Marshall Twins [2 - Twins Series]

2 - Alive and Kicking

Book: Marshall Twins
Chapter 2
Word Count: 2463

Elijah returned home to find a puddle of blood on the floor of the courtyard. When he walked toward it to take a closer look, he saw a trail of paw prints that eventually turned into human footprints. The prints lead to a dead woman's body, which was propped up against the fountain. Elijah followed another trail of footprints to the bathroom, where Avery was taking a bubble bath. Another body was propped up against the wall next to the tub.

"Come to check up on me?" Avery spoke.

"You've had an eventful evening." Elijah commented.

"I was having a crappy day, so Klaus took me out to the Cauldron. Wouldn't you know, we ran into some witches!" Avery exclaimed.

"So, would you like me to remove your leftovers?" Elijah offered sarcastically. He stepped over the body and into the bathroom, and Avery rolled her eyes before standing up in the tub, not at all concerned about Elijah seeing her naked body. Elijah reached for a towel and handed it to Avery, though he didn't avert his eyes from her body.

"Oh, don't judge, Elijah!" Avery rolled her eyes. "What I did is no worse than anything Klaus has ever done."

"I would hope that you would hold yourself to a higher standard than Niklaus." Elijah muttered, concerned and exasperated.

"I'm a hybrid now, and I have a werewolf temper to go with my new appetite. And the witches that tried to kill my babies are worth nothing more than food. Excuse me." Avery walked past Elijah and returned to her room to change.

Elsewhere in the compound, Elijah went to talk to Klaus about Avery.

"You took her on a witch hunt?" Elijah demanded incredulously.

"I simply wanted to persuade those witches to locate the white oak stake for me. When they proved unable to do so, I let Avery have her fun." Klaus smirked.

"She grows more savage by the day! Can you not see that she is falling apart?!" Elijah yelled.

"Perhaps the problem is your high standards? Avery is one of us now. Being a vampire only exaggerates what you truly are, and wolves are wild things. She knows she can never live up to the pretty little picture you paint of her in your head. Your judgment only hurts her more." Klaus explained.

"I am trying to help her, and I asked you to help her, brother." Elijah pointed out. Klaus angrily rose to his feet.

"I am helping! You should have seen her last night! Covered in witches' blood and smiling from ear to ear! She is embracing this. A little less criticism from you, and Avery will be just fine."

"Niklaus!" Elijah shouted, exasperated. "The mother of your children deserves much better than just fine!" The two glared at each other. "You'll take her to the Bayou. Find any remaining wolves. Perhaps her people can reach her. Now, more than ever, she needs a connection to some of her humanity, some degree of dignity."

Elijah angrily stormed out of the room, leaving Klaus to consider his advice.

---

Klaus, Ariana, Avery, and Hayley arrived at the werewolf encampments and were looking around for any wolves who may still be around.

"I told you, this place is deserted." Avery sighed.

"No, their scent is fresh. They're hiding." Klaus said. "Which means somewhere nearby, we will find the remnants of your pack."

"...And then what? It's not exactly like they're going to welcome us. Hayley, maybe, but us? If there's one thing these people hate more than vampires, it's hybrids! They won't just shun us, they also won't let Ariana near. She's a vampire, too, remember? Why did we bring her when she can get killed here because of us?" Avery stated.