Esmeray was relieved when Klaus arrived.
"You're here," she breathed when he picked her up, helping her stand on her own.
"I am," he said, caressing her face. "Are you alright, love?"
"I'm fine now," she replied, looking around and seeing Jackson had since left while she'd been recovering. She saw that Rebekah and Hayley both looked fine.
"What happened?" asked the youngest Original, looking around at the mauled bodies. "Don't tell me Esmeray finally got to control her wolf side."
"It was her friend, Jackson," said Hayley. "He came to save us. Those men..."
"I think they were witches," said Esmeray, furrowing her eyebrows. "But they didn't use magic against me. They used physical force. That was a stupid move. Together, they could have overpowered me with their magic. Instead, I made good progress on my own before I was unfortunately taken down."
"What are you saying?" Hayley asked. "Do you think they didn't want to kill you?"
"I don't think they did. They wanted you."
Klaus growled. "The witches were supposed to protect you," he said, looking at Hayley. "When I get my hands on Sophie Deveraux—"
"It wasn't Sophie. It was Agnes."
"Fine! Agnes, Sophie, it's all the same to me! I'll slaughter the lot of them!"
"Not if Elijah gets there first," said Rebekah.
Hayley whirled to face her. "Elijah? Did you find him?"
Rebekah nodded. "He's been in touch, and he has a plan. All he asks is that we take care of you."
That was simple enough. Hayley was unharmed, and the ride back was quiet as both she and Esmeray napped in the backseat, replenishing the rest of their strength. They each took a nice long bath when they were back, and by the next morning, were fueled up enough to speak with Sophie Deveraux, who Klaus conveniently kidnapped.
"We had a deal!" he yelled in her face. "You protect my unborn child, I dismantle Marcel's army. And whilst I've been busy fulfilling my part of the bargain, you allowed Hayley to be attacked and allowed Esmeray to nearly be killed by a gaggle of lunatic witches."
Sophie was frantically trying to prove her innocence. "I had nothing to do with it, I swear. Hayley and I are linked, remember? She dies, I die."
"Who even were they?" asked Esmeray, rubbing her forehead as she slumped back into the couch.
"They're a faction of extremists," Sophie stated. "Sabine stupidly told them about some vision she had about the baby."
The hybrid sat up. "What was the vision?"
Sophie gulped. "She has them all the time," she said as part of her set up. "They are totally open to interpretation. I'm guessing she's wrong on this one."
Klaus scoffed. "Well, how, may I ask, was this particular vision interpreted?"
Sophie pursed her lips. "Pretty much that your baby would bring death to all witches."
Klaus smirked at this. "Ah, well, I grow fonder of this child by the second."
Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Sophie, look— I promised Elijah that I would protect the Mikaelson miracle-baby whilst he tries to win your witch Davina's loyalty. Why don't you tell me just how extreme this faction is?"
"Elijah's talking to Davina?" asked Sophie, bewildered by this news.
"Yeah, as we speak, I imagine."
"I'm guessing she'll have plenty to say about that crowd..."
"Well, we're all ears," prompted Esmeray. "We need to know any information you can grant to us."
Sophie bit her lip and clasped her hands together. "I... wasn't always an advocate for the witches. My sister was devoted, like our parents, and our upbringing was very strict, which drove me nuts. The minute I turned twenty-one, I left the Quarter to travel... and play. But, I wanted to be a chef, so I came back to Rousseau's. When I returned, I learned that the elders wanted to move through with the Harvest."
"What the bloody hell is a Harvest?" asked Rebekah.
"It's a ritual our coven does every three centuries so that the bond to our ancestral magic is restored. We appease our ancestors, they keep our ancestral power flowing."
Klaus came to sit beside Esmeray, putting his arm around her casually. "And why haven't I heard of this?"
"Because a Harvest always seemed like a myth. A story, passed on through generations like Noah's ark, or the Buddha walking on water. The kind some people take literally, and some people don't. They had the girls of our community preparing for months. Four would be chosen for the Harvest. They said that it was an honor, that they were special. I thought it was a myth."
"Was it?" asked Esmeray, since she'd never heard of such a thing.
Sophie didn't get to answer, as Klaus's phone began to ring. "Marcel," said the hybrid, holding the device up to his ear. "Bit early in the day for you, isn't it?"
"I know," replied the younger vampire, "I make this look easy, but I still have an empire to run."
Klaus looked annoyed, but pretended all was well. "Rather you than me. All that responsibility seems like such a bore."
"Well, this might spice things up— I just heard about a bunch of dead witches out in the Bayou. The kinda damage a werewolf might do, only there was no full moon. I have an informant out there I need to meet, and I would love for you to go with me. Unless, of course, your little girlfriend knows what happened."
Klaus pretended to be unfazed. "Dead witches in the Bayou. Sounds like less of a problem, and more like a cause for celebration. And no, my girlfriend does not know what happened, granted the fact she cannot turn into a wolf, and has been here enjoying a massage."
Esmeray looked at him as if to say, 'what the fuck do you mean 'massage,'' but said nothing aloud because she knew Marcel had to believe that it was only him and Esmeray living together. "Well, something killed them," said Marcel. "And may still be out there. And with your blood the only cure for a werewolf bite, I would love for you to accompany me."
"Oh, why not?" sighed Klaus. "Haven't been to the Bayou in ages. I'm on my way."
"Peace out, brother," replied Marcel before hanging up.
Sophie looked at Klaus in concern. "You can't go out there now. I need to gather the witches' remains and consecrate them. If I don't get to them before sundown, we'll lose the link to their magic."
"Sounds terrible," said Esmeray, feigning a solemn tone. "Maybe they should have acted more like witches until the end."
"Those witches tried to kill Hayley and Esmeray," said Klaus. "I'd prefer for Marcel's informant not to find anything that would lead him back to us, to her, or to... you know..." He pointed at Hayley's belly. "That."
The wolf, who had until then been silent, rolled her eyes. "You are all class."
Klaus pointed at Sophie. "Stay put. And save the rest of your story 'til I return."
Of course, Sophie did not intend to stay put. And to make matters worse, Hayley decided that she wanted to help her, which meant Rebekah and Esmeray had to back them both up to ensure neither one got hurt.
"This is stupid," muttered Esmeray as she trailed behind Sophie into the Bayou. "I will never understand why any coven would prefer to practice Ancestral Magic over Traditional Magic. You would never catch the witches I grew up with doing something like this."
"Your witches were far too advanced for their time," said Rebekah lowly from beside her. "They were smart enough to survive amongst wolves and had the most efficient ways of transferring knowledge. Seems the witch community isn't so adept anymore."
"I heard that," called Sophie from ahead.
"I don't care," Esmeray said in return with a cheeky smile. "Klaus is going to be angry. I can handle that, but I can't guarantee he won't say a few choice words to get under your skin, Bekah."
"I've got it," said the Original, dialing her brother's number.
"What's the matter, Rebekah?" he answered after a few seconds. "You cross that I'm out with your ex?"
Rebekah cringed at the music that could be heard on the other line. "What is all that dreadful hillbilly ruckus in the background?"
"According to the dreadful signage, it's 'Big Auggie's Bayou Bar.'"
"Well, order up a few rounds of moonshine and steer clear of the dead witches for a few," Rebekah instructured. "The witch is on a burial mission, you baby mama is on a spirit quest, I'm keeping Elijah's promise to keep her safe, and your girlfriend appears to be here for comedic relief and extra backup. So stall, please?" As soon as she hung up, she made to catch up to Sophie. "So, this Harvest thingy— tell us more."
"Klaus said to wait," the witch mumbled, as if she was very inclined to follow his orders.
"Yes. He also said to stay out of the Bayou and yet here we are, amongst the crawly, buzzy creatures."
"This is the place," said Esmeray, coming to a halt where all the bodies remained. "Jackson did his work well, they're mauled beyond recognition."
Sophie looked like she was going to be sick, but forced herself to the ground to prepare her consecration ingredients. "Um, Esmeray, do you know how to—?"
"Nope, you're on your own. There weren't many witches where I lived, so we did the same funeral for everyone."
"Talk about funerals then, to distract me, because this smells terrible."
"Imagine how I feel," said Hayley, covering her mouth like she might throw up.
They heard a crunch, and Esmeray and Rebekah were the first to react, ready to defend Hayley, but they saw it was just a scrawny vampire. "What the hell?" he said fearfully. "An Original?" He immediately sped away before they could catch up.
"The bloody informant!" Rebekah hissed before pulling out her phone and seeing that Klaus had been trying to call her. "What, Nik? Really can't talk right now, I think we saw the informant, and he's just vanished."
"Let me understand this," came the hybrid's irritated voice. "Against all logic, you, Hayley, and Esmeray went to the Bayou, where you ran into a man you think may be Marcel's informant, and then you lost him?"
"Yes, and now that we've established that I am a failure as a sister, and a friend, and an Original, you should probably know he's on his way to Marcel right now to rat me out. Skinny guy in a hurry, looks like he saw a ghost."
"I'll handle it, but I'll need a distraction."
"I'm on my way." Rebekah disappeared before any of the other women could say anything to her.
Esmeray, in wanting to get out of there soon, put in some effort to help Sophie with the consecration. It was an easy process, but she wasn't doing it with any desire to actually help these dead men find peace. At least, they were done by the time it was getting dark, and even got to hear a bit more about how Davina fit with the Harvest ritual.
"Those people," murmured Hayley as they walked back to where Sophie had parked the truck she used to bring them there. "All this, because of a vision about my baby you don't think is true?"
"Look, I love Sabina, but she's the witch equivalent of a drama queen," said Sophie. "I've learned to take little stock in whatever she says or sees. Just kinda wish she'd kept her mouth shut."
"The Harvest," piped up Esmeray. "What happened with that? Is it real or not?"
"It was working," said Sophie shakily, embarrassed because, as Hayley and Esmeray had figured out, she had interfered in a way that left it incomplete. "I saw it with my own eyes. It was real."
"So how can you be so sure Sabine's vision isn't?" asked Hayley worriedly.
Sophie didn't seem to want an answer, and Esmeray scoffed. "Of course it isn't real. That baby is part witch, part vampire, and part werewolf. It isn't going to bring an end to any of those communities. The Harvest was something very different— Sophie, you say that there's a history of it. It's like the wolf Unification Ritual— no one believes it's real anymore, but I saw it happen several times. It's very real, just ancient. Sabine has no evidence to back her stupid vision up so if she's getting extremists to attack you without proving that what she's seeing is true, then she's just sick in the head. I've had premonitions and even bad ones don't make you act like that unless you have another agenda."
Sophie was obviously displeased to hear Esmeray talking about Sabine that way, but she seemed to have learned by then not to challenge her. She drove them back to the mansion and they bade her goodnight before going in and finding Rebekah was pouring herself a drink.
"I don't care if we have to get you a leash," said Rebekah to Hayley. "That was your last trip to the Bayou. What is it with you and those wolves, anyway?"
Hayley shrugged. "I feel like we're connected somehow. I don't know. Maybe it's just some pipe dream that I have of finding any real family out there. But sometimes, when I feel like it's me against the world, it keeps me going."
Rebekah gave her a sympathetic look and offered her a drink, but Hayley didn't take it for obvious reasons. "Oh, right. Well, if you ask me, family is a pain in the behind. And as for being in it alone, how dare you? I don't ruin a perfectly fabulous pair of boots traipsing through the Bayou for just anyone."
Hayley smiled. "Thank you. Both of you. It feels... nice to have someone back me up."
Esmeray hummed to herself. "You're welcome. Now you have me thinking, though. What about that birthmark Dr. Paige mentioned yesterday? Can I see it?"
Hayley nodded and pulled her right sleeve down to expose an all-too-familiar mark on her back. "Holy shit," said Esmeray, staring at it in surprise. "Hayley... that makes so much more sense. No wonder Jackson's been showing up. You're his kin. You're a Crescent. Those Bayou wolves are descended from the Crescent Wolf Pack."
"Wait, what does that mean?" asked Hayley. "You told me about the seven original Packs, but—"
"Hayley, it means you're a pure wolf. Of one singular bloodline. The Crescents are the only Pack who had distinctive birthmarks. No offense, they were very obsessed with being regarded as royalty. If each Pack had done this, you'd bet I'd have a mark somewhere that would distinguish me as a pure Poldark. That's pretty rare nowadays. But not for the Crescents... they mixed quite a bit, but a majority of them kept it all in the Pack. I expect they followed in Poldark footsteps once the numbers started diminishing because of the vampires."
The door opened, and they turned to see Klaus in the doorway. "Nik, finally!" said Rebekah. "What—"
From behind him, Elijah walked inside. Rebekah squealed and jumped up, running to her elder brother and pulling him into a tight hug. Esmeray smiled at this, and Hayley gave an awkward look in Elijah's direction before walking off.
"Elijah, you're safe!" sighed Rebekah. "Now that you're home, is your first plan to kill Niklaus?"
"Excuse me just a moment," Elijah said before pulling away to head in the direction Hayley had gone.
"Where's he going?" demanded Rebekah indignantly.
"To see his lady," said Esmeray teasingly as she came to Klaus, who didn't look angry. "Glad to see you're not cross that we went to the Bayou."
"Oh, I was cross, love," he said, putting an arm around her. "Considering you nearly died there yesterday, I can't imagine why you thought it wise to risk your life again. But alas, I cannot order you about, can I? You have free will."
"Nice of you to remember that," she said suspiciously before seeing the way he'd moved his head to her neck and inhaled deeply. "Oh, fuck. That's right. Tomorrow."
"Mmm, tomorrow," he purred happily, letting his hand move to her waist. "I can't wait."
"Ew, not in front of me!" said Rebekah when she saw him kiss her neck.
Obviously, they weren't about to do it right at that moment. Elijah had some important things to discuss, first, in the study.
"Everything that brought us here to New Orleans was a lie," said Elijah, thinking back to the letter that Katherine had sent to Klaus. "This story that Sophie Deveraux fabricated, this struggle for control of the French Quarter, this war between vampires and witches, wasn't over territory at all, this was over Davina. Eight months ago, Sophie Deveraux and her sister Jane-Anne lost everything. Then, a young pregnant girl wanders into their restaurant. Suddenly, all hope is renewed. Jane-Anne actually sacrificed her life so that her sister can use you to find Davina. If Sophie Deveraux is successful in capturing Davina, she can return Jane-Anne's daughter back to life. We thought we'd come here to wage a war for power. This is about family. In order to return her niece to life, Sophie Deveraux will fight to the death. That makes her more dangerous than anyone."
"Great, because I want to kill her anyway," said Esmeray under her breath, feeling her phone vibrating in her pocket. "Is that it? Family meeting adjourned?"
"Do you have something important to do, Esmeray?" asked Elijah as if he was a father inquiring about what his daughter did in her free time.
She held up her phone. "It's Saturday night. I call Damon every Saturday night."
Elijah raised his eyebrows. "Well, forgive me for not knowing what day of the week it is."
"It's fine. Can I go now, dad?"
He cast her a tight-lipped smile as Klaus, Rebekah, and Hayley all stifled laughs into their palms. "Never call me that again."
Esmeray was looking forward to her talk with Damon today, and paid no heed to Elijah refusing to joke around in Hayley's presence. He was still so keen on impressing her.
She drew herself a bath and cast a Silencing Spell on the room, lowering herself into the water and dialing her best friend's number. "It's your lucky day, Caller Twenty," she said into the phone. "You got me naked."
"Don't be making jokes like that," Damon teased. "You're getting cozy with a man who gets jealous faster than you can say the word."
"Klaus knows he doesn't have to worry about you and I hooking up again. Any progress with Bonnie?"
"Hell no. I still don't get why you think that I want to hook up with her."
"The tension, Damon, it was there, I felt it. Just screw and maybe you'll get some post-nut clarity about the situation. She is beautiful and strong and honestly, I think she secretly finds you very hot."
"Shut up. So, have you and Klaus done it yet, or are you still abiding by that dumb deal that neither of you will be able to resist for long?"
"Ugh, I don't know what to do. According to him, I'm going into heat tomorrow. I'll be hornier than usual considering how many months I didn't have it, and now that he and I are together..."
"So just fuck. Who cares? It's not like resisting will do you any good."
"You do understand what it means to be in heat, right? I'm at my most fertile, and neither of us have enough self control to be safe about it."
"Okay, well, can't you put a spell that will burn his dick if he doesn't pull out by a certain time? But if anything, abstinence is your other best friend."
"You couldn't abstain for very long as a vampire with regular heightened emotions. How can I abstain when every bone in my body is demanding for me to have sex?"
"Hmm. I'm trying to think. Maybe you should have a Plan B ready to go. Or— even better— make a witchy version of a Plan B to make sure you don't get knocked up. Or look up what an IUD is and give yourself a magical version of it."
"What if it doesn't work? I'm not ready to be a mom."
"Abort it, then."
"I don't think I could bring myself to do that. It just wasn't a thing in my time, and I can't personally go through with it."
"Well, you said nature was pushing for a tribrid before, right? It got one. It can't force you together with Klaus anymore because it doesn't need to. One tribrid is probably enough. If anything, I think nature won't want you to get pregnant anytime soon. You said something about being the Alpha in the relationship, right? He won't want to resist a direct order. Command him to pull out before he nuts and then you'll be fine. Just prepare a rag on the side or something. Or get creative about where else it can go."
"Wow, I'm glad I have a best friend who is this comfortable with talking about sex."
"Hey, we've known each other very biblically. There's no room for shame anymore. Not to endorse Nike, but just do it. Go for it. I know you, Esme, and you need this. You'll go insane if you keep resisting. You don't need to feel guilty about anything. He's your boyfriend, and you have every right to enjoy being with him. You two have been pining after each other for almost a year already. His babymama is encouraging it, right? Just enjoy yourself for one day. Give yourself the most erotic day you've ever experienced and the day after that, you can go back to being his kid's bodyguard. Deal?"
Esmeray smiled and leaned back into the water. "Deal."
A/N: I'll do my best to make the next chapter... interesting.