Impending Parenthood

Part One: Welcome Back to New Orleans

"Do you know where I might find her sister then?" He asked, trying to keep the urgency from his voice. "I would like to pay my respects."

Camille nodded, "Yeah, she works here too. She's actually back in the kitchen. I'm not supposed to let anyone back there, but since you must be a friend, you can go ahead."

As he immediately set down money for the drink he hadn't even touched, Elijah smiled, "Thank you, Camille. I appreciate it."

With that, he swept off the stool and headed toward the double doors that lead into the kitchen. He could smell the delicious gumbo she was cooking back there, before he even crossed the threshold. It reminded him of by gone days in the Quarter that were just shadows now.

Once Elijah had entered, he saw her there at the large chef's table — Sophie Deveraux.

She was small woman with black hair pushed back beneath a bandana. She furiously cut up various vegetables, throwing them into a large pot next to her.

Elijah watched her attentively, knowing well that since her sister had been a witch, so was she. He remained on guard, in case she decided to be less than civil.

"Sophie Deveraux?" He called cautiously.

Sophie stopped what she was doing, straightening with her body tense. Her hand that held the knife she had been using tightened around the handle, as if she meant to attack him. That would be a foolish move, indeed.

"I wouldn't do that," warned Elijah. "I could kill you before you ever made a move."

Knowing he was right, Sophie immediately relaxed her hand, letting the knife rest on the table. She slowly turned to face him. Fear gripped her dark eyes, mingling with the sadness that was already there, but she otherwise maintained a brave front. She even jutted her chin out at him and folded her arms across her chest defiantly.

"Do you know who I am?" Elijah asked, impressed by her courage.

Sophie curtly nodded, "Yeah, you're Elijah Mikaelson, one of the Originals. What the hell do you want? I'm busy."

"Well, first let me say, I'm sorry for your loss," he replied sincerely. "I know what it feels like to lose a sibling. My condolences."

She simply glared at him, unmoved by his attempted pleasantries.

"I was hoping you could assist me," Elijah continued, his tone immediately growing darker, more dangerous. "I was made aware of a supposed plot against me and my family. I was given the name of your late sister, but since she is gone, I thought perhaps you can help shed some light onto this rumor. Is it true? Are your people threatening harm against my family?"

As he spoke, Sophie's brave face dissolved into one of trepidation. She shifted her feet a bit and he could hear her heart rate increase with her climbing fear.

It did seem the rumor was true, that there was a plot against the Mikaelsons being brewed.

"Look, Jane-Anne was the one who made the deal," Sophie told him as evenly as she could muster, cracking under his intimidating presence. "I had nothing to do with the plot against you, but the witches are desperate. I'm certain you can appreciate what desperation can drive one to do."

He could. He understood that more than she knew.

"Time is running out for the witches of the French Quarter," explained Sophie. "We're being slaughtered by the vampires to the point of extinction and something needed to be done. So, Jane-Anne called upon someone to help and they formed this pact. I don't know much about it. I haven't been around much in the witch community lately. If you want to know the full story, you should talk to the person Jane-Anne summoned to aid our cause."