The Originals: Rewritten

Ch.9: Reining Pain In New Orleans

It was a beautiful day at the Mikaelson compound, as Klaus sat at one end of the table, Katerina on the right side by him, the vampire army and Marcel and Marcel's closest friends, also seated around the table. Klaus was celebrating his return to leadership over New Orleans and his repossession of the compound from Marcel. Klaus called for everyone's attention and then began.

"Let us begin with a toast to our shared gift: immortality. After a thousand years, one might expect life to be less keenly felt, for its beauties and its sorrows do diminish in time. But, as vampires, we feel more deeply than humans could possibly imagine." He gestured toward a group of waiters and waitresses to have them join them at the table, one for each guest. "Insatiable need, exquisite pain..." The servants slit their wrists with knives, filling the cups with blood for the vampires. "Our victories, and our defeats." He looked at Marcel. He raised his glass in a toast to the others. "To my city, my home again. May the blood never cease to flow."

Marcel lifted his glass.

"And the party never end!"

Diego raised his glass.

"To New Orleans."

"To New Orleans," Klaus repeated.

"To New Orleans," everyone but Katherine said.

Everyone drank, though Katherine's obviously wasn't blood, but wine instead, her being human and all.

"I understand that some of you may have questions regarding the recent change in leadership, and I invited you here tonight to assure you that you are not defeated. No, my intentions moving forward are to celebrate what we have. What Marcel, in fact, took and built for this true community of vampires," Klaus continued.

"What about her?" Diego questioned him, pointing to Katherine.

"Had you'd let me finish Diego, you would know that there is, of course, one further matter I would like to address." He got up and stood behind Katerina. "As many of you know, the girl is carrying my child. Consequently, I trust you will all pay her the appropriate respect. However, I understand that some of you are concerned by the vicious rumor that I intend to use the blood of our child to create hybrids. I assure you I do not. It appears I will have to earn your trust. Very well. We'll eliminate the root of your anxiety. You see, how can I sire any hybrids if there are no more werewolves alive in the Bayou to turn?" Klaus said.

Katherine didn't like that idea, but it wasn't because it was wiping out an entire werewolf pack in New Orleans. Wolves had families. She didn't want that to happen. She knew where boundaries should and shouldn't be, though she knew Klaus didn't usually have boundaries at all. She did, though.

"What? Klaus, no!" she exclaimed.

"So—eat, drink, and be merry. And, tomorrow, I suggest you have yourselves a little wolf hunt. Go ahead, have fun. Kill them all!" Klaus said, ignoring her outburst for the moment.

Later, Katherine was walking down the stairs toward the side door of the compound to sneak out into the French Quarter. Before she could leave though, Diego suddenly was in front of her.

"Going somewhere?" he questioned her.

Elijah suddenly appeared and broke his neck by throwing him into the wall.

"Elijah, you shouldn't be here."

"Don't worry about me. Come, we mustn't linger. We'll get you someplace safe," he replied.