating slightly, Davina frowned.

“What if someone fed Davina our blood, that way she has the blood of a Mikaelson fuelling her magic?” Klaus suggested after a moment of silence.

This time, Kol shook his head, “Again, that wouldn’t work. She's not full-blooded. It would give her a boost in power, but not enough to fool the markers around the spell,” If anyone was to feed Davina blood, it would be him. He would fight his brothers on this with no hesitation.

Elijah looked back at the unconscious body of Freya, “We have a Mikaelson Witch in our grasp,”

Following his line of sight, everyone looked at Freya, all with different thoughts and expressions. Blair was considering the plan – as it was the best one, they had – and Davina looked hopeful. Kol was more thoughtful but it was Klaus that didn’t seem too keen on this idea.

“For all we know, she could be working for the enemy, Dahlia,” Klaus hissed out the name of the woman who wanted to steal his child, “How do we know she’s even on our side?”

“She hated Dahlia just as much, if not more,” Blair said, remembering her vision. The hatred that she saw in Freya’s eyes could not have been false. Sometimes her visions could be ambiguous and leave things up for discussion, but not this. This was something Blair was extremely confident on.

Klaus scowled, “That is debatable,”

“I don’t think we have much of a choice,” Elijah said, making everyone look at him. However, he was staring at Caroline with a blank expression.

Klaus looked down and saw Caroline’s face scrunched up in pain. In an instant, he was in front of Blair, his teeth bared, “What did you do?!” He tried to grab the Fae, but Elijah appeared in front of him and grabbed him by the arm, preventing him from touching Blair.

“I did nothing!” Blair yelled at him, offended that he even suggested it.

“Niklaus, stop this foolishness at once,” Elijah warned his brother with a severe look.

“She must have done something, otherwise she wouldn’t be in pain,” Klaus argued back fiercely.

Davina shook her head, “Blair didn’t use any magic, I would have felt it,”

Klaus glared at the Witch, not believing her words. His look was so murderous that Kol stepped in front of Davina, ready to intervene if his brother did anything. Kol hissed lowly, black veins flickering under his eyes as a warning.

Looking over to Caroline, Blair listened for the dark song that was still playing. The words had changed and so had the rhythm. However, it was very subtle and would have been extremely hard to notice the change if Blair hadn’t been listening out for it. It became even more sinister, gloating about what the effects were to anyone who could listen to it. It took her a few moments to realise that this was another layer to the curse and no doubt there would be more to come if something wasn’t done soon.

“It’s the curse Esther placed on her, it’s changed. The magic has sensed that Klaus found her and has morphed.” Blair explained, gaining everyone’s attention instantly, “The magic plans to slowly kill Caroline, slowly destroying her organs. Her own blood has turned against her,” It was a horrible death if left untreated. Caroline’s body was fighting against itself, her blood was causing her this pain and there would be no end to this pain.

Kol cursed loudly.

“I thought you said this wasn’t advanced magic?” Klaus demanded.

Blair shook her head, “The first layer that I originally sensed wasn’t, but it was a cover. I can’t even tell you how many layers there are because there are too many. If I even tried to use my magic it would accelerate the process even more.” There was a trap that the dark song had revealed and Blair wasn't going to take that chance. One wrong move could result in Caroline dying quicker than expected.

“We need to wake Freya up then,” Elijah said making Blair nod her head in agreement.

“But will her magic be strong enough?” Davina asked, worried. If what they knew about Freya were true, surely getting her to use magic after being asleep for so long wouldn’t be the best idea. Surely, Freya would need some time to adjust.

Kol patted her head softly, “She’s a Mikaelson Witch, she’ll be plenty strong enough,” This reassurance calmed down Davina and she leaned into his touch.

After a few seconds of silence, Klaus looked down at Caroline’s scrunched up face once more. She was in pain and he wanted it gone. However, if he woke up Freya, would she be on his side? Would she attempt to use this situation for her own gain? She was a Mikaelson, after all, and so he wanted to tread carefully. This mental debate only took him a few more seconds before he nodded his head, “Do it,”

Elijah turned to Blair and tilted his head forward, silently giving his thoughts on the matter.

With the consent in hand, Blair walked over to Freya, her magic flaring and her eyes turning purple. It was time for the final Mikaelson sibling to join the fray.

 

Chapter 40: Chapter 40

Notes:

So… it’s been a while.

I just wanted to thank everyone that has been patient with me, and I feel as though I owe people an explanation. When I wrote this story, I was going through a lot of ups and downs, which ultimately led me to a very dark place. I lost my love for writing and couldn’t physically write; all the joy had been taken away and I couldn’t bear to even write a sentence. I lost love for this story too. But I recently re-read this story on a whim and feel back in love with Blair’s character and the whole plot.

So, I am back, hopefully this chapter can make up for my long absence.

Enjoy!

The closer Blair got to the oldest Mikaelson, the more she could feel the magic surrounding the unconscious woman like a cocoon. She had been able to sense Freya’s magic ever since she walked into the Abattoir but now that she was fully focused on it, she realised how odd it was. The magic was powerful, extremely so, but it was also peculiar. It was like the magic didn’t belong to Freya but it did belong to her at the same time. Blair had never felt magic like this before and it made her internally frown as she pondered what could have caused this. She felt confident in her knowledge of Witch magic and that’s why she felt confused when she couldn't identify this type of magic.

Eyes glowing purple, Blair placed her hand over Freya’s forehead and tried to forcibly remove the magical cocoon around her. Tugging away at the shield until there was nothing left so Freya would have no other option but to awaken. The moment Blair’s magic touched Freya’s magic, it reacted violently and she was forced to move her hand back. The magic didn’t like her being so close nor did it seem to like what Blair was trying to do.

Taking a different approach, Blair expelled some of her magic once more and encased her. She watched as her magic worked its way through the defences of the cocoon. There was no way to fully remove it without causing Freya some distress or harm and Blair would rather avoid it as they needed something from her. Instead, Blair managed to find a little crack within the cocoon, a weak point and then exploited it. Once it made it past her defences, the Fae watched as the magic surrounding Freya slowly start to dissipate.

Slowly, Freya’s eyes opened, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion when she woke up feeling tired. Looking around, the eldest Mikaelson noticed that she was surrounded by people, but felt powerful magic in the room that immediately raised her heckles. Acting out of instinct, Freya sent a powerful blast of magic in the person’s direction.

Quicker than Freya or Blair could comprehend, Elijah appeared beside the Fae and pulled her aside, running to the other side of the room in a flash. Blair blinked a few times as her brain caught up with everything that had just happened. She looked to Elijah, “Well, that was fast,”

Elijah smirked, “Got to keep you on your toes somehow,” He had sensed hostility coming from Freya and reacted as such to ensure Blair was not harmed.

Kissing him on the cheek in thanks, Blair turned her head to face Freya, who was now sat up. She looked extremely confused about where she was and seemed to be getting her bearings back. As she did this, Klaus was crouched down lowly in a defensive position in front of Caroline, and Kol had moved Davina far away from his eldest sister. Like his brother, Kol had sensed hostility and had acted to protect Davina from any attack.

“I thought you said she was on our side?” Klaus hissed lowly.

“I thought she was,” Blair muttered under her breath.

Kol shook his head, “I don’t think she meant it. Sometimes magic can act instinctively, maybe she saw Blair has a threat or something,” He had seen it happen plenty of times in the past, it mostly happened after a Witch came out of a deep sleep or trance.

Blair pursed her lips together and found that she rather liked that answer. It stroked her ego and made her feel a sense of pride. Sensing this, Elijah shook his head in endearment, he knew she would fit right in with his family.

Slowly, Freya got her bearings back and everyone waited with bated breath. No one moved as they watched Freya move to stand, nearly falling over as her knees nearly gave way. Luckily, she never fell to the ground and she stood tall. Now that she was awake, everyone got a good look at her and there was no mistaking that she was Mikaelson through and through.

Looking around the room, Freya spotted her brothers and her eyes flashed in recognition, “Elijah… Niklaus… Kol…” Her voice was barely above a whisper as if she couldn't believe who was in front of her.

Being the polite person, he was, Elijah nodded his head in acknowledgement, “Freya,”

“I have waited a thousand years to formally meet you all,” Freya said with a sad smile. She had longed for her family, despairing the fact she was taken by Dahlia all those years ago. She had feared that the family would not remember her or accept her.

His patience finally having run out, Klaus rolled his eyes, “Yes, yes, that’s all well and good, but right now we have more important things to worry about,” The longer they chatted, the worse Caroline got, and he could see the pain was getting worse, going by her facial expressions.

Freya looked at him, almost confused and amused, whereas Elijah shook his head in exasperation. “Please excuse Niklaus, it has been a stressful day.” He sent a scathing glare in the direction of Klaus, silently warning him to behave. They needed Freya to do something for them and acting like heathens wasn’t going to get them anywhere. Elijah didn’t trust Freya as of yet, he would be a fool to trust so easily, but they still needed her.

Klaus huffed and turned away, not acknowledging this reprimand.

“I understand that none of you may trust me, but I look forward to earning it,” Freya replied honestly. She didn’t expect them to welcome her back with open arms, though she would have loved that to happen. No, she was more realistic in her thoughts and knew that this would take time.

“Well, you can start by helping us undo a pesky spell,” Klaus said, seizing the opportunity.

Rolling his eyes, Kol took over, “Mother placed this girl under a spell that no one can penetrate, only a Mikaelson Witch can do it. But if something isn’t done soon then this girl will die,”

Freya stilled and her eyes flashed in anger, something no one missed, especially Blair. “Did you say… mother did this?” She asked, looking at the unconscious Caroline. She had been able to sense malicious magic in the air but hadn’t connected the dots that it was her mother’s magic at work.

“Yes,” Blair answered, making the Mikaelson Witch turn to look at her, “Esther has made Caroline’s blood turn against her and it’s killing her. Esther has manipulated this spell against Fae magic and another’s Witch’s magic didn’t work.”

Freya stared at the Fae with a cold expression, one that made Blair mentally roll her eyes. It seemed as though the eldest sibling wasn’t happy to be in Blair’s presence and she could sense the animosity. Blair could sense the anger and hostility coming from Freya, making her think that the original attack when Freya woke up wasn’t accidental. However, Blair didn’t care if the Witch disliked her or not, as long as she did what was expected of her, the Fae didn’t give a damn.

Sensing this hostility, Elijah cleared his throat, which made everyone look at him, “We know you’ve only just woke up, but if you would be so kind as to assist us, we would appreciate it,” He sent warning looks at Klaus and Kol, not wanting them to say anything at that moment. Luckily, they seemed to get the message and said nothing.

After a few seconds of deliberation, Freya nodded her head, “I will help, but I want something in exchange.”

Klaus growled lowly, not liking this answer.

“What do you want?” Elijah asked, wearily watching his brothers. He wasn’t happy about these turns of events either, but they needed Freya. Her actions had affirmed that she truly was a Mikaelson indeed and they shouldn't have expected anything less.

“I want you to help me defeat Dahlia,” Freya replied, standing taller, “I want you to listen to my story before I help Caroline,”

Exchanging looks, the male Mikaelson siblings seemed to silently have a conversation with one another. They didn’t need words and they all understood one another perfectly. Klaus was pissed that Freya was trying to bargain with Caroline’s life, Elijah was the more diplomatic one out of them and Kol was just trying to stir the pot. Kol was feeding into Klaus’ anger and making it worse, not that he needed any encouragement. However, they were left with very little choice in the matter, though Elijah wasn’t going to make it easy for Freya.

“We will listen to your story, but first you must heal Caroline,” Elijah negotiated patiently.

For a moment, Freya considered his other, “Do I have your word that you’ll listen to me afterwards?”

Klaus sighed roughly, “Yes, you have our word, now get on with it,” He was getting impatient and he didn’t like how Freya acted as though she held all of the cards.

Finally, Freya nodded her head, “Then I will help,” She would have helped as soon as she found out Esther had her hand in this, but she needed to ensure they would listen to her. She would have preferred to get her side out first but after she saw Caroline, she understood Klaus’ impatience. Getting closer to the baby Vampire, Freya took notice of the fact Klaus refused to leave the girl’s side and was watching her intensely. This made Freya slightly nervous, it also didn’t help that everyone was watching her. Inhaling deeply, she began to chant and could feel the spell that was around Caroline.

“You’re certain she’s on our side?” Kol whispered over to Blair while Freya did her thing. He and Davina had moved closer so they could talk quietly with one another. As much as he loved magic, he wasn’t too impressed by Freya, but he supposed it was due to how dismissive she had been of Davina. Freya hadn’t even acknowledged Davina’s presence which annoyed him greatly. If they hadn’t of needed her, Kol may have killed her for the disrespect, and he had killed for much less.

Blair nodded her head, “I am sure,”

“She doesn’t seem it,” Davina muttered softly so only they would hear her. She was watching Freya carefully, as was Blair. Personally, Davina didn’t trust Freya nor did she like her that much. She hadn’t liked the cold look she had sent the Fae – an exchange no one missed as it was very obvious.

After a few moments, Freya stopped chanting and stepped away, “I have lifted the curse, but there is still something that needs to be done,” The magic Esther had cast was malevolent and Freya found it repulsive, but that may also be due to the fact she hated the woman as well.

“What?” Klaus all but demanded.

Freya shook her head, “I am unsure, it’s like a piece of a puzzle is missing,” No matter how hard she tried, Caroline would not wake up naturally, there had to be something to trigger this. Removing the curse was relatively easy and now Caroline wasn’t in pain, but she hadn’t woken up.

Blair frowned as she thought back to the dark eerie song that was still going. It hadn’t stopped but had just started from the beginning once more. As she listened in, she heard a key piece of information, “I said earlier that you were the key to this, Klaus. It is something that your mother doesn’t think you are capable of,”

Kol snorted, “Well that may take years to answer,”

Klaus glared at Kol, half wishing to dagger his younger brother for his cheek. 

“Why don’t we all leave Niklaus alone with Caroline and we can talk further?” Elijah suggested firmly. He could feel the tension rising and Caroline not waking up right away certainly didn’t help matters.

Freya nodded her head, “That would be great,”

Turning away from his family, Klaus barely paid attention as they left. Silently, he was thankful for Elijah’s quick suggestion as he certainly didn’t want to deal with his family at the moment. He also couldn't stand the pitiful look on Davina’s face as if she felt sorry for him. He did not need that, all he needed was for Caroline to wake up.

Looking at the sleeping girl, Klaus kneeled beside her, “Just when I thought I was getting over you, you come right back and remind me why I care so much for you,” Gently, he moved a piece of hair out of her way, his face softening ever so slightly. Klaus wished that she would just open her eyes. God, he loved her eyes so much. The way they would light up when she saw something she liked, the way she used to look at him in indignation and then change into something deeper, something softer. He missed the fire in her eyes, he missed the passion, anger and even the hurt.

Caroline was probably one of the only people, other than his family and Blair, that could get away with saying certain things to him. He had killed people for less but he could never intentionally hurt her. He had left Mystic Falls and he thought he was leaving behind Caroline. He thought he was leaving her behind for a better life where she wouldn’t become the target of people who wished to fight him. Klaus had thought she would be safe, but then she followed him to New Orleans of all places.

Seeing her so unmoving made him mentally and outwardly curse his mother. He would make her pay for this – dearly.

His mother had always thought the worst of him. She paraded herself to be some kind and caring mother, but on the inside, she was a snake. Esther would act as the soothing balm to Mikael’s violent abuse when she was an enabler of the abuse. There was never a time where Esther didn’t assume the worst of him and so he acted up to it. She never thought him capable of forgiveness, a conscious or love…

At this thought, Klaus visibly paused, the cogs in his mind whirling around. The Fae’s words playing over in his mind...

He was the key.

Something that Esther didn’t think him capable of.

It was love.

Esther didn’t think him capable of loving someone. She assumed that he would think the emotion too weak but she was only half wrong. While Klaus did believe love could be a weakness, it could also be a strength, though he would rather not too many people know about it. He had only truly come to this realisation after Hope was born, as he could not deny the unconditional love he felt for his child and it had made him even more determined to protect her.

Filled with a newfound determination, Klaus grabbed Caroline’s hand in his, “Caroline Forbes, you are the most infuriating woman I have ever met, and it’s one of the many reasons why I love you,” Leaning over her, he placed a chaste kiss on her lips. Usually, he would gain consent before doing anything, but he needed to wake her up.

Pulling away, Klaus watched in anticipation as Caroline’s eyes twitched until they finally fluttered open. Her pretty blue eyes looked back at him in confusion – a sight he had waited for ages.

“Klaus?” Caroline whispered before her eyes widened and she sat up quickly, “How did I get here?” The last thing she remembered was speaking to a Witch. She had been trying to find Klaus in New Orleans, not realising the Witch she happened to pick was the Original Witch inhabiting the body of someone else.

“My mother did this,” Klaus answered back, watching in amusement as she gained her bearings back.

Caroline frowned, “But I thought your mother was dead?” The last she remembered, the Original Witch had been killed off, getting exactly what she deserved. The fact she was back once more made Caroline’s head spin.

Klaus shook his head, “Unfortunately, it didn’t stay that way, but that will be rectified very soon, love, that much I can promise you,”

Slowly, Caroline nodded her head, relaxing slightly.

“Speaking on promises, what are you doing here?” Klaus asked, his face revealing nothing of how he truly felt. The last time he had seen Caroline, he had made a promise that he would never see her again, and in exchange, she would admit what she felt for him. It had been absolute torture to leave her, but if he got to hear what she truly felt for him, then it had been worth it.

Caroline looked at him, confused, “I thought you’d be happy,” This was not the reaction she expected when she envisioned them meeting once more.

“I made a promise you would never see me again, you wanted me to make that promise,” Klaus stressed out, confused as to what her motive was. She was doing this to mess with him? Make him pay for everything he had done in Mystic Falls?

“You know, I am starting to feel as though you don’t want me here,” Caroline said, feeling hurt and angry. She was starting to regret coming to New Orleans and instead was filled with embarrassment that she had taken this leap.

Klaus shook his head, “It’s not that,”

“Then why are you acting like this?!” Caroline exclaimed.

“Because I was scared!” Klaus yelled out, standing up from her side and began pacing, “My mother, being the wicked person, she is, decided to use you against me because she knew I have feelings for you,” One of his worst fears had come true that day and it made him feel weak – powerless. “I have spent most of the day looking for you, worried out of my mind that something terrible had happened to you!”

Caroline watched him go, her heart aching as her anger was washed away, “You searched all over New Orleans for me?”

Stopping his pacing, Klaus looked at Caroline, unable to look anywhere but in her blue eyes, “Of course I did. I would tear down this city to find you,”

Slowly, Caroline stood up and made her way over to Klaus with no hesitation. He watched as she got close and revelled in her touch when she placed a hand on his face. Caroline breathed in his scent, making her visibly relax, she had missed him dearly. “I never should have made you promise that to me…” Ever since that day, she had spent day and night thinking about him. Thinking about what they could have had.

“Then why did you?” Klaus beseeched.

“I was scared,” Caroline admitted, finally coming clean after all this time, “I have never felt this strongly about anyone before. I was so caught up in what everyone would think that I never really gave myself a chance to be happy,” Everyone in Mystic Falls hated Klaus with a passion and she was scared of that hatred being turned on her. She hadn’t wanted to lose her friends despite everything they had done.

Klaus raised his hand and held her face softly, “Caroline…”

Shaking her head, Caroline willed herself to continue, she needed to get this off her chest, “I couldn’t stand it anymore – being in Mystic Falls. Everything is always about Elena and her happiness. I realised there was no one there for me anymore. The one person who did was gone,” Caroline looked him in the eyes, “You. I was missing you so much,”

Her words shocked him to his core. This was something he had only ever dreamed of happening and he was almost scared that this was either all a ruse or a dream. Narrowing his eyes, Klaus felt his heckles raise and he stepped away from her, “How I do know that this isn’t a trap? Could you be working for my mother? Or are your little band of friends still trying to kill me?”

Caroline huffed in frustration, “No, you dolt! I am not working with anyone!”

“Oh, don’t act so high and mighty,” Klaus snarled back, “It’s not like you haven’t used my feelings to your advantage before,”

Hurt flashed in Caroline’s eyes and it almost made him feel guilty for it, but he resolved his nerves.

“You are such an ass!” Caroline hissed out, her fists clenched.

Klaus snorted at her insult, “You’ve called me worse,”

Letting out a little shriek in frustration, Caroline did something that he never saw coming. She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him towards her, kissing him with such passion it made him freeze for about two seconds. Once his mind caught up with him, he sprang into action and returned the kiss with equal fire that it scared him a little. No one had set his blood alight like Caroline, no one aggravated and charmed him so much.

Using his speed, he moved forward until he hit a wall, using one of his hands to shield her head so she didn’t get hurt. Caroline gasped into the kiss at the show of strength, her heart beating rapidly in her chest, that no doubt he could hear. Klaus easily deepened the kiss and Caroline made a noise of agreement in the back of her throat.

Reluctantly, Klaus was the one who broke the kiss. Placing his forehead on hers, Klaus closed his eyes and breathed in her scent and listened to her erratic heartbeat – which was very similar to his. “Please, do not make me promise to leave you alone again,”

Caroline shook her head, “I should have never made you promise that. Though, I suppose it got us here.” She smiled cheekily, her face flushed red.

“I suppose it did,” Klaus grinned back.

Feeling a wave of courage, Caroline knew that she needed to say this before she chickened out again. She had wanted to say it straight away but she thought he wasn’t happy to see her and so she backed out. However, if she had to guess by that kiss, he may feel the same about her, “Klaus, I’m in love with you,”

Klaus’ face went blank for a moment before he smirked, “I know,”

Instinctively, Caroline smacked him on the chest and tried to get away from him, but Klaus wouldn’t let her. He kept her held up against the wall and watched in amusement as she silently fumed. “I am in love with you too,”

His words caused Caroline to freeze where she was and her eyes widened. Very quickly, a wide smile appeared on her face as she pulled Klaus in for another kiss, this one much softer but no less passionate.

ORIGINALS

Klaus was standing in Hope’s room, just watching as his child slept with a stoic expression on his face. Usually, when he looked at his daughter, he would be smiling and adoring as she wiggled in her sleep but this time, he was much too distracted. He would often come into Hope’s nursery to remind himself what and who he was fighting for – a better and safer home for her. However, this tactic didn’t seem to be effective and his mind was working through everything that had happened earlier that day. He was a step closer to ensuring his daughter was safe, Esther was now a Vampire and could easily be manipulated through compulsion and she was missing her magic. They had gained two new allies, his eldest sister and Caroline.

At the thought of Caroline, his heart clenched in his chest.

He was ecstatic to have Caroline in his city – with him. When he had left Mystic Falls, she had been all Klaus could think about and their promise, how he had promised he would never see her again. He hadn’t wanted to make it but if it meant he got to spend some time with her then so be it. Now, he was thankful because it brought her to him. Caroline had followed him, had sought him out.

It was still taking him time to process it.

Instead of feeling euphoric like he should have been, Klaus’ thoughts began to turn sinister.

What if something happened to Caroline?

What if someone turned her against him?

Would she would leave him? Realise that she had made a mistake?

What if someone used Caroline against him?

“Is everything okay, Niklaus?”

Klaus turned his head and turned to face Elijah, who stood at the foot of the nursery with a frown on his face. Seeing Elijah made him relax ever so slightly. If it had been any of his other siblings, he would have chased them away, but Elijah was who he needed at that moment. He would have never shared something so personal with Kol and Rebekah would have made this a bigger deal than it was. Freya was much too new for him to trust and Finn wasn’t even an option. But Elijah could give him the advice that he needed.

“You seem troubled,” Elijah commented.

After a moment of silence, Klaus nodded his head. “As much as I hate to admit it, I am.”

“I am here if you need anything,” Elijah offered, fully meaning this. He would help any member of his family and they all knew that.

Klaus looked down at Hope once more and smiled at her angelic face, “When Hope was born, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to protect her, that her mere presence would be exploited and used against me. We have many enemies and any of them would use Hope against me,”

Elijah hummed in agreement, understanding where his brother was coming from, “A baby would be seen as an easy target and prize considering she is the first Trybrid,” It was unfortunate that in their long life, they had made a lot of enemies – too many to count. All of them itching to get back at them and would do anything to get some misguided justice.

“We have spent a long time trying to ensure Hope’s safety,” Klaus continued, “The Wolves and Hayley act as protection. Vampires that are sworn to us have vowed her protection. We have magic on our side as well as two people from the Fae community. Hope is probably one of the safest people alive… but…” He stopped talking, finding it hard to get out the right words. This was much harder than he anticipated and he hated it.

“But?” Elijah prompted patiently.

Inhaling deeply, Klaus looked to his brother, “How do you know Blair is fully safe?”

Finding this question odd, Elijah arched a brow, but answered him regardless, “Blair is strong. She has powerful magic on her side and manipulates it like she breathes magic. She has allies on her side, like Raphael and Davina. I trust her to fight her own battles, but if she needs me then I will assist in any way I can,” He had never met anyone who had such an affinity to magic and used it so effortlessly, it truly was a beautiful sight when Blair was in her element.

Klaus huffed, not finding Elijah’s answer to his liking.

“Is this about Caroline?” Elijah inquired and watched as his brother’s shoulders tense up.

“I never said it was,” Klaus answered back defensively.

Shaking his head, Elijah looked amused by this display, “You would not have asked me about Blair any otherwise. Are you concerned about Caroline’s safety?”

Slowly, Klaus nodded his head.

“Whatever for?” Elijah asked, curious to know the answer. He could understand his brother's concern over Hope as she was a baby, and wouldn’t be able to defend herself. However, Caroline was old enough that she could fight. From what he had heard about the baby Vampire, she was a little spitfire and smart – enough to keep the Original Hybrid on his toes.

“She is young,” Klaus replied with a frown, “She has barely been a Vampire for a few years. If she were to stay with me, she would have a target on her back, one that she could never remove. People would try and use her against me. She would always be in danger,”

“But she would be by your side,” Elijah pointed out, “And we would protect her as a family,” If this girl managed to bring out his brother's humanity then he would help protect her. Rebekah may not like Caroline, but she would also help because she liked seeing Klaus happy.

“And I would never let anything happen to her,” Klaus agreed passionately as he began to pace around the room, “But what if I am not there, that one time? All it takes is a few seconds for things to go sideward,”

Elijah fell silent as he let Klaus continue his rant, it was much calmer than his other rants but that was because Hope was present and sleeping.

“I can’t even imagine how Kol is doing this,” Klaus shook his head. The youngest male in the family was probably in the same predicament as him. Davina was only a fledgling when it came to magic and despite her being tutored by Blair, she was still young.

“Well, Davina does have Blair protecting her as well. She even placed a mark on her to protect her,” Elijah responded thoughtfully. Blair had told him about the mark she placed on the young Witches, and he thought it had been a brilliant idea.

For a moment, Klaus stilled, “A mark?”

Elijah nodded his head, “Yes, a mark. Blair explained that when she marked Davina, it shields them from physical harm and alerts Blair if she is in trouble,”

Despite Klaus not showing an outward reaction, he was intrigued. He had never heard anything like it before and it interested him. He supposed that it would explain the close relationship the Fae and the Witch had.

“If you’re interested in getting Caroline protection from harm, I would suggest talking to Blair,” Elijah said before walking out. Once his back was turned, a slow smirk began to form on his face. His first instinct would be to go to Blair and inform her of this exchange, but he found he would rather leave it a surprise. He wondered how Blair would react and silently chuckled to himself.

Klaus looked out of the window of Hope’s nursery with a stoic expression on his face once more.

Chapter 41: Chapter 41

The Mikaelson family, plus Blair, Davina, Raphael and Caroline were sat in the living room, talking up a storm. They were discussing the final plans for Finn and how the situation needed to be discussed with Freya – whether she was trustworthy or not. Klaus had not been present when Freya opened up about her past and being taken by her aunt over a thousand years ago, so they caught the Hybrid up, and he wasn’t the only sceptical person. Freya was not present, but waiting for her family to make a decision about whether they’d help her with Dahlia. None of them had told her that they planned to kill Dahlia regardless, but they wanted to test her, make her squirm and question her resolve.

“I think the best question is, do we bring Freya into the fold?” Klaus said as he paced up and down the room, needing the space to plot. Though he did not stray far from Caroline, the baby Vampire was always in his peripheral.

“But, she’s your sister,” Caroline replied with a frown.

“Technically, we never grew up with her,” Kol argued back, his arm around Davina, who sat next to him on the bigger couch. Next to him were Blair and Elijah, and on the next couch were Raphael and Rebekah.

“Through no fault of her own,” Elijah pointed with. They had all listened to Freya’s tale, minus Klaus and Caroline. Esther had told them all that Freya had died of the plague, when in fact, Dahlia took her as payment for performing a fertility spell using Dark Magic that would allow Esther to have children. Dahlia allowed Freya to live, only to use her and make a new form of power which she would absorb from Freya, casting a spell on her that caused her to hibernate for a hundred years to preserve her youth and to only age for a year. This had happened for the past a thousand years, and Freya fell to the curse every time, despite having run away from Dahlia.

Klaus looked to the female Fae, “How confident are you we can trust her?”

Blair thought to herself for a moment, “We can trust that she wants to stop Dahlia as much as we do. She has been tied to Dahlia for a thousand years, trapped and unable to live her own life. But we cannot trust she wouldn’t act out on her own if she disagrees with our methods,” There were certain things she had seen, particularly her loyalty to Finn that worried her.

“Especially when it comes to Finn,” Rebekah pointed out. The moment they had left Klaus and Caroline alone, their elder sister had begun asking about Finn and his whereabouts. If it wasn’t for the barrier spell Blair had cast, Freya would have found out immediately.

“She also doesn’t seem to like me or Blair,” Raphael pointed out. When he was in Freya’s presence, he felt mistrust and coldness. It bothered him slightly, but Rebekah seemed to take more offence that her older sister hated her partner. 

Shrugging her shoulders, Blair dismissed this, “Most Witches hate Fae, that’s nothing new,” The only exception was Davina.

Blair could practically feel Caroline staring at her, as though she was something new and shiny, something to be marvelled at. While the Fae enjoyed the attention, she had also noticed how Klaus had been staring at her too and it unnerved her slightly, what had she done to get their rapt attention? Caroline's staring, Blair could understand as the baby Vampire had never met a Fae, but Klaus’ attention confused her. It also didn’t help that Elijah seemed amused by the whole situation and wasn’t helpful in the slightest.

“She’s quite powerful as a Witch, she may try and interfere with our plans,” Davina pointed out, not liking the Mikaelson Witch. She did not like how Freya had acted with her mentor and friend, and she’d completely glossed over Davina as though she had not even been there.

Caroline looked at Blair, “Is she more powerful than you?”

Blair scoffed, “As if, the only reason she’s powerful is because she is tied to her aunt. Take that away, she’d still be way below me,” She realised why Freya’s magic felt odd and it was because of the bond that had been forged. Dahlia had made another branch of magic, exploiting the family ties through dark magic.

“Can you break that connection?” Klaus demanded.

Blair shot him a look, “Of course I can, who do you think I am?”

“Breaking the connection may bring Dahlia to us sooner,” Kol pointed out with a frown. He had been looking into the magic that Freya has described with vigour. If they had managed to wake Freya up early, likely, Dahlia would also be awake too, and looking for Hope and Freya. They were all aware from Freya, that Dahlia had come from her when she had sensed Freya’s magic awaken as a five-year-old child. It was very likely that Dahlia would sense Hope’s magic as soon as she woke, as Hope was a very powerful child.

“And early family reunion then,” Elijah quipped.

Raphael looked thoughtful, “She claimed that she knows how to kill Dahlia, can we trust that method?” When explaining her side of the story, Freya claimed that they needed the combination of sacred soil from her homeland, along with the ash from her oppressors and the blood of the one who betrayed her. While Freya did not have these things yet, she was very forthcoming with what tools were needed.

“It would make her mortal, someone would still need to make the killing blow without being hit by her magic,” Davina said, calling upon all her knowledge that Blair had taught her. Based on the proud look the female Fae shot her, Davina sat up straighter in her seat, happy to have impressed her mentor.

“She also claims that her blood is the main ingredient,” Rebekah said with a dubious expression. A part of her was happy to have another sibling, especially a sister, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up only to have them dashed. The siblings had managed to find a balance where they weren’t at each other’s throats, and she didn’t want anything to disturb that peace they had worked hard to establish.

Blair shook her head, “I don’t get a good feeling about that. In my vision, I heard Dahlia laugh at Freya for assuming her blood was one of the key ingredients,” That was something that stuck with her, and it was only when Freya was listing off what was needed that it clicked in the Fae’s brain.

Everyone fell silent as they thought about it. There was much to consider with a new variable in the mix and they wanted to tread carefully. Klaus and Kol didn’t trust Freya and would take a long time before they ever did, Elijah and Rebekah were weary of her, especially with how she treated their partners. Davina didn’t like her, nor trusted her and Raphael was nervous as he didn’t want to cause any disruption. Caroline didn’t know how to feel as she’d only just arrived, and Blair was indifferent.

“When are we dealing with Finn?” Kol asked, wondering if the plan had changed. The eldest male sibling had been sat in the basement in a magically induced coma in between his torture sessions, each sibling getting back at him for what he had done.

“Tonight,” Klaus said grimly.

“Are we following through with the current plan?” Elijah questioned, wondering if anyone had a change of heart. The plan was to stick him back into his Original body and let him rot in the coffin. Then he would be hidden away by magic so no one would find his body.

The Mikaelson adults remained silent, each one with blank expressions. While they necessarily didn’t want to do it, they saw no other choice. Finn refused to see reason, still under the delusions that they were monsters and was trying to kill Hope. He would not be swayed, no matter how hard they tried. He truly believed that the only way to get rid of Dahlia was for Hope to die, and he would not accept any other alternative.

ORIGINALS

Finn was tied to the chair, his upper body slumped forward, but he suddenly jumped back as he awoke with a violent gasp. He looked around and found himself in the cursed basement, the same dark walls mocking him as he had been held captive by his family and their pets. Finn scowled darkly at the thought of his own family turning against him. He was the oldest – they should be helping him, not torturing him.

“Finally awake I see,” Klaus said from his seat, not too far away from his older sibling.

Realising that he was not alone, Finn’s head jerked in the direction of the voice and soon realised that something was different. His scene of smell, hearing and sight was much better than it had been the last time one of his siblings visited him. He felt different like he was bigger and taller than before. “What have you done?” Finn asked softly, it suddenly dawned on him that he was no longer human. He did not remember being killed, but he had blacked out on occasion when his human body could not keep up. His siblings had each fed him their blood, healing any physical injuries but leaving the psychological ones intact.

“You’ve been returned to your Original Vampire self,” Elijah said, making his presence known.

Rebekah also came into view, “Have a look for yourself,” She walked closer to him with a mirror in hand.

Staring into his reflection, Finn could see he was back in his original body, he was no longer inhabiting the Witch. Seeing his Vampire self, made Finn cringe at the sight. He was back to being the monster he was before. He had enjoyed being a Witch, he had enjoyed not being an abomination and now it was ripped away from him again.

“He doesn’t look too happy, does he?” Kol questioned, also revealing his presence.

Upon hearing all his siblings, Finn looked up at them all and found them talking with one another like he wasn’t even there. It irritated him that they did not respect him. It annoyed him that he was left out, and it hurt they had all decided to taunt him.

“Can we just get this over with?” Finn hissed out, suddenly hit with a wave of hunger. He didn’t know how long he had been back in his body, but he was starving for blood, the very thought making him nauseous.

Kol looked at his brother with unbridled glee in his dark eyes, “Looks like Finn over here isn’t the only one that’s hungry. Has anyone remembered to feed our dearest mother some blood today?”

Looking thoughtful, Rebekah answered, “I think we threw some blood down the other day. She’s taken to being a Vampire very poorly,”

These words shook Finn as he stared at his sibling in shock.

There was no way his mother would become a Vampire.

This has to be a cruel plot set up by Klaus.

It had to be a lie.

Seeing Finn’s reaction, Klaus smirked widely, “Oh, I am sorry, did we forget to tell you? Mother transitioned into a Vampire.”

“She decided to take the blood after a few hours in transition. Obviously, self-preservation out won the need to wipe us out,” Rebekah taunted with a cruel smile. She had been there and watched as their mother had picked up the blood packet and swallowed it like it was her only lifeline. For all her speeches about how Vampires were a mistake, she quickly made her choice, choosing to live rather than die.

“You lie!” Finn yelled out, struggling with his invisible binds. However, he could not move an inch, and the grip got even tighter, making him wince.

Elijah fixed the sleeve of his shirt, “As much as you’d like us to be wrong, we are not. We turned her so she would not be a nuisance. She tried to kill Hope, our niece and Niklaus’ child, and that is unforgivable,” Elijah levelled Finn with a dark glare, fury on the Noble Original's face, so much so that Finn winced at the sight.

“It was for the greater good, Dahlia would have killed everyone in her path to get to Hope. Just like she’d taken Freya,” Finn said with a forlorn expression.

Kol looked at his siblings in glee and sent a pleading look to them, silently wishing for the chance to break the news to Finn. Klaus and Elijah shared a look with one another before they needed their heads. Rebekah just shook her head, but grinned, it always amused her to see Kol this excited.

“Funny story,” Kol started with a grin, “Freya is actually with us,”

Head shooting up, Finn stared at his wild brother in shock “Excuse me?”

“We found Freya,” Rebekah explained, looking unimpressed, “She told us all about her fleeing from Dahlia,”

Kol shot her a dark look, he had wanted to say this, “We also agreed to help her get rid of Dahlia,” All of them had agreed to make Freya think she had won them over. They wouldn’t reveal to Freya that they planned to do this all along as they wanted to create a sense of gratefulness. Freya was just an added bonus. If she ended up being deadweight, they would get rid of her and deal with Dahlia regardless. After all, she was still a stranger to them. Even if Kol vaguely remembered Freya from many years ago in the fourteen hundred, he brushed this off as it wasn’t important.

Looking shocked, Finn was stunned to silence.

“I don’t think he believes us,” Klaus said with a taunting smile.

“How about we show him,” Elijah said before motioning, “You may come out, Freya,”

At the sound of his older sister’s name, Finn sat up straight and watched as a woman came forward, powerful magic radiating from her. The moment he saw her, Finn knew that she was his older sister, the one who had been taken away from them. He remembered the day vividly, how Freya had screamed for her mother as Dahlia had taken her away. It haunted his dreams for years, and he had been magically silenced by his mother to not tell anyone, even his father.

“Freya… you’re alive…” Finn whispered.

Freya smiled at him, tears in her eyes, “Finn, it’s been a long time,” She knew he would be the only one to remember her. When she had been taken, her mother was pregnant with Elijah at the time. Freya raised her hand to undo the bounds that kept Finn in place but found that they wouldn’t move no matter how much she tried.

“Nice try, sister dear,” Kol sneered.

“We knew that you’d try something, but it won’t work,” Elijah explained calmly. Before they all came down here, both Davina and Blair had spelled the room so Freya’s magic would not work. They did not trust that Freya wouldn’t try and pull a stunt like releasing Finn.

Freya stared at them all in disappointment, as though she had expected better, “He’s our brother,”

“Who tried to have Hope killed,” Rebekah pointed out bluntly.

“Our mother has poisoned him!” Freya argued back. Surely, they would see that Finn was not to blame and that he was innocent in all of this.

Elijah shook his head, “Finn has chosen his path. He plotted with Mother to have us all killed, and now this. He cannot be trusted,” If left to his own devices, they knew that Finn would try and seek revenge and they had seen how far he was willing to fall. They could not risk it, and would rather have him dealt with.

Turning to the Hybrid, Freya looked at him beseechingly, “Please, don’t do this,”

Klaus shared at her with a blank expression, he was the wrong person to be asking for mercy.

Seeing that she wasn’t getting anywhere, she turned to each one of her siblings: Elijah, Rebekah and Kol but found the same thing. Blank expression with no remorse. None of them would help her and none of them would raise a finger to help Finn.

“How can you all be so heartless?” Freya whispered lowly, feeling her own heartbreak.

“I think the question you should be asking, is how can your dear brother want to kill a baby?” Elijah questioned back with an arched brow.

“It was to stop Dahlia!” Finn yelled out.

“We could have worked together on this,” Klaus said, his voice making Finn jump. Klaus stood up from his seat and stalked towards his brother, “We could have combined forces to defeat Dahlia, but instead, you sided with our mother and then hurt the people we care about. Don’t think we haven’t forgotten how you tried to kill Blair and Caroline,”

Elijah's eyes darkened at the memory.

“There is no way that we can trust him,” Kol said with a frown. He had seen the way he was bewitched but their mother, doing her bidding. He had been blindly devoted to the Witch, but no magic had been needed for that. There was no way to trust him.

Freya was about to say something, but Klaus cut in, “You've seen him, now you can go,”

Glaring at him, Freya clenched her fists, “Kill him and I will kill you,”

Amusement danced in Klaus’ eyes at the threat. His sister could be seen as a threat, but her magic would not work in the basement, thanks to his Witch and Fae. “Stronger people have tried and failed,”

“Then I will go for Caroline,” Freya hissed lowly.

Kol winced at the threat, “Bad move, sister dearest,”

Before anyone could even blink, Klaus had Freya by the throat, her feet dangling in the air, “If you touch a hair on her head, I will kill you slowly and painfully,” Klaus’ eyes glowed gold, his voice dangerously low.

“No! Please don’t hurt her!” Finn yelled out desperately. He looked to his other siblings for help, but one would move a muscle to help.

Looking down at his watch, Elijah noticed how late it was, “Niklaus, we have other things planned for today, we best move along soon,”

Hearing his brother’s words, Klaus slowly let down Freya, but not before knocking her unconscious. He watched as her body crumpled to the ground, and he motioned for Rebekah to take her away. They needed Freya and Dahlia unbound from one another so that she didn’t become a nuisance, even more than she was already. Without saying anything, Rebekah picked up Freya and disappeared out of sight, taking their eldest sister to Davina and Blair.

“Now, back to the matter at hand,” Klaus said, composing himself. He motioned to Kol and Elijah, who brought forward the coffin that Finn had spent nine hundred years in.

Seeing his prison, Finn’s eyes widened in fear. “No, please, no!”

Elijah opened the coffin whereas Kol opened the potion. Klaus had requested it from Blair and Davina when he had not been able to locate his daggers, something that irked him. However, this matter was more pressing and he would address this in due time. Opening the bottle, Kol threw it on Finn and watched as his eyes dropped and how he slumped forward. His skin turned grey, like a Vampire would when they become desiccated. This potion mimicked the dagger, except the only cure could be made up by Blair and Davina, who refused to share it.

“Sleep tight, brother,” Klaus whispered as Kol threw Finn into the coffin and locked it shut. He would remain in that coffin until Klaus felt generous, and that could take a while. But Blair had spelled it so only a few select people could open it, and Freya was not on that list.

ORIGINALS

Blair walked into the kitchen, intending to grab something sweet. She and Davina had just finished unbinding Freya to Dahlia and it had gone successfully. Freya was asleep and wouldn’t be awake for some time now. Now, she would not get in the way and it made Blair happy to put a Witch back in her place. Opening up the fridge, Blair spotted some grapes and immediately grabbed them, munching on them.

Just then, Caroline walked into the kitchen and saw the Fae, her eyes lighting up, “Oh, Blair isn’t it?”

Looking up, Blair noticed the baby Vampire and closed the fridge, “Yeah, Caroline, right?” She knew that this interaction was going to happen soon enough, she could feel Caroline staring at her every time she entered the room. She was after something, but Blair didn’t know what.

Nodding her head, Caroline smiled, “Yep. Look, I wanted to thank you, Klaus told me how you helped him find me,” After she and Klaus had untangled themselves, he had taken them to his room where they stayed up for hours just talking. He caught her up with everything that happened so that she was not caught unaware.

Blair shrugged, “It was no problem,”

“But I am really curious…” Caroline began, looking nervous.

Sending her a dubious look, Blair motioned for her to continue.

“Nothing has gone on between you and Klaus, right?” Caroline asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. It had been the way Klaus had been speaking highly of the Fae that made her curious. Klaus did not speak highly of many people, only his family and powerful individuals – who unfortunately he had bedded. It was bad enough that he had slept with Hayley – who Tyler had cheated on her with, but she was curious about the relationship Klaus and Blair had.

If Blair had been caught unaware, she would have choked on her grape. Instead, she made a disgusted face, “Ew, no. I haven’t slept with Klaus and never intend to,”

Caroline visibly relaxed.

“Besides, I have the better-looking brother,” Blair said with a wicked grin. Elijah in a suit always did something to her, but he looked even better naked and on top of her.

Throwing her head back, Caroline couldn't stop the laugh she was trying to hold back.

“But I am also curious, why Klaus?” Blair asked, wondering what the Hybrid had done to ensnare this baby Vampire. Caroline was a very attractive person, who seemed very perky and headstrong. So, what had she seen in Klaus?

Looking thoughtful, Caroline pondered this, “At first, I hated him. He kept trying to kill my friends and split me and my boyfriend up. But as time went on, I saw another side to him, one that could be sweet and protective. He chose me when I had always been people’s second choice. He cares about me,” Her blue eyes softened as she thought about Klaus. He had promised to be her last love, and she planned to hold him to that deal.

Blair looked at her in surprise, “There is absolutely no way people would have made you the second choice,” Were people in Mystic Falls blind or something?

Caroline snorted, “There would be interest, but then people saw Elena, the Doppelgänger and then would go to her instead,” It happened so many times that Caroline almost just started to accept it, but then she met Klaus. She started to question why her happiness wasn’t a propriety, and why Elena’s safety was always put first. She had to get away from the Salvatore brothers too, they were always stringing her along into their plans, usually as bait and she couldn’t stand it anymore.

Sneering, Blair did not look impressed.

“But I feel like I have won anyway,” Caroline said, perking up.

Blair commended the Baby Vampire, finding her endearing, “Well you’ve certainly made an impact on him.” Blair had already noticed a change within Klaus, he was more attentive to Caroline, never too far from her and was smiling more. If this was the impact she had, Blair would happily deal with another Vampire.

Caroline looked interested, “Do tell?”

“I think that's enough for now,” Klaus said, entering the kitchen.

Caroline pouted, while Blair rolled her eyes at his entrance.

“Love, you wouldn’t mind giving me and Blair a moment? I need to speak with her,” Klaus said, sending Caroline a charming smile.

Looking at the Fae, Caroline nodded her head, “Yeah, that’s fine, I’ll you later,” With a wink, Caroline sauntered out of the room.

Klaus watched her go, silently regretting letting Blair and Caroline meet, he hoped that they would never team up against him and mentally considered this next move. However, he shook his head. It needed to be done, he needed to ensure Caroline remained safe.

“What do you want, Klaus?” Blair asked, getting straight to business. It was something the Hybrid admired about her.

“I heard you placed a mark on Davina,” Klaus started. 

Blair nodded her head, “Yes, when the Harvest was backfiring and Marcel kidnapped her.” She was curious as to why this was being brought up. She was certain that Elijah must have said something but wondered where this was leading.

“What exactly does that mark entail?” Klaus asked.

Sending him a curious expression, Blair answered him, “It protects from physical harm, and it alerts me if Davina is in danger. I know her exact location, which I can use to teleport there.” That was the basics of the mark, but she had explained it in more detail to Davina in private as she was the only person who bared her mark. “Why are you so curious?”

Klaus fell silent for a moment, “I want you to mark Caroline,”

“Excuse me?” Blair arched a brow.

Pacing the room once more, Klaus explained, “I have many enemies, too many to count. With Caroline by my side, she may be in danger. I will always protect her, but I don’t want to take the risk.”

“And you think by getting marked by a Fae, she will be safe?” Blair questioned, baffled by this request.

Klaus nodded his head, “I have seen how you protect Davina,” That Witch was well protected, an Original boyfriend and a Fae mentor/protector. While Davina was really starting to come into her own powers, she had Blair to guide her.

“I happen to like Davina,” Blair replied back bluntly.

“And you don’t Caroline,” Klaus’ eyes flashed with anger.

Rolling her eyes, Blair answered him, “I don’t know her. Besides, you don’t even realise what that would entail. By marking her, Caroline would become mine. She would be mine to protect.” The Fae were possessive of what they considered theirs. Blair was protective of Davina, but Kol had come to accept he could not come between Blair and Davina and had rolled with it. Now, he sat in on the magic lessons, fascinated by what he saw. Blair viewed Davina as much of a daughter as she could, that’s why Kol didn’t interfere.

Klaus blanched at the Fae’s words, not liking this. He was possessive of his family and the people he cared for. He didn’t know how he felt about this.

“Also, there is a limit to how many people I can mark.” Blair explained to him, realising that he didn’t know what he was asking her, “I am allowed to mark five people. I am down to four people as I have already marked Davina. I am already unofficially protecting Raphael, as Fae cannot mark one another, and these marks last forever. They don’t go away, not even in death,”

Klaus fell silent as he took this all in.

“Are you still sure you want this?” Blair questioned him.

After a few seconds of not responding, Klaus had made his mind up. He nodded his head, “Yes, I will do whatever I need to so she is protected,” There were too many threats in his life to say no at this point. Caroline would always have a target on her back once she was introduced as his queen. He intended to marry this woman and let everyone know she was off-limits to everyone. However, if he knew that she had more protection, he would feel massively better and more at ease.

Blair watched Klaus for a moment, testing to see whether he was serious or not. She was surprised when he didn’t appear to be backing down. She was certain he would when she found out Caroline would technically become hers. She thought Klaus’ possessiveness would have won out, but it seemed as though she was wrong.

“I will offer her the mark, and if she says no, then I will not do it,” Blair said strongly. She would not force Caroline into this at all. It would go against everything the mark stood for and just seemed wrong.

Klaus nodded his head, “That is acceptable,”

“Also, I want something in exchange,” Blair quickly added.

Glaring at her, Klaus waited to see what she said.

“I want another two favours in exchange for this,” Blair said as she crossed her arms over her chest. She thought this to be fair, for now. “Even if she turns it down, you will still owe me those favours,”

“Fine,” Klaus spat out before storming out of the room.

With a smirk, Blair headed back to her room, which she now shared with Elijah. Walking into her room, she saw Elijah already in bed, dressed in nothing but the bottom half of his PJs. He was reading a book but looked up when he heard the door open and close.

“I assume that Niklaus spoke with you,” Elijah said with an amused expression.

Rolling her eyes, Blair spelled her sleeping clothing on – one of Elijah’s shirts and a pair of lacey underwear. The very sight of her made Elijah’s face darken in desire. She crawled onto the bed and sat on his lap, moving away from his book. Elijah watched intently, his eyes missed nothing. He certainly didn’t miss the way she was straddled over his lap, a part of him wanting to throw her down onto the bed and another wanted to see where this was going.

“I was reading that,” Elijah arched a brow.

Shaking her head, Blair stared at him, “You could have told me what Klaus wanted,”

Elijah’s eyes shone in amusement, “And ruin the fun? I would never,” Leaning in, Elijah softly kissed her lips, but Blair turned her head away, still annoyed at him.

She was too tempted to see what he’d do if she turned down his affection.

Sensing a game afoot, Elijah wrapped his arms around Blair and slowly started to kiss down her neck. Blair’s breath hitched in her throat and she shivered in delicious pleasure. Her neck was sensitive, something Elijah was well aware of. While he kissed her neck, his hands began to wander until they grabbed her backside and squeezed. Blair let out a gasp, her hips bucked and a flush of desire ran through her. He was making it hard to resist him.

“Do you forgive me?” Elijah whispered in her ear, nibbling softly.

Blair moaned, her hips moved instinctively.

It was when Elijah cursed in her ear that broke her. Grabbing the back of his head, Blair pulled his head off her neck and kissed him intensely, not able to hold back anymore. Elijah seemed to be in the same state as her, as he tightened her arms around her and devoured her in the most delicious way possible. Her body felt hot and heavy, and her heart was beating ten to a dozen. She was filled with so much desire she didn’t know what to do, she wanted to scream his name, wanted him to groan her name in her ear – she wanted it all.

“Elijah… please…” She moaned lowly.

Patience ran out, Elijah flipped their position, with her back on the mattress and him hovering above her. Grabbing her thighs, he opened her legs wider to allow him more space so he could be even closer. He stared down at her, her flushed face and eyes glazed in pleasure. He had hardly touched her, but he was already at his limit and he needed her to continue to make those sounds. Her moans broke him, and he would kill anyone who heard her, her sounds belonged to him and him alone.

The book fell to the ground, not that they noticed, far too preoccupied with each other’s pleasure.

Chapter 42: Chapter 42

The next morning

Freya groaned as she woke up, confused by what had happened. She slowly opened her eyes, and she saw that she was in her room in the Abattoir. She was confused as to how she got there, especially when she was still in her clothing from the day before. As she got her bearings back, she remembered what happened the day before and her eyes widened. She shot up, wanting to go help her brother, hoping that her family had not murdered Finn – and if they had, there would be hell to pay – but stopped when she was hit with a wave of dizziness. Placing her face in her hands, she waited for the room to stop spinning. Without a second thought, she called on her magic to deal with her headache but found that it wasn’t responding.

Frowning, Freya checked herself and found her magic low – a lot lower than what it was the day before, and she felt different. Before, she had felt as though something was clinging to her, like an extra appendage, but now it was gone. It was like she could breathe easier. It took her a moment to realise what had happened, she was no longer bound to Dahlia.

Just as she had come to that realisation, her door opened and Davina walked in. When Davina saw the older Witch awake, she smiled, “Oh, you’re awake, I thought you’d be out for longer,” In her hands was a plate of breakfast and some juice, she knew that Freya would be starving after what happened. She planned to leave it so she had something to eat when she woke up, but this worked as well.

Freya turned to the fledgling in confusion, “What happened exactly?” She could not remember what happened, nor could she remember how she had been unbound.

“I and Blair separated you and Dahlia,” Davina answered easily as she placed down the plate, “Blair described the link as though it was a leech. It would feed off your power to give to Dahlia, and some would come back to you, though nothing compared to what she was taking from you,” When they had severed the tie, Blair had not been happy because of the level of dark magic that had been used. Davina saw why the Fae hated dark magic, as it always left a bad feeling in her stomach, and she wasn’t as sensitive to it as Blair.

Freya stared at the Witch in shock, unable to say anything. They had unbound her? The thought almost seemed impossible, she had been looking for a way for years but found nothing. No one had managed to come up with that amount of power before.

“How are you feeling?” Davina asked politely. She was interested to see if there were any side effects from the separation.

“I-I feel a bit weak,” Freya answered honestly, seeing no reason to lie to a fellow Witch.

Davina nodded her head in understanding, “That makes sense, it will take some time to adjust to relying on your own magic. You’ll probably need to build up your reserves and durability again,” That is what she had to do after the Harvest, as she had got used to having three other Witches power inside her, and had to cope with such a big change. With proper care and training, Davina was able to bounce back with no issues. It also helped that she had a mentor to guide her through and build her up again.

“How did you manage it?” Freya asked, bewildered at the thought of being unbound.

“It was mostly Blair,” Davina answered honestly, “She guided me and showed me what I needed to do. She described it as pulling off a parasite, but then pulling out the teeth carefully, so as not to cause any damage. It took a few hours, but it went well from the looks of it,” Davina had been monitoring Freya’s magic levels since and found them slowly stabilising, but definitely less powerful than the day before.

At the mention of the Fae, Freya’s expression darkened. The thought of a Fae helping her was disgusting and made her sneer.

Sensing the change of attitude, Davina frowned, “What do you have against the Fae anyway? Blair and Raphael are really kind people,” She was glad that she was no longer in her Coven anymore, otherwise she may have ended up like all the other Witches that hated the Fae.

“They are liars that only care about themselves,” Freya spat out, anger pouring from her in waves.

Davina stared at her, unimpressed by her display. “Well, Blair and Raphael are the opposite of that, they have helped your siblings a lot,” She would not allow her precious people to be disrespected in such a manner. If Rebekah or Elijah heard her, the reactions would not be pleasant and they may be one Mikaelson down.

Freya snorted as though she didn’t believe her.

“There’s got to be more to that story of yours,” Davina questioned, feeling defensive of her friends.

Falling silent for a moment, Freya nodded her head, “There is. One of the first times I escaped from Dahlia, I met a Fae. I was only young, probably around thirteen and she took me in. She promised that she would help me, but when Dahlia came, she abandoned me.” It was one of the first times she had felt hope that someone could save her, but then it was crushed. Dahlia had been especially cruel after that, mocking her for trusting her others, especially a Fae.

Sending her a blank expression, Davina stared at her, unimpressed, “So what you're saying is, you had one bad experience with a Fae and hated the whole group ever since?” Going by that logic, Davina would hate all Witches and Vampires, which would not be a good thing as she was currently dating an Original Vampire.

“You wouldn’t understand,” Freya dismissed.

Davina shook her head, feeling her ire rise, “No, you don’t get it. There are bad people everywhere. But you cannot judge a whole community based on the action of one person alone, that’s just stupid.”

Looking at the fledgling, Freya became curious, “Why do you defend them so much?”

“Blair was the only person who was honest to me, she’s never lied to me. She taught me how to control my magic, and provided me safety and support.” Davina answered with ease, “Raphael has been a great comfort, almost like a brother. They are my family,”

Freya looked at her in confusion, “A Fae teaching a Witch magic? But that's absurd, surely you’d want to be taught by your own kind?”

Davina shook her head, “I have learnt more under Blair than I have anywhere else. My old Coven hid things from me, but expected my blind loyalty.” There were many things that she was not privy to as she was seen to be a child and too young. Blair never treated her like that, she never treated her like a burden. Blair saw potential in her, and she vowed to live up to it.

“She’ll turn against you, it may not be today or any time soon, but it will happen,” Freya said.

Out of patience, Davina sent the Witch a dirty look, “You don’t know anything about them, stop being so hateful. Blair didn’t have to help, but she did because she is protecting Hope.” If Freya kept this up, someone would kill her and she didn’t know who would do it. Davina was silently betting that it would either be Elijah to Rebekah – or even Klaus. She wasn’t ruling out herself either because she couldn't bear to hear any more on the matter.

Before Freya could say anything else, Davina stormed out of the room and headed back to her room. Slamming the door shut, Davina picked up some paper and paints and began to aggressively paint something. She needed to vent, and she found art helped her. The canvas was filled with dark colours, a lot of black, browns and reds, but Davina hardly noticed. Since she was so focused on her painting, she never heard Kol enter the room and close the door behind him.

Kol watched her in fascination. He watched as she aggressively wielded the brush like it was a blade and she was stabbing the canvas with so much passion it drew him in. The fire in her eyes, the way her lips were formed into a snarl. She could be a vicious little creature, one that really called him to him. When he heard the door slam, he knew something was up and he wanted to check on his little dove.

“Do I need to kill anyone?” Kol asked cheekily, enjoying as he watched Davina jump.

Looking at her boyfriend, Davina relaxed slightly and sent him a mocking smile, “Maybe,”

Kol’s eyes lit up at the thought of some good old fun, “Oh? Who’s got on your bad side, little dove?” Normally, she would hit his shoulder and tell him no, and also laugh because she half thought he was joking. She did not realise that he would slaughter towns for her if she merely asked.

“Your sister,”

Kol frowned slightly but nodded his head sympathetically, “Yes, Rebekah can be annoying. I get why you’d want to murder her,”

“Not that sister,” Davina sighed.

For a moment Kol said nothing but then he nodded his head again. Despite having another sister – a revelation that had not fully sunk in yet – he did not see Freya as his sibling. She had not grown up with them, had not endured what they had. He did not fully believe her story and at the first sign of trouble, he would kill her immediately. Things between him and his siblings were good, probably the best they’d ever been, and he didn’t want anything to change that. He, Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah still squabbled, but it never went as far as being daggered anymore, and they actually talked about things. There is still a judgemental stare every now and again – mostly directed at Kol – but it was at a level he would deal with it.  Freya was an unknown factor, they did not know where her allegiance was. It also didn’t help that she got to keep her magic, something Kol felt slightly jealous about.

“She hates Blair and Raphael so much, she looks at them in such disgust it’s sickening,” Davina vented, she couldn't get her head around Freya’s point of view and she didn’t want to.

“She has the same view as our mother.” Kol mused, rubbing his chin, “She would go on for hours about how we cannot trust the Fae. One time, when we were human, she gave us an iron dagger each and told us to stab a Fae if they approached,” He had been young at the time, and he didn’t remember everything from his childhood, but he remembered this because he had been so confused. He had never seen his mother so protective, not even when Mikael was finished beating Klaus black and blue, but mention a Fae and their mother became feral.

“Well that needs to change, or she’ll be dead by the week's end,” Davina spat bluntly.

Kol grinned, “Just hearing about murder coming from your mouth is so enticing,” He walked up to her and tilted her head back with a single finger under her chin. He enjoyed as Davina’s cheeks flushed a delicious red colour and how she avoided his eyes.

“Shut up,” She muttered shyly.

Chuckling, Kol kissed her forehead. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled Davina close to him, just inhaling her sweet scent. It smelt of the earth, with a hint of honeycomb. It was addicting and made him purr. Davina sighed deeply and practically melted into his arms, dropping the brush carelessly on the ground and instead, wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Who do you think will snap at Freya first?” Kol asked lowly, his eyes closed in contentment.

Davina hummed in thought, “Rebekah, she’s quite the hot head,”

Kol smirked, silently agreeing with her words, “I’m leaning more towards Elijah. He’s got a protective streak about him,” Despite Elijah’s calm demeanour, he could be just as vicious, if not more vicious. However, no one expected it because of how calm he appeared. It threw off enemies that didn’t know the family, and they’d often look to Elijah for support, only to have their hearts ripped out within the blink of an eye.

“Let’s not forget Klaus’ temper either,” Davina said thoughtfully.

“And mine,” Kol grinned.

Rolling her eyes at him, Davina moved away and watched in amusement as Kol pouted. “So, you’re all basically likely to kill Freya at the drop of a hat.”

Kol nodded his head in agreement, “Sounds about right,”

Shaking her head at him, Davina picked up her brush from the floor and began cleaning up the paint.

ORIGINALS

Later that same day

Blair walked into the revamped Garden, that now only held one prisoner – Esther. While it wasn’t necessary for someone to keep an eye on her, the whole Mikaelson family was paranoid that she would somehow escape. If Blair wasn’t so used to their paranoid ways, she would almost be offended that they think her ruins and wards would not be enough. However, even she was apprehensive to leave the Original Witch unattended and had decided to pay her a visit that day. It was meant to be Kol’s turn, but Blair had volunteered instead, and the Wild Original did not protest. Instead, Kol and Davina were performing a task for her, and Blair made a mental note to check on them later.

The sight before the Fae was pitiful. Esther was curled up in a corner, surrounded by a circle of salt so she could not escape or attack anyone that entered. Since turning, she had not moved and barely touched the blood bags that were being thrown down at her. She would take what was necessary to not desiccate, but otherwise, remained stubborn. She was visibly mourning her loss of magic – Blair would have felt sympathy if the woman hadn’t been such a raging bitch.

Esther moved her head in the Fae’s direction, and her face turned dark, “Fae,”

“Original bitch,” Blair replied back calmly, but a smirk in place.

Huffing in exasperation, Esther turned away from her, “Get away, your scent is revolting,”

Blair knew that she was lying. She had her scent-blocking perfume on, as she had from the very beginning. Despite being more comfortable in the presence of Vampires, she still refused to put herself at risk. However, despite the scent blocker, she had been told she still smelled amazing, “Your kind love my scent, especially your son.” Blair answered her with a sly look.

Disgust flashed in Esther’s eyes.

“As much as I would love to continue this line of conversation, I came here for a reason,” Blair answered as her smirk dropped into a serious expression. “Tell me more about Dahlia,”

Hearing the name of her sister, Esther’s whole body tensed. “She's close?”

“Yes,” Blair answered bluntly. She had Raphael and Rebekah place some items at the city’s boundary so that she would be alerted of anything with powerful magic passing them. It would give them a few hours' notice of Dahlia’s arrival, time that could prove fruitful. She would come, it was only a matter of time.

Esther shook her head, “You won’t win, she is too powerful,” Her sister practised dark magic, her anger fuelling her power immensely.

“We’ll see about that,” Blair dismissed her, “Now, tell me about Dahlia,”

Turning her head away, Esther refused to look at the Fae.

Without a word said, the Fae snapped her fingers and watched in delight as Esther’s facial expression changed. Instead of indifference, Esther’s face now morphed into a painful one. Her eyes squinted and her jaw locked in place. A vein at the side of her head twitched and her nose scrunched. “What are you doing?” Esther asked breathlessly, the pain consuming her.

“A little game,” Blair practically purred, “Every time you lie or piss me off, I make you feel pain. It will get worse and worse each time. Since you’re a Vampire, it won’t kill you, so I can keep this game going longer,” She twisted her hand and watched as Esther doubled over in pain, increasing it slowly, only to bring it down for a moment but raising it even more. Esther’s body could not keep up with the sudden changes and it made her restless.

Esther remained silent, trying to resist the pain by distracting herself, but ultimately failed.

Twisting her hand, Blair increased her magical attack on the Vampire’s nervous system. She had made it so all of Esther’s nerve endings were magnified by one hundred, sensitive to even the air around her. Every breath she would take would be painful, every movement and every sound would cause her pain.

“You could just force me to tell you,” Esther spat out in pain.

Blair smirked, “Now, that would be too easy.” Truly, she wanted to watch as Esther caved, where she had realised, she was defeated and outmatched. She wanted to break her resolve. If there was any begging, then that would be an added bonus.

Esther glared at the Fae.

In response, Blair lowered the pain, only to watch as relief appeared on the ex-Witch’s face. After a few moments, Blair raised the pain once more, watching in satisfaction as Esther writhed in pain, with no escape. With the salt ring around her, she could not move much, and Blair only provided relief when she saw fit. There was no rhythm to the torture, making it unpredictable and satisfying.

Hours passed and Blair was still in the garden. She had taken a seat on the furniture that Rebekah and Raphael had brought down. Blair had also summoned a magazine over to keep her occupied while she continued her torture session of the Original Witch. She would summon trashier magazines when she was done, not taking a break in her torture session. Esther was stubborn, which is something Blair could admire, and it allowed the Fae to vent her frustrations on the woman. It also allowed her to get revenge on the tricks and schemes Esther had done – like how she had Finn nearly kill her, or the plots against Davina.

Panting on the floor, Esther felt like she was in hell. She would have preferred to have been on the Other Side, then here. At least on the Other Side, she was not in any pain, and she was with other Witches. There was no escaping the pain and the longer it went on, she saw no end to it. Esther had hoped the Fae would become bored of her, and leave her alone, much like her children had, but Blair was relentless. It almost matched Niklaus’ thirst for vengeance.

“Oh, I forgot to mention, Freya is back,” Blair said absentmindedly flicking through the pages of the magazine. It was kind of interesting to learn which human celebrities were sleeping with each other. Or learning that certain supernatural creatures had integrated into the inner circles of the rich and famous, not that the humans were aware.

Esther’s head shot up as she looked at the Fae for the first time in hours. At the mention of her firstborn, she seemed to forget the agonizing pain she was, “She’s alive?”

Realising that she had the Witch’s attention, Blair mentally smirked but continued to flick through the pages. Instead, she chose not to say anything, knowing that this would drive Esther nuts.

“Tell me!”

“Temper, temper,” Blair tutted, “I see where Klaus gets it from now,”

Holding back hissing in pain, Esther crawled to her knees and faced the Fae, “If I tell you about Dahlia, will you tell me about Freya?”

Glancing at Esther, Blair snapped her fingers and the magazine disappeared. She dialled down the magnification of Esther’s nerves to show that she had the Fae’s interest. However, she would not have it long, and Esther knew this.

Esther began her tale, “I and Dahlia belonged to a powerful witch line and we grew up very young learning the mystical arts. Our mother taught us as much as possible before she died from the plague. I was never as good with magic as my sister, but I never felt resentful. She was a prodigy and I loved her regardless. But I barely used magic, not taking it as seriously as my sister. After our father died of the same plague, we made a promise that we would stick by each other, always and forever. But then, our land was ravaged by Vikings when I was around thirteen winters old, she was taken away and enslaved for her magic, whereas I was treated differently. There was a Viking that had taken a liking to me, his name was Mikael…” Esther trailed off as she remembered her husband. In the beginning, he had been kind to her, gave her some of his food and would leave her gifts.

Blair stared at her with an impressed look on her face, though it did intrigue her slightly to know that it was Esther and Dahlia that had instilled the famous saying between the family.

Snapping back to reality, Esther continued, “My sister was not treated kindly by the Vikings, but agreed to help them if they left me alone. I never knew what happened to her during this time as she refused to tell me, she kept saying that everything was fine and everything would be okay…” Esther trailed off as she remembered her past. She always suspected that Dahlia was treated much worse than what she was told, and had tried to help but Dahlia had always refused her help.

Blair faked a cough, getting impatient for the ex-Witch to finish her tale.

Sending the Fae, a scathing look, Esther started up again, “After a few winters under the rule of the Vikings, Mikael had proposed to me and I was in love. I ran to tell my sister, but she was not happy. She had told me that she had managed to stealthily infuse potent sage with serpent's blood to give myself and her the magical strength necessary to escape our captivity. However, I refused and told her that I no longer wanted to practice witchcraft, I wanted to start a family with him.”

Remaining silent, Blair thought her words over as the picture started to fall into place. She had Freya’s story, but there had been a lot of missing information. As far as Freya was concerned, Dahlia was never a loving person and when Dahlia found out that Esther had made her children Vampires, and would have no more children, she had been furious and tried to encourage Freya to have a child instead. Freya had got pregnant at one point but drank poison, and tried to kill herself and the baby, but only killed the baby due to the immortality spell in place. Freya had assumed that she was the person Dahlia had been betrayed by, as she had run away, but Blair did not agree with this theory, and neither did most of the Mikaelson family. Now that she had Esther’s story, everything made sense.

“Your family is fucked up,” Blair said bluntly.

Esther said nothing to deny her claim.

“Now, tell me about Freya,” Esther said eagerly, inching closer to the salt circle around her.

Blair smirked, “I never agreed to the exchange of information,”

Esther stared at her, her eyes widened in shock. Soon, her face morphed into anger, “How dare you trick me!”

Shrugging her shoulders, Blair stood from her seat, “I never said I would tell you anything. You assumed I would give you information when no agreement had been struck.”

“You dirty Fae!” Esther yelled out angrily. “I hope Dahlia kills you! Then my son will be free of you!”

Deciding she had spent long enough in the woman’s presence, Blair sauntered out of the Garden, having all she needed. She could still hear Esther yelling but soon quieted down when Blair crossed the threshold. There was a silencing spell in place so no one could hear her scream or come to her rescue.

It didn’t take Blair long before she was back in the Abattoir, she planned to tell Elijah about the information she had learned but stopped when she saw Caroline walk into the kitchen. She remembered the conversation she had with Klaus not too long ago and knew she would need to ask eventually. Blair had been putting it off but she knew that she needed to ask so Klaus could stop sending her imploring looks whenever he was nearby.

When Caroline saw her, she smiled, “Oh, hey Blair, what have you been up to?”

“Torturing the Original bitch,” Blair answered simply.

Caroline blinked slowly, her brain taking a moment to catch up, “O-okay?” She was unsure what to say at that moment. Should she caution her about doing that without Klaus or say it was wrong to torture people? Caroline shook this off, she needed to get used to this if she was going to stay in New Orleans with Klaus. His family liked to torture people in their spare time and it seemed as though Blair was no different.

“Has Klaus said anything to you about me?” Blair asked, curious to know if anything has been said.

Caroline shook her head.

Mentally, Blair groaned. Of course, the Hybrid would leave her to explain this, “I just want to warn you, Klaus has asked me to do this.”

Now, Caroline put down the blood bag she had in her hands, giving the Fae her full attention.

“When Davina first came, she was being hunted by Witches, to protect her, I marked her. It’s something a Fae can do to protect certain people. It is typically used for children, but not always.” Blair explained, wanting to get this over with already, “It creates a physical mark, and it will protect her from harm, but also let me know where she is at all times.”

Caroline frowned, confused, “Why are you telling me this?” She didn’t see the Fae as someone who shared these kinds of details unless she had to. She had some understanding of the situation as Davina had told her, but it was still interesting to learn.

“Klaus wants me to mark you,” Blair sighed.

“What?!”

“Don’t ask me why,” Blair shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to understand the Hybrid, “I said I would ask you because I am not going to force you. This mark lasts even in death, so it is permanent and it’s a big thing, but Klaus owes me two favours if I offer it to you,” The mark couldn't be forced, it had to be accepted freely, something Davina had done. But, if Caroline turned down the mark, she would still be owed those two favours.

“I'm going to kill him,” Caroline muttered under her breath.

“Can I watch?” Blair smirked.

Caroline returned the smirk, “You hold him down with your magic, and I’ll stab him,”

Blair thought for a moment before she nodded her head, “I’m game, but I want to get a stab in as well,”

“What’s this about stabbing my brother?” Kol said as he walked into the kitchen, covered in dirt. This was his kind of conversation and he wanted in, especially if Klaus was getting stabbed.

“He’s being an ass,” Caroline answered with a huff. She did not like the thought of being marked, and she would be having a serious conversation with her boyfriend very soon about boundaries. She stormed off, intending to find Klaus and tell him exactly what she thought about this.

Blair watched her go with a smirk, it seemed as though Klaus had finally met his match with the baby Vampire. “Did you do it?” She looked to Kol, wanting to get an update on the job she asked him and Davina to do.

Kol grinned, “Of course, it was quite fun actually,”

“Good,” Blair returned the grin, liking his wild energy.

“Davina’s just adding a few touch-ups to the body, but it should be good as new soon,” Kol answered, wiping away dirt from his shirt. He needed a shower and a clean set of clothes, and then he would go and celebrate.

Nodding her head, Blair relaxed slightly. Everything was falling into place, there was just one more thing she needed to do and then they’d have all the ingredients necessary to defeat Dahlia. Elijah already had a contact from Norway that had transported the soil they needed, they had sent quite a few samples over just in case they needed more.

 

Chapter 43: Chapter 43

Blair was back in the plantation house, as she needed to be far away from the Abattoir when this happened. She had told Klaus that she wanted to discuss something important with him and then led him away. He had been extremely suspicious, and reluctant to leave Hope, especially since Dahlia was just on the horizon, but he had eventually agreed when Elijah promised he would stay with Hope.

“Caroline turned down the offer,” Blair told him when they entered the plantation house. The ride there had mostly been silent, both having other things on their mind.

Klaus frowned, “I thought as much when Caroline began screaming about boundaries,” His partner had not been happy, but calmed down a touch when he explained his side of the situation. Looking back, he should have explained it to Caroline first, but he cannot change the past. He wasn’t happy that Caroline has refused, but he had to respect her wishes on this matter. He would take this time to convince her to see his point of view on things.

“Definitely a spitfire,” Blair grinned, finding the whole situation amusing. There were horror stories about Klaus, how he had slaughtered people who even looked at him wrong. Stories of how he had demolished villages, murdered on a whim, only for him to now be at the command of a baby Vampire. If his enemies could see him now, they’d be shocked. Blair thought that Katherine would find this whole situation amusing.

Klaus grumbled under his breath, it was so quiet that Blair didn’t catch it.

Blair was tempted to ask more about the perky blonde but decided against it. Instead, she focused on the reason why she called him out here, “Klaus, I am going to need you to listen before you react, can you promise me that?”

“That never bodes well,” Klaus said with a suspicious look, people only ever said that to him when they had bad news. He did not want to hear bad news, especially not right now.

Inwardly, Blair agreed with him, “Do you promise?” She would not move on from this until she got his word. If he refused, she would have to use one of her favours. She had planned to use them at a later date, but this was important.

Klaus levelled her a blank expression before he slowly nodded his head.

Blair used her magic and a book appeared in front of her, it was the book that she had tied Mikael to. She had kept an eye on it, keeping up the barriers around it to make sure no one discovered it. Only Davina and her knew its location. But this needed to be dealt with, especially since Freya was in the Abattoir as well. “When Marcel was killed, Davina did something stupid. I should have been keeping a closer eye on her, but I thought she needed space,” It was something she regretted, but she couldn’t change the past, only clean up the mess.

At the mention of Marcel, his protégé, his expression turned dark. “What did she do?”

“It’s not all her fault,” Blair immediately cut in with a glare, “she was grieving, as you all were. She wanted to talk to him one last time, but someone else stepped in and took advantage of the link Davina opened. Luckily, nothing happened, but I trapped that entity before they came back to life,” Looking down at the book, Blair felt Mikael’s energy, it was seething being near Klaus, and demanded to be let out. Blair ignored the voice and instead focused on Klaus.

Klaus looked down at the book, an unreadable expression on his face, “Who is in that book?”

“Do you promise not to retaliate against Davina?” Blair asked with an arched brow.

“Tell me!” Klaus yelled at her.

“Not before you promise!” Blair yelled back as her eyes flashed purple.

Inhaling sharply, Klaus closed his eyes for a moment before he opened them once more, “I promise that I will not enact any revenge upon the baby fledging, or anyone else involved. Now tell me, who is in that book?” Klaus was seething and it took him considerable strength to even speak, as he knew the Fae would not budge until he made this promise.

Taking a moment to assess him, Blair nodded her head, “It’s Mikael,”

The response was immediate. Klaus flung himself at Blair, or more specifically the book, only to be stopped when he was met with a barrier spell that would not allow him anywhere near her. He glared at her, his eyes lit with a golden colour, showing his Hybrid features. When he could not get to the book, Klaus flung himself at the nearby furniture and tore it to pieces, needing something to let his anger out on. He roared in anger and destroyed everything in his path, the mere mention of the bastard who raised him grated his nerves.

“Mikael! Of all people to bring back!” Klaus roared out, “It’s bad enough I have to deal with one murderous family member, but now Mikael as well!”

Blair watched this happen from the safety of her barrier. Using her magic, Klaus would not be able to leave the plantation house, he would be contained here. This was why she chose this place, as it was far away to not attract attention, and it was away from people who may get in the way and try and calm him down. She had expected this kind of reaction and was fully prepared to deal with the consequences. Blair said nothing as she let him get this out of his system. She knew that nothing she said would make a difference and just waited for him to come down.

Eventually, once all the furniture was destroyed, and the walls had plenty of holes in them, Klaus calmed down enough were his eyes were no longer glowing menacingly. “Have you done this as a form of revenge?” Klaus hissed out, his shoulders tense with anger.

Rolling her eyes at his dramatics, Blair answered him, “No, I brought this up because I think we can use him to deal with Dahlia,”

Turning to face her, Klaus levelled her with a look and silently demanded for her to explain.

Sighing deeply, Blair held up the book, watching as Klaus’ eyes never left the book, “We are missing one of the ingredients – ashes of Dahlia’s oppressors. I had a chat with your mother the other day and she mentioned how the Vikings held them hostage, and enslaved Dahlia for her magic. And what is your father?”

Slowly, it dawned on Klaus what her plan was, his posture relaxing ever so slightly.

“We kill Mikael and use his ashes,” Blair said with a wicked grin, “quite poetic, no?” It was definitely serving some justice and Blair couldn't help but see the irony in this. Esther betrayed Dahlia and left her for Mikael and they would be using his ashes in the spell.

A nefarious smirk flashed on Klaus’ face. “You, little Fae, are devious,”

“Thank you,” Blair grinned wider, “Now, are you up for some patricide?”

“We don’t have any white oak,” Klaus frowned as he realised, they were missing a key component.

For a moment, Blair said nothing, but then she snapped her fingers and a white oak stake appeared in her hands. The moment Klaus saw the weapon, he looked at her with narrowed eyes. He had searched for the weapon for a while, along with his daggers but could not find them. He was aware Rebekah took them, and had thought she had found a very good hiding place. It seemed as though he was right, as he suspected Rebekah had gone to the Fae and asked for help in hiding them.

“Before you say anything, I have this and the daggers hidden for a reason,” Blair stated calmly. She knew that it was going to come out eventually and wanted to get it over with. Another reason why she had picked somewhere far away from his siblings was, “They are hidden in a place only I have access to.”

“And what makes you think I won’t kill you for this?” Klaus hissed out.

Blair met his gaze without fear, “Your relationship with your siblings has improved massively. You really want to put that in jeopardy?”

Klaus fell silent as he thought over her words. The Fae wasn’t wrong when she said their relationship had improved. Kol no longer attempted to plot against him, though he was still annoying by getting in his way. There were countless times when Kol had tripped him up, hit him or stabbed him with a knife in retaliation but nothing filled with malice. Rebekah was happy and wasn't whining, nor was she making any threats against him. She had voluntarily stayed with them, even though she had the opportunity to leave and be free multiple times. Elijah appeared much happier as well, at ease with his family, that not even the small disputes between him got in the way. While it was nothing like when they were human, there were times when it was actually peaceful. Klaus soon realised that he had not made any threats to dagger any of his siblings either, something he was sure his siblings had noticed as well.

“You’ve never had to experience what they have. They’ve lost time and resented you for it.” Blair said calmly, she could see that she was getting through to him, “These daggers will always hang over their heads, just waiting for them to be used. But with them gone, they don’t have to worry about that and they can relax – and maybe even trust you,”

“And what happens if you decide to use them?” Klaus glared at her accusingly.

Blair stared at him blankly, “Then you’re all screwed,” If she wanted, she could have used these daggers ages ago, but she hadn’t. She was invested in this family and wanted them to succeed. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, they had grown on her, even Klaus. Also, Blair wanted to be on the winning side when it came to war, and they always seemed to come out on top in the end.

Klaus tensed at her words.

“But I won’t,”

Slowly, Klaus relaxed and realised that what the Fae had said was true. As much as he hated to admit it, he believed her words when she said she wouldn’t. However, the cynical side of himself wondered if she was just biding her time before she stabbed them all in the back.

Seeing that he was still suspicious, Blair sighed, “I promise that I won’t use these daggers,” If she had her way, she’d have destroyed them, but Rebekah had asked to keep them away just in case.

“Break your word, and I will destroy you,” Klaus warned.

Blair rolled her eyes but agreed nonetheless.

“Now, release Mikael,” Klaus said as he stood straighter. He steeled himself for a fight against his old abuser. There had been several times he had faced Mikael head-on, and it was never a pleasant experience.

Wordlessly, Blair opened the book and cast a spell. Originally, Mikael had been tied to this book instead of Davina, and he had been a poltergeist. She had looked into ways to get rid of him permanently and hadn’t come up with much. However, then she got the idea to use his ashes and set to work with a different plan. Instead of coming back as a ghost, Mikael would come back fully alive, but he wouldn’t be for long. Once the book opened, the figure of Mikael appeared in the room. As soon as Mikael was back, he sprang into action and lunged at Klaus, murder in his eyes. However, before he could get too far, chains shot out from the book and wrapped themselves around Mikael's arms and feet. 

“What is this magic?” Mikael hissed out in frustration. He turned his head and saw the Fae behind him, and his eyes narrowed when he recognised her. It was the Fae that trapped him in a book. He had been so close to coming back to the land of the living. The baby Witch had been so easy to trick and manipulate, if he had been allowed a few more days attached to her energy, he would have been brought back. 

Klaus watched with a blank expression. He had been ready for an attack but hadn’t expected Blair to intervene. He also didn’t expect to see the blinding anger on his father’s face when he saw the Fae.

“You’re still tied to this book, you cannot go too far from it,” Blair answered with a smirk. She enjoyed seeing the man in chains, kneeling down on the floor. It was fitting for him to be chained and humiliated.

“Bad luck, old man,” Klaus taunted with a smirk.

Mikael snarled at him, “You boy, will die slowly and painfully,”

“Well, it certainly won’t be by your hand,” Klaus answered back, easily catching the white oak stake that Blair threw in his direction. He looked at her and watched as she slowly nodded her head at him.

Mikael tried to move but found he could not, he was trapped. Growling, he had no choice but to stay kneeled before his wife’s affair child, something he deeply detested. “You must be weak if you need help from a Fae,”

“I am a Hybrid, I am one of the most powerful creatures alive!” Klaus yelled back, already triggered by Mikael's words. Just seeing the man brought back all the painful memories. He remembered how Mikael used to beat him if he did something wrong, or if he disappointed him, which was often. He remembered the cruel words that used to be shouted at him constantly.

Mikael laughed at him cruelly.

Growling loudly, Klaus was about to say something, but he was cut off when Blair snapped her fingers. Instantly, Mikael’s spine snapped in half, the sound echoing loudly in the house, but it was nothing on the scream that was pulled out from the man. Klaus watched with wide eyes, he had never seen his father like this before.

“Klaus, we’ve not got time for this, kill him and be done with it,” Blair said impatiently.

Snapping out of it, Klaus gripped the white oak stake in his hand and lunged for his father. In the blink of an eye, Klaus had shoved the stake into Mikael’s chest and watched in satisfaction as he gasped in pain before his body turned grey and his whole body burst into flame. Klaus jumped away in time so he was not affected by the flames. Both Klaus and Blair watched as the body burned and soon, there was nothing left, only ash and the white oak stake.

With a snap of her fingers, the stake disappeared once more, kept away from anyone who wanted to harm an Original. Blair also sent the book back, no longer needing it anymore. It was just a random book she had picked, and now it didn’t need to be guarded anymore.

“Now, we only have one more ingredient to get,” Klaus said as he stared down at the ashes. He was relieved that Mikael was dead once more, the thought of him running around the same world as his daughter did not sit well with him.

“I have already sorted that out,” Blair said.

Klaus sent her a look, “Freya gave you her blood?”

Blair shook her head, “It’s the blood of your mother. She chose Mikael over her sister and magic. Esther is the one who betrayed Dahlia,”

Klaus scoffed, somehow this did not surprise him.

“I’ve asked Kol and Davina to retrieve Esther’s body. With some magic, we’ve restored it so we can take some blood.” Blair explained to the Hybrid. It had not been an easy task for Kol and Davina, as they had to step foot into the Witch's graveyard. Luckily, they had been undetected and had stolen Esther’s body with little fuss. She then had Kol and Davina untie Esther to the Witches of New Orleans, so they could not draw on her power when they eventually killed her again.

“Have I ever told you that you’re my favourite in-law?” Klaus grinned.

Blair rolled her eyes but even she could not help but smirk in response. Without another word, Blair used her magic and scooped up all of Mikael’s ashes before putting them into a vial she had brought with her.

ORIGINALS

Blair worked in one of the workshops, with Raphael beside her. She checked over the wards of the house, as well as the protective barriers. She wanted to make sure they were adequate for the job ahead, and that was keeping Dahlia out. This was her home, and she was going to defend it with all her power because she quite liked living there. Blair had not had a home for four hundred years, and even the one before that was questionable at best. She refused to be driven out of her new home, or have anyone destroy what had been built.

“It’s weird, I’ve never imagined we’d be here,” Raphael said suddenly.

Looking up from her work, she sent him a curious expression.

“Both of us, being in relationships with Original Vampires, and being out of the Forest,” Raphael explained further when he saw the female Fae’s face.

“Ah,” Blair said, nodding her head in understanding, “It is quite mad, I always intended to leave the city after a few days but never did,” She wouldn’t lie and say she hadn’t thought about what her life would have been like if she hadn’t stayed in New Orleans. In the beginning, Blair had plenty of opportunity to leave the city and never look back, but that would also mean she would still have the issue of the Hunter, and no freedom. She could have also decided to protect Hayley while she was pregnant from afar, but Blair knew that wouldn’t work as Klaus and Elijah would have noticed something was amiss. They would have sensed her, especially Klaus with his Hybrid senses, which were more acute than a Vampire and a Werewolf.

“Things would have played out differently,” Raphael said with a frown. He would have still been under the control of Maeve, and he would have continued to try and kidnap Hayley. It would have been very likely he would have been killed by one of the Originals, which one he was unsure about.

Blair hummed in agreement.

Raphael looked thoughtful, “Did you ever miss the Forest?”

For a moment, Blair said nothing. In her time away, she’d had plenty of time to ponder this thought, and the answer was always the same, “No,”

“How come?” Raphael asked, genuinely curious. The Forest was their home, they had grown up there. He certainly missed it at times, he would have missed it more if it weren’t for Maeve.

“We were always trapped there,” Blair said with a frown, thinking back, “I know they always said it was for our protection, but it was always the same. The same routine, the same jobs. There was nothing new and it was stifling.” The gate to the Forest had been locked shut when all Fae were ordered to return, their numbers too low and they were at risk of becoming extinct. This was a long time before Blair and Raphael were born, but they had grown up in the shadow of fear, the fear of leaving the safety of the Forest. As children, they were always taught to never venture out of the Forest and how dangerous the outside world was, and that had fuelled Blair’s curiosity. However, that also led her into the trap of the Hunter.

“It would be nice to see it again,” Raphael sighed deeply. He did miss his home, his parents and old friends.

Blair said nothing.

Not wanting to talk anymore about her old home, Blair changed the topic, “How is Rebekah doing?”

Sensing the abrupt change of topic, Raphael did not question it, “She’s good, a bit stressed though. She's been quite up and down for a few weeks now,” He had noticed that Rebekah had become quite emotional as of late, going from one extreme to another. She was also gorging on blood a bit more than usual, but Raphael did not voice his concern. He was sure that it was just down to stress.

Blair nodded her head. She wanted to ask more, but she could see that she would just be stressing him out. Blair had noticed a change in Rebekah, but she couldn't pinpoint what exactly. She thought that Raphael may have the answer, but he seemed just as confused.

Just then, Blair sensed another magical presence walking towards the room. Freya walked into the room, her whole posture tense and anger in her eyes. The moment Raphael saw the Mikaelson Witch, he stood straighter, and his form tensed. He was ready for a battle, sensing that Freya hadn’t come with peaceful intentions, she looked to be on a warpath. Blair remained the picture of calm, but Raphael could see the anticipation in her knowing eyes – she had been expecting this visit to happen.

“Let me in the Garden,” Freya demanded.

“No,” Blair replied back.

Freya sent her a scathing look, “My mother is in there, I have a right to see her,” Earlier that day, she had attempted to find her mother. It had been extremely hard to find her, and she had listened to some rumours that the Witches had muttered. They were talking about the fall of Esther and how she had been turned into a Vampire, after commandeering the Harvest. There were whispers of a place where magic was void and how unnatural it was – and that was Esther’s prison.

“And she also has other children, who have decided her fate as well,” Blair reminded her calmly.

Freya remained unmoved, “Drop your barrier spell,” As much as she hated to admit it, she could not undo the spell the Fae had cast. She had tried to enter the Garden but was unsuccessful. She had been thrown back and then the barrier vibrated, as though it was laughing at her.

“She already said no,” Raphael said sternly, “Leave it alone,”

Gaze cutting to the male, Freya hissed at him, “Stay out of this, Fae,”

The tone made Blair’s eyes narrow. With a snap of her fingers, Freya was flung to the nearby wall and was stuck in place. Freya let out a pained cry when she was thrown back without warning, her head connecting to the brick wall with a loud thud. Spots danced in her vision, and she fought to stay conscious. She tried to move but found that she couldn’t, it was like her body would not listen to her commands.

“Speak to him like that again, and I will tear out your tongue,” Blair hissed lowly, her eyes ablaze in anger. She did not care if people spoke ill about her, but the moment they started to talk negatively towards the people she cared about, they would live to regret it, if they lived at all.

Freya stared at her defiantly.

Deciding that this had gone on long enough, Blair walked over to the Witch, satisfied when she tried to squirm away. “I do not give a shit about your biased feelings towards the Fae, it is the least of my concerns. But if you annoy me, I will kill you,”

“You need me,” Freya said lowly.

Raphael shook his head, “No, actually we don’t. The blood we need isn’t yours, but your mother,” He hadn’t moved since Blair had decided to put Freya in her place, taking some satisfaction in it. He hadn’t told Blair about all the snide remarks that Freya had sent his way whenever they crossed paths in the hallway, but he was sure she had found out about it.

“You’re wrong,” Freya said, “You’re just trying to turn people against me,” She had noticed that her siblings were cold to her, and she believed it was down to the two Fae in front of her.

Blair rolled her eyes, “Why can people never accept the truth? Just get it through your head that you're expendable. You aren’t essential at all, you’re basically useless,” Blair saw no role for Freya at this point, her magic was weak, her blood was not the key and her attitude was a problem. She had watched as Freya had tried to assert herself as the eldest, ordering around Kol and Rebekah as though they owed her respect. Kol was inches away from snapping Freya’s neck, not liking when anyone tried to reign him in.

“Your kind are liars, you're deceiving everyone. I bet when Dahlia comes, you and him will run away,” Freya stated, as though she pointed out a fact. 

“Kind of hard to do when we’re in relationships,” Raphael commented as he placed a hand on his chin. Even if he wasn’t in a relationship with Rebekah, he would have stayed to make sure Hope was protected and made it out unscathed.

Freya sneered, as though she was disgusted with this fact. She could not understand what her siblings saw in them. She had tried to talk some sense into Elijah and Rebekah, but they rebuked her and threatened to kill her if she did anything like that again. Elijah had been particularly vicious and Rebekah had ignored her since that incident.

“There is no use talking sense into her, she’s just like her mother,” Blair sighed dramatically.

This caught Freya’s attention, “Excuse me?”

“Your mother, Esther, has similar views,” Raphael explained, also sighing dramatically, “It’s quite scary how similar you and your mother are,”

Freya’s eye twitched at the comparison to her mother, and she silently fumed. She tried to wriggle free so she could retaliate, but she could not move at all.

Blair smirked, “Like mother like daughter, I suppose,”

“If you dare say another word, I will kill you,” Freya retorted, completely serious with her threat.

Staring at her directly in the eyes, Blair arched a brow, “Do it then,”

Freya sneered at her, “It may not be now, but I will kill you. If I can’t get to you, I’ll just go to Davina instead, I’ve noticed you seem invested in her,” She had watched Davina and Blair together, and it sickened her. A Witch should not be taught magic by a Fae, it was unnatural and went against everything Witches stood for. She would make Davina see sense soon enough, once the Fae was out of the way.

Raphael winced and stepped back.

Purple eyes snapped to life and Freya screamed in agony as she felt her arm twist in an unnatural direction. She looked and saw her bone sticking out of her arm, but her vision was blurred with the tears that ran down her face. Blair watched with a blank expression, her magic lashing out at the Witch’s threat. She did not take kindly to people threatening what was hers. Davina had told her about the conversation she had with Freya, and Blair had been biding her time, plotting revenge. She had planned to humiliate Freya in front of everyone, but this new threat could not be ignored.

“If you go near Davina, I will drown you. I will personally hold your head down and watch as you struggle,” Blair hissed dangerously low. She would make good on this threat and she knew Raphael would also help her, as he was quite fond of Davina as well.

For the first time in a while, Freya felt scared and it wasn’t because of Dahlia. She stared into the Fae’s eyes and knew she had overstepped. She knew she had messed up. She did not doubt that the Fae would make good on her threat and this made her throat nearly close in fear. The powerful magic that radiated from the female Fae was overwhelming – she had never felt anything that powerful. The more Freya was immersed in the magic, the more she regretted her actions.

Raphael placed a hand on Blair’s shoulder, “As much as I would love to continue this, we’re needed upstairs,” Davina had just called out to him in his mind, informing him that they were all needed upstairs.

“Why?” Blair demanded as her gaze never left Freya.

“Dahlia’s sent a message,” Raphael said, catching both of the women’s attention, “She sent a bouquet of black dahlias to the compound,” Davina had explained that it was Caroline who had found them, and this had sent Klaus into a frenzy.

Saying nothing, Blair’s eyes stopped glowing purple and she stepped away from Freya. Wordlessly, she walked out of the room, heading to the living room where they always convened. It was only when Blair was halfway across the house that she dropped the spell on Freya. The Witch winced as the pain in her arm came back in full force.

“I really wouldn’t suggest crossing Blair,” Raphael warned her.

Looking at him, she frowned, “And why do you care?”

“I don’t,” Raphael answered her truthfully, “I don’t trust you and you haven’t exactly been welcoming either. But I care about Rebekah. She was looking forward to having a sister, but she feels let down.” He had listened to Rebekah complain about her sister, but he had also heard the pain in her voice. It bothered him how affected she was by this and he wished that Freya would buck up and fix this.

Freya fell silent at his words.

“Blair is not a forgiving person, if you cross her, you will regret it,” Raphael explained, “She is also a powerful ally and friend. If she is loyal to you, then she will help.” It’s what he admired about her, and he sometimes wished he was more like her at times.

Freya shook her head, “I don’t understand your angle, what are you playing for?”

In frustration, Raphael sighed deeply, “There is no angle and there is no game. I and Blair simply care about this family.” It was frustrating that Freya could not accept they weren’t playing games, there wasn’t a scheme and they weren’t the villains in this story. The sooner she accepted that the sooner her siblings would stop wanting to kill her.

“But that doesn’t make sense,” Freya frowned.

Honestly, Raphael felt like he was talking to a brick wall at this point, “I don’t care if it doesn’t make sense to you. I and Blair have had plenty of chances to leave and backstab them, but we haven’t.”

Freya looked at him with narrowed eyes, unsure of whether he was being honest. She had tried to enter his mind a few times, but she was blocked at every turn. She had tried to enter the minds of all her siblings, as well as Davina and Caroline, but something stopped her. There was a force protecting them and she suspected that it was the female Fae’s magic at work.

“Believe me or you don’t, I don’t care,” Raphael said before walking away, “But if you do anything to harm this family, I will kill you myself or help Blair with her threat,” He left the room, silently annoyed. He had hoped that Freya would see sense but he was worried that would never happen. Freya was so far in denial that it was almost concerning, it would take something big to get her to change her mind.

Chapter 44: Chapter 44

Midnight approached and Dahlia’s deadline was nearly there.

She had sent a bouquet of black dahlias with a note that dictated that she wanted a meeting at a certain location to discuss the issue at hand. It happened to be St Anne’s Church, where Davina used to be housed at some point. The note had not revealed much else, but it put everyone on edge. Freya had advised that this was on point for Dahlia, as she was drawn to dark places, and many people had been killed in that Church, making it the perfect place. Two hours before the deadline, Blair alerted them that Dahlia had entered New Orleans, which set everyone on edge.

Gathered at the Church was the Mikaelson family, plus Blair. Davina, Caroline and Raphael remained in the Abattoir to guard Hope just in case Dahlia tricked them. The Abattoir was surrounded by magic, that would make it difficult for anyone to get past, especially Dahlia. The Werewolves had been notified that Dahlia had made their move and they were stationed near the Abattoir, acting as muscle against the ancient Witch. However, if anything did happen, Blair would be alerted of this and there was a backup plan in place – as well as a multitude of other plans.

Klaus paced up and down the Church, “Where is she?”

“She will come,” Elijah reassured, though it didn’t work, everyone was too much on edge. The threat of yet another family member trying to take something from them didn’t escape him. Elijah mentally cursed his family, why did every family member have an issue with them?

“She's taking her time,” Rebekah muttered lowly, but everyone heard her in the Church. They had also warned Father Kieran to get away from the location so he would not be anywhere near the confrontation. As much as Father Kieran resisted and fought back most times, he bowed down very quickly this time. It was obvious that something big was going to happen and he did not want to be caught in the crossfire, also keeping Camille away.

“She’ll come at midnight, no sooner, no later,” Blair answered them, leaning against a wall. She looked to be the picture of calm, but her eyes were tense and ready for a fight.

Freya nodded her head in agreement, “She will. She hates to be late, especially when she wants something,” She watched the Fae out of the corner of her eye, curious. She had thought over the conversation she’d had with Raphael, analysing the whole situation meticulously. She had questions, things she wanted to discuss, but now was not the time.

“She’d have better, I am starting to get bored,” Kol commented with a frown. He did not like being bored, because when he was, people died. He was itching for a fight that he knew was coming.

“There is no disturbance in our home?” Klaus asked as he looked at the Fae.

Blair shook her head, “Nothing, everything is in check,”

Klaus nodded his head, satisfied with the answer, but that did not stop him as he paced up and down the Church. Finally, his aunt would make her appearance and they could deal with her. The threat of her coming to take Hope could finally be dealt with and Klaus would focus his attention on his family, and ruling the city as he intended to.

The clock struck midnight.

Suddenly, there was another presence, and strong magic filled the Church. Everyone felt it, even the Vampires. Blair’s eyes did a quick glance around the Church, and within the blink of an eye, a woman appeared at the doors of the Church. The woman had brunette hair that was styled in gentle waves, cold brown eyes, and there was something similar about her. She resembled Elijah and Kol too much to mistake her for anything other than their family. This woman was Dahlia. She wore a long flowing black coat, long-sleeved blouse, fitted pants, and high-heeled boots – dressed in all black.

Fitting, as it would be her funeral.

“I’m glad to see you’re all on time.” Dahlia said, her husky voice echoing through the old building, “I hate it when people are late.” Her eyes landed on the female Fae before her, and her brown eyes turned cold, “I don’t remember inviting you,”

“She’s an honorary Mikaelson,” Elijah answered as he moved so he was beside Blair. This was a silent challenge, daring his Aunt to say anything against the Fae.

Dahlia’s expression was blank, giving no indication of what she thought of the matter. Soon, her gaze found Freya, deciding that the extra person was not a threat to her, “Ah, and there is the runaway. Finally, found your siblings then? Have they been everything they lived up to be?” The look on her face was almost cruel and her tone taunting, as if she was mocking the girl was wanting to find her family.

Freya said nothing, but her gaze narrowed in anger. Seeing the woman that kept her trapped for a thousand years made her restless. She wanted to make Dahlia pay for everything she had done but knew she would never stand a chance. Even before when they were bound together, Freya’s magic was nothing against her Aunt’s magic. It took a lot of effort, but she unclenched her whole body and forced herself to relax, as though she was not affected by Dahlia’s presence at all. She reminded herself that they had a plan, that their aunt would be dealt with soon enough and she would be free.

“So, you’re the mysterious aunt that is trying to snatch my child,” Klaus said with an unimpressed look on his face.

Turning to look at the Hybrid, Dahlia smiled aloofly, “I am just here to take what is owed to me. It’s rather unfortunate, but a deal is a deal. Esther promised the first-born child of every generation and I intend to hold her to it. Just hand the child over and you can all live,” The way she spoke was as if they were speaking about a pair of shoes – not an actual baby. It was the detachment that raised Klaus’ heckles.

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” Kol answered with a smug grin, “We’re quite fond of our niece, funny little thing she is,”

Dahlia frowned as if she expected them to just hand over the child. Disappointed, Dahlia shook her head, “Then you’ll just have to see what you’re up against,” With a wave of her hand, a hoard of Witches walked into the Church from behind Dahlia, all with blank expressions on their faces. They were being controlled by her.

Sharing a look with one another, Klaus, Elijah, Kol and Rebekah all grinned and got to work. They disappeared from view, and with their Vampire speed, worked their way through the group of Witches like they were nothing. Freya attempted to help but was stopped by Blair, who shook her head at the Witch and just gestured to her siblings, who all had grins on their faces, clearly enjoying this. The Witches would try and use spells on them, but they were too quick to be caught, and it didn’t take long before all the Witches were on the floor, either unconscious, drained of blood or down with their necks snapped. Blair watched this happen with a smirk on her face, which only got wider when she saw annoyance flash in Dahlia’s eyes. She had not expected them to be taken down as easily. Dahlia did not fully understand how powerful her niece and nephews were when they worked together – as a family.

With blood on his hands, Klaus sent a look to Dahlia when he killed the last Witch, “Well, that was entertaining. You said something about facing your wrath?”

Annoyed, Dahlia waved her hand and throw Klaus into the wall. But the Hybrid recovered quickly and charged at his aunt with an impressive amount of speed. However, he was thrown back again. This time, Elijah and Kol attempted to jump her as well, but it appeared as though Dahlia had expected this and vanished from sight, only to appear at the altar of the Church.

“Just give me the child, and you can go back to your lives,” Dahlia sounded exasperated by their effort. Could they not see that she was owed this child? Esther made the bargain and now her children had to uphold their end of the deal.

“Never,” Klaus growled, showing his Hybrid features.

Glaring, Dahlia waved her hand once more, and the Witches that were still alive stood back up and began attacking the Originals again. However, this time, Dahlia had brought more reinforcements. These people were Werewolves from outside of New Orleans, they were also stronger than the Witches. Despite this, the Mikaelson family made quick work of the minions. It was the same result as before. Even with the Werewolves' added muscle and strength, it did not compare to the Originals. The only difference was that they did not hold back as much and killed all the Werewolves so they could not come back unless Dahlia brought them back from the dead. Seeing that her minions were not winning, and when the last one fell, Dahlia made her move. She used her magic and brought Klaus to his knees and began to desiccate him. When Elijah and Rebekah came to his defence, she used her magic and sent them flying back into the wall. Kol throw items around the Church at her, hoping to distract her while she used magic so she’d lose connection to the spell she was using, but it did not work. Instead, she used her other hand and sent the items flying back to Kol, one of the wooden items stabbing him in the stomach which made him groan in pain.

“I liked this shirt as well,” Kol muttered in disappointment.

Dahlia watched them all with a blank expression, “Just give up, and this can all stop,” If she was given what she was due, there would be no need for violence.

In response, Elijah launched his own attack, and his Vampire features roared to life. There was no doubt that his aunt was powerful, she had managed to subdue them in record time. He had come across no Witch that could handle all four Originals and come out unscathed. However, he needed to get his brother away from Dahlia’s hold, the sound of Klaus’ screams as she started to desiccate him was something that did not sit right with Elijah.

Seeing the attack coming, Dahlia turned her attention to Elijah and held him to the ground as she started the desiccation process. The pain in Elijah’s head was immense, he could not fight against her level of magic. Elijah's shouts of pain paired with Klaus’, the sound unnerving both Kol and Rebekah.

Kol looked over to Blair and nodded his head, giving the signal.

Blair had waited for this signal and had become quite impatient. She had wanted to join in from the start, the Mikaelson family had made it look so fun, but she held back. When it was agreed that they would fight Dahlia, the Mikaelson family minus Freya wanted to test Dahlia’s power out for themselves. They wanted to see if she was as powerful as Freya had made her out to her. They would fight her, make Klaus seem like he was the biggest threat so she’d focus on him. But, if things started to get out of hand, Blair would step in and use her magic.

Now, it was show time.

Pushing herself off the wall, Blair walked forward a few steps before her eyes glowed purple. Just as Dahlia was about to use her magic to attack Kol and Rebekah, she was stopped when she felt an even greater magical force hit her. Dahlia turned her head just in time to see Blair’s purple eyes before she was sent flying into the nearby wall by a powerful wave of magic. With the connection with Dahlia gone, Klaus and Elijah stood up, their superior healing abilities coming into play as they healed all their injuries. They would need some blood after this, but for now, they could hold off.

Elijah, who healed first, helped Klaus to his feet and patted him on the shoulder, happy he was okay. Klaus huffed slowly as he felt his body repair itself. He could really go for some blood but pushed back his hunger until his Aunt was dealt with.

Quickly, Dahlia stood back up and looked directly at the female Fae, intrigue in her eyes, “My, aren’t you an interesting one?” In her thousand years, she had never met anyone who could overpower her with magic. She soon realised that she was not dealing with a novice, but someone who lived and breathed magic just like her.

“Can’t say the same for you,” Blair answered with an arched brow. She did not miss the hunger in Dahlia’s eyes, something Blair did not expect.

Elijah, Klaus, Kol and Rebekah came and stood by Blair and Freya, staying together. Elijah and Blair shared a look with one another, and then she looked at Klaus. They were all ready to start the next phase of their plan. From the ingredients that they had gathered, they had made weapons – one of each of them besides Freya. They were something Elijah had in his collection when he travelled to Peru. It was a set of five daggers, each one able to hinder Dahlia’s immortality and serve as a distraction until one of them could deliver the killing blow.

Dahlia looked as though she was about to say something, but she stopped and her gaze focused solely on Rebekah, “Oh, this is an interesting development,”

Blair frowned and looked to the female Original, unsure of what Dahlia was saying.

Pure delight appeared on Dahlia’s face, “It looks like I will be coming back for another,” Dahlia's laugh was cruel and sent shivers down Rebekah's spine.

The words acted like a physical blow to the Mikaelson family.

Blair looked even closer at Rebekah and focused her magic on the woman. For the past few weeks, Blair had noticed a shift in Rebekah’s presence, like the magic around her had changed. All creatures possessed magic, even Vampires as they were created from magic. For a moment, Blair couldn’t pinpoint exactly what Dahlia was alluding to, until she felt it. She felt magic within Rebekah that did not belong to her, but did at the same time.

Rebekah was pregnant.

It seemed as though she wasn’t the only one to come to this realisation. Klaus, Elijah and Kol had honed their advanced Vampire hearing and listened closely. They could hear the blood pumping the hearts of Dahlia, Blair and Freya. They could hear the humans in the distance, and they could also hear an additional heartbeat in Rebekah. 

“That’s impossible…” Klaus muttered.

“Holy shit,” Kol’s brown eyes were wide.

“Oh Gods…” Freya whispered lowly as she raised a hand to cover her mouth.

Elijah’s Vampire features flickered to life as he stood in front of Rebekah, protectively. He glared darkly at Dahlia, he would not allow anything to happen to his baby sister.

Rebekah’s face paled when she soon came to the realisation herself. She had not felt completely right for the past few weeks, something had changed in her but she hadn’t been able to locate what it was. Neither had Raphael. Rebekah had just assumed that it was the stress of this whole situation and had brushed it off. Mentally, Rebekah began cursing herself for not noticing something sooner, she had been around Hayley when she was pregnant, but her mind had not jumped to being pregnant, as she thought as a Vampire, she would never have children.

“I will give you twenty-four hours to say goodbye to the child,” Dahlia said, her voice bringing back everyone from their stupor, “If the child is not delivered to me then, I will take her by force by killing you all. Then I will take Rebekah with me,” With a wave of her hand, Dahlia disappeared from view, her magic far away.

When she was gone, the only thing that remained was silence. No one knew what to say and no one realised that their plan to kill Dahlia had just gone sideways, they were all too occupied with this revelation.

Klaus looked at his baby sister, “You’re pregnant?” The thought was almost absurd and he thought he would never utter those words.

“But I thought that was impossible,” Elijah frowned, feeling very confused at this new revelation. It was a well-known fact that Vampires could not conceive any children.

“It could be a trick, Dahlia could be trying to mess with us,” Kol suggested, he wouldn’t put it past Dahlia to try and cause turmoil between them.

Blair shook her head, “No, she’s definitely pregnant,” She could feel the magic signature inside Rebekah that did not belong to her.

Rebekah looked down to her stomach. She was not showing at all, but she could also hear the extra heartbeat and it made her feel all sorts of things. Shocked, happy and scared were the main ones. She was shocked because she never thought that this would happen to her, happy for the opportunity and scared that Dahlia would take away her little joy. “I’m pregnant,”

“I’ll kill Raphael!” Klaus shouted, suddenly filled with anger that his sister was in this situation. While he was happy for his sister, he did not like the thought of her being pregnant. He had tried his best to ignore her relationship with Raphael, and this would make it extremely hard to do so.

Blair sent him a gathering glare, “You will do no such thing, you promised,”

Klaus huffed but said nothing more.

Elijah turned around to face Rebekah and held her hand, “Congratulations, sister,” He smiled at her gently, knowing how much she wanted this. He had not missed the longing stares she would send to families whenever they travelled. She’d always been vocal about wanting a family of her own, and now she could.

“Another baby, great,” Kol muttered, not a fan of the little monsters. They screamed and did nothing but everyone cooed over them. He did not see the appeal of having a child, but he could see how happy his sister was.

Rebekah smacked his arm, “Prick,” She then looked to the Fae, “Can you sense the baby?”

Blair nodded her head, gaining the attention of the family, “Yes, I can. I would estimate you to be around six weeks along,”

“But how is this likely?” Klaus demanded. “It should be impossible,” The only reason he was able to procreate was because he was a Hybrid, and it was a nature's loophole.

Everyone fell silent for a moment as they all thought about it. However, Kol shrugged his shoulders, “Nature must have seen it as necessary.” He knew from his experience of being a Witch, that nature worked in mysterious ways, allowing things to happen, like their existence. He had learned a long time ago to not question nature and just go with the flow with these kinds of things.

“All creatures represent an element. Fae represent light and Vampires represent darkness. They likely counteracted one another,” Blair said with a thoughtful expression. Fae had a notoriously low birth rate, which was why it took them this long to repopulate in the Forest. The Fae were lucky if they had one child born in fifty to one hundred years. It was also very rare for the Fae to have multiple children, so there were hardly any siblings or twins.

“It’s a miracle,” Freya smiled, hiding the pain in her eyes. It reminded her of her own child she had lost. She made a silent vow to never let Dahlia hurt this child. If Dahlia got a hold of this child, as well as Hope, she would be unstoppable. Freya looked at Blair and remembered what happened just moments before. She could not believe what she had seen. Freya had never seen Dahlia overpowered before, and it was amazing to watch.

“I’m going to be a mother,” Rebekah said slowly, her eyes wide at the thought.

“You will be an excellent mother,” Elijah said as he smiled down at his sister. He looked over to Blair, a thoughtful expression on his face.

It was something that was not missed by Blair and it made her feel uneasy.

‘Blair?’

At Davina’s voice in her mind, Blair stood straight, ‘Is everything okay?’ She could hear a strain in Davina’s voice in her head.

‘Raphael’s been injured and I’m occupied, I need you back here,’ Davina called out in desperation.

‘We’ll be there soon, just hold on,’ Blair did not ask any more questions, sensing that Davina needed to concentrate on the task at hand, whatever it may be. Blair silently praised her for calling out for her, and she felt Davina relax slightly.

ORIGINALS

The Mikaelson family and Freya all arrived back at the Abattoir moments later and they noticed that something was wrong – off. Something did not feel right. Everything was silent, yet all the lights were out. There were also no Werewolves guarding their home. When Blair informed them of Davina’s message, they rushed back immediately. Blair reached out mentally to Raphael and Davina, but there was no reply from Raphael and Davina just grunted that she was busy. When they entered the Abattoir, Blair instantly knew that her barriers and wards were still in place. Dahlia had not broken them down, which meant the person causing trouble had been invited into the Abattoir at one point. When they walked into the living room, Blair understood why no one had answered her.

Davina stood protectively over Raphael, her hand outstretched as she used her magic. She was concentrating on keeping someone down – Jackson. He kneeled on the floor, pain in his eyes as he resisted Davina's magic. Raphael had an iron knife in his back, and he was not moving at all, something that unnerved the female Fae.

“What the bloody hell is going on here?” Kol demanded as he glared at Jackson. He wondered what the Werewolf had done to make his girlfriend react in such a way.

Rebekah appeared by Raphael’s side and quickly removed the knife, she flung it across the room in a fury and fed Raphael her blood. The moment the knife was gone, Raphael gasped and his eyes opened. He gladly gulped down a few mouthfuls of blood, the ancient blood healing him quickly.

“Where’s Caroline?” Klaus demanded before he disappeared in a blink of an eye. He went to search his for partner, worried for her safety. He could smell her scent, she was still in the Abattoir, but he worried why she wasn’t with the others.

“What happened Davina?” Blair questioned, intrigued to know what had made her pupil attack Jackson.

Davina never took her eyes off Jackson, fury very clearly on her face, “Just a few minutes ago, Jackson and Hayley came in, demanding that we hand over Hope. They planned to take off with her, saying that they did not trust us to deal with Dahlia,” The Werewolves attack was quick and ruthless, as though they hadn’t cared who they were. They had snuck up on Raphael first, Jackson stabbed him in the back and Davina had been so scared that he was dead, she thought he had been stabbed in the heart. Davina had lashed out immediately using her magic to attack Jackson in retaliation. While she had been distracted with Jackson, Hayley had snuck upstairs and met Caroline.

Rebekah kissed the side of Raphael’s head, “Are you okay?” She needed to know he was okay, she had nearly lost him.

Raphael smiled at her lovingly, “I’m okay now, thank you.”

“Did Dahlia come as well?” Freya asked with a frown.

Raphael shook his head, and attempted to sit up, but winced as he still felt the aftereffects of the iron, “No, she didn’t come at all.”

Kol placed his hand on Davina, catching her attention, “You can stop now, you’ve done well,” He kissed the side of her head, proud of his little Witch.

At his words, Davina lowered her hand and stopped her flow of magic. The moment she did, Jackson fell forward, but in an instant, he was pinned to the wall by Elijah and Kol, and Elijah’s hand was embedded in Jackson's chest cavity. The sudden pain made the Wolf gasp in pain as he gained back his bearings.

Just then, Klaus came down with Caroline in his arms, her neck had been snapped. He had found her in Hope’s room, with his child gone, “Hayley has taken Hope,” He had heard the story from downstairs, and he was livid. Hayley's scent was all over the room, and the room was trashed as she had made a quick getaway.

“She can’t have gone far, we can find her,” Freya said to reassure him.

“And she will pay,” Blair hissed out lowly as her purple eyes flared to life. She would get revenge for Raphael, but she did not take kindly to people hurting who she viewed as hers. She walked up beside Davina and rested her hand on the Witch’s cheek, “Are you okay?”

Davina nodded her head and smiled at the affection, “I’m okay.”

Elijah tightened his grip around Jackson's heart, watching in satisfaction as he saw him wince in pain, “Klaus, Kol and Rebekah, you three stay behind. I am Blair and will go and hunt down Jackson and Hayley,” He could see that Rebekah and Kol would not part with their loved ones, not that he'd blame them. If Blair was in the same position, he would do the same.

Klaus did not look happy with this suggestion, but then looked down at Caroline and nodded his head. “Bring her back alive, I want revenge,” He warned lowly as his eyes flashed gold. Not only had Caroline’s neck been snapped, but she had also been bitten by Hayley. Luckily, Klaus’ blood was the cure, but if it had been left any longer, he could have lost Caroline, and then the whole town would have been razed.

“Don’t worry, we will,” Blair vowed with an equally vengeful expression.

“What about me?” Freya asked, curious to know where she fell in this whole plan.

“Stay behind and help guard. I would not put it past Dahlia to come early,” Elijah replied back swiftly as he stepped away from the Wolf, Kol taking over with glee.

Freya nodded her head.

Reaching into his breast pocket, Elijah used some cloth to wipe away the blood. Within the flash, Elijah wrapped his arm around Blair and disappeared from sight. They had some Werewolf hunting to do. 

With the pair gone to go hunting, Kol grinned darkly, “Now, why don’t you tell me exactly what happened?” He had plans for this Wolf and vowed to make him pay. While his girlfriend was not hurt, he took great offence to their actions. Kol knew he couldn't completely destroy Jackson, Rebekah, Blair and Klaus would want their turn as well. But, in the meantime, he planned to make the Wolf sing all about their plans.

Rebekah helped Raphael stand and they left the room, they had much to discuss and Raphael needed his rest. Even with Vampire blood in his system, Rebekah was still frantic and wanted him to rest before anything else. Also, she had a lot to tell him, and she wanted some privacy when she revealed the exciting news.

Klaus was not far behind, as he took Caroline to his room, where he could keep a close eye on her while she came back. It was obvious that Caroline had attempted to stop Hayley from taking Hope, but hadn’t worked out. He realised how close he had been to losing her. He trusted Kol to show some restraint, but he planned to make the pair pay for daring to take his daughter away from him. 

Chapter 45: Chapter 45

Using her superior strength, Rebekah basically carried Raphael back to their shared room, she needed some time with him to make sure he was okay. Logically, she knew that he was okay as he had drunk plenty of her blood, but a part to her was worried. Rebekah knew how deadly iron was to the Fae, and she just wanted to thoroughly make sure he was okay.

“Rebekah, dear, I am fine, honestly,” Raphael laughed as she helped him onto their bed.

“Are you sure? Do you need more of my blood?” Rebekah questioned as she held out her wrist. She would give him as much as he needed, just as long as he was okay and he wouldn’t leave her.

Raphael shook his head and pulled her down onto the bed with him. With her laid beside him, he pulled her to him and hugged her closely. He was okay physically, but he just needed a moment to hold her to calm down for a moment. When he had been stabbed in the back, just mere inches from his heart. He had felt the iron invade his bloodstream and it burned so badly he fell into a state of unconsciousness. If he had not been healed as quickly as he was, he would have died as his body was not used to iron, unlike Blair. Raphael made a mental note to himself to speak with Blair so he can build up his resistance to the metal.

Rebekah melted in his embrace and snuggled close to him, needing to be close to him in that moment. There were a few seconds where she thought she had lost him and it would have broken her. She couldn't get the image out of head, of him on the ground, unmoving and hardly breathing. She had spent a thousand years trying to find someone that could put up with her family and their notorious temper, and just as she found him, she’d hate for him to be ripped away from her.

“I'm okay,” Raphael reassured his partner, but also himself.

“You’re okay,” Rebekah repeated lowly.

Both the Vampire and the Fae stayed there for a moment. Luckily, they could not hear the torture that was happening downstairs, they could also not hear Kol’s laughter as he made Jackson pay. This was thanks to Davina who had learned how to soundproof rooms through Blair. Both of them knew Kol was torturing Jackson, but neither had the willpower to move from one another to help. Raphael wanted to get revenge on the Wolf for being stabbed in the back, but his main priority was the woman before him.

“How did it go with Dahlia?” Raphael asked with his eyes closed.

“We didn't kill her,” Rebekah said with a frown.

Raphael opened his eyes and looked down, “What happened?” The plan was to have her dealt with that night, had something happened? Where the ingredients wrong? “Did she hurt you?”

Rebekah shook her head, “No, she didn’t hurt me,” Being thrown against a wall a few times wouldn’t hurt her, she was made of sturdier stuff. However, she was now worried as she was pregnant and hadn’t realised it.

Sensing the worry, Raphael held her closer, “What’s wrong?”

For a moment, Rebekah didn’t know what to do. She had never been in this situation before, and she was worried about how he would react. Would Raphael be happy that she was pregnant? Would he even believe her?

When Raphael didn’t hear anything from Rebekah, he sat up and brought Rebekah up with him, “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

“Dahlia said something that… made me feel a plethora of things,” Rebekah said slowly, she didn’t know how to tell him. She was tempted to blurt it out, but another part of her didn’t think it was romantic enough and wanted to find another way of telling him, she was just unsure of what.

Running his hands through her hair, Raphael hummed softly, “Take no notice of what that woman says, it’s probably lies,”

“But it wasn't a lie, Blair confirmed it,” Rebekah answered back without thinking.

Confused, Raphael looked down at her, “Huh?”

Inhaling deeply, Rebekah couldn't hide it anymore. She needed to tell him, “I’m pregnant,”

Raphael’s eyes widened as his hand stopped moving. It was like he was frozen in place, unable to move. Raphael stared down at Rebekah, his brain shut off. He blinked slowly and tilted his head to the side but other than that, he did not move. He just stared at her in disbelief, he opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

“Please, say something,” Rebekah begged nervously, feeling the sting of tears.

Within the blink of an eye, Raphael scooped her up in his arms princess style and jumped up so he was standing. He twirled around and Rebekah let out a squeal at the sudden action. “That’s amazing!” Raphael laughed as he stopped jumping around in excitement and he stared down at Rebekah with such affection that it made her blush. “You’re amazing,”

“Aren’t you going to question it?” Rebekah asked, shocked that he hadn’t denied it at all.  As a Vampire, she shouldn’t be able to get pregnant. Raphael had instantly believed her, hadn’t wanted more answers first, he had just reacted as though she had told him the best news ever.

Raphael shook his head, “I won’t lie, for a moment I did wonder. I thought you may be pulling my leg, but I know you wouldn’t do that. It would also explain some behaviour lately,” He had been ready to refute her, ready to scold her for such a harsh prank, but he had seen the look in her eyes. Rebekah had been telling him the truth and had been scared of his reaction. If she had been lying, she would not have looked at him in such a way. Rebekah was also aware that he’d always wanted to have children and wouldn’t have played such a cruel prank on him.

His words made Rebekah relax in his arms, and then she suddenly felt the urge to cry. What she had down to deserve such a great man?

“Do you know how far along you are?” Raphael asked, excited for more news.

“I'm about six weeks, that’s what Blair said,” Rebekah answered as she nuzzled her face into his neck. The steady beat of his heart soothed her, as she knew he was alive and well.

“Our baby will be a Hybrid, won’t it?” Raphael questioned, curious to know what their child would be. There had never been a Vampire and Fae Hybrid and he wondered how it would work. He wondered what characteristics would be most prominent, would they need as much blood as a normal Vampire?

“Looks like Nik isn’t so special after all,” Rebekah grinned at the thought.

Raphael snorted, “Don’t tell him that, he may get jealous.” It was no secret that Klaus liked to laud over them about him being a Hybrid and more invincible. However, he would not be the only Hybrid in the home.

“And Hope will have someone to play with,” Rebekah said thoughtfully.

Suddenly, Raphael frowned and he looked down at his partner, who he still held in his arms, “But that means…”

“That Dahlia is after the baby,” Rebekah finished for him, knowing where his thoughts were heading.

Raphael’s expression darkened, “She won’t touch you or the baby. I’d kill her,” He only just found out that his partner was pregnant, he was not letting anything happen to her, or this baby. He’d rather die first. It was in that moment that he understood the rage that Klaus had exhibited over his daughter potentially being taken away by Dahlia.

Rebekah patted his shoulder, indicating that she wanted to be on the ground. Reluctantly, Raphael put her down, but kept her close to him. He looked at her and silently asked for permission to touch her stomach, and she nodded her head. Gently, Raphael placed his hand on her stomach, he knew that he would not feel the baby kicking as it was way too soon.

“How long do Fae pregnancies last for?” Rebekah asked, looking for guidance. She knew how long humans were pregnant for, but she didn’t know anything about the Fae, other than what she had been told. She was aware that the Fae had a notoriously low birth rates, another reason why they were shocked.

Raphael thought back, it had been a long time since he had been around a pregnant Fae. Whenever one of their kind became pregnant, the couple went into hiding, to make sure no stress affected the baby. The mothers were always treated carefully, scared that anything would hurt the baby. “It usually lasts about seven to eight months, so it can be quite similar to a human pregnancy,”

“And then we’re going to be parents,” Rebekah whispered, still in shock with the news. It seemed surreal in a few months’ time, she would give birth and be a mother.

“And you’ll be amazing,” Raphael kissed the top of her head, confident in her.

“No, we’ll be amazing,” Rebekah corrected as she kissed his jaw.

Suddenly, Rebekah found herself scooped up in his arms again and placed on the bed. Raphael kissed her in such a frenzy that it took her aback, but she soon returned the fervour in kind with her own.

ORIGINALS

Using her magic and Elijah’s Vampire speed, it did not take them long to find Hayley and Hope. She was near the Bayou, but Hayley was headed towards a car, holding Hope in a car carrier seat, ready to take her daughter out of New Orleans. The moment Elijah saw the Wolf, his anger spiked. He could not believe that he used to have feelings for this woman, but mostly, he was disappointed in Hayley. Stealing away Hope was an offence that no one in his family would be able to forgive, and they certainly would never forget. This was an offence that Klaus would never forgive and neither could he.

Elijah and Blair watched as Hayley placed down the baby carrier while she loaded up the car. It was obvious that she planned to leave without Jackson and had not spared him another thought with fleeing with her daughter. Once Hope was out of Hayley’s arms, Elijah sprang into action. He grabbed her by the neck and held her up in the air and watched as she struggled to breath.

Gasping violently, Hayley kicked out, but her attacks were useless and Elijah’s rage overpowered every other feeling.

Blair walked forward and picked up Hope’s car seat carrier instead, moving it away from Hayley. Hope was still a child and needed to be protected, and around the people who could protect her. Blair did not understand what Hayley's plan was, as she would not get far. Dahlia would have found them far too quickly and then all their planning would have been for nothing.

With his niece out of harms way, Elijah threw Hayley aside as if she was nothing. “How dare you,” Elijah said softly, but his eyes were alit with unbridled anger.

Hayley coughed, her throat felt as though it had been crushed, “Elijah…”

“What was your plan?” Elijah demanded.

“I was saving her,” Hayley argued back, her voice hoarse, “She is my daughter, I will protect her,”

“With what powers?” Blair questioned with a blank expression. The stupidity was almost too much and she couldn't understand the Wolf’s thinking. As a Werewolf, she alone did not have the power to defeat Dahlia. Not even a whole pack would be able to defeat the thousand-year-old Witch. Dahlia would have tortured the lot of them, she would have killed them all with a wave of her hand. It would have been easy pickings, and Hope would have been taken.

Hayley glared at her, “The pack would have protected her,”

Elijah shook his head, “They would have fallen all too easily. Your plan was foolish and ignorant,”

Hurt flashed in Hayley's green eyes, as though she had expected Elijah to be on her side, to understand her reasons. This soon turned to anger, “None of you understand! Your plan wouldn’t work! I did what I thought was right to protect my daughter!”

“And you would have taken Hope away from her father!” Elijah shouted back, equally as angry.

Hayley fell silent for a moment but did not refute this claim.

“Niklaus has as much as right to his daughter, just because you're the mother, does not mean you are more important,” Elijah reprimanded sternly. Everything his brother had done was to protect his daughter and Hayley was trying to rip Hope away from him.

“Dahlia would have found you, what was the plan after that?” Blair questioned, curious to know what the Wolf’s thought process was.

Hayley stood straighter, “I would have found a Witch to bind Hope’s powers. Dahlia would have been able to track her through her magic, if that was stopped, Hope would be safe,” She had planned to leave New Orleans and find a Witch was the willing to help her, and if not, threaten them with their lives. Once Hope’s magic was bound, Dahlia would have not managed to find her, and they would continue to run until they found somewhere safe.

Blair looked thoughtful, and the crinkled her nose in disgust, “While that thought has merit, but binding a child's powers are dangerous and stupid. Hope has already displayed having powers, to bind them at such an age is dangerous, it would be like cutting off a limb,” This could also change Hope, in a way that no one would be able to predict. She would be inconsolable, feeling as though she had lost part of herself, and then it would be likely Hope’s personality would shift after such a trauma. There were too many variables to fully distinguish any potential outcome, but none would be nice.

Hayley’s expression dimmed at the Fae’s words.

“And let’s not forget the Fae Queen. The moment you left New Orleans, she’d have Hope kidnapped, and then you’d never see her again,” Blair added in with a frown. Klaus and her threat of the royal challenge was the only thing that stood in Maeve’s way of obtaining Hope, and the moment the child was away from the protection, Maeve would jump at the chance.

“I bet the Fae Queen doesn’t even exist, you just said that to scare us,” Hayley snorted back as she rolled her eyes.

Elijah cut in with a dark expression, “You’ve not seen another Fae because Blair and Raphael have had them dealt with. Be grateful that she has been protecting Hope,” He would not stand there and let Hayley disrespect his Mate, who had gone to lengths to make sure his niece was safe and protected.

Hayley fell silent, like a reprimanded child.

“Also, where does Jackson fall into this?” Blair questioned, as she remembered the Wolf was besotted with Hayley, “Did you plan on coming back for him?”

For a moment Hayley looked guilty, “He would have caught up… if not then I would left without him,” She had watched as Jackson was taken down by the baby Witch and had acted without thought. Her Wolf had begged her to go back and protect her mate, but she had fought against that instinct. She had needed to get her daughter out before someone stopped her. When Caroline had tried to stop her, she nearly killed the Vampire. The only she reasons she did not is because she knew Klaus would track her down and kill her. Though that did not stop her from biting the Baby Vampire.

Blair arched a brow, “How loving,”

“We will endeavour to make sure he learns of this news,” Elijah said before he rushed forward and hit Hayley on the head with just enough force to knock her unconscious. After all these years alive, he knew how much force was needed with each species. Humans needed the least amount of force, whereas Vampires needed more. Werewolves fell in between, as they had accelerated healing, but were still human while not in their other form. However, Elijah did take into consideration Hayley's moonlight ring, which gave her access to her Werewolf side with no repercussions.

Elijah stared down at Hayley’s form sadly, before he sighed and picked her up. He threw her over his shoulder as though she was a sack of potatoes. He held out his hand for Blair to take, which she did without hesitated. Blair squeezed his hand in reassurance and he smiled at her lovingly, she was what he needed.

A few moments later, they were back in the Abattoir and walked into the living room. Kol was still there, smashing Jackson’s head into the nearby wall with glee. Blood poured from his ears and eyes, and there was a hole in the wall were his head had been smashed into. There was blood in the corner of Jackson’s mouth, Kol’s blood, so he can continue the torture.

Kol turned his head when he sensed them return, “Ah, you found the strumpet then,” He looked at the unconscious form of Hayley and sneered, unimpressed.

When Jackson saw Hayley, he attempted to struggle, but Kol smashed his head into the wall again and knocked him unconscious. Like his brother, Kol was in expert in knowing how much force was needed to do damage, but Kol often didn’t hold back on purpose as it made things more interesting.

“Where is Davina?” Blair asked when she didn’t see her student.

“Asleep, she needed some rest after today,” Kol answered with a grin, he was proud of his little Witch for handing Jackson his ass.

Blair nodded her head.

Elijah threw Hayley’s body towards Jackson, allowing them to be near one another. It would be a little time before they woke up, and there were things to do.

Within the blink of an eye, Klaus appeared in the living room, “I see you were successful,” He said he gently took the baby carrier from Blair. He placed the carrier down and picked up his daughter, holding her close. Hope stirred awake, but made a cooing sound, happy to be in her father’s arms.

“She planned to leave New Orleans, have Hope’s powers sealed and run forever,” Elijah explained to his brother.

Klaus’ expression was murderous.

“How’s Caroline?” Blair asked the Hybrid.

“Better, but she kicked me out because I was fretting too much, as she said,” Klaus explained, as he bounced Hope around, his heart softened as he looked down at his daughter. Caroline had woken up around ten minutes ago, and had nearly strangled him because he kept asking how she was and offering his blood to make sure she was okay. As soon as Caroline had heard Blair and Elijah were back, she kicked him out of their room so he could make sure everything was okay.

“Should we wait for Rebekah?” Kol asked.

Blair shook her head, “No, her and Raphael are busy,” She grinned when she saw the disgusted looks on Klaus and Kol’s face, and Elijah just sighed but never said anything.

“Where’s Freya?” Elijah inquired.

“In her room, she couldn’t watch,” Kol shrugged his shoulders, not bothered by his eldest sister’s reaction. While she had agreed that Jackson deserved what came to him, she did not want to watch it. She was not used to Kol’s level of enthusiasm when it came to torture and did not have the stomach for it.

Klaus left the room for a moment, intending to put his daughter to bed for the night. When she was down and settled in her room, he looked at her remembered how he nearly lost her due to Hayley’s ignorance. Just remembering it ignited the fury inside him once more. Storming out of the room, Klaus made his way to the living room once more so the true fun can begin.

Once back in the living room, Elijah put away his mobile phone, “I have just contacted Ansel and he’s informed the pack,” Ansel had been acting as mentor for the Wolves, showing them the proper ways. Everyone in the pack looked up him, and while Jackson and Hayley had been acting unstable, Ansel had been acting as the Alpha. It would be very likely Ansel would take over as Alpha permanently as no one had tried to claim the spot and he was most knowledgeable about the role.

Klaus nodded his head, satisfied with that answer. He and his biological father had hatched a plan, where Ansel would slowly gain the trust of everyone in the pack, and the slowly take over. This plan had been made so much easer with Jackson acting like a fool and Hayley being in a coma. Ansel had shown the Wolves what it meant having a proper Alpha, not an unstable one. Ansel was well liked and respected within the pack.

“What’s the verdict?” Klaus inquired.

“The Wolves have handed Hayley and Jackson over to us,” Elijah informed his brother, “They only ask that they not be punished as well, as they knew nothing about this,” It would appear as though Jackson and Hayley had worked without the support of their pack, and their actions had not gained many favours in the pack. Most of them were scared there would retribution, and it was smart of them to ask for a pardon from the actions of their official Alphas.

Klaus nodded his head in agreement, “That can easily be granted,”

“Now, what do we do with them?” Kol asked as he looked down at the unconscious bodies of Jackson and Hayley. Jackson had not been as entertaining as he had hoped, and wondered if Hayley would yield better results.

“I’d say we kill them,” Blair suggested.

Klaus liked the idea a lot, and nodded his head at the thought. At least with Hayley out of the way, he would not have to fight to have his daughter, and she couldn’t try and take Hope away again. After this incident, he would not be able to trust the female Wolf at all, always wondering if she would make off with Hope again, or do something that could permanently alter their child.  Dealing with Hayley and getting rid of her once and for all would quell his paranoia to a degree. As he thought more on the matter, he realised that there was another benefit, it would also leave the position of Alpha open for Ansel to easily take. This would further solidify their alliance and he didn’t have it worry about whether the Alpha was up to the job as Ansel was experienced.

For a moment, Elijah was saddened that Hope would not have a mother growing up, but he reassured himself as Hope would be surrounded by positive female influences and she would still have Klaus, so she’d at least have one parent. In the beginning, he had hoped for a better ending and wished that Hayley would not push matters but she had done something unforgivable, and was ready to severally alter her child in this pursuit. She could and would not come back from this.

Kol didn’t much care about this, just as long as he got his fun. Sensing the fate of the two Wolves had been decided, Kol looked to them and kicked them awake.

Hayley and Jackson jerked awake, wincing at Kol’s brutal method. When Jackson saw he was in no different position as before, he groaned in despair and sent Vampires and Fae dirty looks. Hayley looked annoyed, as though this was a minor inconvenience and she had not realised her fate. She attempted to move, but found that she found that she could not move her legs, which made her begin to panic.

“Have a good nap?” Klaus smirked maliciously.

“What do you want, Klaus?” Hayley asked, annoyed. She was also sending side glances at Elijah, wondering when he would stop in and stop this nonsense. She found it odd that the Noble Original was silent and would not meet her gaze.

Klaus’ expression darkened, “You attempted to kidnap our child and bind her. I take issue with this,”

“As do we all,” Elijah said.

Blair snorted, “You couldn't even come up with a decent plan. Hope would have been taken in minutes of leaving New Orleans,”

Kol rolled his eyes, “Honestly, that plan was so stupid it’s laughable,”

“If you had just co-operated with everything, it wouldn’t have come to this,” Klaus shook his head in disappointment.

“I did what I thought was right!” Hayley yelled out angrily, annoyed that no one could see her side in things. Could they not see that she had no way of knowing if they would win?

“It was underhanded,” Elijah commented before he looked to Jackson, “Hayley had no intentions of coming back to you, she planned to leave and didn’t look back once,” It was inly fair that the Alpha found out what his mate was like, and Elijah always delivered on his promises.

Jackson looked at Hayley, “Is that true?” They had a plan, they’d made it together. They would grab Hayley and leave New Orleans and then the pack would follow them. They would find a new home once Hope’s powers were bound and then they would hide away. They had planned to live a life together, to lead their pack together.

“Jackson… I…” Hayley struggled to find the words, feeling guilt in that moment.

However, before she could even finish what she said, Kol lunged forward and shoved is hand into Jackson’s chest before tearing out his heart and throwing it across the room. Jackson slumped forward, not moving. Hayley screamed when she saw what happened, and stared at his dead body in shock.

“Kol,” Elijah scolded his brother for acting too early.

“What?” Kol said defensively, “I was getting bored,”

Klaus rolled his eyes at his younger brother’s behaviour but didn’t say anything against him. It was quite amusing as he watched Hayley go into shock. He also got to watch as she slowly realised her situation, that she wasn’t so untouchable that she believed herself to be.

“He was a good man!” Hayley snapped at them, tears in her eyes.

Blair snorted, “Good enough for you to leave him,” The female Wolf had been happy to leave Jackson to the hands of the Originals, but now she had changed her tune.

Hayley glared at the Fae but said nothing.

“Now, onto your punishment,” Klaus said with a malicious grin.

Hayley looked to him, and glared at him as well, “You can’t touch me, I am Hope’s mother. She would hate you if anything happened to me,”

“Who said Klaus would be killing you?” Blair asked with an arched brow.

“I call dibs!” Kol shouted out with a grin,

“Fuck off! You got to kill Jackson,” Blair argued, glaring at the vicious Vampire. She had wanted to at least torture the poor excuse of an Alpha, but Kol got bored and ruined her fun.

“You were too slow!”

Blair smacked his arm in response.

Elijah sighed at their interaction and shook his head, but smiled slightly in endearment. He loved how much Blair easily slotted into his family, not even caring about torturing people, but rather, who got a turn.

Hayley looked to Elijah, “You won’t let them hurt me, will you?”

Kneeling down, Elijah grabbed her face, causing Hayley’s eyes to light up, thinking she was saved. However, her hopes when dashed at his words, “They have my full permission,” Hayley watched numbly as Elijah stood back up and dusted off his suit.

Blair stepped forward, having won her argument with Kol, and grinned widely, “Looks like you’re next,”

Hayley opened her mouth to say something, but the Fae cut her off.

“I was thinking about what I’d do to get back at Jackson for what happened to Raphael. However, Kol took that away from me,” Blair glared at the Wild Original, who winked at her. “But I guess I will just have to settle for you,” Reaching over, Blair removed the Moonlight ring from Hayley, no longer deeming her worthy of the stone, or its powers. She threw the ring at Klaus, who caught it effortlessly.

“I also toyed with the thought of turning you into a Wolf permanently, like you’re pack used to be, but there was always the chance of you wanting revenge. You’d also be alive and that would be too much of a risk,” Blair mused out loud. It had been something she was thinking of when she and Elijah were trying to find her and Hope. Blair thought it would be quite funny, making Hayley suffer the curse that she had tried to break for the pack. But that would also mean Hayley would get to be human one day a month, and that was too generous.

“Just get it over with,” Hayley hissed out impatiently.

Blair stared at her for a moment, before she shrugged her shoulders, “Okay, you’re boring anyway,” With a snap of her fingers, and her eyes glowing purple, Blair used her magic and snapped Hayley’s neck. She watched as Hayley fell to the ground, lifeless, and no longer a problem.

“You couldn't have done it with more pizazz?” Kol protested loudly.

“Get over it,” Blair rolled her eyes as she left the room with Elijah following after her.

Grumbling, Kol disappeared to his room with Davina.

Klaus looked down at the two lifeless bodies in his living room and sighed deeply. He supposed it was up to him to clean up his families mess.

Chapter 46: Chapter 46

Blair entered her and Elijah’s room briskly, with her mate right behind her. She heard Klaus grumble as he had to clean up the dead bodies, but this soon disappeared once Elijah closed their bedroom door. Blair’s mind raced with different thoughts, and she wanted to run – her first instinct was always to run as it had been ingrained in her very being. But she knew there was no point, Elijah would find her and make her talk out what she was thinking, a reason why she loved him as much as she did. He was her other half, the person who could calm down the storm in her head, and the one who brought her peace. With him, she felt happy.

And now she was worried she was taking away his happiness.

Elijah watched his mate quietly, and he waited. If he hadn’t known Blair as well, he would have thought she was bothered by killing Hayley, but he knew better. There was something else going on inside her beautiful mind, and he waited patiently while she worked out her thoughts. He could visibly see her thoughts work overtime, especially when her leg started to jump up and down as she sat on the bed. Then, she stood up and began to rock on the spot, too far in her thoughts.

It was when he saw her shoulders tense that he knew he needed to ask, “Talk to me, dear,”

Blair looked at him, and bit her lip, uncertainty in her eyes, “I saw your face when it was found out that Rebekah was pregnant, that a Fae and Vampire could conceive,” It was a look of hope, one that someone had when they found something they were always looking for. She had seen his eyes light up, in a way that made her stomach turn heavy.

“It was a shock, and I am happy for my sister,” Elijah said honestly. In his long time alive, he had never once come across a Fae/Vampire Hybrid, as the former usually stayed away from the latter. It was something new, something exciting and he was happy that his sister was finally getting the happy ending she had always wanted. However, he felt that this was not the only thing Blair wanted to speak about and knew there was something more going on.

Blair absentmindedly nodded her head.

Elijah walked over to his mate, cradled her face with his hands, and kissed her lips softly, “What has made you so shaken?”

“I don’t want kids,” Blair whispered.

The Original stilled, as he looked down at his mate, processing her words.

Taking his silence badly, Blair continued to speak, “Well, actually, I don’t know if I want children – or if I will in the future. But at the moment I don’t feel ready, I have only just got my life back and I don’t even like children, they’re icky, messy and smelly… and… and…” She spoke so fast that her brain couldn’t even keep up in the end and she ended up stuttering over her words.  She was scared of his reaction, she was scared she was going to lose him. It was obvious that Elijah wanted to be a dad- he would be an amazing dad. She just wasn’t sure. She didn’t even like children, she sneered past them whenever she saw them. She liked Davina, but she was older and she didn’t have to put all that work in. Blair felt as though she would lose her freedom if she had a child – her life would revolve around that child, and she could be selfish. She wanted to live her life and see places without having to worry that the Hunter was after her, she could take her time. Explore her relationship with Elijah further.

But would Elijah leave her because she wasn’t ready? Blair did not know if she would ever change her mind at all. Even when she lived in the Forest, she did not like visiting the nursery or dealing with pregnant Fae. Blair avoided them – unlike the rest of the group, who would crowd around and coo over the pregnant couple.

“Blair,” Elijah said calmly and this snapped her out of her daze. She looked up at him and found him smiling softly at her, “Of course I want children,”

This statement broke her heart.

“But I only want them with you,” Elijah continued on, knowing the storm brewing in her thoughts.

Blair looked at him, uncertain, “What if I never want them?”

Elijah sighed deeply, “I will not lie to you, as that will be doing you a dishonour. When I found out that Fae and Vampires can have children, it did make me think about our children. But, if you do not want children, then that is your choice and I will respect it,” He would never force someone he loves into something they were not comfortable doing. His main priority would always be his mate, his sun, moon and stars.

“So, you aren’t going to leave me?” Blair's shoulders dropped in relief.

Instead of answering her question with a verbal response, Elijah pulled her into a passionate kiss that conveyed all his feelings. The love, adoration, and endearment he felt for Blair, he put into the kiss. He relished in the little sounds she made when his tongue caressed her lips, waiting to begin their fiery dance. Blair practically melted in his hold, kissing back just as fervently, to show how she felt, how relieved and loved she felt by him. Walking backwards, Elijah gently pushed her into a wall and tapped her thighs a few times, signalling her to jump. Blair did so without hesitation, wrapped her arms around his neck and jumped up, opening her thighs to make room for the Vampire. Elijah grabbed her thighs with his strong hands and squeezed at the, loving the whimper that left Blair, he knew that her thighs were sensitive and planned to exploit it. With a lot of self-control, Elijah broke free from her searing lips and pressed his forehead against hers, savouring her heavy breathing.

“Never has that thought crossed my mind,” Elijah uttered lowly as his dark eyes stared into hers. He had not even entertained the thought of another woman since the female Fae had snagged his attention. He had no intentions of letting her go, and the thought of Blair with another male made him feral – he’d kill that person with no hesitation and relish in it.

“I hoped it wasn’t a deal breaker,” Blair huffed with a small grin.

Elijah shared her grin, “And have your worries been dealt with?”

A spark of mischief flashed in the Fae’s eyes, “I may need more… reassurance…” She whispered in his ear softly and began to nibble on the lobe. Elijah shivered under her ministrations and tightened his grip on her plush thighs.

“Now, that is something I can do,” Elijah moved his head away and pulled his mate into another searing kiss, starting their passionate dance more.

ORIGINALS

It was morning time and the Compound was mostly quiet as people still remained asleep. After the eventful night, Klaus locked him and Caroline in their room, they had not been seen in a few hours, and neither had Hope. No one was worried as they could sense the child still safely in the home. Freya had mostly kept to herself, training up her magic for the battle that would happen later that day, and Kol was keeping Davina for himself in his room. It was only Raphael, Rebekah, Elijah and Blair were downstairs. Though, if Blair had a choice, she’d still be in bed, basking in the afterglow of the passionate night and morning she’d had with Elijah. They had been lying in bed, about to engage in another round of pleasure, but were interrupted when Rebekah furiously banged on the door, worried about her baby and demanded a check-up.

In the living room, Rebekah was on the couch with Blair by her side, her hands over the Vampire’s stomach and her eyes glowing purple. The Fae could hear Elijah and Raphael muttering to one another in the background, as her mate reassured the male Fae that everything was okay.

“I just feel off, and I am worried that the baby could have been hurt when I was thrown around,” Rebekah explained for the fifth time that morning, her anxieties making her worried and overthink everything. She was worried that the baby could have been harmed from the night before and just wanted reassurance. No matter how many times Raphael reassured her things were fine, she wanted to hear it from Blair and wanted the Fae to examine her with her magic.

Ignoring the Vampire’s rambling, Blair focused on the baby. Despite having checked on the baby last night and seeing no issues, she indulged the woman, otherwise, she knew she’d never hear the end of it. “Baby looks healthy, heart beat is strong… looks like baby isn’t under any stress either,”

These words made Rebekah’s tense body relax.

“The baby’s okay?” Raphael asked with hopeful eyes.

Elijah nodded his head, “Yes, nothing is wrong with baby,”

Raphael sighed in relief.

Blair was about to ask if she could go back to bed but she stopped and frowned. She focused her magic on the baby once more and noticed that something had changed. Last night, she had deduced that Rebekah was at least six weeks along, but that had changed.

“Now, that is interesting,” Blair muttered.

This made Rebekah look at her, panicked, “What? What’s wrong?” The sound made Raphael step closer and grab her hand, squeezing it.

Elijah looked to his sister and then to his mate, “What have you found?” 

“The baby has grown overnight,” Blair explained, still focused on the foetus, “Based on what I am feeling, I would put the baby at eight weeks now,” She had looked at everything, she’d looked at the development of the child, the heartbeat and size. She was certain that this baby had grown from the night before, and this fascinated her.

Raphael’s eyes widened, “Holy shit…”

“Then that means…” Elijah started.

“That this baby will be coming a lot sooner than seven to eight months,” Blair finished for him, “By the rate this baby is growing, I would say this baby will be there in a few months, give or take three months,” She had never come across this before. Fae pregnancies could last seven to eight months, and it was unheard of for a Fae couple to deliver early – if that happened it meant the baby did not live.

Having this knowledge, Raphael began to panic.

“The heartbeat is very strong,” Blair’s words stopped Raphael from having a breakdown. In the cases of early delivery in Fae, when the child did not live, the heartbeat was always weak and very difficult to hear. This was not the case for Rebekah and Raphael’s child.

“Thank goodness,” Raphael whispered as he kissed Rebekah’s hand. He had seen it many times in the Forest when a Fae couple went into labour too early. The babies never survived and the grief-filled screams from the mothers always shook the Forest to its core. He did not want that same fate for Rebekah as he feared how she would cope.

Rebekah squeezed Raphael’s hand, understanding where his thoughts were going. “I want daily check-ups,” Rebekah demanded strongly.

Elijah nodded his head in agreement.

“That may be best.” Blair said in agreement, looking thoughtful, “We will need to keep an eye on the baby’s development.” There was no knowing if the quick development would stop at one point, or whether the baby would continue to grow at this rapid pace. Daily check-ups would allow Blair to monitor this pregnancy very closely.

“Could this be due to Rebekah's Vampire side?” Elijah asked, curious.

Blair shrugged her shoulders, “It could be, Vampires can regenerate at an alarming pace, and maybe the baby has picked this up as well,” Everything was speculation at this point as there was nothing to refer to, there had been no Vampire/Fae Hybrids before, so everything was learning curve. Blair was also not discounting any outside influence either, like Dahlia. However, Blair doubted that Dahlia was behind this as she would have sensed if a spell or curse would have been placed on Rebekah.

“I would advise you to up your blood intake, and to not get in any fights,” Blair said before her eyes stopped glowing. She had seen everything she needed to see.

Rebekah nodded her head in agreement. She and Raphael had spoken about this last night and had agreed for her to take a step back in the fight with Dahlia and the family. She would still help as a last resort, but she did not want to risk this baby. Elijah had been in full agreement with the plan and knew Klaus and Kol would have no objections to this as well.

“Is there any hint at the gender?” Raphael asked nervously. The night before, he and Rebekah had discussed at length about their hopes and wishes for this baby. They’d already picked names for a boy and a girl. Rebekah wanted a girl, a little girl whom she could pamper and spoil with pretty clothing. Raphael wasn’t too fussed as long as the child was healthy, though he leaned towards wanting a girl because he wanted Rebekah to be happy, but also imagined a little girl made him feel all fuzzy and warm.

“It’s a bit too early to tell,” Blair answered back. “As soon as I can tell, I will let you know,” Though it was a guess as to what stage in the development of the child, as it had grown in one night alone.

“We need to start planning, getting baby things,” Raphael’s eyes widened when the realisation hit him. He and Rebekah had thought they’d have months to get this all sorted, but now it appeared as though they would have less time than they originally thought.

Rebekah sat up and nodded her head, “We’ll need to start now, I saw a shop not too far from here when Hayley was pregnant,” Taking Raphael’s hand, she shot Blair a grateful look before she left him in hand to begin the shopping trip.

Elijah followed after them, wanting to make sure that his sister got nothing but the best for his future niece or nephew.

Blair watched them go, an endearing grin on her face as she shook her head. However, that soon dropped when she felt another presence walk closer to the living room. Actually, she had known Freya had been hiding away the entire time, listening in and had concealed herself with magic. Blair was not aware if the others had sensed the oldest Mikaelson’s presence, but the Fae had said nothing, waiting to see what would happen.

“Come out, before I make you,” Blair said purposely.

Slowly, Freya walked around the corner, her face neutral of any expression.

“You can’t let Dahlia get Rebekah’s child,” Freya immediately said.

Blair arched a brow at the Witch’s words, “Oh?”

Freya shook her head, “Dahlia is already powerful on her own, if she got Hope as well as Rebekah’s child, she would be unstoppable,” It was scary to think how much magic her aunt would be able to channel. Those children would always be trapped – forced to stay with Dahlia and her power-hungry ways.

“She won’t be getting either of them,” Blair said bluntly.

However, Freya did not appear to be listening, “And if you have any children with Elijah…”

“That won’t happen,” Blair hissed out lowly, all of a sudden overcome with such possessiveness over her non-existent children that it almost shocked her. Blair was possessive by nature, especially of the people she loved, and she may not like children – but if she did any children, and that was very loosely worded, she would protect them with her dying breath.

Freya fell silent for a moment before she nodded her head, “I believe you,”

This confused the Fae, and made her frown, “I thought you didn’t like me?” The Witch had made it very clear that she did not like Blair, going as far as saying so much to her face. The distrust and hate were something she was used to, but this new attitude threw the Fae off.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Freya looked uncomfortable, “I may have misjudged you…”

“Oh?” Now this, Blair found amusing.

Freya’s face flushed slightly in embarrassment, making Blair’s grin slightly wider. “I thought you were stringing my family along. I also felt as though my place was being taken, I thought they could come to rely on for when it came to magic. I was pushing too hard to make room for myself and I realise now that it was counterproductive.” It had been hard seeing her family, her blood family, so close to an outsider, to a Fae of all creatures. It rubbed Freya the wrong way and made her resent the situation. Freya should have been the one whom they consulted on magical situations as she was the Witch. She should have been there to assist her family, but instead, she stood at the side and watched it all happen instead. She watched as they bonded and saw how much her family relied upon and trusted Blair and Raphael. Rebekah was even having a baby with a Fae. However, it was when she watched Blair fight against Dahlia that made something in Freya click and realise the Fae wasn’t against the family but were fighting for them. She had assumed they would flee when they realised how powerful her aunt was, but to her surprise, Blair went toe-to-toe with her aunt and survived, and not just that, overpowered her.

“What changed?” Blair asked, curious to know the reason behind this change in mindset. It wasn’t very often that a Witch changed their opinion of her.

“I realised that Dahlia could be beaten,” Freya smiled, hope in her eyes.

“Everyone has a weakness,” Blair commented bluntly. After piecing it together, they had been able to establish that Esther was Dahlia’s weakness – the one person who could truly hurt Dahlia was her own younger sister, who had betrayed her. It truly fit with the Mikaelson family theme so it hadn’t surprised her too much.

Freya shook her head, “I was never able to find it when I was trapped by her. I never had the power, but you do,”

Her words only seemed to feed Blair’s ego, who smirked, “If you keep saying such nice things about me, I am going to assume you like me,”

Glaring at her, Freya was not amused by her words. However, she sighed and uncrossed her arms, “Dahlia will want your power as well,”

“She’s not the only one who is after my power,” Blair answered back with a shrug. In all her years alive, she had come across many creatures who revered, feared and lusted after her power. The creatures who were jealous tended to be Witches, and also Maeve. Adding Dahlia to that list did not bother her in the slightest as she would be dead very soon.

“I’ve never seen her look at someone with such… hunger,” Freya shivered as she remembered her Aunt’s face.

“She thinks she can get more power,” Blair said with a sigh, “People like her will always crave power,” If Klaus had been left unchecked by his family and Caroline, it was very likely he would have ended up that way, consumed by the lust for power, to be the most powerful creature alive. To flaunt that power in front of his siblings and make them hate him – resent him and look for ways to put him down. It was a wonder how he had lasted this long with an ego that size.

Freya nodded her head in agreement.

Thinking this conversation was over, Blair turned around to walk away, but she stopped when Freya spoke once more.

“I am sorry,”

The Fae turned her head, her eyes narrowed. To Blair, this was weird. It was weird to have a Witch apologise to her, that wasn’t Davina. It was weird to have a normal conversation with a Witch without being insulted or trading insults. Where they having a moment?

“What are you after?” Blair asked bluntly, sensing there was more afoot.

Having been seen through, Freya inhaled deeply, “I want you to train me in magic,” Ever since she had her magic cut off from Dahlia, she had noticed it wasn’t as high of a level anymore. She was still powerful in her own right, but Davina was close to surpassing her – a fledging, and that did not sit right with her. She wanted to be useful, and despite attempting to train on her own when everyone was asleep, the results were not as quick as she would have liked.

“Why?” Blair demanded, back still turned to the Witch.

“I want to get stronger,” Freya answered back strongly, “In this family, we all have a role. I do not have a role at the moment and I would like to help,” She refused to stay on the side-lines and allow her siblings to fight this battle alone.

Blair turned fully and watched Freya for a moment, considering her answer, “What do I get out of this deal?”

“What do you want?” Freya challenged back.

This made Blair grin, it was dangerous to bargain with a Fae. It was stupid to ask that kind of question as other Fae’s may take advantage of this. Blair sensed that this was also a test, Freya was testing her to see if she was like the other Fae. Another other Fae would have taken advantage of Freya’s desperation, and for a moment, Blair was tempted. But she brushed those thoughts aside, “I want your binding word,”

Freya sent her a confused look and then tensed up. When a Witch gave their binding word on something, they could not break it. If they did, something terrible would happen, whether it be pain or losing their magic for an unknown amount of time. Binding words were not made lightly, and Freya cautiously regarded the Fae.

“I want your word that you won’t kill Esther. We have plans for her, and I can’t have your grudge getting in the way,” Blair explained frankly. If everything went according to plan, Esther would also be dealt with and they would no longer have to put up with her. They had all discussed this plan in detail, and there was always one variable that could not be accounted for – Freya. The eldest Mikaelson had a vendetta against the Original Witch and for good reason, but not good enough reason to get in the way of their plans. Freya had made her intentions clear that she wanted Esther dead plenty of times, still trying to find a way into the modified Garden with no success.

Anger flashed in Freya’s eyes, and Blair could feel her magic bubbling, wanting to lash out.

Blair didn’t even twitch, not worried in the slightest. However, to remind the Witch if her place, Blair let loose a fraction of her magic and watched in satisfaction as Freya stood straighter and flinched back at the show of power.

It quickly dawned on her that she would not win, and so Freya backed down and her magic retreated, “If I agree to not kill Esther, will you teach me magic?”

Blair nodded her head, “You cannot kill her. You cannot physically harm her, with your magic or by any other means, not until both I and Klaus give you permission,”

Gritting her teeth, Freya nodded her head.

“Shake on it,” Blair said as she held out her hand. This was the last out that Freya would get, once she gave her binding word, she could not go back on it. If she ever did, Blair would enact revenge far worse than any curse would.

Freya took Blair’s hand and shook, “I vow to not kill Esther Mikaelson. I cannot physically harm her, with my magic or by any other means, not until both Blair and Klaus give me permission,” Each word she spat out clearly, anger in her eyes.

“I accept your binding word,” Blair finished as she felt the magic lock into place, her grip never wavering.

Freya flinched when she felt the magic hang over her, it was like a shackle had been placed on her wrists, though none were there. This sensation would fade in time, but Freya would never forget. If she broke her word, she would regret it, and the magic surrounding her would attack her. For a moment, Freya wondered if she made a bad decision but shook that off when she realised how much she would gain from this.

Blair let go and watched as Freya snatched her hand back. Her pride was wounded. This made the Fae smirk, “I am not a gentle teacher, if you do not make progress then that is on you. If you don’t like my methods then tough,” Davina was a special case, and no one else would get the same treatment.

Sensing the challenge, Freya’s eyes flashed, “I can handle it,”

“We’ll see,” Blair smirked and walked away.

Chapter 47: Chapter 47

Later that same day

Caroline and Davina had left the house under the orders of Rebekah to go and pick up some baby things, and also demanded that the Baby Vampire plan her baby shower. Caroline had rolled her eyes at the female Original’s demand and was ready to argue back, but Klaus had asked her to go along with his crazy sister. She was hormonal, stressed and wanted everything to go perfectly. Klaus had rationalised it that Rebekah trusted Caroline’s organisational skills to set up such an event on short notice, and Caroline had taken it in stride. Not only would she throw a baby shower, it would be amazing, with all the work.

Caroline had asked Blair to come with them, but the female Fae turned down the proposal, stating that there was much it be done before Dahlia’s deadline of midnight. Caroline had been slightly disappointed as she wanted to get to know Blair a little more but took it in stride. She would get Blair to come on a shopping trip one day, they were practically family, being with Mikaelson men, and needed to stick together.

Being the sweet girl that she was, Davina had offered to come with her, and Caroline had accepted with glee.

They had come out of their fifth shop, and Caroline could see that Davina was getting tired, so they sat down to have some lunch before setting off again. She had seen a few shops that caught her attention, and she had a few more people she needed to speak to, like a few catering companies to make the food for the event. There was a shop that looked perfect and she planned to get them involved. It also helped that Klaus gave her his bank card – unlimited restrictions as well. Caroline planned to make him regret giving her his card, though she doubted she could put a dint in his account even if she tried.

“My feet hurt,” Davina whined lowly, a frown on her face. They had been walking for hours, “How can you manage it in heels?” She looked down, jealous at Caroline’s black heels, a gift from Klaus. She was jealous because Caroline didn’t seem the slightest bit winded or in pain. She looked as though she was walking on air.

Caroline smiled at this, “Years of training, I used to wear them in high school too. As a Vampire, any pain heals immediately,” It was one of the many perks of being a Vampire, and something she enjoyed. As a child, she used to steal her mother's only pair of heels and walk around the house, and her training for Miss Mystic Falls really came in handy. She could even run in heels and make it look good.

Davina whined again but perked up when her milkshake and burger came just in time. She chomped down on her food, eager for the food to perk her back up.

The Vampire dug into her own food, savouring the taste. She had fed on blood not too long ago, and so she wasn’t distracted by the hunger for blood. As she ate, she looked at Davina and noticed how young she truly looked – a lot younger than how she came across sometimes. Caroline viewed the Witch quite highly, from what she had heard, Davina had been through a lot. She was badass with her magic, not even Bonnie held herself the way Davina did.

“Davina, do you ever wish for another life?” Caroline asked, curious to know. She was on a mission to bond more with Davina and Blair and thought the young Witch would be easier to tackle first. As much as she respected Blair, the Fae also intimidated her.

For a moment, Davina pondered on her answer, “In the beginning, I did. When I was hiding away from my Coven, I would wish most nights that I was born into another family. But now, I am happy. I’ve found people who care for me – genuinely care.” All her Coven cared about was power, and when she’d taken that power from the Harvest, they’d been after her blood for months. Davina remembered feeling scared most nights, worried that they would find her and kill her, or they’d banish her and leave her with nothing. She had felt powerless. But now, she felt as though she could stand on her own two feet, and there would be people to rely on if she ever did buckle. However, Davina was confident that it wouldn’t happen, Blair had not trained her to crumble under pressure but to excel.

Caroline nodded her head.

“Do you regret coming to New Orleans?” Davina asked, also curious to know the blonde in front of her. She wondered how Klaus, one of the most temperamental people could be tamed by a Baby Vampire. It was something she thought she’d never see.

“Never,” Caroline answered back strongly, “I have spent too long worried about what other people think of me. I now realise that they never had my best interest at heart, but would rather use me to fit their purpose.” After her mum had died, there was no one for her there, no one cared. No one truly saw Caroline and heard her voice. It was all about Elena and her messy relationship and life. Caroline refused to be part of it and that’s when her eyes were truly opened.

“What was it about Klaus that drew you to him?” Davina asked as she wondered how that relationship started.

Caroline laughed, and smiled fondly, “Funny enough, I did not like him at first. He was the bad boy, the one who tried harming my ex-friends. He was so unapologetic, he was real and he was interested in me.” She almost wished she had not been so stupid to turn him down that many times, and she definitely regretted making him promise to leave Mystic Falls after sleeping with him in the forest. That man made every nerve ending in her body come alive and made her feel things she had never felt with anyone else.

Davina smiled, she found the answer sweet – something she would not have associated with Klaus.

“So, what made you pick Kol?” Caroline asked. She did not know much about the younger Mikaelson male, other than how wild and unpredictable he could be. He was different from what she remembered. He had been full of hate, especially towards Klaus, but that seemed to have changed. They seemed closer, and more relaxed around one another. Before, they had been at each other’s throats all the time. However, she remembered the devastation that Klaus went through when Kol was killed.

This made Davina’s smile soften, and she put her elbows on the table in front of her, “Kol… he was like a whirlwind. He was meant to try and seduce me, as his mother brought him back, and I was using him at first to find out information and we just… fell for one another. He's unlike anyone I have ever met,” She blushed the longer she thought about her boyfriend, still feeling giddy when she called him that.

“Well you two are adorable,” Caroline said sincerely, meaning every word.

Sensing this, Davina nodded her head in thanks.

“Though Blair and Elijah seem like a cute couple as well,” Caroline added thoughtfully. At first glance, she would not have placed them together, but that was because she knew of the people Elijah had been with previously. But the more she knew them, the easier she could see why they paired up. Being in the same room as them, especially when they chatted as though no one else was there, she could feel the electricity – the chemistry. Caroline saw the way Elijah stared at the Fae when she wasn’t looking, and she had seen the way Blair stared back, equally as possessive and loving.

Davina nodded her head in agreement, “They really do deserve one another,” While she had no official maternal and paternal figure in her life, since her birth father was dead, and her birth mother had basically disowned her for leaving the Coven, she looked to Blair and Elijah to fill those roles, and they had taken this on without question. Even though Blair would deny it, she would be really affectionate to her, and Elijah would watch over them like a protective father would. She had seen Elijah scold Kol when he thought his younger brother was being too rough with Davina.

“I am not going to lie, I am a little intimidated by Blair,” Caroline admitted with a laugh.

Davina snorted, “You’re not the only one.” The only reason why she did not feel like that now was because she had seen Blair’s other side, her more vulnerable and softer side. Blair held herself to a high standard, and would not allow people she did not trust to see her softer side.

“But I am happy she’s on our side,” Caroline added, not wanting Davina to think she disliked the Fae.

“I feel like things would have been very different without her,” Davina agreed easily. She drank her milkshake for a few seconds, savouring the chocolatey goodness. Living with Vampires, who were very conscious that she was human and susceptible to human illnesses, they made her eat balanced and healthy meals to ensure she did not suffer from any illnesses. There were times she just wanted something greasy and artery-clogging, but Elijah would not allow it.  Blair would sometimes sneak her unhealthy food, but it wasn’t very often as even Blair was also looking after Davina’s wellbeing.

“Well, hopefully, after tonight, we can get some peace,” Caroline sighed deeply. She could see how this whole Dahlia situation was affecting everyone. Klaus was especially tense and had not let Hope out of his sight since the whole incident with Hayley.

Davina hummed in agreement, “Everyone’s been really tense,” Most nights, Kol would come to bed late because the siblings and Blair were all scheming. They were working out the final kinks in the blame, still arguing with each other – which was only natural as they were siblings.

“Are you joining in with the fight?” Caroline asked, curious to know. Klaus did not want her near the fight, scared that Dahlia would use her against him, or that she’d get hurt.

“I’ll be working in the background, feeding my magic, just like Freya,” Davina answered back with a shrug. She had wanted to join in with the fight, but Kol had neared had a fit when she suggested it, and even Elijah seemed hesitant. The only one who was on her side fully was Blair, who thought Davina could handle it.

Caroline was about to say something but then she stopped, and she frowned. The cheerful look was gone from the baby Vampire’s face. Davina frowned, but she soon clicked on what changed Caroline’s demeanour. Davina could sense another presence, watching them. She turned her head and saw two ravens perched on the building. To anyone else, there would be nothing wrong with this scene, but Davina and Caroline could sense these were not normal ravens. Caroline had been able to pick up Dahlia's scent from the birds, and Davina could feel the magic that radiated from the birds.

Dahlia was watching them and made it known that she was watching them as well.

Those beady eyes stared at the two girls and no one else. When Caroline moved her arm to brush back her hair, one of the raven’s eyes followed this movement, as though it was important. Those beady dark eyes missed nothing.

“We should leave,” Caroline said, her tone not leaving any room to argue.

Davina nodded her head in agreement and they both stood up. They could feel as the ravens watched them as they walked out of the café and into the busy street. Every squawk they made, only served to make Caroline and Davina tenser. Davina could not sense Dahlia’s physical being, so she knew that the ancient Witch was not present, but she was making her reach known, trying to intimidate them.

Caroline held onto Davina’s wrist to make sure they did not get split up. Davina held on just as strongly, not wanting to be alone in this moment.

They hurried their way back to the Abattoir and were nearly there when they were stopped. Two people stood in front of the alleyway and would not move. Caroline was about ready to start yelling when two women looked at the Vampire and Witch and smiled.

“Dahlia looks forward to seeing you later,” One of the women said as she held a bouquet of black dahlias. The woman attempted to push the flowers onto Davina, but the Witch stepped back from her, refusing them. 

“Dahlia trusts that there will be no trouble,” The second woman said with a creepy smile. It was as though she was faking everything, like a puppet.

Caroline had enough of this tactic and pushed past them with her superior strength, not caring whether they were human or not. She and Davina needed to get back to the compound as soon as possible. Using her superior Vampire speed, she rushed her and Davina back to their home with ease. 

Once they were safe inside the Abattoir, both Davina and Caroline could not feel the raven’s beady gaze on them. The barriers around their home prevented Dahlia from entering, or any of her minions. They were safe there and they instantly relaxed.

“We should tell them what happened,” Davina sighed, knowing that the Mikaelson family would not take it well.

Caroline nodded her head in agreement. If Klaus heard this from anyone else, he would hit the roof or worse.

They both stepped further into the house and followed the voices talking in the living room. In the room was Klaus, leading the discussions of how they were going to kill his aunt, with Elijah by his side. Blair was poking the final holes in his plan, making sure there were no missing spots, and Kol was teasing both sides, trying to give his brother an aneurysm with his jibes. Klaus looked close to snapping Kol’s neck but showed a lot of restraint that could only come from living a thousand years. Sensing that Klaus was in a bad mood, Caroline mentally sighed as she knew he was not going to react well, and Davina began to chew on her lip.

Blair stopped talking when she saw Caroline and Davina enter the room. Her eyes narrowed, “What happened?”

At the question, Klaus looked over to his partner and he sensed what had caused the Fae to ask such a question. He could smell another scent on Caroline, one that did not belong on her. Kol seemed to sense something very similar as he was by Davina’s side in an instant, the jovial smile on his face was long gone, his eyes darkened in anger.

“Did something happen, little dove?” Kol asked softly.

“Dahlia was just trying to scare us,” Davina replied back, taking his hand on hers, and squeezing it to reassure him.

Klaus walked over to Caroline, his intense blue eyes raking over her to make sure there was no lasting damage. Anger bubbled away, the only sign of his anger was his eyes, how they darkened and his fingers twitched as if he was dying to kill something. To quell his anger, he grabbed Caroline and wrapped his arms around her, reminding himself that she was safe.

“She possessed two Witches, they tried to give us some flowers. Said Dahlia was looking forward to seeing us later,” Caroline mumbled back, her face resting on his chest. She was soothed by his slow heart beat and reminded her of home.

“She is attempting to shake us,” Elijah asked calmly. He does not know if he would calm down if Blair had been the target but he brushed that from his mind.

“If anything, she’s just incited more anger,” Blair said with a smirk. She watched as Kol and Klaus barely managed to keep it together. Murder was in their eyes and no doubt they were plotting all the ways they would kill their aunt in the most painful way possible. It amused the Fae more than anything, as Dahlia had just dug a deeper hole for herself.

Elijah nodded his head in agreement.

“She dies tonight,” Klaus hissed lowly before he placed a soft kiss on top of Caroline’s head. This was a promise he would keep. Saying nothing, Caroline melted into his arms and sighed deeply, she knew she was safe in his arms.

“Agreed,” Kol muttered as he squeezed Davina’s hand.

ORIGINALS

Midnight

Freya stood in the middle of the abandoned Church, holding Hope in her arms. They had warned Father Keirin to avoid being in the Church for that night and he had obliged once more. He did not ask any questions, though he had looked at Klaus and Elijah with some distrust – as someone who is head of the human faction would – but conceded nonetheless. Freya gently rocked Hope in her arms, watching her niece with a resigned expression, but also in wonder. Her niece was able to sleep so calmly despite what was about to go down. She did not know whether she envied or pitied the baby.

The clock struck midnight and Freya closed her eyes.

Just then, there was a presence of magic, Dahlia had arrived.

The ancient Witch strode into the Church, confident and collected. Dahlia, like last time, was dressed in all black. Freya felt the sheer power radiate from her aunt and it almost made her shiver in fright. Being away from her aunt almost made her forget about the uneasiness she felt whenever she was in her presence.

“Hello, Freya,” Dahlia smiled coldly.

“Dahlia,” The younger Witch acknowledged. Freya tried her best to hide her disdain for her aunt but found it difficult.

“I was surprised when I got your note,” Dahlia said as she magicked the note to her hand. A few hours previously, she had got this note, stating that the family was in agreement and would hand over Hope at midnight that night. It had made Dahlia suspicious but also relieved that they had seen that Hope belonged to her, as per the agreement made with Esther.

Freya shallowly nodded her head, “It was not unanimous. We had to subdue Klaus to even get to Hope,” With a wave of her hand, she revealed the body of Klaus on the floor, with a dagger in his heart. He was completely immobile and vulnerable.

Surprise flashed on Dahlia’s face, “How did you manage that?” As far as she was aware, Klaus was immune to the silver daggers due to his Hybrid nature. However, it made sense why they had to subdue Klaus, as he was most against his daughter being taken away.

“The Fae magicked the dagger and manipulated it for a short time. It will not last long, and when Klaus wakes up, he will be out for blood,” Freya warned with a frown.

“And where is the Fae?” Dahlia asked, interested to know where the powerful creature was. She would not lie and say she did not want to see the Fae once more before she left.

Freya shrugged, “Gone, and she took Elijah with her. They did not want to face Klaus’ wrath when he woke up,”

Dahlia nodded her head slowly as if it made sense. “Hand me the child,” She ordered as she held out her arms. Once she had the child, she would be on her way, though she would be back when Rebekah gave birth. The prospect of more Mikaelson children excited her as it meant her power would grow.

Silently, Freya walked over to her Aunt and handed over the baby, being careful of her head. Once Hope was in Dahlia's arms, she stepped back and watched as Dahlia marvelled at the child.

“She will be very powerful,” Dahlia commented with a sly grin.

Freya took a few more steps back.

Quickly, the grin on Dahlia’s face fell and the excitement bled from her eyes. She looked down at the baby and noticed that something wasn’t right. The baby in her arms breathed and moved like a normal baby, and she could feel magic surrounding the child. But something did not feel right. Something felt wrong and out of place. For a moment, Dahlia thought that the baby was a Golem, but she quickly dismissed this thought. She would have spotted this the moment she entered the Church, and there was no earthy scent on the child either – a common sign of a Golem. The baby also felt more powerful than before, as if her power had grown drastically overnight. There was a moment when Dahlia was amazed by this, but now she was suspicious. Was this too good to be true?

“Is everything okay?” Freya asked with a frown.

Dahlia’s dark eyes scanned Freya’s head and attempted to see into her thoughts, but she found herself blocked. She could sense the Fae’s magic cloaking Freya’s mind – now this frustrated her. Dahlia had attempted to break down the cloaking magic Blair had placed over the entire family, plus Davina, Raphael and Caroline, but it had been a fruitless endeavour. Dahlia had assumed that the Fae’s magic would have eventually given in, under the brutal siege Dahlia had waged to get into her family’s minds, it had all been fruitless. The shields the Fae had made were too strong, and this both annoyed and impressed the Witch.

Instinct screamed at Dahlia to look down and she did. She looked at the baby and noticed something off the more she looked at the baby. She’d not had a good look at Hope, but this baby seemed different. There was power within the baby, but the more she focused on it, it did not seem to match what a Witch would be, but Dahlia had dismissed this earlier as Hope was a Trybrid.

Before she could even react, the baby’s eyes snapped open to reveal mischievous brown eyes and then the baby grinned. With a sneer, Dahlia went to throw the baby away from her, but before she had a chance, she sensed something being thrown at her. Turning her head, she saw two daggers flying towards her at high speed. With a quick wave of her hand, she stopped those daggers in their tracks and sent them into the nearby wall, out of reach. However, before anything anymore could be said, Dahlia felt a slicing pain near her clavicle and this made her hiss as she looked down at the baby, who was now holding a dagger, concealed within the blanket it had been wrapped in.

Without a second thought, Dahlia threw the baby to the side, and moved away from the baby, using her magic to heal the wound on her clavicle. Before the baby could hit the floor, the baby started to grow at an alarming pace until Kol stood in front of them, his clothes fully in place and a mischievous grin on his face.

“If I had been a real baby, that fall probably would have killed me,” Kol said cheekily, the dagger in his hand still. None of them had wanted to masquerade as a baby, but Kol was all in. It was Davina’s magic that had shrunk him down to the same size as Hope, and then they just had to wait until it was time for Davina to reverse the spell. Blair’s magic then cloaked him, allowing him masquerade as Hope until the time was right.

“It’s not like you weren’t dropped on your head a few times as a child, what's one more,” Klaus answered as he stood up from his lying down position. He had been listening the entire time as he waited for Rebekah and Elijah’s signal. He had started to get impatient, the floor was cold and hard on his back. The dagger in his chest was also irritating and he wanted it out. Once he smelt Dahlia’s blood, he knew it was time to ‘wake up’. He immediately ripped the dagger from his chest, and the wound healed within seconds.

Kol scoffed, “I think you’ll find I was not the one dropped as a baby,”

Dahlia scowled at both of them as she took a step back, wanting as much distance between them and her as possible.

Klaus stood up and dusted himself off, he then looked around and saw that Dahlia was on her own, “I thought you’d come with reinforcements?” He inquired with an arched brow. The last time they had faced one another, Dahlia had brought a Coven of Witches and some Wolves, but now she was alone. It made him wonder if she had been abandoned by her so-called allies.

“I can deal with you all by myself,” Dahlia brushed his comments off.

“Are you so sure about that?” Elijah said as he revealed his presence. He stepped out of the shadows, his dark eyes zeroed in on his aunt, as he watched for any sudden movements. Tonight, she would not leave here alive. Blair had made sure that Dahlia could not teleport out of Church, trying to make a trap around the Church as subtle as possible to not tip up the ancient Witch.

“Where is the child?” Dahlia demanded.

“Somewhere you can’t find her,” Klaus growled lowly as his eyes shifted to a golden colour, his Hybrid features on show. His daughter was safe in the Compound, being looked after by Raphael, Rebekah, Caroline and Davina. Blair had gifted Davina a compact mirror so she could see the fight play out and know when to allow Kol to shift back from a baby. They would also know if anything went askew and would leave New Orleans in case something happened to them.

Dahlia glared at the Hybrid before she acted. With a wave of her hand, she sent a powerful wave of magic towards them all, sending each Original into a wall. As she was close by, Freya was also sent flying into a nearby wall, and she winced at the impact, her vision going funny. The very ground shook as Dahlia channelled her power, she was not playing around anymore. The magic rumbled and she brought each Original to the ground and on their knees, and she choked each one of them. She focused more on Klaus, needing him out of the way.

Fighting against her attack, Elijah and Kol struggled fiercely and attempted to jump at their aunt, only for them to be forced back with the sheer power that was her magic. While Dahlia did not have a weapon that could kill them at hand, and she had looked for one, she planned to put them out of commission for a long time.

Rage in his eyes, Klaus threw one of the daggers at Dahlia, only for the Witch to sidestep. At that moment, she was tackled by Kol, disrupting the spell she had cast over them. Now that they could breathe, Elijah and Klaus righted themselves and jumped away, with Kol right at their heels.

Dahlia stood up, anger morphing her face into something ugly. “You’re really starting to get on my nerves, children,”

“No one can say we’re not stubborn,” Klaus said with a smirk.

Before Dahlia could say anything, there was a loud sound of chains. She turned her head, not taking her eyes fully off the Mikaelson children, and watched as two new people walked into the Church. The first person was the Fae, she had a smirk on her face, and the second person was someone Dahlia was extremely familiar with.

“Esther…” Dahlia whispered in shock, her eyes widened a fraction.

Blair watched in satisfaction. She had hoped for this reaction. With her magic, she had placed Esther back in her Original body and placed magic-blocking cuffs on the Witch so she could not try and get out of this situation. Blair had then dragged the Witch from the Garden, intending to put on a show. They had all worked out that Esther was Dahlia’s true weakness and they wanted to exploit this as much as possible.

“Dahlia,” Esther’s eyes widened when she saw her sister. She had known her sister was back, but she was surprised to see her.

“Well, isn’t this a touching reunion?” Klaus smirked sarcastically.

This seemed to snap Dahlia from her shock, “My sister in chains… are you trying to bargain her life for your daughter’s life?” Anger flashed in her dark eyes, her attention now fully on her sister and the Fae that held her captive.

“We thought that this might get your attention,” Elijah said smoothly, “Afterall, it was your sister, our mother, that betrayed you the most and turned your heart to stone,”

Dahlia’s eyes darkened at the remembrance. “You will get to watch as your children die, quite fitting actually,” She raised her hand to attack the Mikaelson children but she stopped when the female Fae moved quicker than expected.

Taking a blade from her side, Blair grabbed Esther pulled her in front of her, and then pressed the blade to Esther’s delicate throat, “Careful there, Dahlia. I can be so clumsy at times,” The smirk on Blair’s face was feral, and she enjoyed the fear flash of fear in Dahlia’s eyes.

Dahlia hesitated.

And that was all it took.

Within the blink of an eye, Elijah appeared behind Dahlia and placed one of the magic-blocking cuffs on his aunt’s wrist. The moment Dahlia saw the cuff, she attempted to take it off but found that it would not budge from her appendage.

“Now, you have no magic to wield against us,” Klaus declared, confident.

Dahlia let out an anguished yell as she tried to tap into her magic, but found that it had left her. She could not call upon any of her magic – it was like she was mortal. Useless and surrounded by enemies who want her dead.

“I am immortal, you cannot kill me,” Dahlia countered back.

Elijah shook his head, “Think again,”

“I nicked you with one of these bad boys,” Kol grinned as he displayed the knife he had stashed away. One of these daggers was laced with all the ingredients needed to make Dahlia mortal, and vulnerable to being killed. He had waited for the perfect moment to strike, wanting to get his aunt. He had wanted to stab her in the heart to the heart, but his short baby hands had been unable to reach that far and barely hold a dagger, it was lucky he managed to actually cut her.

Horror flashed in Dahlia’s eyes.

Klaus appeared in front of his aunt in a flash, and Dahlia stumbled back. She opened her mouth to say something but she never got a chance. Klaus shoved his hand into Dahlia’s chest and ripped out her heart, the blood coated his hand thickly. He stared down at Dahlia, a cocky grin on his face as he watched Dahlia struggle to get her breath before she stopped breathing altogether and she fell to the ground, dead. Elijah and Kol came forward as they also wanted to confirm that Dahlia was dead. There had been too many times when they thought it was over, only for them to come back within minutes. They also wanted to make sure she was truly mortal.

Seeing her sister dead, Esther let out an anguished cry and she fell to her knees. Blair let this happen as she moved away from the Witch to let her grieve.

Blair looked over to Freya, who had watched this all happen.

Freya had sunk to her knees, her eyes wide in shock. She stared down at Dahlia’s corpse with a sense of sadness and freedom. She was finally free of the woman who had trapped her for a thousand years and used her for her power. Freya no longer had to worry about her aunt coming back to haunt her. She snapped back to reality when she saw Blair in front of her as she held out a dagger. She looked up at the Fae, confused.

“Get your revenge,” Blair said as she gestured to Esther.

The realisation hit her. She could now finally make her mother pay for what she did. Freya had wanted this the moment she found out Esther was alive, but had been blocked by Blair and the rest of her family. Wordlessly, Freya took the blade in her hand and stood up. She walked over to her mother, who was too busy grieving for her sister to notice. Freya grabbed her mother by the hair and yanked her head back.

Esther cried out, feeling her hair pulled from the roots. She could barely make out Freya behind her, “F-Freya!” Before she could say anything else, Freya had brought the blade to her mother's throat and slit up open, ear to ear. Blood poured everywhere as Esther gargled on her own blood before she fell to the side. Freya had hit an artery in her slice, and Esther would bleed out in minutes.

Klaus watched this happen, with a new appreciation for Freya. “Welcome to the family, Freya,” He smirked at his elder sister.

Elijah sighed deeply and shook his head, “Killing our parents is not an initiation into the family,”

Blair laughed as she walked over to Elijah before she kissed his cheek, “It might as well be,”

Elijah sent her an unimpressed look but quickly kissed her cheek in return. He was happy that this was all resolved and things could go back to normal. He felt a weight lift from his shoulders, knowing that his family was safe.

Not one to be left out, Kol appeared again, this time with gasoline in hand and he poured it all over his aunt and mother, “Just one last thing,” He grinned as he lit a match before setting the bodies alight with fire. He wanted to truly make sure they were dead, as he did not want anything coming back to haunt them either.

All of them watched as the bodies of Dahlia and Esther burned. Blair used her magic and turned up the heat of the fire, wanting them to burn faster so they could go home.

“Hope is safe,” Elijah said as he patted Klaus’ shoulders.

Klaus relaxed a moment before he nodded his head in agreement. It was finally over.

ORIGINALS

A few days later

Blair watched from her balcony in her room as the party was in full swing. After the death of Esther and Dahlia, Klaus announced he wanted to throw a party to celebrate. No one had been against the idea, and Kol had thrown around ideas to make the party even wilder and exciting. Most of his ideas had to be shut down, by Davina, Klaus and Elijah, but some of his ideas were not too bad. Kol had wanted circus people there, especially fire breathers as a remembrance of the burning of Dahlia and Esther.

Down below, Blair could see Elijah and Klaus as they worked the room. There were Vampires, Wolves and humans all mixed together. There was plenty to drinks and Caroline was co-ordinating the last of the caterers in her champagne-coloured dress. Blair was impressed with how quickly Caroline was able to organise this party on such short notice. Rebekah and Raphael sat at a table, sitting close to one another, and Rebekah lovingly stroked her stomach which started to show a baby bump. Freya was at the side, holding onto Hope, cradling her with a loving expression.

Dressed in an elegant blue dress, Blair admired herself in the mirror. She looked stunning, and she had no shame in admitting it. The dress was tight fitting at the bustier and then flowed out as soon it hits her waist. Her hair was loose down her back, curled into soft ringlets. Blair was about to join the party when there was a knock on her door.

“Yes, Davina?” Blair called out as she finished putting in some sapphire earrings that Elijah had gifted her, as well as the matching necklace and bracelet. Since this whole ordeal happened, Elijah had not stopped giving her expensive gifts as a thank-you for everything she had done. Klaus had even gifted her a painting of his, something she had not expected. Blair was not one to turn down expensive gifts and had accepted them all graciously.

Davina walked in, in a gorgeous green dress that suited her well. Her hair was still a bit of a mess and she looked nervous. “Can you help with my hair? It doesn’t want to listen to me today,” She huffed and blew some stray hair from her face.

Blair laughed at her misfortune, “Of course,” She moved from the spot at her vanity and patted the seat for Davina to sit down. The Witch sat down and happily let Blair comb her wayward hair into shape. Davina closed her eyes as Blair brushed her hair, as she enjoyed this attention. She relaxed as Blair began to style her hair into a fancy updo she had seen in magazines. Davina had shared that she wanted to look mature and elegant, and that is what the Fae would strive for.

“I can’t believe it’s finally over,” Davina muttered softly, her eyes still closed.

The Fae hummed in agreement.

“The Mikaelson’s don’t have any other family members, do they?” Davina asked with a frown, “I don’t think I could deal with another murderous family member,” She counted herself lucky that her father was dead and her mother disowned her.

Blair chuckled, “No, they’re all dead as far as I am aware,” She’d asked the same question and Elijah had not mentioned any other murderous family members. Their father had no relatives who married Witches, and Esther only had one sister. Their grandparents were long dead on both sides. Ansel was the only parent alive, and he was loyal to his son and granddaughter.

“I’ve noticed you’ve never mentioned your family,” Davina said suddenly.

Blair stopped her movement, the brush still in her hand. Davina opened her eyes looked in the mirror, and saw as Blair stared blankly at her reflection. Panic instantly hit Davina, and she mentally cursed herself for bringing this up. She had been curious about Blair’s family for a long time because the Fae never mentioned them. She had assumed they were dead or something, but Davina really wanted to know.

“That is because I don’t have any, I consider family,” Blair answered back as she started to brush Davina’s hair again.

Davina frowned, confused.

Sensing this, Blair sighed deeply put down the brush, and now worked on putting Davina’s hair into her desired updo. “I have not seen my family since I was exiled from the Forest. They did not care when I was being hunted. I try my best not to think about them,”

“Oh,” Davina muttered lowly, guilty now that she asked.

Blair patted her shoulders, “You didn’t know. I have no intention of seeing my family again, they’re not nice people,”

Davina nodded her head in understanding.

It didn’t take long for the Fae to finish Davina's hair, now in an elegant bun with two wispy pieces to frame her face, Davina looked happy with the result and gave Blair a quick hug before she dashed out of the room. Blair watched her go with a soft smile before she picked up some heeled pumps and slipped them on. The Fae looked at herself in the mirror, satisfied that she looked amazing and left the room, she used her magic to turn off the lights and locked the doors as she left.

As Blair stepped into the party, she took notice of the copious amount of alcohol that was being served, as well as the soft music from the live band. Her eyes scanned for a particular someone but sensed as they came up beside her.

“You look enchanting,” Elijah gently took her hand and kissed it, his dark eyes never leaving hers.

“I know,” Blair smirked, her own eyes taking in the man before her in a new suit, it was dark blue that looked really good on him. It was tightly fitted, and she couldn’t wait to rip it off him later, “I’ve also got a little surprise underneath this dress, but that will be for later,” Using her magic, she sent a small image of the lingerie she had underneath, hoping it would rile him up.

She was not disappointed either. Elijah’s expression darkened and he tightened his hold on her hand, “You vixen,”

“Suffer,” Blair muttered before she sauntered off. She could feel Elijah’s burning gaze on her back, which only served to make her giddy. The more she teased him, the rougher he’d be with her, and she desperately wanted it.

Elijah followed her, he did not look at anyone else who tried to gain his attention. However, he did not get far before Klaus cleared his throat and signalled for the music to stop. The moment the band saw Klaus’ action, they immediately stopped the music and everyone turned to look at Klaus. He was stood by Caroline who looked confused. She had put together the party and so far, it was going perfectly, no one had mentioned any speeches or anything.

Taking a nearby glass of champagne, Klaus held it up, “I want to thank everyone for coming. We are celebrating a big victory in our family. I also want to thank Caroline for organising such an elegant affair,” He tipped his head in the direction of the woman he loved. He shifted on the spot, and to anyone who did not know, they would think he looked confident and self-assured. But

Caroline preened under his praise and stood taller.

Rebekah came up beside Blair, now holding Hope in her arms as Klaus continued his long speech. Raphael was not too far behind her, a curious expression on her face. “Did Nik say anything to you?” She found his behaviour odd. Rebekah had been watching Klaus through the event, and he seemed nervous. He was constantly looking at Caroline with a mix of nervousness and excitement and it made Rebekah suspicious.

This made Blair smirk, “He may have said something,” It had been the day after Dahlia had been dealt with. Klaus had approached her before she went on a shopping trip and had pulled her aside for a task.

Rebekah frowned, not knowing how to take this bit of information. She opened her mouth to say something but instead gasped. She watched as her brother got down on one knee in front of Caroline.

Klaus looked up at Caroline, a small ring box in hand, “Caroline Forbes, will you marry me?” He opened the box to reveal a gold band with a huge diamond. The diamond was set in a princess cut with two smaller diamonds next to it.

Caroline stared down at him for a second before a massive grin appeared on her face, “Yes!” She exclaimed before throwing herself at Klaus and pulling him into a hug. Klaus let out a sigh of relief before taking the ring and he slipped it onto Caroline’s finger.

The compound fell silent, in shock, but then soon picked up and there was a thunderous applause. People were cheering and other people wolf-whistled. The atmosphere was filled with cheer and people began coming forward to congratulate the newly engaged couple. Elijah was one of those people. Klaus had disclosed what he planned to do for Caroline and had asked Elijah for advice. Elijah patted Klaus’ shoulder, a proud gleam in his eyes. Klaus hugged his brother back while Caroline showed off the ring to the people who came closer. Davina was one of the first people who congratulated Caroline and wanted to see the ring. Kol wasn't too far behind Elijah, as he joked with Klaus and pushed him around. Klaus responded kindly by pulling Kol into a headlock.

Ansel was next up, giving Klaus a fatherly hug, and he had a proud expression on his face. Klaus seemed to relax when he saw how proud his father was of him as if he was expecting a bad reaction. Klaus and Caroline seemed to glow under the praise they got from everyone, and Klaus seemed to reveal in the jealous looks of a lot of the men present.

“He did say he’d make her his queen,” Rebekah muttered softly, smiling at the scene. She was happy that Klaus was happy. Even if it was Caroline, though she had warmed up to the Baby Vampire since she’d made her intentions clear. Rebekah had not wanted his brother hurt in any way, and Caroline held his heart – a very precarious and fragile thing. If she thought for a second that Caroline was taking advantage of her brother, she’d end the girl without a second thought. But Caroline had proved she had no intentions of going anywhere, and Klaus was it for her.

Blair nodded her head.

“What did you do to the ring?” Raphael asked as he looked at his fellow Fae. While he could not use magic, he could sense it, and he felt quite a bit of magic coming from that ring.

Blair shrugged her shoulders, “A lot,” Klaus had wanted to make sure that Caroline was protected at all times, even when he was not there. There were at least five different protection spells on the ring, and Blair hoped the Hybrid would tell Caroline about each one in case she activated them without meaning to. Blair had thought it was sweet how much he cared for the Baby Vampire and hadn’t objected to it.

Wordlessly, Rebekah handed Hope over to Raphael so she could properly congratulate her brother. Raphael held Hope close to him, rocking her slowly as she yawned. Klaus had wanted Hope there for the night, but now Raphael understood why.

“You’re going to be a good father,” Blair said as she watched Raphael attend to Hope. He seemed to take the role on so naturally and Blair almost felt envious.

Raphael smiled in gratitude, “Thank you, that means a lot coming from you. I just hope I don’t screw this baby up,”

“You won’t, Rebekah won’t let you,” Blair smirked.

Raphael laughed in agreement and continued to rock Hope in his arms, “She’ll definitely keep me in line,” Soon, the smile dropped from his face, “But I am worried about the Queen…”

“I can always issue the Royal Challenge if you’d like?” Blair asked with an arched brow. She could understand where Raphael was coming from and she was willing to throw hands and magic with Maeve if it meant his anxieties were calmed. He had been under the spell of their Queen and knew the darkness that truly lay in the Forest.

For a moment, Raphael looked shocked, “You’d do that for me?”

Blair nodded her head, “Of course,” If it meant that Raphael would not need to worry about his child's future, she would do it.

Raphael placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, “Thank you,” He muttered softly, “But you don’t need to,”

“If she makes any moves against us, you know I will,” Blair said as she grabbed a nearby champagne glass that a server carried. She grabbed another for good measure. Blair had made the threat against Maeve all those months ago and she fully intended to keep her word. If she didn’t, then Maeve would see her weak and would try something. It seemed as though Maeve had listened to her threat and had not sent any more Fae their way since then, but Blair was not stupid. She knew that the Queen would only listen for so long before her greed outweighed everything.

Raphael nodded his head in agreement. While he remembered a lot of things when he was under the Queen’s spell, certain blocks in his memory made him nervous. From what he did remember, the Queen was nothing like Tatianna and hated it when people compared them. She was everything a Queen should not be. She was everything the Forest and the Fae did not need.

“Go join Rebekah, I’ll put Hope to bed,” Blair ordered when she saw the dark look in his eyes. She downed the two glasses of champagne and placed them on a nearby table.

This snapped Raphael out of his thoughts. He was about to object but he saw the seriousness of Blair and did as she asked. Without another word, Blair sauntered off with Hope in her arms. She intended to take the baby to bed so they could all have fun. Raphael watched her go with a smile. He owed so much to Blair and it made him guilty because he had not been able to do anything before, she was exiled from the Forest all those years ago.

Sighing deeply, Raphael went and joined the party.

The walk to Hope’s nursery was only a short one, and the child was extremely well-behaved. Hope had basically fallen asleep in Blair’s arms, not seeming to care who held her. Blair looked down and smiled slightly. Hope wasn’t so bad after all – though if anyone said anything, she would break their windpipe. Blair put Hope into bed and dimmed the lights, so there was still some light but not blinding light. She was also mindful of the fact this party was going to go on for hours, so she placed a few charms around the room. One would alert all adults if Hope needed anything, and another was to block the sound from downstairs, so Hope would sleep undisturbed.

Something compelled her to look out the window, and the Fae trusted her instincts. Looking out the window, Blair saw a shadow dart away until there was no movement. Blair’s eyes narrowed and reached out her magic to see who this person was. However, before she could, she sensed Elijah calling for her. With a sigh, Blair walked out, she placed one final spell around the room, a protection spell. The barriers were down in the Compound due to the party going on, and they would be placed back up the moment everyone left. But, in the meantime, Hope’s room, as well as the other bedrooms were protected by magic. No one could enter without permission.

She would investigate tomorrow. But tonight, she would party.

Chapter 48: Chapter 48

The next day

“Again,” Blair ordered with a blank expression.

Freya sat on the floor, out of breath and visibly sweating. Her magic was low, as they had been at the same task for over an hour and Freya had made zero progress.

Earlier that morning, Blair had unceremoniously woken her up and announced that it was time to start their training. Freya barely understood what happened before the Fae physically dragged her into the downstairs training room. She had not even allowed time for her to change out of her PJs, or have anything to drink. Blair had just ordered Freya to start using her magic without a care in the world and it made the Witch hate the Fae so much at that moment. What made it worse was that Davina was also there, and practiced her spells on the other side of the room with ease. She had completed the same task in minutes and was now using magic effortlessly on other tasks, as though she lived and breathed magic.

“Quit daydreaming and get on with it,” Blair snarked with a glare, “If you have time to daydream, you have time to perform a spell. Again,”

With an aggravated sigh, Freya stumbled back to her feet and summoned her magic.

Davina watched on with a mix of pity and amusement.

The task at hand was a rather simple one, Freya was to push back at the barrier Blair had summoned. Anyone could do it – if it were not Blair who made the barrier. To Freya, when she used her magic to push back, it felt as though she was fighting against a steel wall, completely unmovable. For the past hour, the Mikaelson Witch had not made any progress and had moved the steel wall by even a centimetre.

Freya swore Blair did this on purpose, but she had made Davina demonstrate how it was done after she had failed the tenth time. It just added salt to the wound and hurt Freya’s pride more than anything. She had thought her control over her magic was at a decent level but training with Blair and Davina made her realise she was not even in the same league. If Davina continued the way she was, she would become a very powerful Witch indeed, and the thought made Freya almost jealous.

With raised arms, Freya summoned her magic and pressed against the invisible barrier in front of her. With her face scrunched up, Freya attempted to force the barrier back, but then her magic recoiled and she was sent back onto her arse and out of breath.

Blair sneered at the show, unimpressed.

Davina winced in sympathy.

In frustration, Freya slammed her hands down on the ground, “What's the point of this? This is not helping me!”

With an arched brow, Blair stared down at Freya. “Oh?”

On a roll, Freya continued, “For the past hour, I have done nothing but be put down on my arse, nothing has helped! I thought you were meant to be training me, not humiliating me!” As she spoke, her voice raised in volume until she was shouting, anger pouring from her body in waves.

Slowly, a smirk appeared on Blair’s face.

This only served to incite Freya’s rage more. “What’s so funny?!”

“You,” Was the Fae’s blunt reply.

With a frustrated scream, Freya summoned her magic and forced it in Blair’s direction. Within the blink of an eye, Blair summoned a barrier in front of her – the very same one that Freya had struggled against. When Freya’s magic collided with the invisible barrier, it forced the barrier back until it was only a few feet away from the Fae. Blair watched this happen, the smirk on her face only getting bigger.

Freya was about to question why she looked so smug until she clicked on what happened. Freya’s eyes widened when she realised what she had done – she had moved the barrier!

“I did it,” Freya breathed in shock.

“Took you long enough,” Blair said, the smug expression never leaving her face.

Freya shot her a confused look.

Blair rolled her eyes and sighed, “What did you feel when you tried to attack me with magic?”

“Anger,” Freya frowned, not understanding what the Fae was getting at, “Frustration, annoyance, murderous…”

“Alright thesaurus,” Blair snorted as she rolled her eyes again, “and when you used your magic when angry, did you notice anything different?”

Freya thought about this for a moment before she nodded her head, “Yes, it was more powerful.”

Blair nodded her head in agreement, “That is because our emotions play a very big part in magic. It is an extension of ourselves, not a tool. It is a part of us, a living entity of its own. Magic can decide whether to grace us with its power or not. That depends on us.” Just to show Freya exactly what she meant, Blair’s eyes glowed purple as she summoned some magic in her hand, a ball of water. She threw that ball of water into the air and watched as it exploded, and how small droplets of water cascaded down, like rain. With a snap of her fingers, the rain disappeared, as though it was never there.

At her words, Freya looked down at her hands and pondered.

“As a firstborn Mikaelson, your magic is very powerful,” Blair explained as she walked closer to the Witch, “And as a Mikaelson, you’re a very emotional person. Your family wields their emotions like a weapon and shield, and you are no different. I was looking for that fire, and I found it,” Blair had wondered how long it would take for Freya to snap, and she had waited for it. Blair had been prepared to make Freya practice this spell all day if necessary, with no breaks if it meant getting the results she wanted.

“And you couldn’t have just told me that?” Freya asked with an arched brow.

“No,” Blair answered bluntly, “That wouldn’t be any fun,”

Freya scowled at the answer.

Blair held out her hand to Freya and waited for her to take it. Freya looked at the extended hand for a moment before she took it and allowed the Fae to help her up.

“Take a fifteen-minute break, then we’ll get back to it,” Blair said before she walked away. She would allow the Witch one small break before they got the real stuff.

Freya groaned but she nodded her head.

Just then, Davina walked over with a water bottle in hand. She handed one to Freya, who started to gulp hers down immediately, sighing in relief when she got her first taste of water that day. It was during the last ten minutes that her body had begun crying out for water, and Blair would not let up. She would not allow any water breaks, and now Freya understood why. She had waited for Freya to break.

Freya shot Davina a thankful look and breathed deeply when she was done.

“She’s not an easy teacher,” Davina said with an encouraging smile, “but she’s a good one,” While Blair had never been as harsh on her, she had not been a pushover either. Davina had to learn the hard way there was no cheating when it came to learning magic and building up endurance. However, Blair was patient when it came to people who wanted to learn, and Davina had a thirst for knowledge that the Fae was more than happy to indulge.

“That’s easy for you to say,” Freya muttered under her breath.

Davina smiled slightly but didn’t refute her statement.

“How long have you been under her tutelage?” Freya asked the younger Witch.

For a moment, Davina was thoughtful, “Over a year now.”

Freya looked shocked, “And you’ve grown that quickly?” While she had known Davina had not been with them long, she did not fully comprehend that Davina had progressed so well in just over a year. It took Witches many years to cultivate the amount of power the ex-Harvest girl had.

Davina laughed and nodded her head, “She always mixes the lessons up. One a week we will learn defensive magic, then offensive magic, then healing and then back to defensive. It’s never a dull lesson,” She laughed again as she thought back to some sessions. Especially when Blair had summoned training dummies. Davina had not expected some of them to fight back with basic spells and had been shocked when she got zapped by one. Blair had reminded her that she needed to stay vigilant, and since then, Davina had not fallen for the same trick twice.

Saying nothing, Freya continued to look shocked.

“There will probably be times when you’ll hate her, and curse the very ground she walks on, but she’s a good teacher,” Davina explained to the older Witch. “She always gets the result she wants in the end,”

“Well, that’s very encouraging,” Freya smiled slightly.

“And very sickening,” Klaus said as he made his appearance in the training room. At the sound of his voice, Freya and Davina turned to face him, both looking unimpressed.

Blair sighed as she walked over, “We’re busy,”

Klaus smiled sarcastically, “I just need a moment with my dear sister,” He motioned to his eldest sister, all while keeping his gaze on the Fae in front of him.

Blair glared at him, not appreciating how he was interrupting their training session. She had given Elijah a heads-up before coming down for training to not be disturbed. Elijah has promised he would do his best to keep the others – Klaus – away while they worked.

“And Rebekah is requesting your presence immediately,” Klaus added with a pleading expression. His younger sister had been a nightmare and had demanded that Blair come and check on the baby. He, Elijah and Raphael had all tried to reassure her that the baby would be fine for a few more hours while Blair continued training Davina and Freya, but Rebekah would not have it. She had thrown a fit and destroyed a few priceless vases in the process. Klaus began to doubt he would have a house at this rate. It got worse when Rebekah began to cry, a sight Klaus could not stand.

With a sigh, Blair shook her head. “That’s enough training for today, we’ll resume tomorrow morning,” With that Blair walked away. She knew that Rebekah would not settle until she had her daily check-up and did as requested. If not, Rebekah would become an unbearable person to be around.

Davina followed after Blair, intending to shower and spend time with Kol.

Now that it was just Freya and Klaus, the Witch looked at her brother and frowned, “What did you need?”

“What? Can’t a brother be curious as to how his sister is doing?” Klaus asked, affronted to be asked such a question.

Freya rolled her eyes and stared at him with a deadpan expression.

Klaus dropped the mock hurt expression, and instead looked curious, “A little birdy in the Quarter has told me you’ve been approached by the Coven of Witches,” And when he meant a birdy, he meant one of the many Vampires he had tailing Freya whenever she left the compound. Just because he appreciated her killing their mother does not mean he fully trusted her.

Freya tensed.

“What did they want?” Klaus demanded. His spies had not been able to hear the conversations due to a silencing spell, and this made him unhappy. It made it seem as though they were hiding something, and if his sister was conspiring with the Witches, there would be hell to pay.

For a moment, Freya debated whether she should tell him or make something up. However, she suspected he would know if she was lying or not being honest. After a few moments of silence, Freya sighed deeply, “They wanted me to join them... and I said I needed to think about it.”

He and Freya stared at one another. Freya could see the cogs in Klaus’ head visibly work as he calculated his next move. It made her feel slightly smug that she’d managed to surprise her usually scheming brother. She was aware that he knew about all her moves, where she went and who she spent time with. It was something she expected, but she did not expect him to learn about this so quickly. The Coven had only approached her yesterday and Freya had yet to give any response as she did not know what the best option was. Working with Blair and Davina made her realise she had become complacent with her magic and had stopped developing her craft.

“I think you should join them,” Klaus eventually said.

Freya shot him a shocked look, this was not the response she had expected.

Seeing this expression, Klaus decided to humour her a bit, “The Witches are one of the only Coven we have not infiltrated. I do not trust them to not pull something, having someone on the inside may be useful,” Klaus smirked as he quickly formulated a plan, but he wanted Elijah and Kol’s viewpoints on this as well. Ansel was the Alpha of the pack of Werewolves, and so they had a good alliance at the moment, the human faction was under control and still completely oblivious, though relations were still tense at the moment. They had two powerful Fae on their side, but the Witches were a variable that Klaus wanted to be neutralised. It would calm his nerves knowing that the Witches were not plotting against him, and if they were, they’d be prepared. In all honesty, he had expected the Coven to be after Davina before Freya, so this was an interesting development.

Realisation dawned on her and Freya nodded her head in understanding. “So, you would have me spy on them?”

“Precisely,” Klaus replied back with a devious smirk.

Freya fell silent as she thought about her next move. If she did this, it would allow her family to trust her more, maybe even rely on her. She wanted the bond they had with one another. Klaus, Elijah, Kol and Rebekah all had each other’s backs, they fought and argued, but would be there if anything went south and relied on one another. Freya wanted to be part of the family so bad, so much that she knew she could not turn down the request – but that was something else she wanted in return.

“If I do this, I want Finn undaggered and freed,” Freya bargained.

Now, it was Klaus’ turn to pause and stare at his eldest sibling. He had expected she would want something in return, but did not think she was confident enough to ask for Finn. “Why would I agree to that? He’s tried to kill us many times,” His elder brother had always been a sore point for him. While he wanted his family back together, he could not trust Finn. There was too much history, and too many negative emotions associated with the boring Mikaelson. Finn was the sibling who tried to have Hope killed and that was unforgivable. He was also sure Elijah had not forgiven Finn for the comments he made about Blair not too long ago.

“Our mother brainwashed him about Dahlia.” Freya tried to reason, “With that threat gone, he will have no need to hurt Hope. Maybe we could even move on,” Out of all her siblings, Finn was the only one who remembered her, as he was a few years old when she’d been taken away by Dahlia. None of her other siblings had known the truth and had believed she had died when young. Finn was the only one she had a proper connection with and she missed that.

Klaus levelled her a stern look, “That does not stop him from attempting to kill us again,” He had finally made amends with his siblings – all but Finn, and they no longer aimed to kill him. He did not want another war with a sibling, which would inevitably happen if Finn was woken up.

“I would take full responsibility for him,” Freya practically pleaded.

With a sigh, Klaus shook his head, “I will think on the matter. I will need to discuss this with everyone first,” He needed to bounce off a few ideas with Elijah and get another perspective. Finn was his brother, but he was also Elijah, Kol and Rebekah’s brother and they should have a say in the matter too.

“Thank you,” Freya smiled at him, relieved.

Saying nothing more, Klaus walked away. He needed to have a chat with his family once more, a heavy feeling in his heart.

ORIGINALS

Blair kneeled before Rebekah, her hands over the Vampire’s stomach as she used her magic. Once she had shown herself, Rebekah had nearly dragged her into the living room and demanded to be seen. Blair had nearly hissed back but held herself back and reminded herself that this was the hormones talking, and a very unusual pregnancy. Blair mentally calmed herself down, but with Elijah and Raphael hovering nearby, her patience was starting to wane.

“How’s the baby?” Rebekah asked, her whole demeanour nervous. She had felt the baby move around more that morning and this set her off.

“Baby’s fine, their development has slowed down,” Blair explained as she continued to examine the baby, “I would put the baby at sixteen weeks at the moment,” She had been keeping a close eye on the development of the unborn child, and found that growth was starting to slow down, which was a relief for Rebekah and Raphael.

Rebekah and Raphael both sighed in relief, at least they had a bit more time. They were still in the process of getting everything needed for the baby’s arrival. Klaus had cleared out a room next to Hope’s nursery for their baby to stay and they were starting to decorate that. However, they held off on the colour until they knew the gender of the baby.

“And the baby’ s fine?” Raphael asked, nervous.

Blair sent him a blank expression and he sent a nervous smile back. He understood that all these questions were starting to grate on the female Fae’s nerves.

“Baby’s health is fine, they’re just very active,” Blair explained as she looked back down at Rebekah’s stomach as she concentrated. The baby was indeed very active, wriggling in the womb, demanding attention from its caregivers. It was just as it moved that Blair saw something and this made her grin.

“What did you see?” Elijah asked, knowing that look on Blair’s face.

“I can see the gender of the baby,” Blair said as she pulled back. The moment she did, Rebekah shot up and nearly grabbed the Fae and nearly demanded that she fess up. But Blair had foreseen this and jumped back quicker than the female Original.

Rebekah huffed and glared at Blair, who smirked.

Raphael gasped, eager to know, “And?”

It was tempting to make them wait a bit longer, but Blair wasn’t that cruel. She could see the eagerness in Raphael’s eyes, and Rebekah’s patience would only last so long. Blair decided to be merciful and grinned wider, “You’re having a girl,”

“Yes!” Rebekah cheered loudly.

Raphael gave a small fist bump in the air and Elijah patted his shoulder.

“No!” Kol yelled in the other room as he heard everything.

“Shut up you prat!” Rebekah screamed back angrily.

The sound of Kol grumbling in the other room could be heard by all those with advanced hearing. He had bet that Rebekah and Raphael were having a boy, and had placed a lot of money down on it.

Filled with energy, Rebekah stood up, “We have so much to get,” She grabbed Raphael and dragged him out with Elijah following behind. Now that he knew he had another niece coming, he planned to spoil her rotten.

Blair watched them go with an affectionate smile on her face.

‘Raphael,’ Blair called out in her mind.

Raphael responded instantly, ‘Yes?”

‘Be careful. I saw something the night of the party. Someone was sulking around,’ Blair warned him, and she planned to do the same with Elijah. She suspected that someone from the Fae community was sulking around, no doubt getting information for Maeve, but she may be wrong. She would not put it past Maeve to do something now that things were settled.

Blair could feel Raphael’s determination through their mental bond, ‘I won’t let anything happen to Rebekah,’

‘Good. Join me later, we’re going hunting,’ Blair replied back, a feral grin on her face.

Raphael returned that same energy back.

ORIGINALS

Later that night

It was dark when Blair and Raphael left the Compound, giving their respective partners different excuses. Blair had been honest with Elijah to an extent, but not told him the full story as she wanted to confirm a few details first. Raphael had not wanted to stress out Rebekah any more than she already was, and so had not told her anything yet, but she knew that something wasn’t right. He had promised to tell her more than we knew himself. Both did not want to give the family half the information, as they knew Klaus would blow a fuse if he suspected something was happening under his nose and may act irrationally.

Under the guise of darkness, the two Fae set out and were on the hunt. They searched close to the Abattoir first, where Blair had last seen the shadow dart away. Blair had been thorough in her search of their home, there had been no intruders and no other Fae entered their home. There were no traces of magic near the home, except for the usual people. It was there that they widened their search to the French Quarter, meticulously scanning each road, house and alleyway until they found something. Predictably, the tracks had let them to the nearby forest.

“It’s definitely a Fae,” Raphael said as he practically tasted Fae magic in the air.

“They’re able to hide their magic,” Blair’s eyes narrowed as she examined the magic in front of her, “meaning they did not want to be found.”

“Do you think this is a trap?” Raphael asked.

Blair shook her head, “No, I think Maeve has sent someone to gather information. No doubt she’s heard about the baby and wants to know more,” Maeve had people all over the earth who gave her information, spies. She also had a Fae with a similar power to hers, to see the future, but not as well or detailed. No doubt that subject would have given Maeve the vision of Raphael and Rebekah’s baby and she wanted to know more.

Raphael nodded his head grimly. They had to make sure that no information made it back to the Queen, otherwise, it would put their baby girl in jeopardy.

Walking deeper into the forest, Blair and Raphael each kept a sharp eye on the surroundings. Even if it had been a trap, there was nothing that would keep them down for long. When they reached a clearing in the forest, Raphael held out his arm and stopped both him and Blair in his tracks. Blair’s eyes scanned the area, she could sense magic in the air and knew the person was nearby and had sensed their presence.

“Come out now, or we kill you,” Blair ordered, her voice sharp.

For a moment, there was no movement.

But then, a figure comes out on the other side. It was a female Fae, with short caramel hair and brown eyes. She looked young, but there was wisdom in her eyes that gave away her age. The moment Blair saw her, she knew who she was.

“Marie,” Blair hissed lowly, her eyes narrowed. She did not know why Maeve’s right hand was in New Orleans, the Queen was very attached to Marie, keeping her around for many years as she was only competent one. Marie was one of the few people who could be honest with the Queen and not be killed for it.

“Eloise, it’s been a whole,” Marie said curtly,

“She goes by Blair now,” Raphael cut in with a glare.

“The Queen said as much,” Marie nodded her head in understanding.

Blair’s fingers twitched, as she just wanted to blast the Fae away and be done with her. There was a part of her that wanted to kill Marie as she knew Maeve would be enraged by it, and she wanted to hurt the Queen.

Sensing her bloodlust, Raphael asked, “Why are you here?” He moved forward, and finally, Marie’s gaze left Blair, something none of them had missed. Since Marie had come into view, she had stared at Blair with a blank expression that unnerved him. He remembered Marie from his time under the Queen’s control and she seemed slightly different, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Michael saw that you’d have a child with a Vampire, and the Queen wanted to confirm this,” Marie replied back, her voice calm and levelled.

“And why is this Maeve’s business?” Blair demanded as she felt Raphael’s ire spike.

Marie’s eyes landed on Blair once more, “The Queen sees it as her business, as that baby will be half Fae and technically, under her rule,”

“Over my dead body,” Raphael hissed angrily, he was ready to attack the woman in front of him, but was stopped when Blair placed a hand on his shoulder.

Blair examined the Fae in front of her, something wasn’t right. She would have expected Marie to pull her up when she referred to the Queen of Fae by her given name, but also her wording. Something wasn’t adding up, “Maeve didn’t send you,” There was no way that Maeve would have risked her right hand, especially one that she was fond of.

For a moment, Marie didn’t say anything, but she soon smiled, “You were always too observant, even as a child,”

Raphael looked at the Fae confused, “But, if the Queen does not know you're here, why are you?” This did not make sense, but he could see where Blair was coming from. Something wasn't right about Marie, she was also slightly different than when he last saw her – less stiff and more expressive. Before, it had been like speaking to a marionette, but now there was an actual person behind those eyes. 

“Chloe,” Marie replied back simply.

The name of their old friend made both Blair and Raphael pause. The very name brought back memories, good and bad. The very name shot through Raphael like an iron-tipped arrow, and Blair’s heart clenched in remembrance of her friend’s severed head.

“She nullified Maeve’s control over you,” Blair breathed out. She had explained to Raphael about Chloe’s powers and they were equally baffled that Chloe had managed to hide it from the Queen for that long. Typically, Maeve had every child tested to see if they had a gift and whether she could use it.

Maria nodded her head.

“Holy shit,” Raphael was breathless in shock. When Blair had mentioned Chloe’s powers, and how she’d used that power on a small group of people in the Forest, he did not imagine Marie would be one of them.

“Chloe had to be careful of who she used that power on,” Marie explained with a frown, “It had to be people who could lie to the Queen and get away with it. It had to be people who she knew could play the long game and wait,” The list was not very long considering the Queen had them under her control for four hundred years.

“Who else?” Blair demanded.

Maria shook her head, “I couldn’t tell you fully, as even I do not know. Chloe only trusted us with bits and pieces, in case any of us were caught.” It was too risky, if Maeve ever became aware of what was happening under her nose, she’d kill every single one of them until she found out.

Blair’s lips thinned in understanding. She knew how careful they’d had to have been, living under fear of being discovered, and if anyone had a mind-reading ability, everything would have gone south. Maeve was paranoid by nature, as well as greedy.

“So, you’re not under the control of the Queen, not here on her order… so why are you here?” Raphael questioned, confused as to what her purpose was.

“I am here to give a warning,” Marie said, “The Queen will be making a play for Niklaus Mikaelson’s child very soon, possibly within the next three days. She will be sending Tumas this time as she does not want failure,” When she heard the news, she knew she needed to act soon, so when she saw her chance, she took it without hesitation.

Raphael cursed lowly whereas Blair calmly nodded her head. She had been expecting this. It was only a matter of time. The only thing stopping the Queen beforehand was the war that was brewing between the Originals, Werewolves and Witches. Now that it was over, Maeve would slip in and snatch the child when she thought their guards were down. She had expected this, and now it was happening. The fact that Tumas was coming sent a shiver down her spine, but hardened her resolve. She took down the Hunter, she could fight Tumas.

“And?” Blair arched a brow.

“And I am here for you,” Marie added to the other female Fae.

“Why?” Raphael demanded.

“We need Blair for the revolt,” Maria said with a frown, “Chloe acted as the figurehead until it was time for Blair to take the reins. Without you, the revolt will never work,” Chloe had been adamant that Blair would join and the revolt would work. The moment the Fae heard Blair’s name, they instantly joined – especially when word had spread how powerful her magic was.

“You want me to issue the Royal Challenge,” Blair said with a sigh, knowing what they were after. She also remembered the dream she had when she met with Chloe when the veil had dropped. Chloe had pinned all her hopes on Blair getting rid of the Hunter and joining the coup, but this had been the last thing on her mind.

Marie nodded her head, “Yes, we’re all waiting for the right time. The longer we wait, the higher the chance we will be discovered by the Queen,”

“Thank you for the warning,” Blair said as she walked away, but then stopped, “Do not get close to the French Quarter again, the Vampires may not react well to it,”

“Of course,” Marie bowed low, “Please do not make us wait long,” With that, she disappeared from view until they could no longer feel her presence.

Once she was gone, Blair’s shoulders dropped. She had not been expecting this when she and Raphael began the hunt. She thought it would end in someone dying, and spilling blood, but instead, they left with a warning. It left a bad taste in her mouth and Blair did not know how to feel about the matter. However, she knew that they needed to prepare before Tumas came.

“We need to tell them,” Raphael said, his voice cutting into the silence.

Blair nodded her head, “I know,” This was a moment she had dreaded, as she did not like delving into her history with the Queen, but now she would have no choice. The Mikaelson siblings would have questions that only Blair could answer.

Sensing her reluctance, Raphael looked down at the smaller Fae, “Blair, do the Mikaelson’s know about your connection to the Queen?”

“No, they don’t,” Blair sighed deeply.

“How?” Raphael asked, shocked.

“It wasn’t exactly on my list of priorities,” Blair hissed back to him before she stopped and closed her eyes. It was not fair to snap at him, “We had other things to worry about,” Since coming to New Orleans, there had not been a moment to breathe or think. Then there was the showdown with the Hunter and Dahlia. It had slipped Blair’s mind for a moment, though she had been vigilant in case something happened.

Slowly, Raphael nodded his head in agreement. “How long do you think we have?”

Blair thought about this for a moment. “Not long, Maeve would be getting impatient. She wouldn’t see any other obstacles in her path anymore.” However, she would not make an in-person appearance while Klaus was in New Orleans unless her hand was forced. Marie had warned them of potentially three days, but that was guess work, and it could be even sooner.

“We need to start planning,” Raphael winced, “Klaus is going to flip,”

Blair groaned in agreement. Klaus had finally felt at peace with everything and now they were going to have to shatter that bubble. The whole family would hit the roof at the news and it was not a conversation she was looking forward to. For a moment, she doubted that Klaus would believe her, as it was Marie who gave the warning. Blair would have also been suspicious, but she did not feel the influence of Maeve around her, something she had felt around Raphael in the beginning.

“Hey, Blair,” Raphael said suddenly.

The female Fae turned to look at him and saw Raphael had a pained expression, a sight that broke her heart.

“Why did Chloe not help me?” Raphael asked, his voice breaking at the question.

“Oh, Raphael,” Blair muttered lowly as she pulled him into a hug. She was not usually one to hug people, but she could see and sense he really needed one at that moment. Usually, he would go to Rebekah if he needed that type of comfort, but she wasn’t there. Raphael hugged Blair closely and hid his head on her shoulder. It was slightly awkward due to the height difference, but none of them cared.

“I was under the Queen’s control for hundreds of years, and Chloe could have saved me,” Raphael muttered sadly. He and Chloe had been close – very close. To know that she had the power to help him and didn’t make him feel something he didn’t like. He felt anger, frustration and betrayal. Surely, he was worth saving?

“And she should have helped you,” Blair said resolutely, cursing Chloe’s very name at that moment. “She was a fool not to. If I were in her position, I would have helped you,” And she had, the moment she realised Raphael was under the control of Maeve, she made it her mission to undo what had been done. Raphael was her brother – not by blood – but he was as good as. 

Raphael fell quiet as he worked through his feelings. He was glad that in the moment, he had Blair beside him. He was comforted by the fact Blair did not understand Chloe’s reasoning despite them being very close at one point. He wouldn’t lie either and say it hadn’t tainted his viewpoint of Chloe either. Due to his actions, he had put her on a pedestal, and this had shaken everything he thought he knew.

Blair was about to say something when a very familiar feeling washed over her. In an instant, she felt dizzy and nauseous at the same time. “Raphael, I am having a vision,” Blair quickly muttered out, feeling a sense of panic. While she knew she could trust him, she did not want a vision out in the open, where she was more vulnerable. She wanted to be behind her shields and wards in the safety of the Abattoir.

With wide eyes, Raphael picked Blair up in his arms and ran in the direction of home. It was halfway there that he felt Blair stiffen in his arms and her head flung back as the vision overtook her.

Blair’s vision had been filled with colours, she tried to hold back the vision but she couldn’t. It washed over her in an instant, and she cursed these types of visions.

Multiple scenes and whispers flashed before all, all too confusing for any other person to keep up with, but Blair was a professional at this now. With ease, Blair sieved through each vision with a precise eye. Each vision, showed Tumas coming for Hope and kidnapping her. The vision showed a showdown between the family, with one of them leaving with grave injuries. The next scenes contained multiple Fae coming to New Orleans, all beseeching Blair to challenge Maeve and take the throne and Blair turning them away multiple times. However, there was another scene which also showed Maeve, the Queen of the Forest and Blair issuing the Royal Challenge, but the outcome was undecided. There were too many factors getting in the way of the future.

Chapter 49: Chapter 49

As she woke up, Blair felt completely fine – in fact, she felt energised, which was unusual. She always hated coming out of her visions because usually she felt terrible. Typically, she’d have a massive headache after coming out of a vision but this time, that was no headache. Blair reached out with her magic, she knew that she was in her and Elijah’s room and this made her relax. She felt guilty because before she passed out from the vision, she could remember Raphael as he panicked and how he rushed back to the Abattoir. She sensed a presence beside her, one that she was intimately familiar with. Blair turned her head and saw Elijah on the bed, a concerned look on his chiselled face, dressed in a suit like always.

“Damn, you're hot,” Blair muttered with a grin. In moments like this, she truly felt blessed that she got to wake up to him every day.

Elijah looked down at her with a grin, very much used by her behaviour. In fact, he relished in her compliments, his ego boosted every time. He reached down and kissed her forehead, “How are you feeling, dear?”

His voice did things to her, and she suppressed a shiver, “Good, really good,”

“That is because I gave you some of my blood,” Elijah shared as he caressed her hair, he loved how her locks felt in his hand. He also relished how Blair would nuzzle into his hand whenever he would massage her scalp. When Raphael had rushed in with Blair in his arms, Elijah would not say he acted completely calm. Luckily, the Fae had managed to get out about Blair having a vision and this made Elijah relax – only slightly. He had fed Blair his blood immediately, worried about any injuries, as he knew having these visions took a toll on her depending on the type of vision she received.

“Thank you,” Blair whispered lowly, filled with a rush of affection for the Vampire. She rolled over a bit so she could be closer to him and curled around him, like a cat. Elijah chuckled at her actions and moved closer to her as well as he wrapped his arms around her.

Blair breathed in Elijah’s scent and found it to be comforting and soothing.

“How long before Klaus tries to break down our door?” Blair asked after a moment of silence.

“Give it ten more minutes,” Elijah replied back. His brother was particularly anxious when Raphael had brought back Blair, wondering what she had seen in her vision. Raphael had not provided much information, if any at all, and had stated that he wanted to wait for Blair to wake up as he did not want to repeat things. Klaus had wanted to wake Blair up there and then but only Elijah’s rage stopped him.

“How long was I out?” Blair asked as she closed her eyes. She could see light through the curtains of her room and wondered how long she’d been under.

“It’s still morning, so you’ve been out eight hours,” Elijah answered as he looked down at his watch. He had stayed by Blair’s side and waited for her to wake up, he also did not want to risk Klaus coming into the room and attempting to wake her up before she was ready.

Blair hummed in response.

Both of them stayed in that position as long as they could, each one relishing time with each other. They had made up for lost time after Dahlia had been dealt with, and Blair had enjoyed every minute of it. Blair loved the passion of their relationship, but she also loved the calm moments like this, where they just laid in each other’s arms and sat in silence, a comfortable silence. Just being in his presence calmed something within her and made her feel all was right.

With a heavy sigh, Blair pulled away, “We need to get this over with,”

Elijah hummed in agreement, though he was reluctant to move away from the bed. He stood up and watched as Blair got ready for the day with adoration in his dark eyes.

Once she’d showered and put on some new clothing, they headed into the living room. Having sensed them leave their room, the Mikaelson siblings, minus Freya were present, alongside Caroline, Raphael and Davina. Klaus was stood up by the window and Caroline sat near him. Rebekah and Raphael occupied one couch, with Davina and Kol on the other. Blair and Elijah sat down on the remaining couch and looked at Raphael, who appeared happy that Blair was okay.

“What did you see?” Klaus demanded the moment everyone was sat.

Caroline hit his arm and scoffed, “Klaus!”

Blair rolled her eyes, “Good morning to you too as well, I am okay, thank you for asking,”

Klaus scowled but continued to stare at her until she said something worthwhile.

“Did you say anything?” Blair asked Raphael, wanting to know if anything had been said about their encounter with Marie. She did not want to repeat anything that had already been said as it would be a waste of time.

Raphael shook his head, “I thought it better to wait,” This was despite Klaus breathing down his neck for details. It was only Rebekah and her hormones that kept Klaus away as long as he did, otherwise the Hybrid would have had his neck for hiding things.

“So, what happened?” Kol asked, finding it amusing how worked up Klaus was getting when no one answered his question.

Blair looked at Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah, “Do you remember when I said the Queen of the Fae would make her move?”

Elijah nodded his head, “Yes,” It had been the first time he ever met the female Fae, it was not an encounter he would ever forget.

Klaus and Rebekah also nodded their heads. It was information Klaus had not forgotten about and wondered when this information would come into play once more. It was yet another threat to his daughter’s safety and wellbeing, and something he took very seriously.

“Well, it’s happening,” Blair explained with a sigh, “Now that the war is over, Maeve will take her chance to try and get Hope,” As it was Hope’s destiny to destroy the Witches, the Queen would want this to mould Hope into her own personal weapon.

“Let them come, we will kill every creature that is sent,” Klaus declared as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Kol perked up at this, the thought of taking down the Fae enticed him. “Sounds like fun,” The grin on his face was filled with mischief. He briefly thought about tasting their mouth-watering blood, but a slight pain in his head stopped those thoughts in their tracks. Not only had Blair taken the memory of feasting on Fae blood, but she’d also made it painful if he ever thought about munching on one of her kind.

Raphael sighed and shook his head at the Wildest Original.

“How long do we have?” Elijah asked.

Blair thought on this for a moment and thought back to her vision. “Two days maximum. Maeve would have sent her best soldier for this job. She would think she’s waited long enough and will do whatever she can to get Hope,”

“But I thought you said you didn’t run with them; how would you know her plan? As you’ve mentioned before, sometimes your visions do not show you everything,” Rebekah pointed out as she thought back to a private conversation they’d had. She had been surprised that Blair had come back after she’d been kidnapped and stabbed multiple times by herself and Klaus. Rebekah had thought her stupid to return, not knowing that it was just the beginning of Blair being in their lives.

Blair fell silent and looked away. She debated on what to say, and how to say it.

Raphael winced and also stayed silent.

“Yes, you seem to know a lot, considering you’ve not been around them for over four hundred years,” Klaus commented, as he levelled the Fae with a stern expression. He knew that Blair was hiding something, and had for some time, and his patience was beginning to run out.

Blair glared at the Hybrid, which was returned.

“Blair, we need to understand what’s going on. If you can provide any information, it would be really useful,” Davina asked and silently hoped that the Fae would shed some light on the situation. Any questions about the Fae Queen were always met with a blank stare and a sneer, not even Raphael would reveal much information.

Blair looked at her student/ward and saw Davina’s pleading expression, and her resolve crumbled. She mentally cursed Davina in that moment, but knew there was no avoiding this moment any longer. She had put it off for as long as she could. With a deep sigh, Blair frowned, “Fine. The other day, I sensed a presence at the party and we went to investigate last night,” Blair explained, as she ignored Klaus’ heated eyes on her.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Caroline asked with a frown. She had been so wrapped up in her engagement to Klaus that she had not noticed anything amiss. It had been a great night, one that she would never forget. She had thought everyone else was having fun and had not noticed anyone acting weird or on guard.

“We didn’t want to give half answers, we wanted to get all the information first,” Raphael reassured as he sent Caroline an apologetic look. That party was a happy occasion, something that was needed after the whole Dahlia and Esther episode.

Caroline smiled back in thanks.

“What did you find?” Kol asked, curious to know the answer.

“Another Fae came to New Orleans; her name is Marie. She is the Queen’s right hand,” Blair explained with a sigh, knowing she needed to get this over with, “She gave us the warning that a Fae called Tumas would come for Hope,”

“And how can we trust this?” Klaus demanded.

Blair met his gaze unflinchingly, “Because then I had a vision confirming this. I saw Tumas come for Hope,”

Klaus let out a loud curse and began pacing near Caroline. No matter what she said, there was no calming down the Hybrid when he was like this. He had thought the threat to his child was now gone, and now they had to contend with this. Elijah's and Kol’s expressions darkened at the thought of someone coming to kidnap their niece. Rebekah had a very similar reaction to Klaus and it was to curse loudly, but she leaned into Raphael more for comfort while rubbing her protruding stomach.

“Did you see anything else?” Davina asked curiously. She now wished she had come along after Blair and Raphael offered her.

“I saw a few different outcomes,” Blair answered with a frown as she thought back to the detailed visions, “When I see different outcomes, it usually means that the future is undecided like a decision hasn’t been made yet. From what I can see, there is a possibility of the Queen coming to New Orleans if I send to a challenge,”

Elijah frowned, “What is that?”

“It means a direct challenge to the current Queen’s ruling,” Raphael explained when he saw confused expressions around the room, “only certain Fae have a right to issue a Royal Challenge and Blair is one of them. If Blair issues it, she and the Queen would fight it out and whoever wins would rule over Fae kind,” He looked over to the female Fae to make sure he got that right and was happy when Blair nodded her head.

“Well, that seems to settle it. Call the challenge and be done with her once and for all,” Klaus said with a wave of his hand.

Blair rolled her eyes at his attitude, “It’s not that simple. I wouldn’t put it past Maeve to pull some sort of trick, we need to tread carefully,” She did not doubt for a moment that Maeve had something planned up her sleeves, as there was no way she would relinquish her power so easily, even if she called the Royal Challenge.

Klaus fell silent but understood her words.

Elijah looked down at his mate and frowned, “Raphael mentioned you being one of the people who could issue a challenge, why is that?” Even Blair had not divulged her past to him and he had pushed at times, curious to know more about the woman he loved. Blair had always come back with that she was not ready to speak about it, and he was not missing his chance. 

Blair’s lips thinned and she looked pained, “Only people of royal blood can issue a challenge. I can do that because Maeve is my mother,” It physically pained her to admit this and she nearly threw up in her mouth.

Silence was her answer.

Everyone stared at Blair with different reactions, most of them being shocked. Klaus’ reaction contained more calculated intrigue as he glared down at Fae, whereas Raphael looked as pained as her. He had known due to them growing up together. Kol and Davina blinked slowly as they processed this and Caroline did not see what the big issue was. Elijah and Rebekah looked worried, as they could see how much this pained Blair to admit.

“But that means your mother…” Davina said slowly.

“Had me kicked out of the Forest and allowed me to get hunted down for four hundred years. Yes, yes, she did,” Blair scowled darkly. It was something she had never forgiven Maeve for and she refused to even entertain the thought. The betrayal and hurt she felt that day she was cast aside was something she’d never forget. She had thought her mother would help her, but she’d been cast aside and berated for leaving the Forest.

Anger shone in Elijah's eyes, his blood bubbled with resentment towards a mother he had never met. However, if he ever had the displeasure of meeting her, he would make her sorry for putting her daughter through such a horrible experience. He had seen the scars on her body that the Hunter had left, and there were times were Blair was still restless, where she wanted to flee. The instinct to flee at the first sign of danger was still deeply embedded within her. She also still suffered from nightmares, that would sometimes get worse at certain parts of the year.

“How could she do something like that?” Caroline whispered sadly,

“Because all she cares for is power,” Blair answered easily, her tone unwavering, “My mother has always craved more power. She did not care for anything else, seeing it at as a weakness. She only had me to continue on her line.” Before she had been born, many of the people within the Forest had doubted Maeve’s rule as she had not produced an heir, and people had still compared her to Tatiana. The one thing Tatiana had not been able to do was give birth to continue on her line, and when she was killed by Klaus, that was the only area Maeve could outdo her sister.

“How is it that none of us has had an easy childhood,” Rebekah muttered lowly, but everyone heard and no one disagreed.

After a few moments of silence, Klaus looked to the Fae, “Tell us how the Royal Challenge would work?” He needed more information to plan the Queen’s demise. He needed to know as much as possible. He trusted that Blair knew a lot more than anyone else, he and his siblings knew their mother and her schemes the best as they had been victims of her schemes many of times.

“Once I issue it, Maeve has twenty-four hours to respond to it, if not or if she ignores it, she automatically gives up her throne,” Blair explained, “We meet in a location both agreed on, and then we fight. Whoever is the winner, becomes the Queen,” Anyone from with royal blood can issue the challenge, and Blair had been alive for one. It was her grandmother who issued the challenge against Maeve, and while she did not see the fight itself, she heard about it from the whispers. Maeve had killed her mother for the throne – poisoned.

Slowly, Klaus and Elijah nodded their heads, taking this in.

“I am allowed a second to fight alongside me, but they can only be Fae,” Blair explained further before she looked to Raphael.

Raphael sat up straighter, “M-me?”

“You’re the only other Fae here,” Blair rolled her eyes playfully, “And I trust you to watch my back,”

Raphael smiled at her, her words made him happy. To gain Blair's trust was not a light thing to do, and he did not plan to betray that in any way.

“And there can be no outside interference, if there is, the win goes to the other side,” Blair warned as she shot everyone in the room a warning look. Especially towards Elijah, Klaus and Kol. She suspected that would not be able to stop themselves unless warned.

Kol shot her an innocent look, whereas Elijah and Klaus smirked.

“So, what’s stopping you from calling it now?” Caroline questioned.

“If I call it now, Tumas will definitely be her second. But if we wait, and deal with him, that takes down a very big annoyance,” Blair answered back easily, her own thoughts calculating the best moves. There was no other Fae that would make Blair pause for thought if they became Maeve’s second, she was confident Raphael could deal with them while she fought her bitch of a mother.

Raphael nodded his head, “Tumas is the best fighter in the Forest and the Queen’s guard. He's fast, great with a sword and can resist some magic. He trained all of the soldiers there,” It also did not help that Tumas was extremely loyal to the Queen to a fault. One of the reasons people feared the Queen was because of Tumas, if he was out of the way, it would leave her in a weaker position.

“He will definitely come?” Elijah asked, just to make sure.

“In two days,” Blair replied back confidently.

Raphael winced at the sudden thought, “Blair, what about the Queen’s power?”

Blair frowned at the statement.

“What about it?” Davina asked, confused.

“Maeve has the power to control someone’s mind.” Blair answered as thought about this, “Not all Fae do, but some have an additional power. Mine is seeing the future, and Maeve’s is to turn other Fae into her own personal puppets. Raphael was under her control when he first arrived in New Orleans, but I broke through it,” Blair would admit that Maeve's power was the aspect that gave her pause. She had been lucky to get away from the control as she had been banished from the Forest. She had built up her mind’s shields for a long time but she did not know how they’d fair against her mother’s power. Though, when she still lived in the Forest, Maeve had not used her power too much, now it seemed as though she had nearly everyone in the Forest under her control – to her knowledge anyway.

Klaus looked to Raphael, “Have you been holding out?”

Rebekah glared at her brother, unimpressed.

“No, no powers for me,” Raphael answered with ease.

“What’s the drawback?” Elijah asked, curious. He had seen what Blair’s drawback was, she would be knocked out after her vision. It left her vulnerable, and sometimes the visions came on as if they had a mind of their own. He had remembered Blair mentioning something like this before when they’d be cuddling with one another.

Blair stared at her mate, impressed he had picked up on that, “Maeve can only use that power once on someone. Once the control is broken, that person becomes immune to it. Also, her control only works on Fae, it doesn’t work on anyone else.”

“So, I am immune,” Raphael sighed in relief.

Blair answered him by nodding her head. Raphael would be safe from Maeve’s power, and this is why he would be the best choice to be her second. There was no way for Maeve to control him and have him stab her in the back, apparently, a move Maeve had used in the last Royal Challenge against her grandmother.

“Tell me more of Tumas,” Klaus demanded, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Blair and Raphael did their best to inform the family of the next threat that would come.

ORIGINALS

Two days later

It was dark and most of New Orleans was awake in celebration, a mortal celebration, that some of the supernatural community joined in. Others turned in, but all except a small group were oblivious to what was to come that night. A shadow darted in the night, the figure too quick to be seen by mortals, and some Vampires. The only indication that the figure had even passed by was the ever-so-slight movement left behind by the wind. After the shadow had darted around the city, it eventually landed outside the Compound.

The shadow stood up straight, a hand on his sword. Tumas stared at the house with a blank expression. His long auburn hair was tied back in a ponytail, and his brown eyes scanned the area around him. He could not sense another presence around him, which made him suspicious. With his guard on high alert, he tried to step into the Compound, only to feel resistance. Tumas frowned when he felt the high-level magic, and his eyes narrowed as he thought about his next move.

“Did you really think it would be that easy?”

Tumas jumped when he heard the feminine voice, and he turned to face the voice and unsheathed his sword.

Blair stood near him with a smirk on her face, and her arms crossed over her chest.

“Eloise,” Tumas said, his brows arched.

“It’s Blair now,” Blair cut in with a bored expression, she’d already explained it multiple times and it grated on her nerves.

Tumas scanned the area, “Where is the child?” He could not sense the child’s presence nearby and this irritated him. He had scouted the area beforehand and had sensed Klaus’s baby to this location, only to come up short.

“Safe, where Maeve cannot touch her,” Blair answered bluntly.

Tumas’ grip on his sword tightened, “That is Queen Maeve to you,” His tone was low and deadly, a silent warning.

Blair scoffed, not caring for the warning, “She’s not my Queen,” She had not been her Queen or her mother for the past four hundred years, she refused to acknowledge that woman as anything more than a nuisance.

“You dare disrespect Queen Maeve in front of me?” Tumas growled, “You must have a death wish,”

“Well no one has accused me of being smart,” Blair grinned.

Without hesitation, Tumas charged at her and swung his sword. Blair jumped back and avoided the blade at the last second. With a wave of her hand, she sent magic in his direction and pushed him back slightly. She rolled her eyes in annoyance, Tumas could resist some magic. Quick to recover, Tumas lunged for Blair once more. However, before Tumas could strike again, another sword intercepted his, causing Tumas’ eyes to turn to Raphael, who stared down at the Fae general with a determined expression.

“Traitor,” Tumas hissed lowly before he jumped back.

“Hello, General,” Raphael replied back with a slight grin. Usually, to be called a traitor by a man he had once respected would hurt, but now he felt pride.

“You picked her side,” Tumas accused.

Raphael nodded his head, “It was an easy choice, once I got my own mind back,” Raphael hissed lowly as his gaze narrowed. He would never forgive the Queen for everything she had put him through. She had taken away his freedom – took away his free will and thoughts. He had been her puppet and forced to do things in her name that haunted him.

Tumas said nothing, but the fury on his face was enough.

“You get one chance, Tumas, and one only.” Blair said, her head held high, “You can leave now, and tell your Queen that this is a hopeless mission and you will not get this child. Or we will kill you and I call the Royal Challenge,”

Tumas tensed at her words, a flicker of shock that soon morphed into anger, “How dare you challenge the Queen’s rule?”

“She is a monster,” Blair bit back harshly, “and when I see her, I will kill her,”

Incited by her words, Tumas charged at Blair and swung his sword. Raphael cut in but was pushed back by the sheer strength of the General. Blair's eyes turned purple as she summoned water to her hands and attacked him with water whips, trying to break past his defence, which was hard to do as there were no holes in his defence. But she didn’t need to defeat him now, just play with him.

“Having trouble, love?” Said another voice.

Tumas’ whole body froze when he heard the voice of Klaus Mikaelson. He turned his head to look at the Hybrid, pure hate and venom in his brown eyes.

Blair snorted, “Of course, you couldn't help yourself,”

Klaus smirked from his position, a few feet away.

“You associate freely with this monster,” Tumas growled in hatred.

“Do I know you?” Klaus asked with an arched brown.

Raphael rolled his eyes, having recovered from Tumas’ strength, “Well, you did kill Tatiana, and he was her guard at the time,”

With a war cry, Tumas charged at Klaus with such speed it was nearly impossible to keep up with human eyes. Luckily, Klaus was a Hybrid and responded in kind – he jumped out of the way and watched with an amused expression as Tumas followed after him, fury on his face. However, before Tumas could even reach Klaus, another figure tackled him to the ground, standing over Tumas with a menacing expression. Elijah brushed off his suit and stood gracefully, not at all concerned about the Fae General below him. Tumas growled and attempted to swing his sword, only to find it much too heavy to budge. He looked and saw another foot on his blade, Kol stood over him with a grin on his face, the grin progressively turned feral as soon as he saw the frustration in the Fae’s eyes.

“Your Queen was stupid if she thought you could win against all of us,” Klaus smirked evilly. He could see that Tumas was a well-trained Fae General, as had been described by Raphael and Blair. However, his downfall had been his loyalty to Maeve. He blindly followed Maeve and would defend her honour, even to his detriment. He would not turn away to flee even when he was clearly outmatched and outmanoeuvred. He also had a temper, that would impair his decisions and a big trigger would have been the Hybrid himself. They had planned to drag this out a little longer, but Klaus had got bored and acted sooner than planned.

Tumas attempted to get up but found that he did not get far. With Elijah and Kol on either side of him, they physically pinned him to the floor by his shoulders using just their foot, their Vampire strength did not allow him to move. He tried to kick upwards, but pain radiated from his legs once Rebekah and Raphael appeared at his feet, Rebekah’s heeled boots cut into him. Tumas’ gaze darted around him as if he attempted to make up an escape plan, but there was nothing he could do. He was physically pinned, Kol had thrown his weapon far from his reach, and he was in a street surrounded by Vampires that would drain his blood within seconds.

The odds were not in his favour.

Tumas looked to Blair and glared, “You saw this,” Despite not being around the younger Fae in over four hundred years, he had not forgotten about her powers. However, even he would admit he severely underestimated this job.

“I did,” Blair nodded her head, she saw no reason to lie, “It doesn’t work out so well for you,”

Defiance shone in Tumas’ eyes and he sneered.

“So, who gets to kill him?” Kol asked with an eager expression. He itched to kill something, even though he could not drink from a Fae anymore. He wanted to see the General squirm and inflict as much pain as possible.

Elijah turned to face Raphael and then Blair, “Technically, it should go to either Raphael or Blair-”

“It’s my turn,” Rebekah cut in.

Elijah sent his sister an unimpressed look at the interruption.

“How’d you gather that?” Kol demanded.

“You and Blair killed Jackson and Hayley, it’s my turn now,” Rebekah declared as she returned Kol’s glare with no intent of backing down. Due to her pregnancy, she’d been on the side-lines a bit more and it grated on her nerves. She wanted to kill something and this was the perfect opportunity.

“Shouldn’t I have a say in this as well?” Klaus asked curiously.

“No,” said the multiple voices of Rebekah, Kol and Elijah. As far as they were concerned, Klaus had killed enough people, and even more when they were daggered.

Klaus huffed, but there was amusement in his blue eyes.

“I think it’s up to Blair who gets to kill him,” Raphael suggested.

Rebekah looked at him, annoyed that he had not taken her side, “And why is that?”

“Well, this is her father,” Raphael pointed out.

Rebekah frowned, “And? You don’t see her fighting for the right,” They all turned to look at the female Fae, who had her arms crossed over her chest, with an air of nonchalance around her.

Having sensed everyone look at her, Blair sighed deeply, “I honestly don’t care, just get this done so we can move on,” It did not bother her in the slightest that Tumas, the sperm donor, was going to die. He had never been a father figure to her and instead had served Maeve to the point any relationship between them never formed. He was never home, never spent time with her, unless she had a vision that would benefit Fae kind or Maeve. There had been a slight glimmer of hope that Tumas under the command of Maeve’s mind control, but she had been slightly disappointed when she had not felt anything like she had with Raphael. Tumas was just loyal to a fault.

If Blair’s words affected him, Tumas' gaze never wavered.

With no further objections, Rebekah grinned and was about to rip out Tumas’ heart when she was stopped as Raphael grabbed her arm. “What’s bloody wrong now?” Rebekah hissed in irritation.

“Something has never made sense to me,” Raphael said with a frown.

“Is this really the time to talk about your idiocy?” Kol snarked as he rolled his eyes.

Ignoring the Vampire, Blair looked to Raphael, curious to know what the hold-up was, “What do you mean?”

“The gate being open,” Raphael explained as he looked up, “When you left Blair, you said the gate was open, but the gate was always locked. When we went into hiding, it was ordered to be locked, and only carefully selected Fae could leave…”

This hit Blair hard and her eyes widened. She had always thought it odd, for the exact reasons Raphael had explained. But due to being on the run, she had never thought deeper on the matter and had just cursed her bad luck.

“What are you suggesting?” Elijah asked with a frown.

“Was there foul play involved with you being banished?” Raphael asked as he looked down at Tumas. One of the few people who would know the answers was below them, immobilised and at their whim. He understood the importance of making sure Tumas died tonight, but he also wanted some answers. The Queen confided in Tumas, far more than she did any other Fae, so it would be easy to deduce that Tumas knew something about that day in question. 

Tumas glared at Raphael and refused to answer.

With gritted teeth, Blair pulled over to iron blade and marched over. She placed the blade against his larynx, “Speak now, or I extract the answer from your mind – your choice,” Her words were low and dangerous.

Tumas’ whole body froze when he felt the iron so close to his skin and the burning itch appeared.

“Talk,” Blair whispered as she dug the blade into his skin. “Why was the gate open?”

Tumas hissed in pain, “I will not betray the trust of my Queen,” The moment the words left his lips, the knife dug further into his skin, and the pain intensified.

Blair’s eyes glowed purple as she tore into Tumas’ mind. Usually, she was more careful when she entered someone's mind, as the mind was a very delicate place, where one small move could result in brain damage, but she did not care. Raphael had lit the spark of interest and Blair would not leave until she got her answers. It took longer than anticipated, evidently, this information was something Tumas had not wanted people to find out, and for good reason. It was hidden away, and there were a few decades worth of memories to sort through. However, Blair found the answer, and it made her back away, her eyes wide in shock.

“Blair, what’s wrong?” Elijah asked in concern.

“The Hunter knew where the Forest was,” Blair muttered lowly, as she worked through the information she found, “He’d been trying to get a Fae for hundreds of years to hunt, and he discovered the jackpot when he found the Forest. But he couldn't get past the barrier… The Fae were preparing for war, but the Hunter promised he would leave them alone if the Queen sacrificed one of them for his hunt.”

Raphael gasped at this information.

Tumas looked away and gritted his teeth.

Without anything needing to be said, Klaus took over Elijah, as the Noble Original walked over to his mate and took her hand in his. Blair clung to him as the revelations hit her hard. This information sent Blair reeling, as she thought back to that day, she had no idea the Fae were so close to going to war with the Hunter, there had been zero indication. Everyone went about their day as normal, there had been no tension. Maeve had been just as affectionate as she had always been – not at all, same with Tumas. There were no warning signs to suggest anything was wrong. Even in the weeks that led to that day, there was nothing.

“No,” Raphael whispered in shock, his footing on Tumas loosened.

Having felt this, Tumas struck. With his foot, he knocked Rebekah and Raphael over into Kol and Klaus. Klaus made sure to catch his sister, more focused on making sure no harm came to her. Faster than anyone predicted, Tumas lunged for his sword and stabbed Kol in the abdomen when he tried to restrain the Fae. Before anyone could react, Tumas pulled out a smaller knife, made of iron and stabbed it into Raphael’s neck.

“Raphael!” Rebekah screamed out.

“You bastard,” Blair yelled out angrily, her eyes flickered purple as her magic pulsed.

Elijah tackled Tumas and wrestled him until he knocked his sword from his grasp. Klaus jumped into the fray, as well as Kol when he healed up. The Wild Original was pissed that he’d been stabbed and wanted revenge on the Fae. It was a struggle as Tumas was strong, but the three Vampires easily managed to pin him down once more, this time Elijah had his hand in Tumas’ chest, his fingers clasped around his heart, and the other two pinned him to the floor, and made sure that he did not move an inch.

Rebekah held Raphael as she pulled out the iron knife and bit into her wrist. She needed him to drink her blood so he would heal.

Having seen that Raphael was fine, Blair marched over to Tumas and glared at him with hatred, “You die now,” She hissed lowly, absolutely infuriated that Raphael had been harmed in the process.

“Long live the Queen,” Tumas muttered with a grin.

Without a second thought, Elijah ripped Tumas’ heart from his chest. He refused to take any more chances or have anyone else hurt. Tumas’ body went lax and Elijah threw the heart a few feet away before he grabbed a handkerchief to wipe away the blood from his hand.

“How is he?” Blair asked as she looked over to the pregnant Vampire.

“Alive,” Rebekah muttered lowly, as she petted Raphael’s unconscious face. That was far too close, if she had not acted quickly, he would have died from iron poisoning.

Klaus walked over to his sister kneeled down beside her, and allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder. Rebekah clung to him tightly, she needed this reassurance after she nearly watched the man she loved be stabbed in the neck.

“What should we do with the body?” Kol asked.

“I have an idea,” Blair grinned

Kol mimicked the grin, as he sensed he would like what was to come.

Elijah sighed and shook his head at their actions, “Let us take this inside.” Without any effort, he picked up the dead body of Tumas and walked into the Compound with the rest of his family behind him. He imagined they would need more space and privacy for what was to come.

ORIGINALS

A few hours later

Maeve sat in her throne room with a bored expression. Her throne and the room were grand, filled with lovely plants and finery from around the world. Gold, diamonds and sapphires. All the stone glittered and the room illuminated in light magic. She stared down at her subjects, who all danced away. Maeve had thrown a ball in her own honour at her soon-to-be victory. She would have the child of Klaus Mikaelson and Hayley Marshall, as she’d sent her best warrior. Tumas would not fail her, unlike all her other subjects. Just the thought of one-upping her daughter made her giddy. She would teach Blair – Maeve sneered at the ridiculous name – not to mess with her or defy her. Her daughter’s time away had taught her terrible manners and she planned to put her rowdy daughter in her place.

A timid cough snapped Maeve from her thoughts.

The Queen of the Fae looked down and saw one subject in front of her. She could not remember his name, as he was not important enough. The fact he’d interrupted her thoughts annoyed her, “Yes,” Was her sharp reply.

“A present just arrived, it was addressed to you,” The male Fae said as he bowed.

Maeve’s green eyes lit up, Tumas must have succeeded in his job and had sent her a present to commemorate it. “Bring it to me, now,”

Another Fae came forward, with a black box in hand. It was medium-sized and had a white bow on top. Maeve frowned when she saw it, but did not say anything until the box was placed in front of her. For a moment, she wondered what Tumas had sent her, he usually sent her presents whenever he was on a mission to show how much he appreciated her. But he had never sent such a fancy box like this. It made her wonder what it was and it also excited her at the same time.

Maeve eagerly reached forward and plucked the top from the box and her eyes widened when she saw what was in it.

“Your majesty?” The male Fae inquired.

“How did this get in here?!” Maeve yelled out, her eyes alight in rage.

The male Fae remained where he was, “It had no name, it appeared at the gate of the Forest, inside it,”

Maeve's gaze snapped to the male in front of her, as her whole body shook in rage. “Get rid of this, immediately,” She gritted her teeth as she stormed out of the room, she did not care as her subjects began to whisper to one another as to why she’d left the throne room in such a state.

The male Fae peered down and opened the box.

It was the severed and bloody head of Tumas, with a note beside it, also written in his blood. The Fae male quickly read the note and saw it read, ‘I challenge you, Maeve, for the throne of the Fae. I eagerly await your response. From your loving daughter – Blair.’

Chapter 50: Chapter 50

Blair watched from the side, a glass of champagne in her hand, and a small smile on her face. She sipped slowly on the decadent drink as she watched the scene before her fondly. Rebekah's baby shower was upon them, the female Original had refused to wait any longer, and now she and Raphael sat before everyone and soaked in the attention. Raphael’s bright eyes and loving smile were all directed at Rebekah – who positively glowed at all the attention.

Rebekah and Raphael were sat surrounded by a mass of presents as well as the guests. Wolves from the pack, quite a few Vampires – but most importantly, her family was there. Caroline had outdone herself for the event, the catering was excellent, the food delicious, the drinks were flowing and there was blood readily available for the Vampires. There was soft music in the background, and the atmosphere was relaxed – something that was really needed. Rebekah was the centre of the attention and she basked in it, as everyone congratulated her, and gave her presents.

It was a good time, as everyone chatted and mingled with one another. Kol and Elijah played security and peacemakers, to ensure that Rebekah and Raphael’s day was not ruined. If there was even a single mutter against the Vampire and Fae couple, it was taken very seriously. The offender would be lucky to leave with their neck and heart still attached and in place.

The atmosphere was nearly perfect.

Nearly.

It had almost been twenty-four hours since Blair had issued the official Royal Challenge against Maeve and there was still no reply.

Klaus was twitchy and demanded updates every thirty minutes. If it weren't for Caroline who kept him distracted, Blair would have strangled the Hybrid for how annoying he had been.

“Any word?”

Blair nearly groaned in annoyance at the sound of Klaus’ voice. She had felt his eyes on her during this event and had silently hoped he would stay away. Blair had hoped he would be too busy with his sister to even notice her, but she had been wrong.

“No,” Blair answered him bluntly as she sipped her champagne.

“What is the delay?” Klaus questioned with a frown.

Blair seriously pondered this question for a moment, “Maeve is trying to make us squirm. There is no way she would ignore an official challenge, as that means she has forfeited the throne, something she’s fought for,” She also wouldn’t put it past Maeve to pull something as a response to Tumas’ head being delivered alongside the challenge. Blair grinned as she thought back, it had felt like poetic justice to send back the head of her sperm donor and she felt justified after what they’d done to Chloe. Blair almost wished she had been back in the Forest to watch Maeve’s reaction and hoped it had been everything she had imagined.

Klaus hummed in response, he understood this tactic well. Though he did not appreciate it being used on him.

“She’ll respond,” Blair said confidently.

“She better, I want this over with,” Klaus said as he grabbed a nearby champagne glass that a waiter carried around. He dismissed the waiter with a wave of his hand and the boy scattered quickly.

Blair went back to watching as Raphael and Rebekah were showered in compliments, “Who would have thought this would happen,”

Klaus snorted, “Now that is the understatement of the year,” A few years ago, if someone had told him he’d had two Fae as in-laws, and Rebekah would become pregnant by one of them, he would have scoffed and ripped their head off for their ridiculousness.

“I literally threw a knife at a map of America and it landed here,” Blair said as she found the situation amusing, “Even if I would have had a vision, I don’t think I could have predicted this,” Her life had been one thing after another, always on the lookout for the Hunter as she attempted to stay one step ahead of him. As she looked back, she wondered how much longer she would have lasted under this pressure. Would she have eventually given in or kept running for the rest of her immortal life? There had been a point in her life, around the two-hundred-and-forty-year mark of being excommunicated from the Forest, where she had thought about ending her life just to spite the Hunter and now, she was glad she never went down that path.

“That was quite the throw,” Klaus said in amusement.

Blair hummed in agreement.

For a moment, Klaus looked awkward, “I will admit, that your presence here… has been… helpful,” He said slowly, as if he tried to find the right words.

“Oh,” Blair grinned which made the Hybrid roll his eyes at her wide grin.

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Klaus snarked.

“Never,” Blair grinned.

The Fae and the Hybrid fell into a comfortable silence and they continued to sip their drinks. They both watched as the party progressed in front of them, as Caroline co-ordinated the staff, and mingled flawlessly with the guests. Kol and Davina danced with one another, Freya sat a bit further away and Elijah held Hope as he drifted around the room, as he greeted people.

“You’ve picked a good one,” Blair said.

Klaus watched Caroline, adoration in his blue eyes. “I have,” He said proudly. His heart had longed for her when he left Mystic Falls and he was happy now that she was by his side. She now wore the ring he had designed for her on her finger. When they were married, he would also wear a ring, showing the world he was Caroline’s.

Blair smiled at Klaus, genuinely happy for him. She could see how happy Caroline made him, and he made the Baby Vampire happy in return. Caroline was a genuine person – could be a little nutty especially when it came to organising things – but she was a warm person.

“I still worry for her safety,” Klaus admitted with a sigh, “But we have made a compromise. We’ve agreed to bind ourselves with magic, so she has the strength and resilience of an Original,”

“It’s smart,” Blair agreed. With Caroline set to become Klaus’ wife – and the only woman for him – she would need to be on her toes. Klaus and all the other Originals had made many enemies over the years and they would love it to know the Hybrid finally had a weakness. By binding each other, it would allow Caroline to have access to the perks of being an Original. More strength, speed and fewer weaknesses. Caroline’s only weakness would be a white oak stake, which she had hidden away.

Klaus nodded his head in agreement, “I will still worry, but not as much,” He’d chosen a strong woman who could protect herself, but he would always worry.

“Elijah is the same,” Blair said as she watched her partner with loving eyes. Elijah caught her eye and smiled back at her. Words did not need to be exchanged between them for each to know they loved one another.

“I’m surprised my brother has not produced a ring just yet,” Klaus commented with a slight grin.

“How do you know he hasn’t?” Blair playfully challenged.

Klaus’ eyes immediately darted down to Blair’s hand, but did not find any jewellery, then he looked to her neck and did not find any jewellery that would suggest an engagement. He knew his brother well, and he would want everyone to know that Blair was his. Elijah would have thrown a party by now and announced it to everyone, but that had not happened.

Blair laughed when she saw his confused expression, “I and Elijah have spoken about marriage and all that jazz. He knows I will say yes, I am just waiting for him to pop the question,” They were also waiting for the matching custom rings that they’d designed together. Blair had argued that if she was going to wear this piece of jewellery for the rest of her immortal life, she wanted to absolutely love it and have a say in it. She also told Elijah that he would also be wearing a ring to show all the other women that he was taken. They’d spent a few afternoons going over the designs and now it was up to the shop to deliver, and if not, heads would roll.

Before Klaus could say anything else, he was cut off by Caroline as she shouted her orders.

“Time for presents!” Caroline directed everyone’s attention as she looked down at her clipboard. She had scheduled several different events for the day and made sure to include everything Rebekah had insisted upon. It was only the beginning of the night, and there was much to get through.

“That is our cue,” Klaus downed the rest of his champagne and walked over to his sister and Raphael.

Blair followed close behind him.

The first to present their gift to the couple was Davina, who gave a lovely silver rattle that would never break or tarnish, and a few cute outfits for the baby. Rebekah seemed happy with these gifts and Raphael gave Davina a hug. The next person was Freya, who gave the couple an enchanted music box and some nappies for the baby. Kol was next, who gave the couple a Polaroid camera and Rebekah nearly cried when Kol said it was for making memories with their baby. Elijah gifted them a handmade crib, he’d spent time crafting, as well as a small teddy bear, one that resembled the one Rebekah had as a child, which did actually make Rebekah cry and hug her brother. When it was Klaus’ turn, he showed them the nursery he had made for the baby, the room right next to Hope’s room, all decorated and painted. This made Rebekah happy and Raphael gave his thanks, and Rebekah nearly jumped up and would have toppled over with how fast she tried to get to Klaus to hug him, but Raphael steadied her.

Finally, it was Blair's turn to present her gift. She walked over to Rebekah and handed over a large bag. It contained a photo album, a few items for the baby and a care package for Rebekah. There was also a book ‘Parenting for Dummies’ which gained a few laughs and a playful glare from Rebekah.

“I also enchanted your clothes to change size to match your body size at any point, so you don’t have to get any maternity clothes,” Blair added. She had seen Rebekah’s unhappy face when she saw the selection for maternity wear and she’d complained about stretching out her current clothing.

“I love you,” Rebekah announced immediately.

Raphael laughed and sent a grateful look to Blair.

Moving on, Caroline came over and announced some party games.

Blair backed off and went to her original position as she watched everyone join in some games. There was a guess about the baby's weight – with Kol estimating that the child would weigh fourteen pounds – that gained a punch in the arm from Rebekah. There was a guess when Rebekah was due – which was a guess for everyone as no one knew. Most people guess Rebekah would give birth within the next three months, but Elijah predicted Rebekah would give birth within the next eight weeks.

As the games continued, and the laughs got louder, Blair watched with a fond smile. She watched as Klaus took Hope back to her room so she could sleep, it was past her bedtime and Hope tended to sleep through the night but needed a lot of sleep otherwise she was cranky the next day.

“What?” Blair said when she felt Freya walk up to her.

Freya stood by the Fae, a few feet away, “I want to up our training,”

Blair turned to face the Witch and arched a brow, “Why?” They had met nearly every other day and trained for a few hours in the morning. Blair had Freya try and build up her resilience and her magic reserves. In every lesson, Freya would always push for more spells, more practice, and longer lessons but would never give a reason as to why she wanted this. Blair always rejected the idea and had plainly told her that Freya was not her only student and that she had other things to do in the day. If Freya did not make it worth her while she would not do it. This would always make the older Witch storm off in a huff, but she’d always come to her next lesson on time.

“I just need it,” Freya said.

“No,”

Freya huffed, “I’ll find another teacher,”

Blair snorted, “Is that meant to be a threat? Go right ahead,”

This made Freya frown and she tried to think of something else but fell short. She had tried for days to get the Fae to speed up her training but nothing worked. Blair would laugh at any threats and she couldn't be intimidated or tricked. Nothing Freya did fazed the woman and it frustrated her to no end.

“Please,” Freya begged.

The Fae looked at the Witch for a moment as she considered her words. This was a new tactic, one that made her curious. Freya was so desperate that she resorted to begging, now this intrigued her. In a flash, her eyes glowed purple and she snapped her fingers, and then the glow in her eyes faded, “I have placed five magical locks around the compound. You have five hours to do it. If you succeed, I will speed up the process,”

Freya scoffed, “This will be easy,”

“We’ll see about that,” Blair grinned. The locks she made were one of her best. If Freya even managed to unlock one, she’d be impressed. At Freya’s current level, she would not be able to do it. But maybe the Witch needed to be humbled, and Blair was more than happy to deliver. Any training she delivered was carefully catered to that person, she knew what her students’ limitations were. Davina, her best and favourite student could probably only unlock three of the locks within five hours. Freya was nowhere near that level.

Confidently, Freya walked off to find the locks.

Blair rolled her eyes and set a timer on her phone. She couldn't wait to see the results – which she would then throw in the Witch’s face and remind her of her place and to stay in her lane. She should understand that there were no shortcuts when it came to magic, and if anything was tried, it would not end well.

The Fae was soon snapped from her thoughts when she sensed a presence at the front of the compound. It was a presence she did not recognise. It belonged to a Fae. While she had lowered the barriers around their home to the supernatural community for this baby shower, the barrier was still in place against another Fae besides herself and Raphael. This was so no unknown Fae could sneak it without them noticing.

Blair slipped away from the party and headed towards the entrance. She made sure that no one noticed this either, the last thing she wanted was to take the attention away from Rebekah – something the female Vampire would not forgive her for.

She opened the door and stepped out, her eyes landing on the creature that stood out like a sore thumb.

Outside stood a single male Fae, with a white envelope in hand.

“A message from the Queen,” The male Fae said, his blank gaze locked directly on Blair.

Blair watched him, her gaze cold. She snatched the envelope from the Fae’s hand and opened the letter with a flick of her wrist.

To my traitorous daughter,

Challenging accepted. We will meet on the outskirts of New Orleans in twenty-four hours times.

Queen Maeve.

Blair crumpled the letter and with a snap of her fingers, the paper was set alight as it burned away.

“Tell you Queen I accept the terms. Leave,” She commanded the Fae in front of her. The message had been delivered.

The male Fae said nothing but he turned away and walked away, and soon, it was like he had never been there.

Blair breathed in deeply and vanished the ashes from the letter.

ORIGINALS

Twenty-Four hours later

Blair and Raphael stood at the edge of New Orleans, where it was quiet and away from prying human eyes. They waited in sombre silence as they waited for Maeve to make her appearance so this could be finally sorted and laid to rest. They were alone, despite strong protests from the Mikaelson family, as Blair did not want to risk anything. She also wouldn’t put it past Klaus to say something that would set off Maeve and make the situation worse. Blair knew that Elijah had wanted to be by her side, and it had been painful to turn down his request, she thought it best that this be dealt with outside of them.

This was a Fae matter and needed to be handled by the Fae.

Raphael was in an equal position as his female friend. Rebekah had argued fiercely that she wanted to be by his side when they killed the Fae Queen, but he had been against it. He did not want Maeve anywhere near their child and refused to risk it. He knew that Rebekah could defend herself, but the Queen was cunning and would do anything to possess their unborn child.

“She’s here,” Blair announced, which made Raphael stand straighter.

In the distance, there was the sound of footsteps, but only two sets. Blair inhaled deeply and closed her eyes for a moment to calm her magic that was dying to be unleashed. She had promised that if she ever met Maeve again, she’d make her pay.

And she planned to keep that promise.

Maeve walked into the clearing, her head held high and regal. She’d not aged a day since the last time Blair had seen her, but there was a heaviness around her. The serious expression on Maeve’s face matched Blair’s, and it was at that moment, she could see how much she looked like her mother and she hated it. Behind Maeve was Marie – her second.

When Blair saw Marie, she hid her facial expression. She wondered whether her mother was aware of Marie’s trip to warn them, but soon dismissed this. If Maeve had been aware of this, Marie would have been killed straight away.

“Daughter,” Maeve greeted in disdain.

“Bitch,” Blair replied back with the same disdain.

Maeve’s eyes narrowed at the disrespect, “Your time away has turned you into a savage,”

“You mean when you offered me to the Hunter?” Blair quipped back venomously and watched in satisfaction as surprise flickered in her mother’s eyes, “I know all about the deal you struck with the Hunter. A single Fae in exchange for peace. That sacrifice just happened to be your daughter,”

Surprise and horror flashed in Marie’s eyes – she had not been aware of this.

Maeve glared in response, “How did you learn of this?”

“Tumas,” Blair grinned wickedly.

“He would never betray me,” Maeve dismissed this with a wave of her hand.

 Blair nodded her head, “That is true, he wouldn’t,” Her sperm donor’s personality revolved heavily around Maeve and her protection, he was devoted almost unnerving to the very end. “But, before I sent his head to you, I delved in and discovered some secrets,”

The Queen’s whole demeanour changed, tense and on edge. Maeve facial expression gave away nothing, but Blair could sense her horror. She could sense Maeve’s worry for what had been discovered, and this brought her so much satisfaction.

“So, while you accuse me of being barbaric, I would remind you to watch your tone after everything you’ve done,” Blair sarcastically reminded her.

Hate burned in the Fae Queen’s eyes, “I will kill you,”

“Come and get me then,” Blair grinned as she motioned Maeve to come closer. Blair’s eyes glowed purple as she channelled her magic.

ORIGINALS

 At the compound

The rest of the Mikaelson family were congregated in the front as they waited for the return of Blair and Raphael. All except Freya, who refused to be moved away from the infernal locks Blair had conjured. The siblings thought it was best to leave their eldest sister to these tasks, as she’d snapped at them for breathing too loudly at one point or when they offered her food.

Klaus had passed around drinks, confident that the Fae would win the match, though he was not happy that he could not be present. Though, he was no worse than Elijah, who was tenser, as was Rebekah. Both his siblings were confident that Blair and Raphael would come back victorious, but they worried for their respective mates in case anything happened to them. Klaus, Caroline, Davina and Kol had tried to distract the two Originals from glancing at the door as they waited for their respective partners to return, but it was a lot harder than anticipated.

“What is taking so long?” Rebekah muttered lowly as she nursed a blood bag. She’d been through at least three within the span of twenty minutes as she needed to be distracted and her craving for blood had skyrocketed. However, she did not know if this was linked to her nerves, but she did not care to find out, much too preoccupied.

“Everything is fine, Rebekah,” Klaus attempted to soothe his sister, but the glare that was sent his way made him back off slightly.

“It’s probably Blair just being dramatic,” Kol suggested as he drank his scotch.

Elijah glanced at Kol, and for a moment, the Wildest Original thought his brother would scold him, but instead, Elijah merely looked amused, “She does have a flair for the dramatics,”

“They’re probably having a grand old time, killing the Queen,” Klaus joined in with a grin. He had wanted to see this all play out but had been warned by Blair that this could not happen. Blair had made it clear that Maeve might try and pull a stunt if the Hybrid made his presence known and tried and accuse Blair of cheating somehow and they did not want to risk it. Klaus had not been happy to be told this but relented nonetheless.

Rebekah muttered under her breath about wanting to kill something, but no one commented on this.

Davina looked at the clock and began to feel anxious.

Just then, there was the sound of footsteps and everyone turned their heads when they felt the presence of Blair come closer. Rebekah frowned when she did not feel Raphael’s presence. This made her worry and slight panic squeezed her heart, had something happened to Raphael?

Blair walked into the room, her face blank of all emotion. She stood at the entrance and did not move, her posture stiff.

“I expect you won?” Klaus asked, a grin on his face when he saw the female Fae.

Elijah walked closer, a drink in hand. He thought after everything, she would want a drink to celebrate, but as he got closer, he noticed that something did not feel right. He stopped when he was a few feet away from Blair and he stared at her. He properly looked at her and noticed that something was off about her – it was her eyes. They were blank of all emotion, dead and void.

“Blair?” Elijah questioned.

At his cautious tone, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at the two. Something in Elijah’s voice made them worry.

“Blair, what happened?” Davina asked as she came closer, but was stopped when Kol grabbed her arm and pulled her away. Davina looked up at her partner and frowned, “Kol, what are you doing?”

“There is a magic around Blair, that does not belong to her,” Kol muttered lowly, his body tense. All jovial thoughts and actions were gone, especially when he sensed danger around his partner.

Davina examined her mentor and frowned when she realised Kol was right. There was something wrong with Blair.

Klaus manoeuvred himself in front of Caroline ever so slightly, the grip on his glass tight.

Before anything more could be said, a smirk appeared on Blair’s face.

With a snap of her wrist, her eyes glowed purple and her magic roared to life. Before anyone could even react, everyone’s necks – minus Rebekah and Davina’s – snapped loudly and they all fell to the floor, lifeless.

Rebekah’s eyes widened as she moved back, and Davina stood there in shock.

Blair looked at Davina and snapped her fingers again, and this time, the Witch fainted on the floor, unconscious.

“What the bloody hell are you doing?!” Rebekah yelled out, unsure of what was happening. This had never happened before and she did not know what was happening to the Fae. What made it worse was that Raphael was nowhere in sight.

Blair disappeared in the blink of an eye, and then re-appeared, with a sleeping Hope in her arms.

Seeing this, Rebekah paled, “No…” It was at that moment that she’d worked out what had happened. Blair had fallen prey to Maeve’s mind control – that was the only thing that could make sense at that moment. However, she could do nothing, as before she could even react, her vision went dark and she crumpled to the floor. Her body never hit the floor, as magic suspended her in the air.

Blair walked over to Rebekah and placed her hand on her shoulder. Within the blink of an eye, she, Hope and Rebekah were gone. Using her magic, she reappeared on the outskirts of New Orleans. She reappeared in front of Maeve and Marie, a blank expression on her face.

Once Maeve saw Hope and Rebekah, her eyes lit up, “You’ve done well, daughter of mine,”

“Thank you, mother,” Blair replied back, her voice monotone.

Maeve walked up to Blair and took Hope from her arms. The moment Hope sensed she was in someone else's arms, she began to wake up and cried in distress. Maeve stared at the baby in disgust and she handed Hope to Marie.

“And what should we do with him?” Maeve asked as she looked at the unconscious form of Raphael on the ground.

“He is weak, he is no threat,” Blair answered back, her face emotionless.

Marie nodded her head in agreement, “There is no role for him in the Forest,”

For a moment, Maeve said nothing, but she soon made a noise of agreement, “Of course, we’ll leave him there. If any Vampires find him, they’ll have a feast,” She laughed loudly as she turned and walked away, expecting Marie and Blair to follow.

Blair and Marie followed wordlessly, with Rebekah’s floating body following behind them.

Chapter 51: Chapter 51

Raphael groaned as he woke up, his head hurt like never before. Slowly, he blinked and forced his eyes to open. Something wasn’t right. He forced himself to move and wake up, and then he took in his bearings. He was in the middle of the clearing, where he and Blair had waited for Maeve to officially start the Royal Challenge. Raphael tried to remember what happened, he remembered that the Queen and Marie had appeared, words were exchanged and then the fighting began. But after that, everything was a blur. The more he focused on this, the more his head burned.

Despite the pain, he fought through it so he could remember.

Then everything hit him at once.

Blair had fallen victim to the Queen’s powers.

Blair was now a slave to the Queen of the Fae.

Panic filled his very being as he realised this implication. Raphael forced his body to move as he stumbled his way back into the city, determination lit a fire under his arse as he needed to make sure everything was okay. He could feel as his body slowly repaired itself from the damage suffered from the fight – but he did not know how much time had passed. He assumed as the sun was still in the sky, that it was the same day.

But he needed to make sure Rebekah was okay.

He did not even care when people in the street gave him weird looks, some concerned about the blood on his clothing, and others were shocked. It was the Vampires that seemed concerned as they knew he was in the inner circle and offered the Fae support, but Raphael ignored them all.

Raphael waltzed back into the French Quarter and threw open the doors to the Compound, and that’s when he heard shouting. He found the Mikaelson family awake, with Davina crying on the side with Kol by her side. Kol’s shirt was ripped and there was a bloody piece of broken wood a few feet away from him. Klaus and Elijah appeared to be at each other’s throats, anger poured from them in waves, and there was so much hostility in the air. Caroline appeared to be trying to play mediator but nothing calmed Klaus’ rage, and Elijah’s own rage added fuel to the fire.

It was Caroline who spotted the Fae, “Raphael! Are you okay?” They had all wondered where he was and seeing the blood on his shirt made her worry.

Everyone turned to look at him, but he did not care about that. His eyes scanned their home and he could not find her.

“Where’s Rebekah?” Raphael asked, his heart going ten to a dozen.

No one answered him.

“Where is she?!” Raphael screamed out. The fact that no one answered him made this situation worse. He could not sense her in their home – in fact, he could not sense her in New Orleans at all and this made him panic.

“Gone,” Came the short reply from Kol.

Raphael crumpled to the floor.

However, his knees never touched the floor, as the Hybrid was on him in seconds. Klaus grabbed him by the throat and slammed him to the wall, “Do not act like the victim! Where has she taken them?!” Klaus screamed at the Fae, his eyes dangerously flickered between his usual blue colour to Hybrid gold.

“Niklaus!” Elijah shouted in reprimand.

Klaus glared at his older brother, “Do not act like you did not know! I bet it was all part of the plan. Trick me into thinking you were on my side, that we were a family. Then when my guard was down, Blair’s true intentions came forth and she took not only my sister but my child!”

“Blair did not betray us!” Elijah roared out. This had been the argument since they’d all woken up from their necks being snapped. Davina had been the first victim that Klaus had tried to threaten, but that had resulted in Kol and Klaus snapping at one another and a few fatal wounds exchanged, and that is when Elijah stepped in. This resulted in an argument between them and it had not stopped. Klaus, being his paranoid self, had assumed this was an elaborate plan all along, that Blair was never on their side and she’d just played the long game to trick them all, and Elijah was the naïve fool who fell for a temptress. Elijah was adamant that this was not the case, that Blair was not in her right mind and something went horribly wrong, but Klaus would not hear it.

“Lies!” Klaus yelled back.

Raphael struggled to breathe as he clawed at Klaus’ strong grip on his neck, “B-Blair didn’t betray us!” He wheezed out.

“One more sound and I will kill you,” Klaus hissed lowly in anger.

Ignoring his warning, Raphael quickly spat out, “Blair is under the Queen’s control, just like I was,”

Klaus yelled out and was about to kill the Fae, but Elijah sped to his side and snapped Klaus’ arm off Raphael’s neck before throwing him across the compound. Klaus hit the wall with a loud thud and caused some destruction to the wall, but he bounced back up and was about to pounce once more but he realised that he could not move. His furious gaze soon turned to Davina, who had now stood up and was helping Raphael to stand. The Witch glared at the Hybrid as if daring him to attack her friend, and Kol was by her side.

“You need to calm down, Klaus,” Caroline said as she tried to reason with her partner.

“How can I be expected to be calm when my child and our sister are gone?!” Klaus exclaimed back, but he did not raise his voice against his mate.

“Because we will get Hope and Rebekah back,” Elijah announced strongly.

Klaus rolled his eyes, “And how do you expect to do that? We have no idea where they are,”

“I do,” Raphael said as he rubbed his neck, which he knew would be bruised very heavily, “They will be back in the Forest. I know how to get there,” He remembered how to get back to the Forest as he’d spent a long time there and had been on a few missions for the Queen and Tumas. He could guide them there.

This answer made Klaus relax for a moment before he bristled once more, “And how do you propose we handle Blair?” He questioned with condescension in his voice. Blair was the one person who possessed the very weapons that could destroy them. She had hidden the items away from them, claiming to be the only person to be able to access the weapons. If she was truly under the command and control of the Queen of the Fae, what would stop her from accessing these weapons and killing them?

“We snap her out of the Queen’s control,” Kol answered, and then he looked to the lone Fae, “She did it for you, right?”

Raphael nodded his head, “Yes, the Queen’s control can be broken, we just need to do that,” It had been hard for Blair to do but that was because Raphael had been under the Queen’s control for a long time, whereas Blair’s time would be relatively shorter and hopefully much easier. They just needed to find a trigger, an anchor.

“Or, we can kill her,” Klaus declared.

Elijah’s dark eyes flashed in anger, and he took a threatening step towards his younger brother, “You will not touch her, you will need to go through me first,” Elijah’s body was coiled to attack at a moment's notice. The thought of Klaus going anywhere near the woman he loved made him nearly feral. Klaus had killed too many of his past lovers for him to discount that Klaus would actually kill Blair.

Surprise and hurt reflected in Klaus’ eyes, “You would pick her over your family?”

“Yes,” Elijah said impassively, “Just as you’d pick Caroline,”

Klaus opened his mouth to protest, but then his eyes landed on the woman who had captured his heart. His instant response was to rebuke that claim, but he found that he could not. While he loved his family, his love for Caroline won out. If Caroline was in the same situation, he would have threatened Elijah in a heartbeat and probably would have bitten him for good measure.

“Well played, brother,” Klaus muttered lowly, as he watched Caroline smile at him. Now that he was calmer, he found that he could actually move, as Davina had released him from her hold. He walked over to her, and held her close, needing the comfort after the emotional rollercoaster he’d gone through when he realised his daughter was missing. He had ripped her room apart and sped through New Orleans attempting to find her to no avail.

Elijah sighed in relief when he saw his brother step down. He did not want to have to fight him especially when they should be focused on getting Hope, Rebekah and Blair back, but he would and he would not back down.

Kol walked over to Raphael and checked up on him. “What happened out there?”

Raphael frowned as he thought back.

The fight had been going in their favour the entire time. Raphael remembered it well, he had fought against Marie, who was not really fighting back but made it look as though she was. This was all to appease the Queen so she did not suspect that the control over Marie had been broken. He and Marie would exchange attacks, each one dodging and attacking once more, like a very dangerous dance where no one landed an attack on the other. Marie was older and more experienced, but she was not a true fighter. There were a few times when Raphael had become distracted and would get nicked by her blade, but nothing serious, so he did not mind as he knew he would heal.

As he could not feel that killer intent from Marie, he kept an eye on the battle between the Queen and Blair. Blair had Maeve on the backfoot the entire time, with the Queen not able to retaliate against Blair’s brutal attack. His friend was fast, angered and powerful, there was no way that Maeve was anywhere near powerful enough to beat her.

Raphael had thought the battle was won when he saw Maeve on the ground, visibly injured, and Blair stood over her, her hand glowing with her magic. He could see Maeve’s lips moving, and her eyes pleading but then her expression turned smug. Blair’s whole body tensed and the light in her hand disappeared and fell to her side limply. He tried to rush to Blair’s side but was stopped when Marie stood in his way and sadly shook her head. Before he could do anything else, Blair turned around to look at him, her eyes dead and expressionless.

Something hit him in the back of the head and he crumpled to the ground, and his vision went dark.

“That’s all I remember,” Raphael explained to everyone.

Elijah inwardly cursed at the tale, he knew he should have been there. He could have stopped this from getting this far.

While they were distracted, and brainstormed different ideas to bring Blair back, the Witch was anxious. This whole discussion made her uneasy and she just wanted to shut off these feelings. Guilt was something that seemed to feed off her. She should have known that something was wrong. That had been an air that surrounded Blair that felt wrong. She should have done something, she was Blair’s apprentice after all and she should have known better and done something useful. Maybe she could have stopped Blair...

As if sensing her thoughts, Elijah turned to face Davina and saw how she barely held back her tears. He silently made his way over to the young Witch and placed a hand on her shoulder, “There is nothing you could have done.” He understood where Davina was coming from as he held the same guilt. Blair was his, he should have noticed and acted quicker, and he had failed her.

His words soothed her slightly, “Elijah, please bring her back home,” She looked to the Vampire, her tone pleading.

The Noble Original kneeled down to the Witch and took her hands in his, “I promise you, Davina, I will bring back Blair, alive and well,”

Davina shakily nodded her head and moved to hug Elijah, she needed that comfort that only he as her father figure could provide. Elijah held her close and closed his eyes. He made a mental vow to make the Queen pay for what she’d done to his family.

Kol watched this interaction sadly and sent Elijah a grateful expression.

ORIGINALS

With Rebekah

Rebekah groaned as she woke from her slumber. Her head hurt, as though she had a pounding headache that would not go away. It was unusual because pain faded away quickly due to her Vampire healing abilities, but this seemed to linger and roused her from her sleep. Rebekah opened her eyes and instantly noticed that she was not in her home – she was not in New Orleans. This made her sit upright and look around, as she gained back her bearings. It only took a few moments to realise what had happened.

Blair had attacked them all and had taken her and Hope.

In a panic, she glanced down at her own stomach to make sure that the baby was okay and was relieved when she felt the baby kick at that moment. It was like her baby knew she needed some reassurance and that strong kick made Rebekah relax massively. She could not see Hope in the same room as her and this made her frown.

The room she was in was finely decorated. It looked as though she was inside a massive tree house, the walls were all wood and it appeared as though one of the walls was just bark from wood. It was quaint, and filled with pastel colours. The bed was soft and there was a sweet scent in the air. Things seemed a little too perfect and this made the Vampire suspicious. Rebekah did not know where she was and did not recognise anything about it. Deciding that she couldn't just sit around, Rebekah attempted to get up from the bed but was stopped when she felt resistance from her ankles. She looked down and saw her ankles were bound in chains. In a huff, Rebekah attempted to rip them off but hissed when her skin started to burn.

Vervain chains.

Rebekah looked around the room to see if she could find anything to destroy the chains but found nothing. Most items were laid away from the bed. Whoever had placed her here wanted Rebekah to stay exactly where she was.

But Rebekah had no intentions of being a silent prisoner.

“Hello? I would very much like to be released now!” Rebekah shouted loudly, as she hoped to get someone's attention and find out what the hell had gone on.

There was no movement.

“I demand to know what is going on right now?!” Rebekah yelled out angrily. If someone did not answer her this time, she would throw a fit that would be befitting of a pissed-off Mikaelson.

This got a response.

There was movement at the door and three people walked in. They were all Fae, one had a crown on her head and walked in front of everyone. The second person was a smaller woman – again, a Fae. The last one, Rebekah recognised.

“Oi, Blair, stop this charade and get me out of these,” Rebekah demanded when she saw her friend. She noticed that Blair had changed into different clothing – very different to what she was used to. Blair was dressed in a blue silk gown, and her hair twisted upwards in a fancy updo. She looked regal, befitting of a princess, she too had a tiny tiara on her head.

The Fae with the crown laughed, “She won’t be doing that, you’re my prisoner,” This Fae looked similar to Blair but more mature and less friendly. There was a sharpness to the woman and an iciness around her that made her appear cold.

Blair’s facial expressions did not change.

Rebekah stared at the woman, unimpressed, “And who are you?”

The Fae’s eye twitched, “I am the Queen of Fae, and you will talk to me with respect,” Maeve demanded as her jaw clenched.

Rebekah’s eyebrow arched as she looked the Queen up and down. This was Blair’s mother, and also the woman who had enslaved Raphael for hundreds of years. Now meeting her in person, she was not impressed in the slightest. “I have met many Kings and Queens in my time and they never last long. I do not care who you are, but I wish to be released and returned back home this instant,”

Maeve’s arm moved to strike, but was stopped when Marie placed a hand on the Queen’s shoulder and whispered lowly, “We can’t risk any harm to the baby,”

For a moment, Maeve appeared as though she would not listen to her right hand but soon lowered her arm and relaxed, “You seem to have forgotten your place, but I am more than happy to remind you. You are my prisoner until it is time for the baby to arrive. Once the baby is here, you will be disposed of. Until then, you will remain here, out of the goodness of my heart,” The smile on Maeve’s face was filled with false promises.

Rebekah looked around the room, not moved by her words at all, “Whoever is your interior designer needs to be fired. This room is like a child’s playroom. I have a brilliant interior designer I could get you in contact with. But I don’t like you, so I won’t,” Rebekah dismissed her with a wave of her hand.

Annoyance flashed in Maeve’s eyes, “I had been hoping you would be more gracious for the mercy I was showing you. Your attitude is barbaric.”

“From you, that’s a compliment,” Rebekah flashed her a smile.

Maeve glared at her.

Looking down at her nails, Rebekah continued, “You do realise that my family will be coming for me? Nik is very protective of me,” She stared at the Queen when she mentioned her brother’s name as she was aware that Maeve was scared of her brother.

Maeve’s whole body seized up at the name.

“Also, is putting a Vampire in the heart of the Fae sanctuary really a smart idea?” Rebekah questioned further, “My kind nearly killed yours to extinction after all,”

“You will be confined to this room.” Maeve interrupted her, “Blood will be delivered to you twice a day for the baby. Magic protects us from you leaving this room,”

Rebekah said nothing about this. She was not sensitive to magic like Kol, but at that moment, she wished she was. She had noticed there was magic in this room and wondered if Blair had been the one to place the barrier around the room, or if someone else had.

“As for your family,” Maeve sneered, “They will not be able to enter the Forest. The gates are always locked and are impenetrable,” After they had returned back to the Forest, she ordered additional guards at the gate, and for extra protection spells to be cast. Vervain coated every inch of that door – and that was only if they actually managed to find them. The Forest was a well-guarded secret except to the Fae kind, and Raphael was more than likely dead and she doubted that he remembered his way back even if he was alive.

Rebekah snorted, “We know that’s not always the case. You left it unlocked so Blair would be Hunter bait,”

With a clenched jaw, Maeve turned around and slapped Blair in the face, which made Rebekah jump at the loud sound, “You’re a stupid girl! How dare you share information that is not theirs to know!”

Blair did not react, her cheek slightly red from the force, “I apologise, mother,”

Maeve huffed and righted herself.

Rebekah stared at Blair closely and silently hoped that the slap would have been enough to snap her out of Maeve’s control. However, she was disappointed to see the same emotionless expression on her face. “If Elijah sees one mark on her, he will not be very forgiving,”

“Then it’s a good job he will never see her again,” Maeve said with a smirk.

Again, Blair did not react. Rebekah was almost saddened that she did not react to her brother's name. She thought there would have been something, but there was nothing. She had remembered what Blair had told her about Maeve’s control over Raphael, that she had focused on the things and people they were attached to bring them back, but this did not seem to work with Blair.

 “What have you done with my niece?” Rebekah demanded.

Maeve smiled, as if this was to comfort the Vampire, “Don’t you worry, the child will be well taken care of. She will want for nothing. She is currently being cared for, and the maids are fusing over her. When she is older, she will be trained to do what she was born to – to bring an end to the Witches,” There was a hungry gleam in her eyes, satisfied that she now had the weapon she had wanted since she’d heard the rumour. Hope would grow to serve her, and Maeve would teach her to obey, but only when she was older. Hope would remember nothing of her parents and come to think of Maeve as her mother and only have loyalty to her.

This made Rebekah relax ever so slightly. She knew that the Fae valued children, and cherished and cared for them. Hope would be safe for the time being, until her family came and rescued them. She just had to wait for this to happen and bide her time until she could get free of these chains.

“I also wouldn’t think of escaping either,” Maeve said.

“Oh?” Rebekah arched a brow.

The grin on Maeve’s face unsettled the Vampire. Maeve snapped her fingers and Blair raised a blade to her own neck. An iron blade. Seeing this made Rebekah tense as she stared at the blade intently, it nearly touched her skin – and Rebekah knew how vulnerable Fae were to this metal.

“If you do somehow manage to escape, or do something that displeases me, it will not be you that suffers, it will be her,” Maeve said as she motioned to Blair. She knew that she could not control the Vampire, but threatening her with Blair was always an option.

“You would hurt your own daughter?” Rebekah demanded harshly as she glared down at the Fae Queen, “I thought Fae were meant to value children?”

Maeve shook her head, “My daughter died the day she ran from her duty. Dying by the Hunter would have been a sacrifice I could have been proud of,” Instead, Blair had chosen her life over the lives of her kind – a cowardly move.

“There is nothing wrong in choosing her own life!” Rebekah argued back.

“This conversation bores me,” Maeve dismissed as she turned around, but stopped and turned her head, “Let us hope you’re not with us much longer. Once you’ve given birth, that baby is mine and you are no longer required,” With that, Maeve left the room with Blair and Marie following behind.

“Blair!” Rebekah called out, as she hoped the Fae would snap back into reality.

Blair continued to walk away. 

“Blair! Snap out of it!” Rebekah yelled out, “Elijah will come save us, I promise!” She watched helplessly as Blair walked out of the room without any reaction or misstep and the door shut behind them. She heard the door lock several times and that is when she knew she was on her own. Taking in a deep breath, Rebekah rubbed her protruding stomach, her nerves wired up.

“We’ll be okay, little one,” Rebekah spoke lovingly to her stomach, “Our family will come for us. Uncle Nik, Elijah and Kol will come and they will bring Auntie Blair back to us,” If she hadn’t hated the Fae Queen before this, she would have now despised her. She could only imagine the anguish that Elijah must be going through and the pain Raphael must be suffering not having her close by with the baby’s arrival unknown.

ORIGINALS

Elijah stood outside as he stared up at the sky, a contemplative expression on his face. His thoughts were with Blair as he wondered how she was and silently wished she was okay. After Blair had revealed her parenthood to them all, they’d had a more detailed conversation about her upbringing and what Maeve’s version of motherhood looked like. It was this information that made him worried as now Blair was back in her mother’s claws, under her control. It angered him to know that she was being influenced by that heinous woman because he knew how much it would break Blair once that control was gone.

Elijah was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Kol approach him, his footsteps light in the grass.

“How much longer?” Kol asked, referring to the plans they made to travel to the Forest. Raphael had laid out exactly how to get back and they were finishing the last-minute touches. Through Elijah and Klaus’ extensive contacts, they booked a plane for Ireland within minutes and were now just finalising everything afterwards.

“We will set off within the next hour,” Elijah answered him back. He had received word back from one of their private jets that they would be making their way over as soon as possible.

Kol nodded his head.

“How is Davina?” Elijah asked.

“Not good,” Kol admitted with a sigh as he shook his head, “She still feels guilty,” No matter what he said, or what anyone said, Davina would not let go that she could have done more. She was under the impression that she could have stopped Blair before everything went south. Kol had tried to explain it wasn’t her fault, but she would not listen, and usually he loved her stubbornness, but even this was too much for him.

Elijah hummed in response, “She is a stubborn girl. No one other than Blair will be able to convince her any differently,” He could see that not even his words had an effect on the girl he would call a daughter, and he understood. He would only be soothed once Blair was back in his arms and Maeve was dead for her crimes.

“How are you holding up?” Kol asked curiously. Since Blair had been gone, he had noticed how quiet his brother had become. He would snap back at Klaus, and would not mediate the situation anymore. The atmosphere in the Compound had become nearly unbearable without a peacemaker. Klaus, not able to deal with or handle his brother’s grief as well as his own, responded with rage and yelling that could only be soothed by Caroline – but not fully. Blair was always able to defuse Klaus’ anger or direct it at her, which she would hurl back at the Hybrid effortlessly. It had made Klaus more bearable as he had someone to bounce off, but without Blair there, there was no buffer and it made living with Klaus almost intolerable.

Elijah pondered his answer for a moment, “I feel as if a part of me is missing,” He placed a hand over his heart as he felt the familiar ache.

“We’ll get her back, and kill the Fae as well,” Kol grinned wickedly. While he did not like the situation, he would not deny he was excited to kill some Fae. While he could not drink their blood – thanks to Blair’s magic – he would relish in paying them back for causing all this chaos.

“Maeve is mine,” Elijah warned his younger brother, as he turned his head. He vowed he would make Maeve pay for what she’d done, and he would fight anyone for this right.

Kol winced, “You may need to tell Klaus that,” He had to listen to Klaus' rant as he demanded Maeve’s head for having his daughter and sister stolen. No one had said anything to him because they could not be bothered to deal with him and his temper tantrums. He had even threatened to bring out the daggers if anyone went against him, but quickly remembered that he did not have them anymore – making him even worse than before.

Elijah made a dismissive noise. He would deal with his brother easily – nothing would stand in his way.

“He is getting out of control,” Kol added, annoyed. Klaus had started to revert back to how he was before New Orleans and it made Kol twitchy. He was very close to going back on his word to the Fae in not enacting any revenge because his brother was suffocating at this point. What made it worse was that Rebekah would not even be there to shout at him either, something Kol never thought he’d admit to missing.

“Niklaus is lashing out,” Elijah agreed with his younger brother, “I fear he may try and act out before the time is right,”

Kol hummed, in agreement. Usually, the family worried about him not playing along, and it was kind of nice that the focus wasn’t on him for once. “How are we going to deal with Blair?” He questioned after a moment of silence.

Elijah fell silent for a moment, as he pondered the question. “Leave it to me,” There was a chime from his phone. He looked down at the device and noticed a message from the private jet, “Gather everyone, it is time to leave,” He said as he pocketed the device once more.

Kol nodded his head and disappeared from sight.

The Noble Original looked up at the sky once more before he walked away, and followed after his brother.

Chapter 52: Chapter 52

Rebekah didn’t know how long she’d been in the room and it drove her insane. There did not seem to be a concept of time within this infernal room. There were no windows, so there was no way to tell whether it was night or day, and there was no clock in that room. For all she knew, she could have been in that room for days – and she did not know how long she’d been knocked out for. So far, she’d had one person drop off a blood bag and that seemed as though that had happened days ago. The Fae who dropped it off never spoke to her, never looked at her or even acknowledged her presence when they came into the room. Rebekah had shouted at them but there had been no reaction. It had been the exact same reaction Blair had given – nothing. Seeing the Fae in such a subservient way made Rebekah realise how evil Maeve truly was and made her hate the woman even more.

But there was something even worse.

Her heart ached.

She hated that she was away from Raphael, she missed his touch, his presence and soothing words. She wished that she was back in her bed in the Compound, with him rubbing her belly and talking to their unborn daughter about how excited he was to have a child. Rebekah smiled at the memory as she absentmindedly rubbed her own stomach. Her baby would always respond to her father’s voice, kicking in excitement. It had been a weird feeling at first, feeling the flutter in her stomach, but now it was something she’d come to love and would miss once her daughter was born. She also missed Nik’s yelling and Elijah’s lectures for being too reckless. She missed Kol’s jabs at her choice of clothing and his sass. She missed her family and wondered when she would next see them. It was made even worse because she couldn't escape without repercussions to Blair – who would slit her own throat if she did anything Maeve did not like.

Rebekah was so deep in thought that she did not hear how the door was unlocked and opened or that someone entered her room. It was only when she smelt the blood from a blood bag that snapped her out of it. She instantly knew that it was another Fae sent to deliver the blood and then leave so she did not bother to turn and face them.

However, after she counted to ten in her head, she noticed that this Fae did not leave. “Annoying Fae,” She muttered under her breath.

“Why, Rebekah, I am almost hurt,”

At the sound of the familiar voice, Rebekah’s head whipped to the side and Blair stood by her bedside with a blood bag in hand. There was a smirk on her face, one that could only belong to Blair, and amusement in her eyes.

She wasn’t under the control of Maeve.

Rebekah opened her mouth to shout something, to rip into Blair but stopped when she saw Blair place a finger over her lips, indicating to be quiet.

There was a faint sound of footsteps by the door, they lingered outside the door for a moment but they soon disappeared down the hall and far away.

“Keep your voice down,” Blair whispered lowly, her gaze trained on the door. She could not risk anyone overhearing her talk normally and not like everyone else. As she had been newly ‘brainwashed’, it would not be normal for her to act any differently than a puppet. From what Blair had seen, people under Maeve’s control only gained a personality after being under her influence for so long, and that personality was curated by Maeve herself. Everything here was done and designed by Maeve and the slightest show of free will would not be tolerated. There were very few exceptions and even they did not fully show free will. It made her wonder how there was a resistance to begin with as it was too dangerous, especially with how closely Maeve guarded everything.

Rebekah nodded her head and relaxed slightly, though she was still annoyed, “What the hell? I thought you were under the control of that bitch?”

“I am still under her control,” Blair winced as she rubbed her head, “I’ve only just started to snap out of it a few hours ago, but I can still feel her claws in my head,” She suspected that this was due to her magic combating against the control. For days before sending the Royal Challenge, she had funnelled magic around her mind to protect it from any outside influences. It turned out that it had not been enough to stop Maeve from controlling her completely, but enough so she wasn’t a mindless puppet under her thumb. Blair could feel Maeve’s magical claws in her brain and it felt like ice stabbing her, and she could also feel her magic fight against it, trying to push the claws out.

Rebekah leaned over and slapped her arm, making Blair wince at the attack, “Yeah I deserved that,”

“I thought you were gone,” Rebekah hissed quietly, aware that she could not be too loud despite the fact she wanted to scream at the Fae, “I thought you were Maeve’s slave,”

“I'm still under M-m-m,” Blair’s face pinched as she struggled to say Maeve’s name. The Fae Queen’s control stopped Blair from calling her names or anything other than her title and this enraged Blair, “… her control. I have moments where I fade in and out but I am gaining more clarity as time goes on,”

Rebekah’s angered expression fell as she saw the pain in Blair’s face, “You can’t say her name?”

Blair shook her head.

“What else can’t you do?” Rebekah asked with a frown.

“I can’t badmouth her,” Blair sighed deeply, her shoulder sagged slightly, “I can’t hurt her. When she gives an order, I have to obey it,” She had been fighting against this, but while the claws were still embedded in her brain, she couldn’t fight against it without great difficulty or pain. 

“Can’t you just escape?” Rebekah questioned.

“I don’t know where Hope is,” Blair answered lowly, angry at Maeve for hiding the child. “She’s put Hope somewhere I don’t know. I am not allowed out of her sight for long periods of time so that makes it even more difficult,” Maeve was set on moulding Blair exactly how she wanted her, and Blair had no choice but to obey for now. If she left now, it would leave Rebekah to the mercy of her mother until the baby was born – and that was an unknown amount of time. It would be even less likely Blair could then find Hope as Maeve would make it impossible. Blair also had the disadvantage as she’d not been in the Forest for four hundred years, this was not the home she had left and things had changed.

“Just use your magic and find her,” Rebekah said.

“My magic is being monitored by her,” Blair hissed out, as she wanted to call Maeve a very rude word, but her mouth would not let her, and this frustrated her even more, “If she even detects the slightest bit of magic that was not sanctioned, the results will not be pretty,” Maeve had been very happy with how powerful Blair was, and she knew she would be used as a weapon to do her mother's bidding. This is what made her working on getting rid of Maeve's control even harder, her magic had to work undetected otherwise everything would be ruined.

Rebekah cursed as she saw the predicament. This also meant Blair could not check on her and Raphael’s child without the fear of Maeve being made aware. “So, we have to wait for my brothers,” Rebekah said with a frown.

“Yes,” Blair answered her honestly. She knew that Raphael and the Mikaelson men would not take this lying down and that was something she counted on. Raphael would be able to find the Forest and lead the others to them. She just needed to bide her time to get rid of Maeve’s influence over her. Once that was done, she could find Hope and she would tear the Forest down, tree by tree. However, Blair’s heart ached as she thought of Elijah and how he was feeling due to this. She had very vague memories of her snapping all their necks, but she could clearly remember the look in Elijah's eyes when he realised something was wrong and it pained her to remember.

“Where is the Forest?” Rebekah asked, curious to know.

“It’s the Conagher forest in Ireland,” Blair answered, “So it will take about another day before they will be here,” There was then the separate issue of them getting past the gate, which Maeve had made sure was locked with extra security.

Rebekah frowned, she’d been to Ireland many times in her years but had not realised the Forest, the home of the Fae was so close. There had been rumours of where the Fae had hidden themselves, but no one had a definite answer.

“I hate waiting,” Rebekah grumbled under her tone.

Blair laughed quietly, “I know, but hopefully it won’t be much longer,”

“But what about that bitch?” Rebekah asked.

“Leave it to me,” Blair smirked, a wicked gleam in her eyes that made Rebekah not question her. The expression soon disappeared as she sighed deeply, “I can’t stay any longer, she will be wondering where I am.”

“Why did she let you come?” Rebekah asked, confused.

Blair frowned, “She wanted to break your will. She was hoping that if you saw how I was under her control, your resolve would waver, and make you an easier prisoner,” Maeve had made it no secret how she found it amusing that she managed to kidnap Klaus Mikaelson’s younger sister, how the Vampire was a prize that housed an even bigger reward.

Rebekah snorted and rolled her eyes.

“I can’t guarantee that she will allow me to come again. I will come and find you when it’s time,” Blair promised her as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Rebekah watched her go with a heavy heart. She laid back down on the bed and sighed deeply before she turned her head and saw the blood bag. She wasn’t even thirsty, but she decided to drink for the sake of the baby. She also needed to keep her strength up for when the time came to break out of here. However, she felt much lighter and better knowing that Blair was not completely under Maeve’s control. Blair was not lost to them. This was something Rebekah was sure Elijah would be happy with.

Just thinking of her family made Rebekah smile, which soon turned wicked as she could not wait for them to arrive and then the fun could start.

ORIGINALS

Blair walked down the hallway as she intended to head back to the throne room, where Maeve would be holding court. As she walked, she made sure her emotionless mask was in place so that when different hordes of Fae passed her, they could not notice a difference. She had to be on her best behaviour and make sure that she was undetected. If there was even the slightest difference, one of Maeve’s many puppets would report this back to her and she’d be screwed. In the short journeys she’d had away from Maeve, she’d been trying to map out the Forest and the changes that had been made.

However, one thing stuck out to her as she continued to walk.

It was weird being back in the Forest.

It was different than what she remembered as well. Before, the Fae would chat with one another, all friendly, and she would see Fae working hard to build new houses, there used to be music that played in the background and there used to be the sound of children laughing as they ran after one another. Now, the Forest seemed soulless. There was no laughter, no music and there was no friendliness between Fae. Everyone appeared to get on with their jobs with a silence around them, or a certain arrogance that could have only come from Maeve. Soldiers moved around and patrolled hourly, all dressed in armour and with weapons.

However, one thing was certain.

This was not her home.

Blair wondered whether she would have been like all the other Fae if she’d stayed behind – if she’d been allowed to stay. She doubted it as Maeve would not have allowed any sign of free will. With her being Maeve’s only daughter, she would have been seen as direct competition for the throne so there was no way Maeve would let her off.

Something else that Blair found odd about the situation was that she had not seen a single child since she had returned.

Fae birth rates were rather low, but there were always at least a few children or a few pregnant Fae, but Blair had not seen one. She had not heard any laughter from children and it made her wonder what had happened.

Blair made it to the throne room and walked up to Maeve with a blank expression. In this room, music played and people danced. Maeve has thrown herself a little celebration for finally getting what she wanted – Hope and Rebekah’s child. While the other Fae danced away, all with either smug expressions or blank expressions, they all danced and did as Maeve asked them, none of them breaking from character, even for a moment.

When Maeve saw Blair, she grinned, “And how is our little prisoner?”

The urge to blurt out the truth of the matter nearly overwhelmed Blair, and she inwardly cursed Maeve’s power. Blair fought against this urge through sheer willpower, “She was quiet,” Blair answered back shortly. This was all she could manage without everything spilling out.

Maeve, happy with this answer, turned to Marie, “And how is the child?”

This piqued Blair’s interest, as she subtly looked to Marie.

“She’s cried quite a lot, but she will come to get used to living here,” Marie said with a practised smile.

Maeve nodded her head, happy with that answer.

Blair glanced at Marie but found that the older Fae would not look in her direction. Blair silently wished Marie would look in her direction. She knew that Marie was not loyal to Maeve, and this brought her some comfort. Blair needed to understand more about the revolt, she needed to understand numbers and plans, but she could not communicate in any way with Marie, especially not in front of Maeve.

“I will retire for the night,” Maeve stood from her throne, which caused every Fae in the room to stop what they were doing, and the music stopped. She waved to dismiss them and they all left the room, “Marie, escort Eloise to her room,”

Marie bowed to the Queen, “Yes, Your Majesty,” Rising, she walked off in another direction and Blair followed after her wordlessly, but was stopped when Maeve spoke.

“Are you forgetting something, Eloise?” Maeve questioned, with an arched brow.

Blair inwardly froze and panicked. What was she referring to?

“My Queen, she has not been instructed to bow before leaving your presence,” Marie gently reminded the Queen.

Maeve sighed as if this was a minor inconvenience to her, “Of course, I forgot how much care my subjects need when they are saved by my power,”

Blair kept her expression cool and void, but inwardly she felt annoyed. It was the fact Maeve felt as though she was saving her own kind by subjecting them to be her puppets. It angered her, but she could not let it show, she just needed to bide her time.

“Eloise, whenever you see me or leave me, you will bow to me, is that understood?” Maeve ordered.

Blair felt the weight of Maeve’s order, as her power forced her to obey. Bile rose in her throat as she wanted to throw up at the thought of her being a puppet. She realised at that moment she would rather be hunted by the Hunter once more than be her mother’s puppet. “Yes, my Queen,” She begged her magic to work faster so she could free herself from Maeve’s control, and she felt her magic respond by picking up the pace around her head and the shields strengthened around her head, forcing the icy claws further out of her head – only slightly.

“We will go over your orders tomorrow. You will stay in your room until you are collected,” Maeve said before she dismissed both of the female Fae.

Marie bowed once more and Blair mimicked her actions, seething on the inside. On the outside, Blair was a picture of calm, but on the inside, she raged and imagined stabbing Maeve a thousand times in the eye. Both Marie and Blair left the room, with the younger Fae slightly behind the older Fae as she followed her.

They walked in silence, neither one said anything as they continued to make their way to the west wing. Blair remembered this from when she used to live there. The east wing was Maeve’s side, and Blair would be on the west side. Within minutes, they stood outside a familiar door that used to be Blair’s room.

“You will stay here, I will come and collect you in the morning,” Marie said politely as she opened the door.

Blair glanced inside and saw how different it looked. It was no longer Blair’s childhood room filled with toys and wonder, but now it was plain and dark. Blair wordlessly stepped into the room and she took everything in. There was a double bed, a plain closet drawer at the side and a mirror. It looked like a regular guest room that Blair used to break into when she was younger. She thought she’d have more of a reaction seeing her old room but she found she was not bothered by it. This was not her home, her home was in New Orleans, with Elijah and Davina.

“I will leave you,” Marie bowed slightly before she turned away.

Before she could get far, Blair whipped around and grabbed Marie by the arm before she pulled her into the room and closed the door behind them. Marie let out a surprised noise and stared at Blair in bewilderment, “Eloise?”

“You know that is not my name,” Blair muttered lowly. She knew that guards would not patrol this area as they did not enter the royal chambers, but she did not want to risk anyone overhearing.

Marie’s eyes widened when it dawned on her, “How? No one has broken her control on their own?”

“It’s not fully gone, but my magic is working on it,” Blair admitted with a frown. Ever since she had begged her magic to speed up the process, it had been working overtime and she loved her magic for that fact alone.

“That’s incredible,” Marie answered back breathlessly.

Blair shook this off, “We won’t have long before someone notices that something is off so we need to make this quick. Where is Hope?” The longer Marie was away, the worse it would seem and she could not risk bringing any attention to herself or Marie. Marie was her only Fae ally at the moment she knew wasn’t under the control of her mother.

“In the nursery, they moved her to the south wing,” Marie replied back instantly as she understood the urgency. Marie was supposed to attend to another matter soon and if she was late, it would raise suspicion. “There are at least ten guards in the south wing alone, and Hope is surrounded by maids with strict orders to only permit certain people around her,” Those people were very few, only herself and Maeve had permission to enter the nursery, aside from the guards and maid staff.

Blair nodded her head as she took this in, “Why doesn’t there seem to be any children?”

Marie’s expression turned sad. “Blair… there hasn’t been a single child born since you left.”

Blair’s eyes widened at this news, “What?” Fae birth rates were slow, but not that slow. If what Marie said was true, that would mean there hadn’t been a single Fae born in four hundred years. That alone would cast shame onto the current Queen – at least it would if the subjects had a mind of their own and free will.

“When you left, it was as if life had left the Forest,” Marie explained, pain on her face as her hand moved to her stomach, a longingness in her eyes. “Babies that year were born ill and did not last long, and some mothers did not make it either.” It had been an epidemic that no one could stop, not even Maeve was able to stop the hollowness that was felt by the mothers that had lost their children. Mothers had killed themselves in their grief, with the fathers following soon after.

Blair frowned at this news, was it a curse? If it was, who could have cast it?

“That is when the Queen started to use her powers, she controlled the mothers so they would not feel the pain. The Queen said she intended to release them after some time, but that did not happen,” Marie said as she remembered the events that caused everyone to become the Queen’s puppets. It was like she had been a passenger in her own body and watched as she performed tasks for the Queen without hesitation. “But the people started to complain once they noticed no children were being born. There was a coup nearly not long afterwards, and that is when she subjected everyone to this state,”

Blair said nothing and allowed Marie to speak freely. She sensed that it was not often that the older Fae got to speak about this so openly, and it allowed her to understand what had happened in her absence.

“How long have you been free?” Blair asked after a moment of silence.

“Only for the past few years,” Marie frowned as she thought back. She remembered Chloe had approached her and then she gained control of her body. That was when Chloe explained her power as well as the revolt planned.

“I need numbers,” Blair said lowly, “I need to know who is part of this revolt,”

Marie shook her head, “I don’t know everything, Chloe never shared all the information with everyone,”

“Then find out,” Blair hissed lowly, as a wave of frustration hit her, “I need to know what I am working with if I am leading a revolt,”

Marie’s eyes widened as her words, “Really?”

“She never closed the challenge,” Blair smirked wickedly. When a Royal Challenge was concluded, the loser was meant to swear loyalty to the winner which ended the challenge. She remembered the uproar that had happened when her grandmother had refused to do this before succumbing to the poison that Maeve had filled her with. It had angered Maeve so much and the Fae had whispered about it for years. As this key detail never happened, the challenge had not officially concluded.

Therefore, the challenge was still open – postponed.

“She never said it,” Marie breathed slowly as it dawned on her.

Blair nodded her head, though she did not care. With or without the challenge, she would have killed her mother and damned the rules. Nothing would stop her from getting revenge.

Once her magic her freed her from Maeve’s powers, it was on.

“What does she have planned for me?” Blair asked as she got back on track.

“She plans to steal your power once the baby is born and you can’t be used as a bargaining chip against Rebekah,” Marie answered back instantly, as she understood they were still under a time limit. “She is currently trying to find the right Fae who can transfer that power,”

Blair arched a brow, amused by this. Her magic did not find this amusing and she noticed how it began to work quicker around her mind. This answer from Marie did not surprise her. She had noticed how excited Maeve was to have her on her side and remembered a few comments about her power level. There had been a smugness about Maeve and it had made Blair suspicious about what she had planned.

“Then she’ll have me killed,” Blair finished.

Marie nodded her head.

“Typical,” Blair muttered lowly before she moved away from the older Fae, “Find out more about the numbers of the revolt. They’re going to want to know about being free soon,”

“How can you be so confident?” Marie questioned, confused as to how unbothered Blair seemed by all of this.

Blair smirked, “You really think that Rebekah and I would be kidnapped and there would be no repercussions? The Mikaelson clan are coming for us, and they won’t leave quietly. It’s only a matter of time before they arrive,” She was confident that Raphael would lead the way but silently hoped that no one had killed each other in her absence. She was sure that Klaus has thrown around a few accusations, which would set Elijah off – which in turn would amuse Kol. Blair did not doubt for a second that Raphael was probably bashing his head against a brick wall either.

“But the gate, what about this?” Marie asked. The gate was impenetrable, it had protected them for many years against the people who would hurt or kill them. Anyone who had discovered the gate by accident where never able to enter.

Not even the Hunter was able to get past the gate.

“That’s why I need people in the revolt to help, I need the gate unlocked,” Blair said.

“But they’ll be killed,” Marie hissed lowly in shock. If anyone was caught near the gate when they were not supposed to, the Queen would punish them severely.

“If you want freedom, you need to take risks,” Blair replied back blankly. She’d taken a massive risk facing the Hunter and she’d come out the other side. She had help from people who cared about her, she was not alone. But if she hadn’t taken that leap, then she would still be on the run, “Wouldn't you rather risk it for freedom than be trapped as a puppet forever?”

For a moment, Marie did not say anything but soon she nodded her head, “Okay, I will try and make this happen,”

“Go, we’ve been talking for long now,” Blair ushered her out of the room.

Marie quickly left the room and softly closed the door behind her.

Once she was gone, Blair sighed deeply and sat down on the bed. She looked around at the bare room and couldn't wait to be back in her home in the Compound. This was only temporary and she would not be here long.

It wouldn’t be too much longer now.

And Blair could not wait for her revenge.

Chapter 53: Chapter 53

Summary:

I went back and edited the previous chapter slightly. I changed the part where Blair’s grandmother killed herself before swearing to Maeve. I have not changed it to that Blair’s grandmother died from the poison Maeve gave her before she would swear loyalty – not that would have happened.

Just to let everyone know, this is the second to last chapter,

I was tempted to tie it up in one final chapter, but I thought it best to leave it.
Enjoy!

Raphael was ready to kill something.

Those ‘somethings’ being Klaus Mikaelson and Elijah Mikaelson.

For the entire flight and trek to the Forest, the two older Vampires had spent the majority of the time squabbling between one another. Elijah’s endless patience seemed to have disappeared completely, leaving behind an ill-tempered Vampire who could not help but lash out against the Hybrid. Klaus, not liking this new dynamic, took a defensive approach before verbally attacking the Noble Original. Kol hadn’t helped the matters as he egged both of his brothers on, finding this whole situation amusing and would applaud Elijah for his scathing insults. This had only served to further enrage Klaus, as he felt as if he was being ganged up on, something which he did not appreciate and made his feelings very clear.

And very loudly.

It was at that moment that Raphael contemplated his life decisions, maybe it would have been best for Blair to have killed him when he first arrived in New Orleans, so he did not have to put up with this torture. Raphael closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He counted to ten in his head as he mentally imagined the two Vampires shutting the hell up. He imagined himself back in New Orleans, with Rebekah beside him, safe and well. He imagined them talking together about the future their baby may have. He relaxed as he thought about Rebekah’s laugh, and how she would look at him with such a loving stare that it took his breath away…

However, his thoughts were shattered when he heard Klaus yell out something and Kol laughed in the background.

Raphael stopped dead in his tracks, “Will you all just shut up?!”

There was silence in the forest.

The Fae turned around as he faced the Vampires. Elijah and Klaus had stopped yelling at one another and had turned to look at the Fae who had shouted at them. The grin on Kol’s face was gone and Davina looked just as exasperated as the Fae.

“I get that this is a stressful situation, but can you all not argue like children for five minutes?!” Raphael shouted out in frustration, officially at the end of the tether. There had been no reprieve to the arguments the entire way, and he was sure that they would have been kicked off the private plane if Elijah hadn’t owned the whole establishment.

Davina shot the Fae a look of surprise, but also gratitude, the shouting was also getting on her nerves, and she was a second away from using her magic to take away their voices. Blair had shown her this spell in case she ever came across someone who annoyed her, and now she had three targets that seemed perfect to test this out on. Even if one of them was her boyfriend and the other a father figure to her.

For a moment, Raphael was filled with a sense of dread once he realised what he’d done. He had effectively told three, one-thousand-year-old Vampires to stop acting like children and to shut up. One of them being very ill-tempered and the other one being a psychotic maniac and thrill seeker. Mentally, Raphael began cursing himself and his luck.

He was going to die before being reunited with Rebekah and his child.

However, it was Elijah that snapped him out of his thoughts. Elijah cleared his throat, as he got the Fae’s attention, “I apologise, we are not usually this bad,” Elijah said with remorse, as he realised his actions had been rather uncouth.

Kol snorted, “Speak for yourself,”

Elijah shot him a scornful look, one that promised pain and a lecture. Kol winced and looked away from his older brother.

“I’m just surprised you have a backbone,” Klaus commented with a grin.

Raphael sent the Hybrid with a withering stare, one that made Klaus laugh.

“The arguing was a bit excessive,” Davina commented with a grimace. She had heard words she did not even know existed, and she planned to use a few of them in the future. However, not in front of Elijah or Blair, as she feared their reaction.

Elijah placed his hand on Davina’s shoulder and squeezed, as he silently apologised, “We should not have let it get this bad. I will keep myself in check,” The Noble Original said as he made a promise to the Witch.

Davina smiled in thanks and squeezed his hand on her shoulder.

Raphael relaxed a touch – he was not going to die for his words.

“How much further?” Kol asked as he looked around. All the trees looked the same, and they seemed no closer than when they started. They had been walking for some time as well, but he wasn’t too sure as he’d been too preoccupied amusing himself watching Klaus and Elijah argue with one another.

Raphael looked around, “Not much longer, but we’re going to have to be careful when we reach the gate and how we’re going to open it,” This was the only thing that caused him to pause, as he wondered how they were meant to open it. The gate was impenetrable and had kept unwanted guests away for many years. This was a detail they’d not discussed, as the family has been more interested in arguing with one another and flying over to Ireland.

“I assume brute force will not work,” Klaus commented mildly.

Raphael shook his head, “It will not,”

“What about my magic?” Davina asked as she looked at the Fae.

For a moment, Raphael considered her answer, but soon he shook his head, “As powerful as you are, we’d need more magic than that,” There was ancient magic around the gate, and a lot more was needed. Only people who had permission to open the gate could, or if they possessed a key – which none of them owned.

There was silence among the family, as they all contemplated their next move. In a moment of desperation, Raphael tried to reach Blair through this mind. ‘Blair, can you hear me?’

But there was no response.

However, after a few seconds, all the Vampires raised their heads as they sensed a new presence.

 “I believe that is something I can help with,” A new voice said, which snapped Raphael out of his thoughts.

Everyone turned their heads and saw Marie standing at the side. The moment they saw her, everyone except for Raphael tensed. Davina’s eyes narrowed at the new Fae, whereas, Klaus and Elijah were on the defensive. Within seconds, Kol had rushed forward and had Marie pinned to a nearby tree by her throat.

“Wait! Kol! Don’t, she’s on our side!” Raphael called out in panic.

Marie gasped for breath as she felt the grip from the Vampire tighten around her neck. Kol stared down at her, with no emotion in his eyes and for a moment, Marie felt as though she had met death in person.

It was terrifying.

“How can we be certain?” Kol asked calmly – deadly calm.

Klaus watched this all with amusement in his eyes and was also proud that his brother had shown restraint. Before, Kol would have killed first and asked questions later. It could be rather inconvenient at times.

“B-Blair as-asked m-me to co-come,” Marie gasped out.

Davina’s eyes widened in shock.

At the mention of his mate’s name, Elijah appeared by Kol and Marie’s side in a flash. “Kol, remove your hand so she can speak,” He commanded as he stared down at the female Fae. He could sense that this Fae was not lying and he wanted to hear what she was going to say.

For a moment, Kol was about to protest, but when he saw the look in his brother’s eyes, he knew to back off. Kol’s grip on Marie’s throat loosened, but never fully let go. At a moment's notice, he would kill the Fae if he suspected anything amiss. Elijah sensed this and nodded in thanks to his brother.

Now that she could breathe, Marie gasped for breath as she took back what she lost. Her chest heaved, as she hurried to say what she needed. Being in the very presence of the Originals scared her – especially being around Klaus, who killed Tatianna, and Kol who had killed many of them. Any Fae who had any sense about them wouldn’t have even approached them. Marie honestly did not know how Blair managed to be in their presence without fearing for her life.

“How do you know Blair?” Davina asked as she stepped forward.

Marie looked to the Witch and nearly sneered, the fact a Witch was speaking to her was off-putting. She was about to tell the Witch to mind her own business, but the dark eyes of Kol stopped her in her tracks. “I am the Queen’s advisor, I have watched Blair grow up before she was banished,” Marie answered slowly, her voice low and hoarse, but she could feel as her throat began to heal from the attack.

“And you just so happen to betray your Queen?” Elijah asked dubiously. “I thought all her subjects were under her control?”

Raphael jumped in, “We had a friend, Chloe, who negated the Queen’s control. Marie is one of the people who were freed,”

Elijah and Klaus nodded their heads, understanding what he said. While they trusted Raphael’s words, this new Fae was questionable.

“I thought that Blair was under the control of the Queen?” Klaus questioned with an arched brow. The last thing he remembered about the Fae in question, she’d taken them all down with ease, and his daughter and sister had been snatched.

“She was, but she is fighting against the control.” Marie shared quickly, “She has regained consciousness, but still has to obey the Queen, who is not aware of Blair’s situation,” If the Queen became aware, she’d have Blair chained and subdued immediately as the Queen saw Blair as a threat. As soon as someone was found who could transfer Blair’s magic and power to the Queen, she would be killed.

Elijah relaxed a touch when he heard this news, he had been worried sick. He had thought her to be a prisoner of her mother’s control forever. He knew how much this would hurt Blair, and he wondered how she was. No doubt she was seething in rage and planning to have Maeve’s head on a spike, something he fully endorsed.

“What has happened to my daughter?” Klaus demanded.

Marie gulped, “Your daughter is being kept in the nursery under guard, the Queen will not touch her until it is time to train her,” As a child, Hope would not be touched, but as she got older, that is when things would change. Her blood would be used to create Hybrids, as Maeve’s army, and she’d train the Trybrid to listen to Maeve's commands, and only her commands.

Klaus glared at the Fae and for a moment, Marie did not know whether her words had been believed, but when Klaus nodded his head, she was able to relax. She thought he was going to kill her for her answer, but it appeared it was not her time to die that day.

“And what of our sister?” Kol demanded.

Raphael looked at Marie, waiting for her answer.

“She is being kept in a room, locked away with magic so she does not escape.” Marie explained nervously, “The Queen plans to wait for Rebekah to give birth before getting rid of her,” Marie flinched when she felt Kol’s hand tighten around her neck.

“Has our sister attempted any breakouts?” Klaus asked, curiously. His sister, the one he knew well and loved dearly, would have raised hell if she was ever captured. He had never met or found a place that could contain his sister, except for the daggers.

Marie shook her head, as much as she could with the grip on her throat, “N-no, she won’t. The Queen has threatened Rebekah, that if she attempts to escape, Blair will hurt herself,” Her voice was small, but everyone around could hear.

Anger flashed in Elijah’s dark eyes, and there was a low growl from Klaus. Each one of the Mikaelson’s looked at one another as they had a silent conversation with one another. Each one communicated how they would make sure the Queen suffered. They all did not doubt that Rebekah would not escape for that reason, as they knew how much Rebekah cared for Blair and saw her as a sister.

“You said Blair sent you, why?” Davina asked, getting back to the topic at hand. She could feel the tension rising and needed things to get back on topic before things escalated more than they should have.

Marie appeared grateful for the change of topic and quickly answered the Witch, “Blair was aware that there would be some issue with the gate, so I was sent to let you in.” She was one of the few people who could open the gate, which showed how much the Queen trusted her. However, this also placed her at greater risk of being exposed, and she has risked everything even leaving the Forest to come and meet them. She hoped that this gamble was worth it.

Raphael brightened up at this news, of course, Blair had planned for this.

Elijah nodded his head and then looked to his brother, who still had Marie pinned by her throat, “Kol, release her,” They needed the Fae to show them how to get into the Forest, and they could not do that with her pinned to a tree.

Kol glared down at the Fae before he released her and stepped away from her, “Betray us, and I will kill you,” He hissed lowly before he went and stood by Davina. Davina took his hand in hers and he brought up their hands and kissed hers.

Now that she was free, Marie regained her composure and relaxed slightly. “It is this way,” Marie said as she began to lead, with the other following behind.

ORIGINALS

With Blair

Blair walked behind Maeve in complete silence. That morning, Maeve had Marie come and collect her and bring to her the throne room. Maeve had said that she had something to show her, and they had made their way deep into the Forest. There were no guards present, as Maeve had sent them all away. It was past the main tree where the royal Fae and the guards resided, and it went further than all the homes in the Forest. Blair was pretty sure that they were nearly at the edge of the boundaries of the Forest, where there was nothing beyond that. The Forest had one exit and entrance, and they had walked the furthest away from there. Blair had been discrete when she looked around, as she mentally mapped the surrounding area. While she hated being near her mother, Blair was grateful for the silence, as she did not know how she would cope with having to listen to Maeve’s voice.

Instead, Blair thought about the information Marie had brought her that morning. It had been a quick exchange, but Marie had delivered as promised. Overall, Chloe had managed to liberate nine other Fae, which was not enough. Blair had been disappointed in this, and it got even worse when Marie told her about these individuals. None of them were particularly powerful and that is how they managed to stay under the radar for so long. They were lower Fae. Marie was the only Fae who had a bit of influence and power about her, and it explained why nothing had happened. None of them had the power to revolt against Maeve in the first place.

No wonder Marie had been reluctant in the beginning.

Blair knew that the best option was to wait for the Mikaelson Clan to turn up, and had ordered that Marie keep an eye out that day. She suspected they would come that day and her magic trembled at the thought of being free. Her magic was one step closer to freeing her from Maeve’s control. Blair could feel the claws in her brain being pulled away by her magic, and the more this happened, the more relieved she was. It wouldn’t be too long before she was free.

And once that happened, there would be hell to pay.

Blair stopped walking when she noticed Maeve had halted. Quickly, she looked around and saw a statue standing alone in an enclosed area, one that looked abandoned and forgotten about. There was moss that covered the statue and there was a vague smell of mildew. There was also a presence of magic within the enclosed area, powerful magic, but she could not make it out exactly. Blair felt that the magic was old, but also familiar in some way that did not make sense to her. Blair stared at the statue and had to fight a frown as she studied it, as she knew that it looked familiar. It took a few seconds before it clicked into place because she knew who this statue was of.

It was of Tatianna.

Her aunt.

Maeve’s sister.

This time, Blair was not able to hide her frown as she wondered why she’d been brought here. She also wondered why a statue of Tatianna, the beloved Queen of Fae was hidden away in a damp and dilapidating place. Blair had no idea that a place like this even existed in the Forest. Blair watched Maeve as she corrected her facial expression, and waited for Maeve to explain.

“You never met her,” Maeve began, her voice neutral, “she was dead before you were even alive. She is buried underneath the statue,” Maeve looked up at the statue, but Blair could not see her face.

Blair remained silent as she watched Maeve carefully. However, she wondered why Tatianna was buried in such a faraway place. It appeared as though no one had visited this enclosure for a long time.

“My sister was always the favourite child when we were younger. She had a light about her that people were drawn to. As a Queen, all her people loved her,” Maeve began as she continued to stare at the statue. She had not moved from her spot and had not once turned around to look at her.

Blair frowned, the way Maeve had spoken, she sounded envious. There was a subtle venom in her voice, one that Blair had heard many times before. However, this she understood. From the stories Blair had heard from her nannies, Tatianna was beloved by all her subjects. Tatianna did not act like a normal Queen, where she viewed herself as above others. No, Tatianna would be down beside her people, getting her hands dirty and helping people who needed it. She balanced out requests and made decisions based on everyone’s safety and well-being. Tatianna did not need to manipulate people into blindly following her – unlike Maeve.

“However, there was one thing that Tatianna could not do, and that was to have an heir,” Maeve explained, “That meant that if something happened to Tatianna, I would be next in line for the throne,”

Blair nearly rolled her eyes, she did not need a history lesson. She had enough of them when she was a child from the tutors her mother had brought in. All the tutors were boring, droning on about the same topics that bored her to death.

“The only obstacle in my way was Tatianna herself,”

Now this grabbed Blair’s attention. She stared at Maeve, an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Blair did not like where this conversation was going, but she needed to know more.

“Of course, I could not kill her myself, that was too risky.” Maeve continued as if she had not said anything wrong, “So I had to be careful about it. But nothing I did worked. However, this time would be different. The plan had to be perfect, flawless, so no one would suspect me. If they did, I would lose everything.”

Blair thought back to the stories she’d grown up to. It was always believed that Klaus had killed Tatianna, and drank her dry. Other rumours had been that Tatianna and Klaus were lovers, but after speaking with Klaus, that did not seem to be true. Other rumours shared how it had been a brutal attack, one that was unprovoked. But now she wondered what the full story was. Her mother had been hiding things for a long time.

“Tatianna had always fancied Niklaus Mikaelson, had been enamoured by the stories about him and had wanted to meet him. I, as the best little sister, arranged the meeting. But not before I gave her a little gift – a scent-enhancing necklace.” Maeve said, amusement in her tone as she continued her story.

It was that part of the story that made the dread sit in. A Fae’s scent was already very alluring to a Vampire, but to add a scent enhancer, when in the presence of a Vampire was suicide for the Fae. No Vampire would be able to resist, not even an older, more mature Vampire would be able to resist the temptation. Especially if there was blood drawn. It also made sense as to why Klaus had not remembered this, as the scent enhancers could bring out a creature’s baser instincts, especially when a hungry Vampire comes across a Fae.

“People were scared of Niklaus as it was, and his family. Everyone easily bought that he had killed her and no one suspected a thing,” Maeve said, but then her tone turned scornful, “Your grandmother suspected something, that is why she challenged me for the throne, but she had no proof. She had gone behind my back, plotting for hundreds of years to get me off the throne,”

Blair mentally reminded herself to talk to Klaus after this experience.

“I had to do something. Tatianna was being too reckless with the Fae. We were nearly hunted to extinction.” Maeve continued as she turned to look to Blair, who had her facial expressions schooled so there was no emotion on her face. “You probably don’t fully understand what I am saying, but I don’t need you to.” Maeve stepped closer to Blair and placed her hand on her face.

It took everything in Blair to not slap the woman away from her. Her touch revolted her, especially now that she knew Maeve had orchestrated Tatianna’s murder.

“Tell me you forgive me,” Maeve demanded, as she used her power against her daughter.

Blair wanted to vomit, she wanted to kill her mother right there and then, but she couldn't. Maeve still influenced her, “I forgive you,” She found herself saying, despite the fact she did not mean it in the slightest.

Maeve relaxed a touch as if she was relieved by these words. “Now, the only thing I need is your blood,” Maeve said as she reached out and took Blair’s hand. Without a second thought, she used her sharp nail and sliced Blair’s right hand open, making sure to cut in deeply.

Blair’s jaw clenched as she bit back a hiss in pain.

Maeve grabbed her and pulled her forward until they were right in front of the statue. Maeve grabbed Blair’s hand and squeezed the cut until blood poured from the wound and onto the statue. Blair had to force her whole body to relax as her mother did this, and had to watch as though nothing was wrong. Blair watched as her blood dripped onto the moss-covered statue and waited. There had to be a reason for this.

But nothing happened.

Minutes passed and still nothing happened.

Eventually, Maeve huffed and backed away, annoyance on her face, “That damn bitch, I thought that was the key,” Without another word, Maeve stormed off without saying anything to Blair and did not give her another order.

Blair remained behind for a few minutes as she stared at the statue and then her hand. Her hand was healing and would be fine in a few minutes, but it made her wonder exactly why Maeve had done this. “It’s a shame you’re dead, I would have liked to meet you,” Blair said as she looked at the statue of her aunt.

“Yes, it is a shame,”

Blair whipped around and saw a woman standing behind her, with a kind smile on her face. This Fae looked exactly like Maeve and herself. The same hair colour and eye colour, but her cheeks were rounder and her lips fuller. She was very tall and regal. Her dress was flowing and fit like a glove, and there was a crown on her head. She looked exactly like the statue that was now behind her. Blair looked back at the statue and saw that the eyes glowed a bright blue colour, and the presence of magic had only got stronger.

“Tatianna?” Blair questioned when she turned back around, unsure of whether she was hallucinating.

Tatianna smiled, “Hello, my niece. It is good to finally meet you,”

It took a few seconds for this to process, as Blair blinked slowly, “But, how are you here?” She was certain that her aunt was dead, so it made her wonder exactly how Tatianna was standing right in front of her as though she was alive.

“Some of my power is embedded here. Before I died, I had a trusted friend take some magic to transfer to this very spot when I died,” Tatianna explained easily, as though this made complete and utter sense.

Blair frowned, “Why?”

“Because I know my sister,” Tatianna explained, a sad look in her eyes, “I knew she would pull something like this. I saw it,”

“You have the same power as me?” Blair asked as things clicked into place. The only way Tatianna could have known this was going to happen was if she saw it happen. Like Blair was able to.

Tatianna smiled, “Of course, in our family, seeing the future is very common. My father also had this power,”

“But Maeve doesn't have it,” Blair said with a frown.

Tatianna nodded her head, “She was skipped,”

Blair pursed her lips, that made sense. However, it was the fact that her clairvoyant power seemed to be a family power that interested her. It also explained why Maeve had reacted with such anger when Blair’s power was revealed as a child. Maeve had screamed and shouted for hours afterwards and refused to even look at Blair. She remembered the envy in her mother’s eyes, and as a child, that stuck with her. It had also made sense as to why Maeve had wanted to use her power constantly. While Maeve could never possess the power herself, she had access to the power through her blood.

“So, if you knew that your sister had planned your murder, why didn’t you do anything to stop it?” Blair questioned in confusion. If she had a vision where she was going to be killed, she would do everything in her power to stop it. Something she’d done several times when on the run.

Tatianna frowned and shook her head, “I prolonged my death for quite some time. That was not the first time Maeve had tried to kill me, but it was the first one that was going to be successful. Regardless of what I would have done, I was always going to be killed by my sister’s hand,” There was a sadness in her green eyes, one that spoke of the horrors she had witnessed over the years. Each vision of her sister killing her had not been an easy thing to accept. It had fractured their relationship to a point it could never be recovered or fixed. The trust was long gone.

Blair said nothing at the answer, as there was nothing to say. As a clairvoyant, she understood what had been seen. The feeling of anger, hopelessness and despair. Blair had her fair share of horrifying visions when she was chased by the Hunter for the past four hundred years. She had seen herself killed many times by him and she’d changed it by leaving as soon as she could. Some were closer calls then others.

“Maeve only cares for the throne. I wanted her to see the error of her ways, but she has refused,” Tatianna said as she shook her head in disappointment.

“Do you have something to do with the no children being born?” Blair arched a brow at her aunt.

Guilt shone in Tatianna’s eyes and she nodded her head, “I did. Before I died, I performed a curse, one that would activate if a certain requirement was met. If she ever caused harm to her child and blood, in any way, a curse would activate to teach her a lesson. I had hoped Maeve would never do it, but evidently, she did,” Her final words to Maeve had been to warn her about this curse. She remembered how frantic Maeve had been, how she’d screamed at Tatianna and demanded she reverse what was done. But it was too late.

“So, you punished her subjects? Your subjects,” Blair asked with a frown, “Fae who were innocent in this matter lost children, and haven’t been able to conceive since,” She remembered the haunted expression from Marie as she recounted how she’d lost her child. Grief was a powerful and horrible emotion, and to subject the people she was meant to care for was a horrible thing.

“I was angry and acted rashly in the moment. I also could not undo the curse either,” Tatianna admitted. In a moment of anger after witnessing another death by her sister’s hand, something inside Tatianna had snapped and she’d wanted to get back at Maeve somehow. At the time, it had seemed like a good idea, but now, so many Fae had been caught in the middle, and she deeply regretted her actions.

Blair stared at her aunt for a moment, and wondered whether the people had been right idea to worship her, “How can the curse be broken?” The curse was a powerful one if Tatianna could not break it. However, any Fae who was competent at magic would have made sure there was a failsafe, a way to stop the curse.

“For Maeve to admit what she did to me, to bring her child home, where they belong, and to earn her child’s forgiveness,” Tatianna explained.

Blair hummed as it all made sense now. Maeve has thought if she had confessed to what she’d done to her, and how her blood had been spilt. The fresh blood was to show that she was home – a very dramatic way of showing this. It would also explain why Maeve has been so mad when nothing had happened. Maeve had thought she had lifted the curse, and when nothing had happened, she was angry. Little did her mother know, Blair did not forgive her at all.

“I don’t have much time,” Tatianna said suddenly, her image flickered in an unstable manner, “I stored enough magic for this conversation and to leave a parting gift,” Once her magic was gone, she would pass over and could finally be at peace.

“Exactly what gift?” Blair narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

Tatianna came closer, which made Blair back away slightly, but when she saw the pleading eyes of her aunt, Blair stayed still. She was curious to know what her aunt had planned. Once close enough, Tatianna placed a hand on Blair’s head and suddenly, Blair’s whole being was filled with magic. It was weird to have magic that was not hers coursing through her. Her magic resisted at first as this was foreign magic, but soon her magic backed away when Blair felt the icy claws in her brain slowly start to dissipate.

Once done, Tatianna stepped away and smiled down at her niece, “Give your mother hell,” With that, her image disappeared, as though she’d never been there.

Blair blinked slowly as she looked around. She could not feel any magic within the clearing anymore. She looked at the statue and found the eyes no longer glowed, Tatianna’s presence was officially gone and the place felt hollow. However, it took Blair a few seconds to realise she felt different – good different. She could no longer feel the presence of Maeve’s mind control.

She was free.

The grin on Blair’s face was filled with pure wickedness.

Now, she could pay her mother back ten-fold.

And she would enjoy every moment of it.

Chapter 54: Chapter 54

Notes:

I thought I would share some fun facts about this story, it was an idea that came to me. If people like it, I may do more of it when I finish ant future stories. I thought it might be a good insight of my writing process and how things had changed, or what could have been.

Raphael was never intended to be a main character and I had not intended for him to be Rebekah’s love interest. I had originally written him as a throw away character, but as I got further into the story, I realised how much I really liked his character and I thought Raphael and Rebekah would be quite cute together.

I had debated whether to make this story a reverse harem, with Blair having a relationship between all the Mikaelson siblings. I had read a lot of those stories, and I quite enjoyed them, so I did toss around that idea. But I realised how messy Blair and Klaus would be, and I am too much of a fan of Klaus x Caroline to take that away.

If Blair wouldn’t have got with Elijah, I would have paired her up with Kol. The chaos that would have come from those two would have been hilarious to write. I don’t think the world would be ready for that duo.

My favourite Mikaelson sibling to write has been Kol. My least favourite is Finn and also Freya (if anyone cannot already tell)
When originally drafting this story and Blair’s character, I tossed up the idea of writing it under the Vampire Diaries timeline and storyline instead, but I despise Damon and Elena so much, that I couldn't physically write that.

If I was asked to pick between the Salvatore brothers, or the Mikaelson family, I would pick the Mikaelson family in a heartbeat. In my opinion, the Vampires Diaries went downhill after the Originals left.

I refuse to write anymore of the Originals after season two because the series was actually depressing, and I refuse to acknowledge the actual ending. I hate it and I will not speak of it.

Caroline wasn’t going to end up in this story, but I couldn't picture Klaus with anyone else. I didn’t like Klaus and Camille – hence why she is barely in the story.

I hadn’t intended for Blair to bond so much with Davina, but it just felt natural to write, and it fit her growth. The same thing as well with Elijah taking on such a parental role for Davina.

I envision Raphael as such a girl dad – and he’d be an amazing dad.

Due to issues that were going on, I didn’t think I would actually get to complete this story, I thought it would remain incomplete for a while. It took me a while to gain my courage to write something again.

I had wanted to kill Tyler off when he came in near the beginning part.

I had a lot of fun writing the chapters when the Hunter made an appearance.

I really hate Marcel and Hayley – I hate their characters (if you couldn’t already tell)

There was going to be a chapter 55, but I decided to combine the past two chapters, because I felt like it was time. This story has gone on for some time now and I felt it was time to put this to rest so I can focus on other stories.

The only sound in the area was quiet footsteps as they made their way into the Forest. Marie had managed to sneak the Vampires, Witch and Fae into the Forest with little difficulty, as Marie had planned it explicitly. She had brought them in at the exact moment the guards had changed their shifts and had the Vampires speed them through so quickly no one had even noticed anything was amiss. Marie had walked in as though nothing was wrong so eyes had been on her, which helped distract from anything. She had told them to meet her at the large tree in the middle of the Forest, at the back and away from view.

Once hidden, Elijah, Klaus, Kol and Davina all took the opportunity to look around. They had all heard about the Forest from Blair and Raphael, but actually seeing it in person was different. There was a lot of greenery, trees and flowers alike. The air was silent and peaceful, but also quite eerie. Something about the Forest did not seem right. Elijah could instantly tell that this was not the heaven that Blair had described at all, and in fact, he felt unnerved by this change. Every Fae was sombre and moved almost robotically, and with purpose. It was weird and made him frown. Klaus and Kol had similar views, but they did not have the same inside knowledge Elijah would have had. Klaus and Kol had thought the whole thing odd and wondered why people would even want to stay there. Davina was in awe of all the greenery and wanted to stay, but it was Raphael who was the most devastated. He looked at his home with sad eyes – this was not his home. It hurt. A lot. He remembered how happy he used to be here, and all the positives, but then things went bad when he was brainwashed by the Queen and nothing was the same. There was no childlike awe, that had been stripped from him, and there was no friendliness between other Fae. Even when training with Tumas, they were all alone and there were no friendly conversations between anyone.

While the Forest was beautiful, it was a shallow husk of its former self.

A true indicator as to how far Maeve had fallen.

“Where is the nursery?” Klaus asked as he looked around. His main priority was to look for his daughter and make sure she was safe. He would not allow his daughter to become brainwashed by the Queen and used to create Hybrids against her will.

“It should be in there,” Raphael said as he pointed to the large tree, that had been hollowed out and used as the main house for the royal family.

Klaus looked ready to dash off to go and get his daughter, but he stopped when Marie arrived, out of sight from everyone else. “I would advise against just charging in. It would raise the magical alarm, which would activate the alarms in the nursery. Where no one but the Queen would be able to unlock the door that held your daughter,” Her voice was low, as she muttered this news to the group. She tried to be as quiet as possible so attention was not brought to them, which would not have ended well.

Klaus seethed where he stood but nodded his head.

“Where is Rebekah?” Raphael asked as he looked around. He needed to know where she was, so he could help her out.

Marie pointed to the same tree, “She would be held on one of the top floors. It might be easier to get to her first, but there is magic that guards her room,”

“I and Davina can go to Rebekah,” Kol suggested as he looked at his partner and smiled cheekily. He was sure that Davina could deal with that pesky bit of magic around his sister’s room and they could free her.

Davina beamed at him, at the confidence he had with her magic.

“That may be easier,” Marie considered this and nodded her head in agreement. It made sense for them to split off into smaller groups so they would not be discovered.

“I and Klaus can then retrieve Hope,” Elijah suggested as well. He could see the agitation on Klaus’ shoulders and knew there was a risk of him going rogue if something was not done, and soon. He was confident that he and his brother could deal with whatever was hiding Hope.

“I will go with Kol and Davina,” Raphael said, as he looked to the Vampire and Witch, who appeared to have no objection to him joining them.

Marie nodded her head in agreement, “That should be fine. Rebekah is being held on the top floor, there is only one room so that should be easy to find. I will stay with Niklaus and Elijah,” When there was no disagreement with her plan, Marie nearly sighed in relief, she had hoped there would be no arguing, or any explosions of anger along the way. Marie had been sending wary glances in the Hybrid’s direction for some time, and no one had missed this.

“Let us go,” Elijah instructed as he and Klaus set off, and he made sure to grab Marie so she was not left behind.

Marie nearly screamed at the speed but kept quiet. Before she could even breathe, they were already in the main tree, had got past all the guards and were now standing in the middle of the hallway. Marie took a few moments to recognise where they stood and she gave some directions of where the nursery was. Elijah and Klaus did not reply, but followed her direction, making sure that their advanced speed and stealth kept the unsuspecting Fae from noticing their presence. Marie blinked again, as they moved, and they were in front of the nursery. Once there, Elijah let go of Marie and stood a respectful distance away.

As the Fae reached into her pocket, she pulled out a key for the nursery – the only other copies resided with the Queen and the Head Maid in charge of Hope’s care. She opened the door, and she saw a quick shadow dart into the room and she instantly knew that Klaus and Elijah had made their way into the nursery. Marie walked in and pretended as though nothing was wrong. She closed the door and walked in. It didn’t take long before she reached the nursery, where Hope lay asleep in her cot, and her being cooed over by the many staff members within the room.

“Does the Queen want an update?” One of the maids asked when they saw Marie.

Marie nodded her head. This was not unusual, as the Queen often asked for a report on how Hope was doing, sometimes hourly, especially when she was first brought in. So, when the staff saw Marie, no questions were raised about her unusual behaviour.

Before the maid could day anything, Elijah appeared behind her and he hit the back of her neck, which made her fall to the ground unconscious. Marie stared in shock and nearly screamed as she thought the Fae had been killed, but sighed in relief when she saw the maid was still breathing. Marie looked around and saw how all the staff were unconscious, including the ten guards that were present.

“That was quick,” Marie commented, almost taken aback.  

“Sneak attacks work quite well when we want to use them,” Klaus said as he walked over to his daughter’s cot. The Fae in the room had not been aware of their presence and were not able to retaliate as they’d been too quick. By the time they’d disabled one, and their body fell to the floor, Elijah and Klaus had already done the same thing to the nine other guards, and various maids within the nursery.

“And you didn’t kill them,” Marie commented in surprise.

Elijah looked to the Fae with a blank expression, “We’re not animals,” While he understood that Fae did not have the best perception of him and the rest of the Vampire kind, he did not appreciate being looked upon and assumed. Elijah’s control was impeccable, and so was Klaus’ when he chose to.

Marie had the decency to look away sheepishly under Elijah’s blunt gaze.

Ignoring everyone else, Klaus gazed down at his daughter and smiled down. As if sensing her father, Hope woke up and smiled the moment she saw her father. She raised her arms and cooed at Klaus, asking to be picked up. Klaus laughed at his daughter and picked her up carefully holding her to him. He nuzzled her head as he basked in Hope’s presence, happy to have his daughter back in his arms, where she was safe. He and his Wolf had been going stir crazy as he wondered what had happened to his daughter as he assumed the worst. After he got his cuddles in, Klaus looked down at his daughter to see if he could notice anything wrong with her – like any needle marks in case they tried to take her blood, and was relieved when he saw nothing alike. Hope appeared to be in good health.

Elijah took out his phone when he felt it vibrate in his pocket. He looked down and saw he had a message from Kol, “They’ve found Rebekah,”

“Is she hurt?” Klaus questioned as he held his daughter. While his rage had been tempered by the fact his daughter was safe and unharmed, his wrath would be the same if his sister was hurt in any way.

Elijah shook his head, “She’s fine, extremely annoyed, but she’s fine,” However, his thoughts went to Blair, and whether she was okay. His heart ached as he thought about her, and his whole body hummed in anticipation of seeing her once again.

ORIGINALS

With Kol, Davina and Raphael

The Vampire, Fae and Witch stopped outside the only room on the top floor. They had followed Marie’s instructions and also made sure to stay out of sight. Davina had placed a cloaking spell on her and Raphael while Kol scoped out the place to make sure there were no threats. He was so fast that no Fae saw him coming until it was too late and he’d knocked them unconscious for a while. Kol had to hold himself back as his usual tactic would be to just kill someone and move on, but he felt it would not be taken well.

Now that they were in front of the door, Raphael’s heart raced, to the point Kol looked at him with furrowed brows.

Davina placed a hand on the door and felt the magic that surrounded the room. “It’s powerful, Rebekah wouldn’t be able to leave at all,” Luckily, Blair had taught her well, and Davina felt confident that she could deal with the enchantment on the door. Taking a deep breath, Davina used her magic to slowly strip away the layers of magic on the door, and started with the biggest lock. Overall, there were three different locks present on this one door, and some would take more time.

“Rebekah, we’re here to come and get you, you better be decent,” Kol called through the door with a grin.

There was silence for a moment, and Raphael worried that something was wrong, but he was relieved when he heard Rebekah snort on the other side, “Took you long enough,”

“Rebekah, are you okay?” Raphael asked.

Kol heard Rebekah’s breath hitch when she heard Raphael’s voice, “I am fine Raphael, but I am bored out of my mind!”

Raphael chuckled and smiled at the door, his heart felt lighter knowing his partner was safe.

Kol studied the Fae for a moment. While he had never denied that the Fae loved his sister, and vice versa, seeing it was almost…sickening. None of them in the Abattoir was overly affectionate, they were all private people – as much as one could be with advanced hearing – but Kol had a good feeling about Raphael. Kol had never liked any of Rebekah’s lovers, none of them stood out or they were boring. Rebekah had always been too good for the men she chose, but this time, she chose a good one. It was also smart to pick Raphael, as he had the backing and protection of Blair, and through her, the protection of Elijah and Davina.

Davina sighed in relief when the last lock fell from the door, “It should open,”

Without a second though, the Fae opened the door and stepped inside. His eyes immediately found Rebekah, who sat on the bed and looked at him with a soft expression. Within a few steps, he was beside the bed and hugged her closely to him, relieved she was okay. Rebekah appeared to melt in his arms, as she too sighed in relief.

“Aw,” Davina whispered with a smile.

Kol fake gagged.

Rebekah rolled her eyes at her brother’s behaviour and pulled away from the male Fae, “What took you so long?” She asked playfully, as there was no heat in her tone and she was smiling.

“We stopped for coffee on the way,” Kol smirked at his sister, especially when she glared at him.

Davina swatted his arm on behalf of his sister, and Rebekah shot the Witch a grateful look, “How’s the baby?” She asked as she and Kol walked into the room. They closed the door behind them just in case someone came by and raised the alarm.

“Baby’s okay,” Rebekah smiled when Raphael held her hand tightly, she could sense his tension and worry, “But I would prefer she be checked on,”

“I can give it a try?” Davina offered. Blair had shown her how to do the spell, just in case she was not around when Rebekah wanted to be checked up on.

Rebekah nodded her head, and the Witch came closer to the pregnant Vampire. Rebekah had been anxious the entire time for the baby’s health. It was a stressful situation, and from all the baby books she had read, stress could seriously harm the baby and this worried her. She just needed to know that her baby was okay and then she could relax.

Davina placed her hand over the protruding stomach and focused her magic, just like Blair said and slowly pushed her magic to surround the baby. Davina closed her eyes to concentrate as she didn’t want to miss anything, “Everything looks good,”

“Are you sure?” Raphael asked anxiously.

Davina nodded her head, “Yep, everything looks good,” She couldn’t see anything wrong with the baby and this made her relieved. She would have hated to give bad news to Rebekah and Raphael as she knew how much this baby meant to them.

“Heartbeat is strong and steady,” Kol added in, as he could hear the heartbeat of the baby. He could also hear the heartbeats of Raphael and Rebekah and how much faster they beat than usual, and he could sense the apprehension coming off them in waves.

Rebekah sent them both a grateful look, her anxieties quelled for now. Raphael kissed the top of her head. As he did this, Davina used her magic to get the cuffs off Rebekah’s ankles, freeing her. When she saw she was free, Rebekah moved and stood from the bed, and nearly moaning in relief when her muscles stretched. She had been in the same position for ages and her body was happy to move around. It took a few minutes to adjust to standing on her feet, but she still didn’t let go of Raphael's hand the entire time.

“Have you fed?” Raphael asked as he fretted over her.

Rebekah nodded her head, “Yes, they fed me blood, usually brought it to me twice a day,”

Raphael relaxed slightly, at least his partner had not been starved of blood. Blair has recommended that Rebekah increase her blood intake for the baby’s sake, and they followed that advice. He worried how the baby would have been affected if Rebekah had not been fed.

Kol took out his phone and texted Elijah that everything was okay. He received an answer within seconds, “Elijah said to meet them outside the throne room, the plan is to confront Maeve now that we have Rebekah and Hope.”

“They found Hope?” Rebekah asked as she looked at her brother. She remembered how Blair had shared she’d been looking for Hope, and was reassured to know she’d been found.

Kol nodded his head, “Yes, Hope is fine as well,”

“Thank heavens,” Rebekah breathed deeply as she relaxed. She then looked to Kol, “How’s Elijah?” She’d been desperate to know whether he was okay after Blair’s mind had been taken over by Maeve. She knew her brother and knew that he’d be blaming himself for something.

Kol laughed, “His temper is as bad as Nik’s,”

Rebekah shot him a horrified look, “Holy shit, it’s that bad?” Elijah had a lot of patience, he’d dealt with them during their bad times. He’d helped them through tricky situations, and also mediated between them and Klaus when he flipped or if someone angered him – which was often. To know that patience was gone was terrifying and she’d hate to be on the receiving end.

Raphael winced, “They argued the entire way, and Kol certainly wasn’t helping,” He shot a look at the Wild Original, one filled with exasperation.

Kol grinned cheekily, “Well I was amused,”

“Raphael told them all to shut up, it was so funny,” Davina giggled, as Raphael’s face flushed, and he looked down in embarrassment.

“I thought I was going to die,” Raphael muttered under his breath, but they all heard him.

Rebekah cooed over him, which made Kol fake gag loudly.

“Have you seen Blair?” Davina asked the female Vampire, curious to know how Blair was doing.

Rebekah frowned, “I have, but not much. She’s struggling, but she won’t say it.” When speaking to the female Fae, she could see the resentment, anger and shame in her eyes. Blair hid it well, but Rebekah knew her and could see past the mask she put up. She only hoped that Elijah would be able to get her through it.

“Well she’s fighting the control, that’s what Marie said,” Raphael reassured her.

Rebekah nodded her head. She was confident that if anyone could fight the Queen’s control, it would be Blair. “Let’s go, the quicker we get this done, the quicker we can go home,” Rebekah said as she marched out of their room with the others following suit behind her.

It didn’t take long to make it down to the bottom of the tree. Kol had done the same thing, by knocking the Fae unconscious, except now he had Rebekah to assist with this and so the job was completed even faster than before. Now that they knew Hope had been found, Davina did not bother with a magical cloak to hide them anymore, as now it was crunch time.

They saw Klaus and Elijah up ahead, with Hope in Klaus’ arms and Marie a few feet from them. They were outside the throne room; both of their eyes scanned the room for any future threats.

“It’s good to see you, Rebekah,” Elijah greeted his sister with a smile, relieved to see that she was unharmed, as was the baby.

Rebekah hugged her brother and also hugged Klaus, and cooed over Hope, “The most they did was lock me in a room, I am fine, but I am worried for Blair,” She said as she looked to Elijah, giving him a once over. He looked fine on the outside, but she could see the worry in his dark eyes, similar to what she’d seen in Raphael’s eyes.

Elijah squeezed his sister’s hand and smiled sadly.

“The Queen should be on the other side of the door,” Marie muttered as she looked to the door. On the way, she tried to convince Elijah and Klaus to just grab Blair before confronting the Queen, but they disagreed, as said they would confront her now that they had Rebekah and Hope.

“No, I am not,”

Marie froze when she heard the cold voice of Maeve. Everyone turned their heads and saw Maeve standing a few feet away, a furious expression on her face. Behind her, there was an army of other Fae, all with weapons and armour alike.

“It appears we have some riff-raff in the Forest,” Maeve sneered as she looked down at them.

The moment the Mikaelson family saw the Queen, they were almost taken aback by how alike she and Blair looked to one another. If they hadn’t of known Maeve was Blair’s mother, they would have known there and then – or assumed them, sisters. Klaus stared at the Queen with anger in his eyes, but none of that compared to the fury that radiated from Elijah, his eyes had darkened and the black veins below his eyes flickered. Now that the Queen was in front of him, he wanted nothing more than to snap her neck and rip out her heart, but he knew that he needed to get her to release her hold on Blair – as he did not know if her death would undo that automatically, or would forever trap her. Davina stared at Maeve, conflicted. She hated the woman, but the fact she had Blair’s face unnerved her.

“Oh, we don’t plan to be here long,” Klaus flashed a charming smile, “We’re here to collect some people you took from us,” For extra measure, he gestured to his sleeping daughter in his arms.

Maeve glared at Klaus but seemed weary of him at the same time. The moment he spoke, Maeve tensed, which made the guards around her shift. “How dare you come into my home and claim I have stolen something of yours, I have stolen nothing that didn’t already belong to me,” Maeve said harshly as if she was offended by his accusation.

“I belong to no one,” Rebekah shot out with a glare. She did not appreciate being referred to as a possession – or her baby.

Ignoring her, Maeve’s eyes locked onto Raphael and she sneered, “And it appears as though the traitor is alive.” She knew she should have personally killed Raphael before leaving New Orleans, and it was something she regretted.

“I would rather be a traitor than your puppet,” Raphael snarled back angrily, as his grip on Rebekah’s hand tightened. Rebekah squeezed his hand back, to let him know that she was with him every step.

Maeve moved on, as though he’d never spoken, “And Marie, I am most surprised.” Maeve looked at Marie and frowned, as though she was genuinely hurt by this betrayal. Marie was her second, her advisor, someone who had stood by her through all this time.

“This madness has to stop, you need to let go of your control over everyone,” Marie pleaded with the Queen.

“It is not madness!” Maeve yelled at her advisor, “I am doing what is right,”

“This is not right!” Marie shouted back loudly as she stepped towards the Queen, but was stopped when Raphael shook his head and put his hand out to stop her.

Raphael knew that if Marie tried to get close, the Queen would have her killed in an instant.

“Where is Blair?” Elijah demanded.

For a moment, Maeve frowned and did not appear as though she was going to answer his question. However, she soon smirked, “Eloise, can you please come out?”

There was a faint sound of footsteps as Blair walked onto the scene, a blank expression on her face. She walked close to Maeve until she was a few feet away. Once close enough, Blair bowed low to her mother before standing tall.

The moment Elijah saw her, his eyes zoned in on her, as he took in her whole form. She looked physically fine. In fact, she looked beautiful in the lavender gown she had on. But it was the cold look in her eyes that worried him the most. There was something different about her – and he didn’t know what it was. Marie had shared how Blair was fighting against Maeve’s control, but in that moment, he worried about whether that was true, as she looked exactly as she did when she made off with Hope and Rebekah that night.

“Blair,” Davina muttered when she saw the female Fae, her heart broke when she saw the void expression.

“Release her from your power, now,” Elijah commanded harshly as he continued to stare at Blair. He waited to see if there was anything about her that indicated she wasn’t under the control of the Queen.

Maeve laughed loudly, “Now why would I do that, when I can do this,” She looked to her daughter, “Eloise, put a knife to your throat,”

Without hesitation, Blair produced an iron knife and rested it on her throat.

As soon as everyone saw the weapon, the Vampires, Witch and Fae tensed. Davina’s heart lurched in her throat as she nearly screamed out, and Elijah tensed where he stood. Seeing a knife so close to his mate’s throat drove him crazy, as he was aware that a single movement could slash her throat.

“I could order her to kiss my shoe and she would do it because she is mine,” Maeve gloated as she looked at each and every single one of them. She knew that they could do nothing when she had Blair in her hold. “And there is nothing you can do about it,”

Klaus and Kol exchanged looks with one another. They could sense the rage from Elijah and it unnerved them how quiet he was. Raphael shifted uncomfortably where he stood, as he felt the pressure in the air change, things had become extremely tense.

“But I can merciful,” Maeve said benevolently, “Leave now, and I will forgive this transgression. But make sure to leave Hope and Rebekah behind, or I will have Eloise stab herself repeatedly,”

“She’s your daughter, and you treat her like that?” Davina demanded.

Maeve’s gaze on the Witch hardened, as hatred flashed in her eyes, “You have no right to even speak to me. I should kill you where you stand, you insignificant pustule,”

Davina nearly flinched back at the hurtful words, and this made Kol and Elijah growl lowly at the insult. Davina looked at Blair and her eyes nearly widened when she saw Blair wink at her. Confusion filled her, as she looked around to see if anyone else had noticed this, but it seemed as though she was alone in this. It made her wonder whether she was seeing things.

“And if we refuse?” Klaus challenged.

“Then we will kill you,” Maeve announced strongly, as her army shifted at her words. There were many Fae gathered there, all with weapons.

Klaus was about to respond to this threat, but he was interrupted when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye – as did everyone else. Even the Fae army appeared to be frozen in their tracks, uncertainty in their eyes. However, it was the gasp that alerted everyone that something had happened. Maeve’s eyes were wide and her head pulled backwards – an iron knife was held to her throat. Maeve’s whole body trembled as she felt the iron brush her skin as confusion set in.

“Not so cocky now, are you, mother,” Blair whispered harshly in her ear. Blair had bided her time and waited for the best time to strike. She had been tempted to just stab Maeve in the heart and be done with it, but that would be too good for her. She wanted Maeve to suffer for what she’d done, and the humiliation she’d put her through. She would make her pay. She had waited patiently, holding the iron knife to her own throat, and when she saw the opportunity, she took it without hesitation, had slowly got closer to her mother without anyone noticing, before she grabbed her mother’s hair and pulled her head back, before she rested the knife on Maeve’s neck.

“Blair!” Davina cried out in happiness.

Blair looked to the Witch and smiled, “Hey, Davina, you okay?”

Davina nodded her head, relieved that Blair was okay.

“How?” Maeve demanded harshly, “You were under my control?”

“I was,” Blair admitted, as she looked to the Vampires, Witch and Raphael, she wanted to explain everything that had gone down. Her eyes landed on Elijah’s, his dark eyes made her heart flutter in her chest. Elijah appeared to hear this and he smiled at her, “However, my magic combated your control, but not completely. I had been working on getting rid of your control, but I had help along the way,”

“Who?” Maeve demanded.

Blair smirked, “Tatianna,”

The very name made Maeve freeze where she was, as she was filled with horror. The name caused a stir in the room as the Fae, who were under Maeve’s control, appeared to recognise the name. Some even stumbled and held their heads in confusion.

Marie gasped when she heard the name.

Kol, Klaus and Elijah looked at one another and saw now as the best opportunity. Seeing that the Queen was preoccupied, they acted quickly. Klaus handed Hope over to Rebekah before he sprang into action. The female Vampire took the sleeping child into her arms without protest. Before anyone could even blink, the Fae army had been quickly immobilised, their weapons removed from them, and most of the unconscious on the floor. There were some loud thumps as bodies hit the floor, and weapons thrown far out of reach. Davina used her magic and made the weapons vanish as well so no one could try and sneakily get to them when no one looked when they eventually woke up. Within seconds, Elijah, Kol and Klaus were back to where they started but were much smugger than before.

“B-but she’s dead,” Marie stuttered, not seeming to notice the Fae army had all been disarmed and taken down.

Blair nodded her head, “She is, but a friend brought some of her magic back to her statue. It was there, I met with her and she removed the rest of Maeve’s control over me. I would have been able to do it myself eventually, but she just sped up the process,”

Maeve shook in rage, but she could do nothing, as a knife was held to her throat.

“And I will let you in on something else as well,” Blair muttered lowly, “You never closed the challenge,"

Maeve’s eyes widened. However, she did not get any time to react as Blair moved too quick. Blair moved the iron knife and stabbed Maeve in the stomach area. Maeve cried out as the iron burned her and she moved forward to go into a foetal position. Blair pushed her so she fell to the floor in a slump. The iron would basically cauterise the wound from the inside, but Maeve could do nothing as she was in pain. Blair looked down at her mother and sneered, she spat on the ground where Maeve lay and kicked her for good measure. Her mother was not dead, but she would be soon. Instead, Blair’s purple eyes glowed as she used her magic and made her mother float into the air. With her other hand, she used her magic so Maeve’s arms and legs twisted unnaturally until they snapped loudly. Maeve screamed loudly as her bones broke under the pressure from the magic and tried to move, but found herself immobile in the air.

“Raphael, this is your chance,” Blair smirked wickedly as she lowered Maeve down slightly.

Without another word, Raphael came forward and punched Maeve straight in the face, and found that he could not stop. He punched her face, her stomach, her chest – everywhere he could reach. He did not stop when her face became bloodied, and he certainly did not stop when her teeth fell out from the pure force of the punches. He made sure to put all his resentment into those punches – all the hurt he had experienced and the humiliation of being her puppet. He only stopped when he realised, she was unconscious.

Blair lowered the battered Queen to the floor and looked down at her unconscious mother with a void expression. She felt nothing for her – no love and no remorse. For what she had planned for this Fae, she would wish for a quick death.

But Blair would not grant it.

Blair was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt Elijah approach her. She looked up and was about to say something, but she never got the opportunity. His hand grabbed the back of her neck and his lips were on hers in a second as he pulled her close to him, his arms around her waist. Blair made a noise of surprise, but she did not protest, in fact, she melted in his arms as she deepened the kiss, running her hands through his hair. Elijah practically purred into the kiss. Her heart raced in her chest as they continued to kiss, she could feel the passion, the hurt he’d gone through as well as the longing. Blair returned this back and a part of her purred in satisfaction. Elijah kissed her a few more times before he rested his head on hers and relaxed fully, especially now that he had Blair in his arms.

“Are you fully in control?” Elijah asked lowly as he ignored his sibling in the background.

“I am,” Blair breathed deeply as she tried to calm down her heart rate.

Elijah kissed her again, and again, and again until he was satisfied. He would not be fully satisfied until he had her alone, in the comfort of their bed, where no one could disturb them, but he’d settle with this for now. Blair giggled softly when his lips brushed against her cheeks, nose and forehead. She felt loved and safe in his arms, something she had craved since she’d been torn away from them.

“Marry me,” Elijah said suddenly.

Blair’s eyes widened as she looked at him in shock. “You’re asking me now?” She had envisioned something different when she and Elijah got engaged – like a fancy party with all eyes on her and Elijah.

Elijah shook his head, “I had planned a whole elaborate night, but losing you made me realise I couldn't wait any longer,” He placed a hand on her face as he cradled her gently. He had been in physical pain when Blair was away, and his one regret had not been asking her to marry him sooner.

Her heart practically melted at his words, “Of course, I will marry you, I would accept no one else,”

With a wide grin, Elijah reached into his pocket and pulled out the custom rings he and Blair had designed. Blair’s ring was a platinum band, with a medium-sized blue sapphire in the middle, decorated with two diamonds next to it. Elijah’s ring was a chunky platinum ring, with similar stones embedded. The rings had been engraved with each other’s names. Blair’s ring had Blair Mikaelson engraved on the inside, as well as Always and Forever. Elijah slipped her ring onto her finger and it fit perfectly. Blair reached for his ring and did the same with him. Once the rings were on, they both looked at one another, love in their eyes.

Kol cleared his throat, which made Elijah and Blair look up. They saw the family looking at the couple, with Klaus covering Hope’s eyes. Klaus looked unimpressed and almost a little disgusted, whereas Rebekah smiled widely. Raphael and Davina were sniggering behind their hands, and Kol wolf-whistled at the couple.

“As if you wouldn't have done the same,” Blair scoffed as she sent a pointed expression at the Hybrid. She didn’t feel the slightest bit embarrassed, as she had nothing to be embarrassed about. She had heard Klaus and Caroline go at it, so he had no room to talk.

Klaus opened his mouth to rebuff her answer, but Rebekah slapped his arm and sent him a look, that indicated that he totally would. Klaus wisely closed his mouth and said nothing.

Davina ran over to Blair and hugged her close. Blair had to balance herself, and luckily, Elijah was beside her and steadied them both so they did not fall over. Davina held the Fae close to her and relaxed when she felt Blair hug her back. Blair had missed the Witch dearly and hoped that she had been okay.

“I am so glad you’re okay,” Davina mumbled into her shoulder. It had been sweet to watch Blair and Elijah get engaged, but all she wanted was to hug the Fae she considered to be like a mother to her.

“I’m okay, are you okay?” Blair asked as she pulled away to look at Davina, she cradled the Witch’s face in her hands as she examined her. She could see no marks on her, which she was grateful for. There would be hell if anything had happened to her.

Davina shook her head, and smiled at Blair’s concern, “I’m okay,” She was just glad that they hadn’t lost Blair, because she honestly did not know what she would have done if she’d lost the Fae as well. “I also want to be flower girl,” Davina whispered lowly, where only Elijah and Blair heard.

Elijah and Blaire shared a look and nodded their heads. Elijah wrapped his arm around Blair, “Now, what do we do with her?” He asked as he looked down at the unconscious body of Maeve. Once they dealt with this, they could go home and then organise their wedding.

Marie walked up to the unconscious Maeve and removed the crown on top of her head. With that in hand, she looked to Blair, “I think we have the winner of the Royal Challenge,”

“We still need Maeve to release the hold she has on everyone,” Blair said, as she stared down at the crown with a frown. She did not particularly care to take the crown, as it had been the prized possession of her mother and all the other Royal family of the Fae. It held a lot of history, but also a lot of responsibility. Also, the challenge had not been fully closed, either Maeve needed to die or swear loyalty – something Maeve would never do.

At that answer, Kol sped up to the unconscious Fae and slapped her face a few times to wake up her. No one protested at this either, and Raphael thought it amusing as he started to laugh and he told Kol to slap the Fae harder. This method seemed to work as Maeve groaned and opened her eyes, only to see herself surrounded.

Her eyes locked onto Marie, who held the crown in her hands, “I refuse to swear loyalty,” She hissed lowly, her speech slurred and nasally. Her face was trying to heal, but it had not fully healed, as there had been an extensive amount of damage done.

In response, Blair walked up to the Fae and placed her foot on the iron knife that was still impaled in her. She stepped on the knife and made it stab even deeper into her stomach. Maeve screamed as the iron burned her, she tried to get away, but she found herself stuck and as though she could not move because of the pain.

“You denied me sanctuary all those years ago,” Blair explained as she glared down at her mother, “You left me at the mercy of the Hunter. Did you ever regret what you did?” It was something she was actually curious about, whether her mother could hold remorse for what she’s done.

Maeve whimpered in pain. She opened one eye and looked at Blair, “I regret letting you live past infancy,” She immediately let out a scream when Elijah appeared by Blair's side as he pulled her up by her hair, fury in his eyes.

“Release your hold on the Fae, now,” Elijah ordered, his voice dark. It promised pain if his demand was not met.

Maeve was about to answer but screamed again when Klaus appeared by his brother’s side and he pulled the knife roughly out of her stomach. She nearly cried in relief when she no longer felt the burn and bite of the iron, but this did not last long as Klaus stabbed her multiple times in the back, the shoulders and her legs. Klaus paused and then handed the iron blade over to Kol, who smiled in delight and he stabbed the Fae in so many places that her skin started to resemble a pin cushion.

This continued for some time. However, at one point, Blair felt Maeve nearly slip into the other side and had one of the Vampires feed them her blood, so she could heal. Elijah did this, as they all wanted to continue to torture the Fae for everything she had done. Blair refused to allow Maeve an easy death – she would die only when Blair commanded it, and Elijah was more than happy to oblige with his blood. Davina had even tested some offensive magic spells on Maeve – something that had Maeve seething, but she could do nothing as anytime she tried to move, someone would be there to pin her into place.

Once it had reached the three-hour mark, Blair had an idea. She had Kol drag Maeve by her hair and they walked out of the main tree and into the middle of the Forest. Blair marched on, with the Vampires, Witch and the two Fae following behind her. Blair stopped when she was in the middle of the Forest, where all the other Fae worked. However, the Fae stopped working when they spotted a bloody and battered Maeve.

“Your Queen has been defeated in a Royal Challenge,” Blair announced, her voice strong and carried so everyone could hear her. This caused all the Fae to stop what they were doing, none of them could fully process what was being said.

But she had their attention.

That was all she needed.

“Your Queen was the one who caused the babies to be sick and die. Tatianna placed a curse on Maeve, one that would fall into effect when she banished me from the Forest,” Blair continued on as she explained what had happened. There was only silence amongst the Fae, but most of them seemed to be in pain when the name Tatianna was mentioned.

“If you want to break the curse, and for all this pain to stop, confess,” Blair hissed at her mother as Kol held Maeve up by her hair. Kol’s strength never wavered as he held her up for everyone to see their battered Queen.

Maeve grumbled something, but no one could make it out, as her face was that swollen.

“Say it!” Blair yelled at her.

“It was my fault!” Maeve slurred out, “I caused all the children to not be born or die four hundred years ago!”

There were gasps in the crowd and some people fell to the floor, holding their heads in pain. Blair watched this all and wondered whether the people were fighting against Maeve’s control like she did. This gave Blair some hope for the Fae.

“Release them from your control,” Raphael hissed at the former Queen.

Weakly, Maeve mumbled her next words, “I release everyone from my power. You are all free,” The moment she said those words, there was a shift in the air. Some Fae fell to the ground as though they were puppets and the strings had been cut. Fae looked around at one another, confused and dazed. Some began to call for names of loved ones, as they tried to find one another.

As Blair watched this all, she felt herself relax. Her people were free.

“Can we kill her now?” Kol questioned as he looked at the group.

Elijah looked down at Blair, “Is that what you want?”

“Yes,” Blair said as she walked up to her mother. She stared at Maeve with no expression on her face. This woman made her feel nothing at all. This was not her mother, she had never been caring or interested in her well-being. Blair was unsure about whether she wanted children, but she knew that if she eventually did become a mother, she would be a better one than Maeve.

Maeve, it seemed, still had some venom left in her. She glared at Blair as though this was all her fault.

“Your reign will be known for what it truly was.” Blair said as she looked down at her mother, “You will go down as one of the worst Queens the Forest has ever had,” With that, she used her magic and turned up the heat of her mother’s blood and watched as the horror set in Maeve's eyes. Blair turned up the temperature so much that and made her heart explode in her chest. Kol grinned at the scene as he was fascinated by watching Blair use her magic for such a purpose.

Maeve slumped forward and Kol let go of her. Her body fell to the floor with a loud thump.

Maeve was officially dead.

Blair stared down at the corpse and only felt a sense of relief. It was finally over and her people were free.

Marie walked over to Blair, a crown in hand.

For a moment, Blair stared at it before she took it and placed it on her head. The moment she did this, she gained the attention of all the Fae around her. Everyone seemed to recognise what had happened, as some had gained their bearings back quicker than others.

“As your new Queen, my first order is to open the gate. You are all free to come and go as you please,” Blair announced loudly. She looked at Elijah and smiled at him, and he smiled back at her, pride in his eyes.

ORIGINALS

A few weeks later

Blair sat down in front of a sweating Rebekah as she screamed. The baby had decided that today was the day she was going to greet the world, and Rebekah had been in labour for close to four hours now. Raphael was by her side, holding her hand and trying not to scream himself as Rebekah nearly crushed his hand a dozen times. They were all dressed in their finery, as they had just hosted a party, to celebrate Raphael and Rebekah’s engagement to one another. Raphael got down on one knee and showed the ruby and diamond ring, to which Rebekah did not hesitate in saying yes. However, as soon as the ring was slipped onto her finger, that’s when Rebekah’s water broke.

To say the party had been cancelled was an understatement, and all people who were not family or considered family were ushered out of the Abattoir immediately.

“One more push Rebekah and you'll be done,” Blair encouraged the Vampire. Usually, she would have stayed far away from all this, but Rebekah had demanded that she be the one to deliver her baby, as she trusted no one else.

What the pregnant Vampire wants, the pregnant Vampire gets.

Klaus, Elijah and Kol were all on the other side. Klaus paced around, with Caroline trying to soothe his nerves, as she held Hope in her arms. Elijah was reading a book and Kol was looking out the window, bored. Davina was beside him as she tried to entertain him, but he was getting agitated every time he heard Rebekah cry out in pain.

“You did this to me!” Rebekah cried out angrily at Raphael.

Wisely, Raphael said nothing as he patted down the sweat from Rebekah’s face with a cold cloth.

“One more push Rebekah!” Blair said as she looked at the Vampire, hoping to distract her from killing Raphael. If Rebekah did anything to Raphael, she would end up regretting it once her hormones settled back down.

With a scream, Rebekah pushed once more with all her will. She nearly cried in relief when she heard the small cry from a baby. Rebekah looked down and watched Blair place the freshly born baby onto Rebekah’s chest. Rebekah stared down at the baby in awe and she was instantly filled with love. She had never loved something so much in her life, as she did when she looked down at her daughter. Slowly, she cradled the baby in her arms, and her heart felt so much fuller than before.

“Congratulations, she is a healthy baby girl,” Blair said with a smile. She would put the baby at seven pounds ten ounces, a very healthy weight. She had made sure to check that the baby had all the toes and fingers, and there were no fangs or anything. This baby truly was a miracle and a loophole in Tatianna’s curse.

“She gorgeous,” Raphael breathed in awe as he stared down at his child.

“Have you guys decided on a name?” Blair asked as she looked at the new parents. Rebekah and Raphael had been pretty quiet about what they were going to name the baby.

Both Raphael and Rebekah looked at one another and shared a smile, “Emily, her name is Emily Mikaelson,” Raphael announced proudly, his face beaming with pride.

Blair smiled, “That’s a beautiful name,” She looked down at the baby and thought she suited the name.

“Can you sense what she is?” Rebekah asked as she looked at the female Fae.

“She’s a Hybrid, half Fae and half Vampire,” Blair said as she checked over the baby once more. Everything seemed to be evenly balanced, but they would not know what characteristic took prominence until she got older. Currently, she looked like a mushed-up bean, but resembled Raphael quite strongly, with the dark hair, but that could change.

“Thank you,” Raphael said as tears gathered in his eyes. He was so happy that he had his family.

Blair patted his shoulder as she left the room to give the new parents some space.

As she opened the door, she was met with the curious glances of the Mikaelson Clan, plus Caroline and Davina.

“They’re both fine and healthy,” Blair announced, as she was sure they had heard everything.

Elijah came up to Blair and kissed her on the lips and smiled down gratefully, “Thank you for this,” He knew how Blair would have preferred to stay away, and she would have if it wasn’t for Rebekah’s demands. None of them had expected the night to unfold in such a way, but it was definitely rememberable, and this child was definitely a Mikaelson with how dramatically they decided to announce it was time.

“Let’s go meet your cousin,” Klaus said to Hope as he and Caroline left the room. Kol and Davina followed close behind as they wanted to go and meet their niece.

Elijah looked down at the female Fae, “Have you got any meetings booked tomorrow?” He knew that his mate was very busy indeed. Ever since Blair had taken over as the new Queen of the Fae, she had been extremely busy as she organised everything. Raphael had been equally as busy as he was Blair’s advisor. The first order of business was that the gates had been opened and they had not closed since. Fae were allowed to roam to their heart's content but always had a home in the Forest.

There had been some unrest from the older Fae, the ones who opposed Blair’s new rules as they were scared, and Blair had to do a lot of work to make things right. The trust had to be earned, and there had been many Fae who wanted the throne abolished – something Blair was not opposed to. Blair, the Mikaelson family, Davina and Raphael had to stay behind for at least a week to sort things out. One of the first things Blair had done was tear down the main tree of the Forest – when she was sure there was no one in there. She wanted rid of everything that Maeve cherished and the first thing was the throne room. Slowly, Fae had begun to accept the new change and some had ventured out, only to return, but then travel further the next day.

It was slow progress, but it was progress nonetheless.

Each and every Fae had been given a scent suppressor, to help them reintegrate back into the supernatural society. It had shaken the community a lot, as they had been used to being without the Fae for eight hundred years but Blair refused to allow Fae to hide away and rot any further. The Witches were the most resistant, but Blair had expected this and did not pay attention to their whining. The Fae had also questioned why Blair would not remain in the Forest, but she refused to be tied down anywhere – she would explore to her heart's content.

Her heart also belonged in New Orleans, with Elijah.

“Just a few small things, but nothing much,” Blair shared as she hugged Elijah close to her. She loved the smell of his aftershave, it soothed and relaxed her.

Elijah hummed lowly in the back of his throat, as he held Blair in his arms, content.

“I’m surprised that Freya is not here,” Blair commented as she closed her eyes for a moment, as she fully relaxed in her mate’s arms. Things had been stressful when she’d taken on the mantle of the new Queen of the Fae, and she’d spent a lot of time trying to get everyone settled and calm any worries. The only time she saw Freya now was when they trained, as Freya no longer lived in the Abattoir with them all.

“She is settling Finn back in, as well as attending a meeting with the Witches tonight. They will most likely come tomorrow,” Elijah explained as he too closed his eyes. Klaus had informed him of the deal that was made, where Freya would join the Witches and act as a spy. As payment, they would wake Finn from his sleep – after Blair and Davina had given the potion to fix this. However, Finn was bound with Freya, so if anything happened to Finn, it would affect Freya and vice versa. This had been enough to keep Finn in line, but they would monitor this situation very closely, and if there were any signs of him going back to his old roots of trying to kill them, he’d be put down for a long time. Reluctantly, Freya had agreed to these conditions and promised she would keep her younger brother in line.

Blair snorted, “I will be surprised if Rebekah and Raphael allow Finn anywhere near the baby,”

Elijah chuckled at this statement, “If Finn says anything untoward, it will not go down well, but Freya had been thorough when going through the rules,” It was Freya’s responsibility that Finn did not do anything he shouldn’t, and if he did, Freya would pay the price, harshly.

Blair hummed at this statement and was about to say something, but she felt her power surge. Elijah seemed to notice this change and held her close and watched as Blair’s body slumped forward as the vision took over. He knew nothing was wrong, but he just needed to be patient and wait for the vision to be over.

Blair’s vision went white and multiple flashes appeared in front of her. She saw many things – all things that made no sense at first, so she focused on some of the scene before her. She saw as the Fae thrived and integrated themselves back into society, and saw as new Fae children were born across the world. Blair saw how New Orleans would thrive under the combined rule of Klaus and Caroline, with Hope being their little princess. In some of the visions, she saw Finn slowly come back into the fold of the family, as he accepted his nieces – and then there was a boy. Blair’s heart lurched in her chest when she saw herself pick up this baby boy and cradle him as if he were hers. However, it was when she heard Elijah refer to this baby as their son, that made her freeze and her heart lurch in her chest. This baby was also half Vampire and half Fae, a Hybrid. Blair saw Hope and Emily, as they grew up to be close, and friends with one another. Her and Elijah’s son was also present, friends with his cousins, getting up to mischief, more so than his cousins. Blair saw her son use magic, quite powerful magic that made her proud.

As the vision faded, Blair gasped as her eyes opened wide. Her heart was going ten to a dozen in her chest when everything set in.

She would have a child.

Whenever the topic of children came up, Blair thought she’d be more opposed. When she discussed with Elijah months ago, she had been sure she wasn’t ready for children. However, now that she had seen herself with a child and how happy Elijah looked – she longed for it. She wanted it. It confused her, but also excited her at the same time. Unconsciously, Blair’s hand travelled down to her stomach, where she thought she felt a flutter in her stomach.

“Blair?” Elijah’s gentle voice snapped her from her thoughts.

Blair looked up at her mate and saw the tension, but also anticipation in his eyes. He had seen her place her hand on her stomach and his thoughts had gone wild. Did this mean what he thought it did?

“I saw us, with a child, with a boy,” Blair whispered, feeling herself become overwhelmed with the pure love she felt for this child. He had looked exactly like Elijah but with her green eyes.

Pure joy flashed in Elijah’s dark eyes, as he picked her up and twirled around her, holding her close to him. His heart was filled with so much happiness he could not express it in words, but what made it even better was he could see and feel how much Blair wanted it as well. “Are you pregnant now?” He asked as he looked down at his mate.

Blair placed a hand on her stomach and used her magic. She did not think she was pregnant, as there had been no shift in her magic, but she just wanted to make sure. With her magic, she tried to see if anything was different. Blair was surprised by the disappointment she felt when she realised, she wasn't pregnant. However, she knew it would not be long, as she and Elijah’s child did not look much younger than Rebekah and Raphael’s child. “Not yet,”

“All the more time to practice,” Elijah purred as he kissed Blair deeply.

Blair sighed deeply into the kiss and wrapped her arms around him.

This was the start of their new beginning, and their life together. Their wedding was in a few weeks, and everything was set. Caroline had been adamant that she would plan this wedding and was also doing the same for Rebekah’s and Raphael’s wedding, which would be happening in a few months time.

Everything was perfect.

Always and Forever.

Notes:

Thank you everyone who continued to read this story and give their support. I am so glad I finished this story. As sad as I am that this story is over, I am also excited that I finally managed to complete this.