'So this is where you live. It's nicer on the inside.'
Nik smiled as he entered his brothers new home, his thick jacket fitting in with the dark wood of the apartment and a glint in his eye. 'Can I help you, Niklaus, or did you cross the river purely to critique my decor?' Elijah was still irritated over the events that had happened earlier, he spoke unamused and began lighting candles.
'I thought you might like to know I was moved by what you said about my decision not to trust our long lost sister, so Astrid and I waited until she revived, and when she did, we had quite a chat.'
'And your position remains unchanged?' He rose an eyebrow, already knowing the answer and Nik replied, 'I looked in her eyes, and I saw only anger and fear, the will to do whatever it takes to survive no matter who she hurts. I can use her to my own ends, but I could never allow so damaged a creature to have a say in my plans. It seems my wife is being a little more relaxed about the matter though.'
'What does Astrid think?'
'She made a deal with the witch. She told Freya that should Rebekah come out of the dilemma she is currently in unscathed and safe that she may come to see her as family.' He explained and Elijah couldn't read his tone. 'Mhmm.' He hummed with a small genuine smile, 'My sister in law always did have a knack for bargaining.'
'A trait she learned from you, no doubt.' Nik walked over to the window. The lamp with a blue cover that sat next to the couch lit the room with a warm amber tone and Elijah sat next to it, crossing his legs and smiling at his brother.
'You know, Niklaus I don't agree with you there.' He saw an opportunity to make his brother smile and took it, 'I've always like to believe that Astrid took justice from me.' Nik looked amused by the toothy grin his brother wore as he carried on, 'I taught her how to hone in her anger... to use it to give people what they deserve.'
Klaus sat down next to him, wondering what he was going to come out with next, 'She's a better student then you however.' The hybrid chuckled and the vampire smirked at his brother, 'Less random acts of violence and attacks on your own blood.. still the same level as paranoia though.'
'You just had to get that in there didn't you?' Klaus scoffed, content and he sat back. 'You however..' Elijah began and Nik wondered what he was going to say next. The light reflected off of the hybrid's eyes, suddenly the colour in them looking deeper then the Mississippi itself. 'I believe that you keep Mrs Astrid Mikaelson connected to her humanity. You're her person to come home too, someone that she fights for. Of course she has the rest of us but she has never defended anyone with the same valour and anquish as much as she has with you... Along with all the other things you've shown her, bargaining being one of them.'
'You'd be surprised.' Nik commented and Elijah tilted his head, 'What does that mean?'
'Freya used you and Rebekah to guilt trip us and Astrid threatened to force our sister to wear her entrails as a necklace.' Klaus smirked proudly and Elijah facepalmed, laughing 'Definitely sounds like her... and you.'
Nik looked touched at his previous words after swatting his brother away and Elijah elaborated, 'I have never seen two people so alike.' He turned to face Klaus who looked entirely smug, 'You really think so?'
'Oh I know so. You two are twin flames.' Elijah spoke honestly to his brother, hoping to quell what was ever going through his mind. Nik looked out the window into the New Orleans sky and decided to be honest too, 'I want her to be happy. She has this insatiable need to be loyal. I'm just afraid that she'll follow me into a fire that she won't escape.'
'That's why you're worried about Freya.' Nik nodded when Elijah realised and he clarified further, 'You're worried that Freya is going to betray her. And that'll hurt her because of her loyalty to us, along with her being hurt already due to Sebastian.. You may not trust our sister, but trust me, brother. We may have had our differences of late, but we shall exercise the same caution we have always demonstrated towards our allies.'
'Fine. I'll let you pursue it, but should Freya betray us...'
'If Freya should even attempt to betray us, I shall bury her beneath a thousand wretched torments.' Elijah spoke with the attitude of a fine gentleman and Klaus looked unamused, 'I don't doubt it, but what if you're too late?What if Freya is duplicitous? What if hope should be harmed through her actions? You won't have to worry that I will never forgive you because you will never forgive yourself. You will suffer a guilt that will be impossible to endure.' He turned to Elijah, 'A terrible fate for one who cannot die.'
'Nothing will happen to that child, but we have to consider every weapon at our disposal, brother. Dahlia is coming. The only question is when.' Elijah replied as Astrid was humming a tune to Hope back at the Compound.
Mikaelson Compound.
'Goodnight little love'
Astrid smiled as she laid Hope down, who was drifting off to sleep. She sighed happily momentarily before creeping towards the door and shutting the light off, the door clicked behind her and she left the room. As Astrid made her way through the Compound halls, Hope's music box magically wound up and began playing an unfamiliar tune. But Freya Mikaelson would recognise it. For it was the tune that Dahlia would hum to her as a child, the tune that would haunt the Mikaelson witch for a millennia.
The hybrid wanted to call Davina again, having spoken to her multiple times since Kol had died. The hybrid and daughter had reinstated their relationship, Astrid wanting to be there to aid her in any way possible. Being in the family she's in and having lived in New Orleans for over two centuries - her paranoia always did rise when she heard a voicemail.
'Bloody hell.' She cursed under her breath, feeling angsty and Hayley walked into the room - clearly annoyed but not wanting to discuss the matter as it involved her hybrid husband. 'What's wrong?' She asked when she saw Astrid's frown and walked up to her. 'Davina's phone has gone to voicemail for the third time today.' She stated and Hayley tilted her head, 'Isn't she like 17? 18? Is that not normal?'
'No it's not. Something's not right.'
Hayley frowned, 'Why do I get the feeling this has something to do with your sixth sense mojo that Klaus told me about?' Astrid was pulled out of her train of thought and smiled, 'He told you about that?'
'Yeah. He did. Among other things.' She crossed her arms, debating wether to change her mind about telling her the argument she had just had with Klaus. He's reluctant of letting Jackson control the wolves that protect Hope and they aren't to pleased about that. 'I know you two are arguing, Marshall' Astrid admitted and Hayley looked up, 'I'm sorry, Astrid he's just such a-'
'Controlling man.'
'..Yeah.' Hayley didn't know how to react to Astrid's words, the way the hybrid wife reacted to Jackson rung through her head. Astrid didn't mean any harm by what she said but it was indeed the truth, 'That's the thing about us Mikaelsons.' Astrid shrugged and went to sit down on Hayley's bed. 'We control what we can of our lives because so much of it was put into other people's hands.'
'The wolves are growing angsty, I can't let Klaus piss them off anymore or they'll retaliate.'
'Can I give you my honest opinion?' Astrid laid down and looked up at her. Hayley hopped onto the bed too, laying down next to her and looking up at the ceiling, 'Go ahead.'
'Nik has never responded well to displays of aggression.' Astrid began, 'That's why Elijah and I handle him the way we do until he crosses a line. It's how Mikael used to respond to him.' She sighed, propping herself up and looking at the door. 'It's how a lot of people have treated him. He takes anger and annoyance as a threat.'
'I don't know what else to do.'
'Don't threaten to take Hope away from him for a start.' Astrid looked around at her and relaxed when she saw the guilt evident in her face. 'And come to him on a mutual level. You two have a daughter together.' She gulped at the words, slowing her racing heart and instinctive jealousy. 'How can you co-parent if you can't agree of other things?'
'Can I ask you a question now?' Hayley spoke curiously and Astrid nodded her head, 'You turned Sebastian into a vampire, didn't you?'
'Well..'
Flashback.
Winter 1003.
'The only reason I'm here is because Niklaus knows where I am.' Astrid Mikaelson was standing in the middle of the field, not that far from the castle grounds. Her nightgown blew slightly in the wind as she eyed Sebastian suspiciously. Throughout that week, he had been dropping hints to meet him and to finally talk it out with him.
At first, the woman flat out refused due to her loyalties to Niklaus but even her husband got frustrated by his persistence and agreed with her that she should put him down gently. 'I understand that there has been somewhat a growing.. tension between us.' He began, 'I wanted to discuss it, out in the open without your husband or his family influencing your decisions.'
His laugh could've escaped a prisoner from an insane asylum's mouth and she wouldn't of been surprised, it was as if he was trying to convince himself he was doing the right thing. Kol Mikaelson couldn't sleep that night either, he was sat up in bed until he noticed the two silhouettes and stood up. He came to the window frowning, hoping that Astrid wasn't in any danger.
'My husband and his family don't influence my decisions at all, My lord. Anything I have ever said has been from my lips only.'
Astrid's words seem to cut Sebastian and he laughed again, 'Well obviously you're aware that I indeed harbour feelings for you.' In Sebastian's insane mind, this was a romantic evening where Astrid was going to jump into his arms. Little did she know that he had other plans should she reject him. 'And as you're aware, I am already spoken for.' She took a step back and Kol noticed, pulling on some clothes and getting ready to defend his sister in law.
'Why can't you just forget about him?' Sebastian's eye twitched and he stepped towards her, she scowled. 'I don't owe you anything.'
Kol ran downstairs, not having time to wake Niklaus and he paced through the castle before leaving its walls. 'But I love you, Astrid I do.' Sebastian reached behind his back and Astrid replied with a swift, 'You know what I'm going to say, you know I don't love you.'
Kol ran out the door and watched the two in better light, his heart pounding at the look in Sebastian's eyes. 'I was afraid you were going to say that,' Sebastian looked down at the floor before pulling a dagger out from under his shirt and stabbing her in the stomach, his body coming close to hers as he expected her to fall onto him. Kol always had argued that the fateful night was the first time Astrid truly embraced what she was, for her head did indeed fall onto Sebastian's shoulder but she began laughing when she saw Kol panic.
She signalled Kol to wait momentarily, a singular hand outstretching behind the De Martel sibling and Sebastian's eyes widened when he realised she wasn't dead. She looked up from his shoulder, infuriated and chuckling. 'You stupid stupid little boy.' She shook her head sarcastically, 'I'm impervious to harm.'
'How are you not dead?' Sebastian had been knocked down and chipped away all at once, scared for his life. That was when she signalled Kol. The knife was still in her stomach as he vamped over and pulled it out of her before he stabbed it into Sebastian, with Astrid's blood still coating it. 'We're vampires, darling.' He smiled as he drove it in, Sebastian's gasp accompanying it. As the lifeless Lord dropped to the floor, Kol and Astrid Mikaelson looked down at him still processing what happened.
'Are you alright?' Kol asked, looking down at the man he just murdered. 'He's insane.' She stated with wide eyes, 'He is absolutely insane.'
'Correction : he was insane.' He looked at her and she looked at him, a small amused smile on her face but it washed off as she looked down at him again. 'Come here.' He hugged her, feeling sympathetic for her and she accepted.
'Go and get the others, darling. I'll take him into the forest.'
Flashback over.
Present day.
'Unrequited love is so romantic until there's murder involved.' Hayley commented sarcastically and Astrid laughed. 'Yes exactly. Of course at the time we didn't know that my blood would turn the bastard. He turned up the next morning at breakfast with a shit eating grin on his face.'
'How did Klaus react?' Hayley clearly had questions and Astrid didn't mind answering them, 'While Elijah took most of the work in terms of helping him, Nik stayed back. He knew that Sebastian hated him and frankly we were trying to live in a castle undetected... things back then were very different and Sebastian shouting claims of vampirism should he be provoked would've rocked the boat.'
She looked back at Hayley, 'And if the man who married the woman you love doesn't provoke you then damn.. I don't know what would.'
Hayley quickly made the connection between herself and her hybrid friend. 'You okay?' Astrid asked when Hayley frowned, 'I hurt Elijah. Didn't I?'
Astrid huffed, realising the irony of the situation too. 'Elijah's a lot different to Sebastian, I can assure you that. You've only seen a fraction of our lives. You've only seen Nik as the tyrannical hybrid king yet once upon a time he would wake me up in the middle of the night because he had discovered a new colour that we could paint with the next day. You've seen Rebekah be tough as nails, loyal to a fault but she used to come stay with me as a child because she'd have nightmares. You've seen Kol be wryly and manipulative yet I just told you a story about him coming to defend me when I was in danger plus don't even get me started on myself. And Elijah believes that we can all be redeemed, he'll never show you but that man loves deeply and he falls hard.'
Hayley watched her talk in interest and the hybrid took her tangent, 'He never has made room in his life to love properly.'
'That's why Marcel hated you so much.' Hayley stared off into the distance at that comment and Astrid stopped in her tracks, 'I was his mother once upon a time.' She looked away, 'And now I don't know what I am and he hates it. But what I do know is that I need to make sure Davina is okay. I've still got her to look after.'
'Go look after your daughter.' Hayley smiled from her bed and Astrid walked out, satisfied.
...
Astrid ended up calling Davina twice more before calling Marcel. 'Jesus what's wrong with you?' Astrid grew worried when she heard Marcel's panicked voice. 'It's Eva. She's shut Rebekah away again. She woke up and she fucking jumped me before running out of my apartment.'
'Shit.' She cursed and and Klaus looked up from their bed. 'Where is she?' She asked and Marcel replied with, 'I have no idea but she left like 5 minutes ago.'
'Come to the Compound.' She hung up the phone and explained to Nik the situation. 'Bloody hell.' He sat up and she began pacing. 'It's alright, love. Eva won't get near us.'
'Davina hasn't been answering her calls' She stopped and Nik put two and two together, 'You don't think..' he began and Astrid finished his sentence, 'Eva's taken her. I don't know but... I have a hunch. I'm gonna try calling her again tomorrow.' A crash erupted from Hope's room and the two looked up at each other before Astrid vamped through the halls, knowing that Hayley had left the Compound. She arrived to see Eva/Rebekah standing over Hope and her eyes widened, realising it wasn't her sister in law. 'Get away from her!' She shouted before grabbing Eva by the back of the head and slamming it into the chest of draws. Eva fell to the floor and Astrid went to see if Hope had been harmed until Eva jumped to her feet and telekinetically threw her back through the door and crashing into Hayley's bed.
Klaus had gone for Eva next, the first thing he saw being his wife being thrown around like a rag doll, 'Rebekah! What are you doing?!' He stormed in and the woman who had control of his sister forced him into an aneurism. Astrid whipped up from the bed and vamped towards her as the witch suddenly realised she wasn't going to win the fight and attempted to flee, moving toward the window but Astrid grabbed her leg. She casted the same spell on the hybrid wife and she crumbled too but managed to leave deep gashes on Eva's thigh.
The witch screamed out in pain as she escaped the window and Astrid helped Nik up from the floor before he paced over to his daughter. Hope looked up from her crib to see her father and step mother looking panic stricken but only smiled back at them.
...
Mikaelson Study.
'I should really stop packing these away. There's always one family member or another in need of a good shackling.' Klaus's handed the infamous shackles to Marcel, 'Find Rebekah or Eva, or whoever the bloody hell that was - use these to stop her from doing magic. And don't hurt her. The non-psychopathic bits are still my sister.'
'I still can't believe I wasn't there.' Hayley admitted and Astrid comforted her friend, 'You can hardly be blamed, love it's alright.'
'Alright, I won't be the only one looking for her. She killed witch-kids. The twenty-four hour hold that Elijah got the covens to agree to? Ended at midnight. Every witch in the city is gonna be gunning for her.' Marcel seemed worried for his on again off again lover and Klaus's face mirrored his at the news.
'Go to Elijah. Get her to charm his elderly witch into calling off the hunt.' He instructed and Hayley went straight on the defensive, 'And leave Hope? Don't you think I should stay here and protect our daughter? I wasn't here last night was I?'
'Jackson has been working night and day to secure this compound, surrounding it with his werewolf army. Not to mention the fact that I'm here, and I know the best way to protect our child is to get Rebekah out of that serial killer's body and back into the original model.' He stated matter-of-factly and Astrid sided with him, 'Nothing's gonna happen to her, Hayley.'
'And, what will you two be doing while we're out doing all the dirty work?' Astrid smiled at Klaus's response, 'Why, tending to the even dirtier work, as per usual.' Hayley left the room swiftly and Marcel turned to Astrid before he followed her out.
'I want you to talk to Vincent. I think you'll be pretty interested in what he has to say.'
....
'Do you think Bekah is going to be okay?'
The husband and wife stood in the ballroom, overlooking Rebekah's portrait deep in thought. 'She'll be fine sweetheart. It's nothing this family can't fix ay?'
'Our sister was quite the beauty.' Freya walked towards the two and Astrid sighed, looking at her feet. 'Hello.. Freya.' Freya smiled at her decency and Klaus spoke next, 'You told me you can sort out this mess. Do it.'
'So, you've come to your senses?' She chuckled and Astrid explained, 'More of a life or death situation, dearest sister in law. His senses have not faltered. They still demand that you are not to be trusted. However, circumstance dictates otherwise... for now.'
'What's changed?' Freya asked curiously and Klaus explained, 'Eva Sinclair has resumed control of her body, leaving Rebekah trapped and powerless. So, make with your spells and enchantments and put my sister back in her true body!' He smiled at her patronisingly. 'I'm afraid it's not that simple' Freya stated as Astrid's phone and she looked down to see a notification from Marcel.
i need your help. fancy a trip back to 2009?
Astrid smiled, getting the reference of going back to how things used to be but her head snapped back up when she heard Nik reply to his sister, 'More stalling. Very well. I know I can't kill you, but I shall have a fine time trying. Tell me, have you ever been skinned alive?'
'Nik.' She scorned and he turned around, 'What? Did you not threaten to gut her?' Freya laughed and Astrid stuck her middle finger up at him, 'I need to go to Rosseau's. Keep me updated.'
...
Rosseau's
'A little early, isn't it?' Vincent Griffith sat at a table next to an empty bar, surrounded by empty glasses and a plate of french fries. The man was solemn, he had just awoken from nine months of violation and what made matters worse was that another Mikaelson was inhabiting the body of his ex girlfriend. Eva Sinclair and Vincent used to be smitten until she turned dark, her soul contorted and it broke his heart. Marcel was the one who asked the question, he caught the witch staring at a picture of Eva.
'You know why I'm sitting here day-drinking in the Quarter all by my lonesome? Because I'm pretty much done and through with the vamps, wolves, and witches of this town. And, from some of the looks I've been getting, they're through with me, too. So, if I'm sitting here, they don't see me, and if I drink.... after a while, I don't see them, either.'
'You must be Vincent.' Astrid's heeled boots clicked as she sat down next to Marcel and for the first time, the witch man smiled. 'And you are the infamous Astrid Mikaelson... you done well at hiding your true name. I commend you.'
'And how many is it gonna take before she disappears?' Marcel seem irritated by his lacklustre attitude and Astrid held him arm, 'Marcel. Relax.' Vincent looked between the two, 'See. I told you man. She's actually decent.'
'You know, your sister has been pining to get you back for months.' Astrid clasped her hands on the table and eyed the fries which provoked Vincent to tell her to go ahead with wide eyes. 'What?' Astrid asked when she noticed the impression on his face, 'What do you know about my sister?'
'Don't stress. Mutual friend.'
He thought momentarily before sighing in relief, 'Elysium.' Astrid repeated the witches name, amused until she looked over to Vincent's other hand and saw the pictures 'Marcel? What's that picture of?'
'There you go.' Marcel snatched it from his hands and carried on speaking as the hybrid analysed it, 'I need to meet this Elysium.' Astrid laughed as she processed, 'She hates you. Bad idea.' She looked back up at Vincent after putting two and two together. The picture was of the pair, Eva was sitting on his knee in a bar, wearing a blue sundress and Vincent was wearing the same jacket in the picture as he was that day. 'You.. and Eva were... together.'
He nodded and she sympathised with his broken heart but Marcel noticed the interaction and was feeling brutal, 'You need to know that she is back and on the loose, and I need to find her before the witches do so I can save my friend, who is trapped inside of her. And I came to you, because you are the only person in this city who knows her inside-out.'
'Look man, I'm sorry about your friend. But, if Eva is back in control of her body...' Vincent began and Astrid shook her head, 'I won't accept any "there's nothing you can do" speech.'
Vincent looked at the hybrid, amused with a small smile, 'Mama weren't wrong about you.' Astrid chuckled and in that moment, any supernatural outsider would feel as if they were in a time machine. Three infamous names in the supernatural community sat in the French Quarter's crown jewel bar and it was suddenly 2009 all over again.
The chances of a united front seeming entirely possible.