Bring Me To Life | The Originals (1)

The Casket Girls

One of the hardest things in life was to endure the sound of someone you cared about in agonising pain and not being able to do anything to help them through the anguish. Each distressed whimper was the equivalent of a whip lashing your skin. Each desperate cry was parallel to a blow to the stomach. Their screams echoed in your mind for eternity, taunting you for not being able to protect them when they needed you the most.

Imogen was more than used to being on the receiving end of pain but having to listen to her friend screaming in agony was worse than any form of torture she could imagine. It was just over half an hour ago that Josh had walked in on her crying her eyes out in the spare bedroom during a short break and causing her to threaten him with bodily harm if he ever mentioned the incident to Davina, not wanting to provide a reason for her sister to be concerned.

Cami screamed loudly as she curled into a ball on the floor of her apartment and Imogen grimaced sympathetically as she continued to focus her magic on unravelling the complex thread of compulsion that Klaus had embedded in Cami's mind.

"Oh god, it hurts!" Cami cried in a strained voice as she clutched at her head with tears streaming down her cheeks and Davina knelt down in front of her with a sympathetic frown on her lips.

"I'm sorry, Cami. It's the only way to break Klaus' compulsion." Davina informed her softly as she rubbed her hands down the blondes arms comfortingly and Imogen stood up from her positon on the couch as she smiled slightly with pride, impressed with her little sisters compassionate nature.

It was comforting for Imogen to see that their abusive home life hadn't stripped Davina of the sweetness that she was born with. She had tried so hard to keep her sister as innocent as possible, as considerate and soft-hearted as she always was, and it made everything she had been through worth it to know that she had succeeded.

"Believe me, I know what it's like. You're okay." Josh assured her gently from where he stood in the doorway between the two rooms and he held up one of the sticky notes that had the words Don't trust Klaus written in Cami's handwriting. "And hey - all these notes that you made? It's very Momento of you. Nice work."

Cami dropped her hand to the floor with a whimper of pain as she weakly lifted her head to look at the three strangers in her living room and she couldn't help the tears that filled her eyes as her lower lip trembled. "We've been at this all night. I don't understand what's happening to me, I don't understand any of this -"

"But you will. We will unlock every stolen memory, undo every piece of mind control that any vampire has ever done to you. When we're done, you will understand all of it, and you'll be free." Imogen informed her firmly in a kind voice as she knelt down next to her sister in front of the blonde and laid a hand on top of hers with a gentle smile as she caught Cami's gaze empathetically. "We can stop, if you want us to."

"No, don't stop. I want to remember everything."

"Okay. It's going to hurt some more, Cami, but let's me tell you, pain? It makes you stronger. And tears? They make you braver. Trust me on that." the witch said quietly as she gently squeezed the blondes hand to emphasis her point and Cami nodded sagely as she met her friends gaze evenly, her blue eyes filled with unshed tears.

Imogen slipped her hand into Davina's as they both simultaneously raised their free hands in Cami's direction and she felt the familiar stirring of magically energy in her stomach as she concentrated on entering the blonde's subconscious mind. She felt her magic sliver into the creases of Cami's mind, searching for any hidden words left over by Klaus and attacking them into they were exposed like a billboard in Time Square.

Camille's tortured screams echoed through the apartment, making Imogen glance over her shoulder to make sure that the spelled sage that made the room soundproof was still burning.

Davina dropped her sister's hand with a tired sigh as she let go of the hold on her magic and glanced over at Imogen before turning her attention to the blonde whimpering in front of her. "You should start to feel, like, a weight lifting."

"And your cheat sheets are about to make a lot more sense." Josh supplied in a fake cheerful voice as he dropped a file onto the floor next to her but the sunlight streaming through the window caught his hand and his skin immediately started to burn, making him wince in pain as he jerked his hand back into the shadow the curtain provided.

"I promise, as soon as the world stops hunting us, I will find you a lapis lazuli gemstone and perform the daylight ring spell." Imogen told the fledging vampire kindly as she stood up from her spot on the floor and walked over to gently touch his arm with a smile on her lips, making him look at her with smile on his own.

"I know, just... don't worry about that right now."

A frown pulled at the edge of Cami's lips as she slowly reached over to pick up a piece of paper with a sketch of the secret language she had learned from her twin brother and she unsteadily climbed to her feet before stumbling backwards until the back of her knees hit the couch, "I remember why I wrote this. I found a picture of Klaus and Marcel from 1919. Klaus compelled me to tell him about you, Imogen, to spy on you. That's what he said yesterday, before he told me to forget. I'm remembering."

"It's okay. This is good, Cami." The brunette assured her softly as she sat down on the couch next to her with a smile and glanced over at Davina with a questioning frown, making the younger witch nod slightly, before she turned back to Cami. "Let's take you back more."

Cami nodded slightly with a determination expression as Imogen placed her hands on her temples and narrowed her blue eyes in concentration as she felt magic flow from her stomach all the way to her fingertips like electricity passing along a metal wire.

A series of images flashed through Cami's subconscious as she cringed against the pain and she gripped the edge of the couch cushion as she saw Klaus' face appear in her mind, his accented voice recounted the words, 'Leave New Orleans. Forget me. Your brother was ill. You have no reason to stay.'

Imogen watched helplessly as a small drop of scarlet red blood began to leak from Cami's nose and her eyes clouded over as she fell into a trance, remembering every single memory that had been compelled into the dark abyss of her subconscious.

___________________________

"You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to know the obvious. Our secret weapon has escaped." Klaus pronounced in a bored voice laced with irritation as he leaned his elbow on the mantel behind him and Marcel shot him an annoyed glare as he continued pacing in front of the window, flexing his fingers restlessly every few seconds.

"Imogen wouldn't let her just leave, she knows the witches want her back." The former king argued quietly as he crossed his arms over his chest before dropping his hands back to his side instantly. Worry clouded his features as he stared out the window at the backyard of the compound and he gritted his teeth in frustration as he tried to stop himself from going to the worst possible scenario in his mind.

"Unless your pet witch decided to use Davina as a bargaining chip to gain favour from French Quarter coven." The hybrid pondered out loud with a smirk on his lips as he glanced at Marcel from the corner of his eye, trying to get a response from his former protégé.

"Imogen would never do that!" Marcel snapped angrily as he spun around to face Klaus with a thunderous expression, indisputably positive that Imogen would never do anything to put her sister in danger. He had to stop himself from revealing the truth to Klaus because he wanted to defend Imogen but he knew that she wouldn't want her secrets to get out, especially when she trusted him enough to tell him. "She would never do that to Davina and she would never go back to the witches."

There were things about Imogen's past that she hadn't told anyone other than him about, things that she wanted to keep buried and he respected that because he was the same. He was nearly positive that the brunette hadn't planned on having a heart-to-heart with him but one night when she had dropped by the compound, they had ended up talking all night about anything that came to mind and their pasts had inadvertently came to light.

Two things he knew for absolute certain was that Imogen Claire would give her life for her little sister and wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who put her in danger.

The sound of footsteps echoed from the opened set of doors, making both vampires turned around as Elijah entered the room with a sage expression and he shook his head slightly in defeat as he stopped just inside the office. "Davina's violin is missing. They may have left of their own volition."

Marcel gritted his teeth angrily as he narrowed his dark brown eyes at the oldest Original and he felt rage clenched his stomach as he marched forward until he was standing not a foot away from him, his finger pointed at the middle of his chest. "What did you say to them in the attic? Davina lied to my face so she could stay up there, thinking that you'd help her control her magic. Imogen neglected to tell me. How do we know you didn't take them?"

"I have no idea where Davina is, or why she ran away. And from what I know of Imogen, she wouldn't let herself be taken without causing a raucous. Can I suggest you take a step back?" Elijah said calmly with a hint of amusement in his voice as he met the younger vampires gaze evenly and plastered a small mocking smile on his lips to mask his concern for both of the witches.

"Maybe you don't know her as well as you think you do."

"What is that supposed to insinuate?"

Marcel looked at him sharply as he backed away without answering his question, more than happy to uphold his promise to Imogen and annoy Elijah at the same time. "Nothing."

"'Walked Through Hell With A Smile.' You're aware of the meaning behind her tattoo." Elijah stated with certainty as he watched Marcel falter slightly while turning towards the window and he couldn't help the jealousy building inside of him as he clenched his hands into fists at his side.

Jealousy was tricky, almost as though it was a living thing, always growing no matter what you do to try and stop it. He didn't want to envy the obvious bond between Imogen and Marcel but it was pointless of him to continue denying to himself that he was. It was a foreign sensation for him to experience. There were only a handful of times in his existence that he could remember ever feeling covetous of someone and it frustrated him that Imogen had affected him enough to feel it now.

The overwhelming urge to rip the former king's heart out of his chest with his bare hands was overridden by his desire to ensure both of the young witches were brought back to safety and so he cleared his throat as he straightened his spine with determination. "This isn't about Imogen's past. This is about Davina. And I can assure you I have absolutely no desire to see that child come into harm's way. She's suffered enough with this Harvest ritual nonsense."

"That child, to whom you refer to so affectionately, is the most powerful witch in New Orleans. Her sister is the second. If they've fled, what's to stop them from destroying us? In fact, destroying all we've worked for? No, if they're not friends of this family, then they are our enemy." Klaus reminded them both pointedly as he pushed himself off of the mantel with a slightly incredulous expression and ignored the scolding glare his older brother sent his way as he started strolling towards the exit.

"They are friends, Klaus." Marcel insisted in annoyance as he narrowed his dark brown eyes at his former mentor and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Klaus make his way to the office door.

"Well, let's hope so. Lucky for you, I know how to get Davina back. And where Davina goes, Imogen will soon follow. Follow my lead." The hybrid ordered casually as he sauntered out of the room with a smirk on his lips and Marcel gritted his teeth, knowing that if he wanted the girls back safely he would have to go along with whatever scheme Klaus was concocting.

There wasn't anything he could do other than follow him out of the office, so he stifled his unease and started walking towards the door reluctantly as he focused on his desire to find both of the witches that he loved like family.

Elijah held out his arm, placing his hand on the middle of Marcel's chest to stop him from continuing and glanced over his shoulder to make sure that his younger brother was out of earshot before turning back to face the dark-skinned vampire in front of him. "You know how Niklaus operates. If he perceives a threat, he can become quite ruthless. This would not bode well for Davina or Imogen."

"I'm not going to let anybody lay a finger on either of them." Marcel declared passionately with a ferocity that made his dark brown eyes flash with determination and he felt rage boiling in his veins at the mere thought of someone harming either of the witches.

"Nor will I."

_________________________________

Imogen stole another wary glance down at the screen of her emergency prepaid cell phone as she exited Cami's apartment, closing the door behind her and strolling down the hallway to the stairwell so that she could have some form of privacy.

Ever since she started sneaking out of the house to attend parties with Sophie when she was a teenager, she made sure that both she and Davina had an untraceable prepaid cell phone on them at all times just in case there was an emergency. They swapped the cell phone every six months, always made cash when buying them, and only gave the number a selected few whom they trusted.

The young witch sucked in a sharp breath as she clicked on the green 'accept' button and held the phone up to her ear as she leaned back against the cold wall of the empty stairwell. There was a soft click on the other end of the phone line as someone answered the call and Imogen pursed her lips together in distaste as she straightened her spine. "Marcel. You have five seconds before I hang up the phone."

"I'm calling for a favour." The former king stated instantly in a hurried tone of voice as she squeezed her eyes shut and remembered that she did indeed owe him for taking care of Davina and delivering the letters she had written her little sister.

Panic engulfed her as she reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose, knowing that she couldn't break her word but also knowing that Marcel was going to ask that she return Davina to the compound. "No. Please, don't ask me to bring her back."

"I'm not, don't worry. Klaus has something planned to lure Davina back. Look, despite what you might think you me, I don't want anything to happen to her or you, Imogen."

There was something in his voice that struck a nerve in Imogen, something so sincere that it made it nearly impossible for her to doubt him. She sighed tiredly as she slumped against the brick wall with a frown and ran a hand through her brunette hair as she pondered her next move. "What's the favour?"

"Do a protection spell for Davina and yourself in case something happens. Please, Imogen." Marcel begged her in a pleading tone of voice as her blue eyes sprung open like someone had electrocuted her and she couldn't believe that she hadn't thought about doing that the moment they left the compound.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll do it now." She informed her softly as she nodded to herself even though he couldn't see her and she heard him sigh in relief on the other side of the phone call as she smiled subtly, happy that he really did seem to care about her and Davina's wellbeing despite their falling out.

"Thank you, Imogen."

"Yeah, don't read anything into it. I'm still pissed at you. I trusted you, Marcel. I told you things I've never told anyone. I trusted you to look after the most important thing in my life. The thing literally holding me together. Why didn't you tell us about Agnes' death? Or at least me?"

"I-I guess I was afraid. You and Davina both mean so much to me, Imogen. If I told you that the last elder was dead, you would've went back to living the life you were before the Harvest. I'm sorry. I am, Imogen, but I couldn't...I don't even know. I didn't want to lose either of you. Davina is like the daughter I never had. And you're my best friend. I didn't know what would happen if I told you and I didn't want to risk it."

Imogen listened to him speak with tears gathering in her eyes, her heart beating furiously in her chest and she found herself nodding along absently as she gripped the phone tighter in her shaky fingers. The anger that she felt directed at the vampire was still there, still settled in the pit of her stomach, but there was also a new feeling of affection that his words brought on. She didn't want to forgive him or believe him when he apologised, but another more prominent part of her wanted to have faith that some people were trustworthy. That some people wouldn't betray her trust like everyone else seemed to do.

"Well, I guess we'll never know what would've happened if you had just told me the truth. I guess I had more faith in you than you did in me if you thought I could just go back to how things were before. Things aren't the same as they were before. My parents are dead. Sophie and I aren't friends anymore. The last remaining Elder is gone. Davina and I don't have to be afraid anymore. Not of our parents. Not of the witches. We deserved to know." she insisted passionately, her voice cracking ever so slightly at the end of her speech and she roughly brushed away a fallen teardrop with the tips of her fingers.

"You're right. You did deserve to know. It wasn't fair of me to let you continue to think you had to look over your shoulder all the time." Marcel relented in a weak voice as she cleared her throat gently and straightened her shoulders with determination, her eyes narrowed at the wall in front of her. "Listen, we can talk about this. Just tell me where you - "

Imogen quickly hung up the phone before he could finish uttering his plea for her to return back to the compound and used all her strength to throw the phone at the cement wall in front of her, making it smash into little pieces as it fell to the floor. She didn't want to risk him trying to call her again later in the day, or Davina accidently answering the phone and getting angry because her powers were slightly unstable when she became overwhelmed.

There was a slightly eerie silence as she tangled her fingers in her brunette hair in frustration and exhaled slowly as she closed her eyes for a moment, the mixture of emotions inside of her struggling to settle on one. Everything was urging her to grab Davina from inside and just run far away, forget everyone and everything. Nothing else mattered as long as she was safe, but there was something holding her back. For some reason she had to know that Cami was safe, that Josh was safe before they left. Somehow they had unintentionally clawed their way into her life and made her care about them.

The young witch shook her head to herself as she plucked a strand of her hair from her head, making sure to include a piece of the root with her skin on it. She scrunched her nose up slightly as she carefully placed the hair in her palm and licked her lips slightly as she felt the swell of magic building in her stomach. "Lanmò vini men yon fwa. Ede m 'chape anba sò sa a. Lavi pou lavi, souf pou souf."

The effects of the spell were physically undetectable but the electric feel of the magic receding let her know that it had been successful and she would now be brought back to life if she were killed in the next twenty four hours.

Imogen shook the hair off of her hand with a disgusted curl of her lip as she started to exit the stairwell and she plastered a small fake smile on her lips as she walked back down the hall to Cami's apartment.

The art of faking a smile was something that she had mastered by infancy. It was all about the small upturn of your lips, the brightness in your eyes. It was about changing it ever so slightly with different scenario. She had learned the hard way that if you pretend long enough eventually the world won't be able to see the difference. An eccedentesiast was the technical name for someone who faked a smile and Imogen was an expert.

Cami was sitting at the kitchen table staring blankly at the wall in front of her as Davina poured some water into a glass and Josh stood by the counter with an anxious expression on his face, shifting on his feet with his arms crossed over his chest. The vampire glanced up at Imogen with a small smile as she entered the room and she returned the gesture as she stopped behind Cami's chair, her hand resting on the blonde's shoulder comfortingly.

"Keep drinking. You need the vervain in your system so you can't be compelled again." Davina instructed the human with a kind smile on her lips as she set the glass down in front of her on the table.

"Hey Cami, you don't have any like... human blood in your fridge, do you?" Josh asked her hesitantly with a chuckle at the end as he forced himself to look away from her pulsing carotid artery and everyone paused simultaneously as they turned to look at him with matching incredulous looks, making him gulp nervously.

Imogen rolled her eyes at his twitchy behaviour as she wandered towards him with an exasperated expression and she pursed her lips in annoyance as she stuck her arm out in front of him, "For crying out loud, here. I don't know why you didn't just ask. It's not the first time."

The young vampire faltered for a second as he grasped the exposed wrist gently and flashed a small smile in her direction before sinking his fangs into the soft flesh with a sickening crunch. The delicious liquid flowed into his mouth, making every nerve in his body stand at the alert and he instinctively tightened his hold on Imogen's arm as he closed his eyes in ecstasy.

Davina suddenly felt a rushing sensation flush over her as she stumbled backwards and her blue eyes glazed over as she grasped the back of one of the chairs. Her whole body erupted in chills as she gasped loudly enough to draw everyone's attention to her but she couldn't pay an attention to the people surrounding her because blurry visions were flashing through her mind.

"Davina?" Cami asked in a worried tone of voice as she stood up from her seat with a frown and Josh dropped Imogen's arm as the witch hurried to her sister's side with panicked expression on her face.

"Someone's practicing magic. They're trying to find me." Davina announced breathlessly as she blinked back into the present with frown on her lips and Imogen placed an arm around the young girl's waist, supporting most of her weight.

"Then we have to run." Imogen stated calmly as she ran her hand through the other brunette's hair and subtly pulled one of the strands out without Davina noticing what she was doing. She watched with a serious expression as Cami dashed out of the room to collect some belongings to take with them and Josh lead Davina over to sit down at the table because she was still a little shaky on her legs.

The thin strand of brunette hair sat delicately in the palm of her hand as she turned her back on the teenagers on the other side of the room and she pulled at the thread of magic in her stomach as she closed her eyes before murmuring under her breath, "Lanmò vini men yon fwa. Ede m 'chape anba sò sa a. Lavi pou lavi, souf pou souf."

The magic instantly dissolved as she opened her eyes and dusted the hair off her hand with a sad smile on her lips, happy that Davina now had a backup plan in place but miserable that she needed one to begin with.

Cami ran back into the living room with some of her essential belongings underneath her arm and the three in the kitchen slowly followed her as she shoved the items into a travel bag, watching her almost warily because of her rapid movements.

"There is no way to sneak me out of the Quarter. By now, everyone's looking for me - the witches, Marcel, Klaus." Davina complained in a slightly panicked tone as she pressed her lips into a straight line and Imogen placed a calming kiss on her temple as she walked passed on her way into the living room.

"My uncle will know what to do." The blonde human insisted more to herself than anyone else as she hurried to pack supplies and the three supernatural beings shared a knowing look over her head, causing Imogen to step forward with a sympathetic frown on her lips.

"Cami- " the witch started to explained to her friend in a soft voice but was cut off by Cami suddenly running to the other side of the room to grab a jacket while muttering to herself.

"I mean, he has to know some of what's going on in this town, right?"

"Cami, stop."

"Unless he's been compelled."

"He knows."

Cami suddenly froze, her back becoming rigid as she slowly turned around to face the three of them with a frown on her lips and her blue eyes were slightly unfocused as she blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"He knows. He works with Marcel. They're practically friends, I hear them talk. He knows everything." Davina informed her gently as she stepped forward so that she was standing next to her sister, drawing on her strength as she broke the news to the disheartened blonde.

"No. He would've told me if he knew the witches put a hex on my brother." She asserted forcibly as she shook her head in denial but there was obvious doubt in her tone and no one said anything as she looked between them, waiting for them to burst out laughing like it was a big joke. "He knows?"

"Cami - "

"Oh, my god. He knows." She stated in a heartbroken voice as she partially collapsed onto the couch behind her and Imogen instantly rushed to her friends step, crouching down next to her with her hand on the blonde's knee.

A mixture of expressions crossed over Cami's face, most obvious one being betrayal. Imogen had plenty of experience in dealing with family members betraying you, but she also knew that nothing she said would lessen the pain Cami was feeling in that moment. All she could do was be there for her friend as she dealt with it and offer her a shoulder to cry on if it was needed.

"Hey, you guys seriously need to go, like now. Plane, train, automobile, whatever. Take my car, it's parked down at the docks. I'll text you the where." Josh told them in an urgent tone as he turned away from the window and looked at the three girls with a slightly panicked expression.

Imogen silently got up from her crouch as she nodded to herself and reached over to grab Cami's cell phone from the side table before walking over to Josh with purposeful strides. "Put your number in Cami's phone, I got rid of mine. Most of the Quarter is shut down right now, we'll have to walk. And the sun is taking forever to go down."

The young vampire nodded dutifully as he accepted the phone she handed him with a small smile and she returned the gesture warmly as she placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently as she backed away. He turned his head to the side slightly to look at Davina with a smile and saw her discreetly trying to hide the tears that had gathered in her blue eyes. "Hey, no tears."

Davina rushed into his open arms as his arms curled around her in a tight embrace and she sniffled gently as she buried her head in his chest, "Promise you'll meet us as soon as it gets dark out?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me. Just don't let them find you."

"Davina, time to go." Imogen instructed softly as she laid a hand on her young sister's shoulder and Josh grinned shakily at the witches as Davina nodded once in understanding before offering a parting smile.

___________________________

The Casket Girl festival was taking place, complete with marching bands, floats and people dressed in costumes celebrating the liberation of a generation of women. The noise echoed throughout the entirety of the French Quarter and made for the perfect place to hide in plain sight as Imogen, Davina and Cami hurried down the crowded sidewalk.

"There's people everywhere." Davina murmured quietly in a distressed voice as she peeked through the white mask she wore over her eyes and she tightened her hold on Imogen's hand as they pushed through a group of people.

"Just keep walking, no one knows it's you." the older witch soothed her gently as she grazed her thumb over her sister's knuckles comfortingly and Davina sighed heavily as she pushed back her nerves with a nod.

"Come on. We have to - "Cami started to say but stopped herself suddenly when she caught sight of Klaus walking across the street, searching around for something or someone and she instantly paled in realisation as she held her arm out to stop the others. "We have to get off this street."

Imogen instantly pulled Davina to a stop next as she looked around for any sign of danger, her blue eyed gaze sweeping around the crowd and stopping on the immortal hybrid heading towards them on the other side of the street. "Off this street sounds like a good idea."

The three of them headed down the closest alleyway, going as fast as possible without drawing too much unwanted attention and trying to be as casual as possible without looking suspect. Their footsteps echoed on the stone street underneath them as they headed away from the main street of the festival. People glanced at them fleetingly as they passed but didn't acknowledge the three girls that hurried by, assuming that they were in a rush to be somewhere to see the end of the parade taking place.

"My uncle's church is right by here. No one should be there." Cami said to the witches quietly so that no one around them would overhear them and Imogen nodded in agreement as they veered in the direction of the church so that they could take sanctuary.

St Anne's Church stood proudly at the centre of the French Quarter. For centuries it had been home to aspiring priests, members of the parish and one of the only neutral grounds in New Orleans. Thankfully, it wasn't populated in the middle of the Casket Girl celebration and Imogen practically dragged Davina down the footpath towards the church once it came into view.

The old fashioned double doors squeaked as they were pushed open by Cami as she ushered the witches inside the empty church and quickly followed them down the aisle towards the alter in the centre of the room.

Cami glanced around the church with a frown on her lips, her mind instantly seeing blood on the walls where there wasn't any, her conscious picturing her twin brother slaughtering the unsuspecting altar boys before himself in this ever church. Knowing that it a hex placed on him by the witches didn't make it any easier for her to be in the place that Sean had died and she forced herself not to think about it as she felt Imogen lay a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We should keep moving. How long do we have to wait?" Davina asked her older sister as she stopped in the middle of the aisle to look around the church she had once lived in with a distasteful curl of her lip.

"Give it a few minutes, then I'll check to see if the coast is clear." The blonde human said calmly as she laid a hand on the younger girls shoulder with a small smile and Imogen nodded in agreement as she sat down on one of the wooden pews.

The vibrating of her phone in her pocket knocked Cami out of her thoughts and she glanced at the caller ID before holding the phone up to her ear with an almost accepting belief that something else had gone wrong. "Josh, sorry I missed your calls."

"We've got a problem. A big problem. Like, colossal." Josh informed her through the phone line in a panicked voice as the two witches perked up at the mention of his name and Cami glanced at Imogen with a frown because she didn't really know what was going on, sensing that the witch might be more knowledgeable in the supernatural.

Imogen got up from her seat quickly, heading towards Cami with her hand already outstretched to receive the phone from her and offered the blonde a small smile as she pressed the speakerphone button. "Josh, what's going on?"

"Klaus just called me. I told him I moved to Turkey but he didn't believe me. He knows that I'm still in town and he knows that I'm with you. He wanted me to pass on a message."

"What's the message?"

"Klaus has Tim."

"What?" Davina asked in shock as she stepped towards her sister with a panicked expression and Imogen looked up from the phone with a sympathetic frown on her lips as she placed her free hand on the younger girls arm comfortingly.

"They're at the compound. Look, I didn't want to tell you, but I know Klaus. If Davina doesn't show up, he'll kill Tim."

"We'll think of something. Make your way to the Quarter. Stay hidden. We'll text you when we have a plan." Imogen ordered him sternly as she stepped closer to her sister's side, noticing the tears building in her blue eyes and hung up the phone without looking.

The words Tim and Klaus were stuck on repeat as they went round and round in Davina's mind and she knew that she had to do something, anything to get her childhood friend away from the immortal hybrid hunting her down. It wasn't fair that she was stuck in the middle of the supernatural and it was something she could control but she was going to make sure that Tim didn't become a victim to her situation.

"I have to go." Davina stated firmly as her face hardened with determination, her eyes flashing with purpose like her sisters did when she set her mind to something.

Imogen immediately tensed as she released her hold on Davina's arm and she shook her head with a scowl forming on her lips as she took a step back as though she had been stung. "Davina, no."

"I can't let Tim die." She insisted passionately as she rounded on her older sister with her lips pursed defiantly and Imogen's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she shook her head in denial, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.

"And I can't let you die!"

"Imogen..."

"No! Everything that we've done is so that we can leave, Davina. I'm sorry about Tim, I really am, but we need to leave New Orleans. Now. We need to meet up with Josh and get the hell out of here. I can't risk losing you. Not now. Not when we're so close." Imogen finished in a desperate whisper as she blinked away the urge to cry and she hardened her expression into the mask of emotionless she had mastered over the years.

Davina stared at her older sister through glassy eyes as she took a hesitant step forward, hating the way Imogen's expression had closed off because she had never been anything less than open towards the younger girl.

Suddenly, she stumbled backwards with a startled gasp escaping her lips and Imogen darted forward to catch her arm as she almost fell to the ground. Her vision became blurry as she leaned into her sister's familiar comforting embrace out of habit and she whimpered slightly as she was propelled back into the present.

"What's wrong?" Cami asked her in concern as she placed a hand on the younger girls' shoulder and Davina snapped her head around to look at her with wide blue eyes, panic evident as she straightened herself from Imogen's grasp.

"The witches." Davina whispered eerily into the silence surrounding them at the same time that the doors to the church burst open loudly and Imogen instantly pushed her sister into Cami's arms before stepping in front of them.

Six witches dressed in long black robes stalked into the church with blank expressions and their arms rose threateningly out in front of them as they narrowed their eyes at the trio at the end of the aisle.

"No!" Imogen shouted angrily as she thrust her arm out towards them, making two of them at the end start choking on the air they were breathing. With a strangled groan she twisted her wrist to the side and the corresponding witches necks cracked in the same direction as they collapsed onto the ground.

The remaining witches in the continued to stalk forward as they chanted to themselves and Imogen readied herself to defended them just a strong wind blew through the church, knocking her backwards into one of the wooden pews.

Davina watched in horror as her older sister's eyes drifted closed seconds after the impact and she wanted to rush over to her, to make sure she was alright but Cami held her back as she stepped in front of the younger girl.

Another gush of wind blew through the church, propelling the blonde human backwards and knocked her unconscious as she lay unmoving on the ground at altar's steps. The group of witches stared at the teenage witch in front of them as they stalked forward and held their arms out in front of them as they chanted, "Gadyen nan balans. Gadyen nan la foi. Se pou nou fe sa yo dwe fe."

The young witch glanced between her sister and Cami with tear filled eyes and found that her hands were shaking uncontrollably as rage flooded through her. She tore her gaze from Imogen's almost peaceful looking face as she stood up straight and she gritted her teeth angrily as she spun around to face the witches that had caused the damage with a scream of frustration, "NO!"

The church foundations began to tremble under the pressure of Davina's magic as she threw her hands out in front of her and narrowed her blue eyes threateningly as focused on levitating the four remaining witches off of the ground. She remembered watching Imogen do this the night of the harvest to their mother, and she had done it again only moments before she was knocked out, all it took was one twist of her wrist.

Davina took a deep breath as she turned both of her hands in the opposite directions and the witches heads lolled to the side immediately as their necks simultaneously snapped. She threw her hands down, making the bodies collapse onto the ground and her breaths came out in short huffs as she stared at the corpses she had just created.

It was completely silent in the church as the young witch glanced around wildly in case someone else came out of the shadows, her gaze sweeping over every inch of the room. When she was positive no one else was going to attack her she immediately rushed to her sister and dropped to her knees at her side as she pressed her finger to the base of Imogen's throat to search for her pulse. The faint thump of blood going through her veins made Davina sigh in relief as she closed her eyes momentarily and then leaned down to kiss Imogen's temple before standing up.

"Cami?" she asked weakly as she ran over to the blonde's side and she knelt down next to her as she reached out to check her pulse much like she had done for Imogen. The gentle thump of a heartbeat reassured Davina that Cami was completely fine as she let out a relieved sigh and stood up from her spot on the ground as her face hardened with remembrance.

There was a meeting that she was running late for.

_________________________

Soft violin music played in the background as Klaus walked down the stairs of the abattoir with Elijah hot on his heels, both of them with worried frowns as they glanced around the seemingly empty courtyard.

"Where's Rebekah gotten off to?" Klaus asked his older brother with a forced casual air as he hid the concern he held for their sister, not wanting to give Elijah something else to grasp onto in his search for redemption.

"It's not Rebekah that I'm concerned about, and how can you be so certain that Davina will come?" Elijah counted without a missing a beat as he trailed after his brother with his hands in his pants pockets and Klaus threw him an indulgent smirk of his shoulder as he jovially jumped off of the last step.

"One might think you've forgotten what it's like to be in the grip of an all-consuming infatuation. She'll come." The hybrid assured him dismissively with a touch of mocking in his tone as he quickly spun around to face his brother and Elijah raised an eyebrow expectantly as he came to a stop in front of him. "Speaking of, are you asking out of concern for Davina or out of hope of seeing your current infatuation?"

Elijah subtly rolled his oak brown eyes at his younger brother attempt to taunt him as he tried to side-step him but Niklaus followed his movements, forcing him to come to a standstill because he knew his younger brother wouldn't stop until he had provoked some sort of reaction. It was one of the more annoying traits that Niklaus processed.

"I must admit, out of all of yours past dalliances - Katerina, Celeste, that one blonde headed girl in Belize, Katerina again - Imogen is by far my favourite." Niklaus continued with a smirk on his lips as he held his hand up against Elijah chest to stop him from moving and the elder Original levelled him with a deadpanned look as he huffed out an exasperated sigh. "I mean, what's not to like? She's undoubtedly beautiful. Passionate, stubborn, benevolent. Feisty, which seems to be your type given your past sweethearts."

"Is there a point to your badgering, Niklaus?" Elijah asked him sternly with an exhausted sigh escaping his lips as he quirked an eyebrow and Klaus grinned deviously, his light blue eyes twinkling with mischievousness.

"I'm just showing some brotherly support."

"Well, thank - "

"After all, getting laid might do you some good." Klaus interrupted whatever his brother was about to say with a cheeky grin as he roughly patted his shoulder before spinning around and strutting further into the courtyard.

Elijah gritted his teeth in annoyance as he glared at the back of his younger brother's head and slowly followed after him, ignoring the urge to snap Niklaus' neck to teach him a lesson in who not to irritate.

The slow depressing sound of the violin echoed throughout the courtyard, making him internally cringe as he looked up at the teenage boy sitting on the wooden pillar and he shook his head slightly with guilt as he turned his head to look at his brother, "Are the maudlin theatrics absolutely necessary, Niklaus?"

"Ha! It's a fair point. Timothy, play something a little more upbeat, please. That's a good lad." Klaus exclaimed cheerfully as he pointed up at the teenager with a smirk and Timothy looked at him blankly for a moment before changing the tune into something more jovial.

Marcel frowned to himself when he entered the courtyard of the abattoir, having heard the familiar sound of the violin and he immediately followed the direction of the noise up to the pillar where a teenage boy was sitting playing.

Klaus looked over at him with a slightly annoyed expression as he watched the former king walk into the room and he crossed his arms over his chest as his lips downturned into a frown. "Took you long enough to spread the word."

"Have you met his nightwalkers? Not the brightest assortment." Elijah commented drily under his breath to his brother, ignoring the irritated look Marcel sent in his direction and Niklaus chuckled slightly in amusement.

"All that matters is, I got it covered. When Davina and Imogen get here, you two need to let me do the talking." Marcel told them pointedly as he walked towards them with a frown on his lips, his hands shaking slightly with nerves but he kept them hidden from the Originals view. It wasn't lost on him how important this meeting was. If he messed this up, even in the slightest, he could lose both of them in a matter of seconds.

Well, I'm sure you'll have your chance." Klaus stated in amusement as he looked past the former king towards the entrance way with a smirk on his lips and he started strolling forward as the other vampires followed his gaze to see Davina walking into the courtyard with a determined expression. "Hello, love."

Davina narrowed her blue eyes at him angrily as the hybrid stopped in the middle of the room and pointed up towards the rafters. "Silence is golden, Timothy. Thank you."

The vibrant violin music ceased immediately as Davina snapped her head in the direction that Klaus had pointed and stifled a gasp when she saw Tim sitting on top of the rafter with a violin in hand. Fury burned inside of her veins as she clenched her hands into fists by her sides and turned her attention back to the Original hybrid standing in front of her. "You got me here. Now let him down."

"Well, first, we have to have a little chat about you returning to the fold."

"What did I say, Klaus? I got this." Marcel said under his breath to his sire as he held up a hand to silently stop him from going any closer and then turned his focus back to the young witch that was glaring at them. "D, what happened? Where's Imogen? I know she wouldn't let you come here on your own. Is she okay? Do I need to send someone out to look for her?"

"Some of the witches tracked us down at St Anne's church. Imogen killed two of them before they knocked her out. She's fine. So is Cami. They'll wake up soon." Davina explained to them steadily as she lifted her chin defiantly even though her eyes flashed with concern. She watched scrutinisingly as Marcel breathed out subtly in relief and ignored the small blossom of hope in her stomach; she didn't want to be distracted by something that wasn't true.

"Why'd you run? Talk to me. Hey, I can make it right."

"How, by threatening my friend?"

"Actually, that was my idea. Apologies. I've been known to go too far to make a point, But I do always get results." Klaus interjected threateningly as he stalked past Marcel with a menacing expression and the atmosphere of the courtyard suddenly flared to life with tension, vibrating and crackling restlessly.

A slightly sadistic smirk crossed over Davina's lips as she narrowed her eyes at the hybrid, her back straight with resolve as she tried to emulate what Imogen would in this situation. There were a number of ways to get your point across: manipulation, pain, or the one that always hurt the most, the truth. She wanted this to hurt. She wanted him to know exactly who he was dealing with. She wasn't some little girl to be underestimated by the likes of him.

"You pretend to be so confident, but I know the truth." the young witch told him confidently as her smirk widened and Klaus raised his eyebrows in amusement, expectantly waiting for her to going on. "You're afraid everyone can see what you really are-- an animal."

Davina stepped forward as she threw her hand out, her expression blank as Klaus collapsed to his knees in front of her and he screamed out in pain. The sickening sound of bones cracking echoed throughout the courtyard, making Elijah start to rush forward to help his brother but Davina saw him and through a hand out to stop him in his tracks before he had moved more than two feet. She turned her wrist downwards as she narrowed her eyes and Elijah was shoved to his knees by an invisible force alongside Marcel.

She turned her attention back to the hybrid as she tilted her head to the side slightly, "A beast. Why don't you show us your real face?"

Klaus cried out in agony as his bones cracked out of shape, beginning the excruciating transformation into a werewolf as his normally light blue eyes flashed a vibrant amber and his canines elongated, sharpening to a point.

The young witch clenched her jaw, internally both wincing at how easy it was to inflict pain on another person and proud that she was capable of being strong enough to do what needed to be done. Her wrist twisted to the side sharply, causing Klaus' neck to snap in the same direction and his body collapsed onto the ground incapacitated as she dropped her hand. "That's enough of you."

"Davina, you don't have to do this." Elijah called out from where he was struggling to his knees on the other side of the room and Davina turned her head towards him with a deep frown on her lips, her blue eyes narrowing as she stepped forward threateningly.

"You - You looked me in the eyes and lied to my face, pretended you wanted to help me."

"Listen to me..."

"You wormed your way into Imogen's good graces and used her to your own advantage. You used her to get information about Marcel, about me. You call yourself the noble one, but you're a killer just like your brother. For 1,000 years, you've fed on innocent blood. Why don't you choke on it?" she asked rhetorically as she sneered at him slightly, more insulted over the fact that he had exploited her sister than anything else.

The young witch raised her hand slightly as she narrowed her eyes at him, using the magic that was built up inside of her to lock the Original's muscles so that he couldn't move and Elijah tensed uneasily as his oak brown eyes flashed with apprehension.

The eldest Mikaelson made a retching sound in the back of his throat as he started to gag and scarlet red blood erupted from in between his lips, cascading down his chin onto his throat like an overflowing river. He was propelled forward slightly as he choked on the liquid filling his oesophagus and he hunched over at the waist as he coughed roughly, trying to force the blood out of his mouth. His body collapsed onto his side as the coughing subsided and his eyes were barely staying open because he was so exhausted, tired. His whole body felt weak, feeble and fragile in a way that he hadn't felt in nearly a thousand years and he finally let the fatigue overtake him as he fell into unconsciousness.

Davina felt a small amount of guilt as she looked down at eldest Mikaelson, but forced it into the back of her mind as she dropped her hand to her side. Determination flowed through her veins because she still wasn't done, she still had a point to prove, she still had someone that needed to know that she wasn't to be underestimated.

Marcel watched Davina cautiously as he climbed to his feet, each movement taking more effort than he thought possible, like he was being forced to travel through honey. The look on Davina's face when she turned to look at him, the pure hatred and disappointment, it was worse than anything that he had suffered through. It cut through him like a knife, wounding him and leaving him a bloody mess.

"And you-- I trusted you. I loved you, but you were just using me to stay in power. You don't care about me." Davina cried in outrage, her voice tinged with dismay as she pursed her lips to stop herself from breaking down and she swallowed roughly against the lump in her throat. "When you lost to Klaus, you handed me over like some trophy. Maybe I should boil you in bronze."

"You're wrong." Marcel denied, shaking his head slowly as his voice cracked with emotion and his dark brown eyes glistened with unshed tears as looked at her longingly. "I care. I took you in like you were my own blood. I love you, Davina. You and Imogen. It doesn't make any sense, but somehow the three of us, we're a family. We. Are. A. Fam - "

Marcel's words were cut off abruptly as his eyes widened in a mixture of pain and surprise before he stumbled and collapsed onto the ground lifelessly, revealing Rebekah standing behind him with a smirk on her lips.

"Come on now, love. Don't tell me you were falling for that. Isn't it time for us girls to have a chat?" the blonde asked rhetorically in a false cheerful voice as she tilted her head to the side innocently and Davina stood up straighter as she inclined her chin slightly, unsure whether or not the Original was a threat to her.

Rebekah stepped over Marcel's prone body gracefully as she looked between her two unconscious brothers with a quirked eyebrow, noting their uncomfortable positions with some degree of satisfaction. "Now, that is impressive, and well-deserved, in my opinion. Now, before you turn on me, I have a surprise for you."

The doors of the Abattoir opened with a loud clang, drawing Davina's attention away from the Original and causing her to frown slightly in confusion as she turned around to see Josh and Imogen walking into the courtyard together.

"Imogen, Josh, what are you doing? Get out of here." Davina exclaimed in a panicked voice as her eyes widened with horror and Rebekah used her distraction to use her superior vampire speed to appear in front of the pair.

The Originals fingers curled around the column of Josh's throat, squeezing tightly as she reached out to couple the action on Imogen and she heard the startled gasp of both witches as the older sister struggled to catch her breath.

"What are you doing?" Imogen rasped out in a weak voice as she feebly tried to grasp Rebekah's wrists, her blue eyes wide with shock as she stared at her supposed 'friend' and focused her attention on ignoring Josh's furious choking next to her as she pulled at the magical energy in her stomach.

"Now, if I were Klaus, I would rip Josh's head from his neck, feed it to a nightwalker, and that would be the end of your friend. Then I'd choke the life out of your sister while you watch, string her up for all the witches to see as a warning, not to mention Marcel and Elijah, both of whom seem smitten." Rebekah stated calmly with a blank expression as she turned her head to look at Davina, disregarding the guilty feeling in the pit of her stomach that the look of the young witch's face and the feeble clawing her friend was conducting while trying to free herself caused.

Imogen gasped loudly as Rebekah released her hold on her throat, falling to her knees as she gingerly rubbed her neck and struggled to catch her breath as tears burned her eyes while Josh collapsed next to her in the same condition.

The blonde vampire glanced down at her friend with a sad smile on her lips as she extended her hand, hopeful that Imogen wouldn't be too angry with her and her grin widened as the brunette accepted her help to stand up. Rebekah turned around to face Davina, taking notice of the relieved expression plastered on the young witch's face as Imogen quickly made her way over to her sister. Jealousy flared to life as she watched Imogen tightly embrace her younger sister, something that Rebekah had been denied most of her existence.

The sisters both looked at her with matching expressions as she tilted her head to the side and folded her hands in front of herself innocently, "But hurting people is such a boyish thing to do, like how Klaus compelled your fiddler on the roof, and, while I am many things, I'm certainly not my brother."

"It's ok, Tim. You can come down. No one is gonna hurt you." Imogen called up to the teenage boy, her throat still slightly scratchy from being choked but she could feel Davina practically vibrating with anxiety next to her.

"He told me I couldn't climb down off this beam." Timothy argued in a small frightened voice as he glanced down at the ground warily and Davina sucked in a sharp breath as she clung to her sister's arm, terrified that everything she had done to save hi would be for nothing.

"Then don't climb, silly. Am I the only smart one in the room? Jump."

As soon as the words had left Imogen's lips, Rebekah strolled over so that she was standing underneath the wooden rafter and Tim looked at them all nervously as he shuffled forward slightly, slowly loosening his hold on the beam before propelling himself over the edge. Davina gasped loudly, digging her nails into Imogen's arm as Rebekah caught him underneath the arms and set him gently on the ground with a small smile, sensing the boy's increasing anxiety.

Davina hurried across the room to his side, barely taking note of Timothy's rapid breathing as she wrapped her arms around him in an embrace but he pulled back almost instantly with frown on his lips, "Davina, how did you do all that? How did I even get here?"

"I'll explain everything, I promise." The young witch assured him softly as she glanced over her shoulder at Imogen before turning back to him and Tim slowly nodded his head as he pulled her into a tight hug. This wasn't what she wanted for her friend. She wanted him to be happy and safe and away the dangerous world of the supernatural. Tim pulled back from the embrace slightly, grazing his fingers gently over her cheek and Davina blushed as she meet his eyes.

Reality came crashing down around her when she felt three people's gazes burning into the back of her neck and she slowly turned around to look at Rebekah, who now stood next to Imogen and Josh.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Seems to me that you're the one holding all the cards, but you don't know who to trust. I've just proven that you can trust me. Now I'd like to show you one more thing. Won't take long. You can bring your friends." Rebekah said softly, her expression completely earnest as she made direct eye contact with the youngest Claire sister and tried to pour her honesty into that one look, hoping to gain her trust like she had Imogen's.

__________________________

Rebekah led the way down the nearly destroyed staircase, a lantern in her hand to light the rocky path beneath their feet. Davina clung to her older sister's hand as she looked around the low lit room while Josh walked behind them with another dimly lit lantern and Tim trailed after them hesitantly, like he wasn't sure he was supposed to be there.

Josh shivered slightly when he heard the disgruntled moans coming from the encased vampires, his stomach turning slightly in revolt as his gaze swept around the room until it landed on the poor human boy who had been dragged into the drama. "Oh, don't worry. They're not really dead, just really hungry... and I'm not helping."

Their footsteps echoed throughout the spacious room as they traipsed after the blonde Original and Imogen gave her sister's hand a reassuring squeeze when she felt her gently shudder. She never wanted this for Davina. She wanted to shield her from the dirty side of the supernatural. She never wanted her exposed to the harsh truth. The world was a horrible place to live.

"You think my brother Nik is awful? Marcel learned from the best. This is how he treats his so-called friends who betray him. Most of what these poor souls did is no worse than what Josh did." Rebekah told the witches bluntly as she placed the lantern down on the ground and gestured with her hand to the many vampires encased behind bricks within the walls, each face grey from desiccation.

Imogen's blue eyes widened in horror as she looked around the room, easily recognising some of the vampires being held prisoner and she slowly started walking around the room until her gaze landed on a familiar face. "Thierry..."

Rebekah followed her gaze to the dark blonde vampire barricaded to the wall by bricks and quickly grabbed Imogen's arm above the elbow to stop her from getting any closer to the starving vampire, afraid that Thierry might succumb to his hungry if he smelt her blood. "Take Thierry, for example. He was Marcel's most trusted friend. Klaus tricked him into breaking one of Marcel's rules. Marcel knows this, and yet he keeps Thierry locked in here day after day, suffering."

"This is insane." Tim muttered to himself as he lifted his disposal water bottle to his lips and shook his head to the totally ludicrous events actually taking place.

"Why are you telling us this?" Davina asked the Original sceptically as she inched closer to her sister, hoping to draw support from Imogen's presence.

"Because we need to know who we're dealing with, who we can trust. Every side has a story, it's time for Rebekah to tell us her side." The older witch answered firmly as she moved to stand next to her sister in a silent affirmation of her allegiance and Davina immediately linked their hands together as tears filled her eyes, panic slowly ebbing into after the hindrance day she had.

"Hey, hey, it's gonna be ok. I mean, you're gonna be all right. Here. Drink something." Tim urged her gently as he rushed over to her side, holding out the plastic water bottle and Davina offered him a shaky smile as she took it from him before taking a small sip of the cool liquid.

Rebekah stepped forward with a slightly apprehensive expression on her pretty face as she held her hands out in front of her, offering a sort of surrender and she glanced at Imogen for permission before turning her attention back to the younger sister. "Davina, you and Imogen and I have been lied to and taken advantage of by Marcel and Klaus. Maybe together, we can get a little payback."

Coughs sounded throughout the room, drawing everyone's attention to the human boy who was clutching his chest as he struggled to breathe and Josh tried to catch him as Tim unsteadily fell to his knees. Davina released her strangle-like hold on Imogen's hand and rushed towards her crush, skidding to her knees by his side with a concerned frown on her lips. "Tim?"

"It was Klaus. He made me do it. I didn't even know what I was doing until I made you-" Tim gasped out weakly in between coughs as Imogen knelt down on his other side, wearing the same worried frown as her sister.

"Made her what?" the older witch asked sharply, unrelenting when it came to her sister's safety and he glanced at her serious expression before turning back to Davina with tears in his eyes, his lower lip quivering slightly.

"Drink." He whispered quietly with an apologetic expression as his gaze swept over Davina's face and her blue eyes widened in horror as he started choking on nothing, his skin turning a light blue colour from lack of oxygen.

Imogen reached forward instantly, her fingers going to his neck as she searched for the pulse point and she looked up with a sad expression as she shook her head in silent answer to the question no one wanted to ask. "Klaus poisoned the water."

A loud gasp escaped Davina's lips as her eye went wide, her lungs trying to take in as much oxygen as possible even though it felt like swallowing syrup. Her vision was blurry as she blindly reached out, hoping to alert someone to what was happening as she collapsed onto her side on the ground and she vaguely heard multiple people calling her name as darkness consumed her.

"Davina!" Imogen screamed in horror as she hurried to her younger sister with tears already streaming down her cheeks and she carefully picked up Davina's head to cradle it on her lap as she brushed some brunette hair off her forehead. "Come on, Pixie! Wake up. Wake up, baby. Please!"

Of course in the back of her mind she knew that her protection spell would bring Davina back to life, but seeing her baby sister lying dead on the ground, not breathing, it scared the hell out of her.

__________________________

Elijah tilted his head to the side as he stood over Marcel's unconscious body, waiting for the younger vampire to wake up from the brief death his sister had inflicted on the man. The dark skinned vampire let out a loud gasp as his dark brown eyes snapped open, his breaths coming out in shallow pants.

"Well, isn't this monumentally awkward." The Original quipped calmly as he extended his hand down to help the other vampire to his feet and Marcel shot him an unimpressed look as he accepted the assistance.

"Rebekah, where are you?" they both heard Klaus ask from across the room and they snapped their heads around to look at him in unison, hyper aware that the hybrid had done something dastardly.

"I'm with Davina, and she's dying because of your treachery." Rebekah's voice sounded through the speaker on the cell phone in Klaus' hand, the pain obvious in her voice when she spoke.

"Well, I tried to talk to her out of respect for Marcel, but she made it quite clear she is not our friend. My apologies if you thought she was yours."

"Just tell me how to cure her. Vampire blood isn't working."

"No. It wouldn't. You see, the poison I compelled Timothy to feed her is quite potent. It's just a matter of time for her."

"For both of them, you diabolical bastard. They're children. We could've dealt with her fairly."

"There is no dealing with those who threaten us. Davina sealed her fate when she stood against me. This was her choice, not mine." Klaus defended himself flippantly as he turned around to see Marcel striding towards him with a determined expression but Elijah placed a restraining hand on the younger vampire's shoulder to stop him from going any closer. The hybrid hung up the phone, placing it back in his pocket as he studied the angry expressions of the two in front of him and he could feel the tension rippling between the three of them as he started walking forward. "Oh, come on. The stench of your judgment is overwhelming. Need I remind you that Davina just bested the lot of us? I did what had to be done. Don't worry, Elijah. I remain as redeemable as ever."

"So you compelled that boy to poison Davina without consulting Marcel or myself." Elijah stated knowingly as he narrowed his oak brown eyes at his younger brother, ignoring the comment about his quest to find Klaus' redemption.

"You know what the worst part is? It's that you're so predictable, I had to make an alliance with your brother, who I don't even like." Marcel told him with a hint of smugness in his voice as he tilted his head to the side and shared a look with Elijah before turning back to face his former mentor.

"Judging by your expression, you have something you'd like to share." Klaus ground out between clenched teeth, angry at himself for not seeing the duplicitous shenanigans going on right underneath his nose.

"Damn straight, I do. I was able to get a hold of Imogen earlier tonight. Called in a favour she owed me and asked her to do a protection spell on herself and Davina. Couldn't be sure you wouldn't go after both of them."

Klaus stared at him for a moment, a flurry of emotions warring inside of him. Everything from pride to anger to happiness to fury. All he ever wanted for Marcellus was for him to be a self-sufficient man. To be honourable, and smart and somewhat devious, to be strong and able to do whatever he wanted to do. "So, when you slipped away to allegedly check on your nightwalkers, you were, in fact, colluding with a witch. That's very clever. I suppose I should be proud."

"Eh, I just wanted to make sure I had a failsafe just in case, as Elijah expected, you started acting like you."

"Except that now you've involved a witch, who, last time I checked, were enemy to us all, to everything we have, and to our family."

"Imogen is already involved!" Elijah argued fiercely as he stepped forward with a hard expression on his face, his oak brown eyes flashing with irritation. "And she, along with Davina are Marcel's family, Niklaus, or did that somehow slip your mind as you tried to take that young girl's life?"

A harsh silence settled over the three of them as Klaus looked slightly guilty over his actions, Elijah thought of how much pain Imogen must be right at that moment as she watched over her sister's dead body and Marcel slowly backed away from the Originals as he reflected on what he was going to say to the two girls he loved with his whole heart.

__________________________

The Abattoir courtyard was silent expect for the shuffling footsteps of Rebekah and Imogen as they made their way inside, a sleeping Davina nestled protectively in the Originals arms. Her face buried in the crook of the vampire's neck and her hand tightly grasping her sister, having refused to let go even once she fell asleep. Once she woke up from her short death, and once she had been nearly strangled in a hug by her sister, her attention was almost immediately on the deceased teenage boy lying beside her and all the crying did exhausted her.

Imogen hated hearing the horrified cries coming from her baby sister but she would much rather face that then Davina's actual demise. Just seeing her lying there earlier had nearly broken her heart. Feeling no pulse, no breaths, no heartbeat, it nearly destroyed her.

They entered the main courtyard where Klaus, Elijah and Marcel were waiting for from to arrive and Imogen instantly narrowed her blue eyes at the hybrid, anger building in her stomach at the sight of the man who killed her sister.

Marcel jogged towards them the moment they came into the room, his dark brown eyes sweeping over each of the girl for any damage and he stopped in front of them as he gaze landed on Imogen before switching to the unconscious girl in Rebekah's arms. "Is she ok?"

The affection and concern was evident in his expression as he kept his focus on the teenagers face, and Imogen stiffened slightly when he looked over at her momentarily, she didn't want someone to end up hurting Davina but it was obvious the vampire genuinely cared.

"She's devastated and exhausted." Imogen answered softly, her blue eyes giving away how utterly tired she herself was and Marcel frowned slightly in concern when he noticed the dark haze in her eyes.

"Where's her room?" Rebekah asked her friend gently as she shifted the young witch's weight and Imogen slowly plied her hand out of Davina's as she offered the blonde a thankful smile.

"No. I got her." Marcel murmured quietly as he held his arms out for Davina without looking away from her face but looked up at Rebekah when no one moved, only to find her glancing at Imogen for directions. The Original didn't want to upset her friend by allowing the man who betrayed her trust to handle her sister, the person she loved and cherished more than anything in the world, without permission. Marcel turned his head slightly to look at Imogen, his dark brown eyes pleading with her to let him do this one tiny thing to start making it up to her and Davina. "I got her."

The witch exhaled sharply as she nodded her head in agreement and ignored the apprehensive feeling in her gut as Marcel gently transferred Davina from Rebekah's arms to his. The dark skinned vampire nodded once towards the two women in front of him before carrying the unconscious witch out of the room.

Rebekah watched him leaving feeling helpless, feeling like she should've been able to help Tim or Davina. She was an Original vampire, one of the strongest creatures on the planet and yet she was completely at the mercy of the universe. It was oddly pleasant to feel so human, and that made her feel guilty. The blonde gently squeezed Imogen's hand, hoping to offer her some kind of comfort, before casting a heated glare towards her abominable brother and leaving the room because she couldn't bear to be in the same space as him at the moment.

"Imogen..." Klaus started to say apologetically as Elijah followed Marcel up the staircase to Davina's bedroom and Imogen turned her sharp gaze around to him, the anger radiating off her as she marched towards him. The look on her face was enough to make the might Original Hybrid gulp nervously as she stopped in front of him and outstretched her hand as her blue eyes narrowed with rage.

Magic bubbled inside her stomach, her only anger making her feel even stronger and she focused on the face that this man in front of her had literally killed her little sister. If it wasn't for Marcel's forward thinking, Davina wouldn't have woken up at all and that this completely unacceptable to even think about. Klaus was responsible. Klaus was the cause of her pain, and so she was going to show him just as much pain.

Klaus groaned in pain as his hand flew up to clutch his chest over his heart, his face twisting in agony as he struggled to stay standing on his own two feet and Imogen smirked maliciously as she stepped forward to stand in front of him, "Can you feel that? That's me pulling your heart in opposite directions. I'm quite literally breaking your heart in half. Go after Davina again and you'll experience what I felt for that split second I thought she was gone. Utter and complete heartbreak."

Imogen glared at him once more before releasing her hold on the magic keeping him in pain and shaking her head at him as she made her way up the staircase to the second level of the compound. Her footsteps were sluggish and slowly, reminding her that she had been awake for over 24 hours and she was utterly exhausted from her night listening to Cami scream and her day running from the witches and vampires.

"They'll never trust me again." she heard Marcel say morosely from inside Davina's bedroom as she came to a stop just outside the open door so that she could listen in on whoever was inside. The vampire sounded so upset by the way everything had played out, so depressed that he had ended up hurting them and Imogen didn't know how to feel about that.

"Perhaps. You must never surrender the fight to reclaim that trust." Elijah replied softly, compassion leaking into his voice as Imogen glanced down at the ground with a frown and she couldn't decide if she felt relieved that Marcel wanted to make amends or pissed off that he was speaking to Elijah instead of her.

Marcel walked out of the young witch's bedroom, his gaze locked on the ground until he felt someone else's presence and he looked up to see Imogen leaning against the wall next to the door with tears in her blue eyes.

A tense silence past between the two of them as they locked gazes, staring at each other hoping that their eyes betrayed the emotions that they couldn't put into words. Anger. Love. Betrayal. Hope. Regret. Marcel heaved out a sigh as he broke eye contact, knowing that any rift between the two of them was completely his own fault and he nodded once towards the witch before walking down the hallway away from her.

Tears burned in Imogen's eyes as she quickly ducked into her own bedroom, not wanting anyone to see her weakness as she finally let herself feel the day's events. She sunk down on the edge of her bed, knees weak from exhaustion as she let her head fall forward and tears streaming down her cheeks. Her hands curled around the blanket until her knuckles turned white under the pressure and while it hurt slightly, she was happy to have some outlet for her emotions. For so long she had bottled everything up, only letting herself feel when she had to and never letting herself feel anything about the past. She had to be strong, for herself and for Davina.

Crying didn't always mean you were weak, but just that you'd been strong for too long and Imogen had definitely been hiding between a mask of indifference for longer than she could accurately remember.

It was times like this she remembered that she only twenty two years old. Still practically a child herself and yet she had been through so much, had been forced to do so much in the name of survival and she didn't regret a thing. Everything she had done was for Davina's safety, or for her own, and she knew that she would do it again but she had had a minute to breathe let alone face the facts of what she had done.

Imogen sucked in a sharp inhale as she wiped the tears off her cheeks with the back of her hands and struggled to compose herself as she stood up from the edge of the bed. She didn't have time to break down right now. She had to check on her sister. Davina had been through so much today and Imogen knew that she wasn't as desensitised to pain as she was.

The witch kicked off her high heels as she strolled out of the bedroom and crossed the hall to Davina's assigned bedroom, where the young brunette was lying on her side staring at the wall blankly.

"Hey, baby." Imogen greeted her softly as she slowly shut the door behind her and crossed the room to sit on the edge of the bed, her hand instantly going to sooth back the younger girl's hair. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't feel anything." Davina mumbled absently as she blinked her blue eyes at the wall in front of her and Imogen frowned at her in concern as she ran her finger through her sister's hair, hoping to illicit some kind of comfort. She had never really felt the kind of lost Davina was experiencing and didn't know what to do for her in her time of need.

Davina rolled over onto her back, her blue eyes starred up at the ceiling with tears threatening to fall before blinking and turning her gaze to her older sister with her lower lip quivering, "Can you tell me a story?"

"Pix - "

"Please? I need a distraction. Please, Immy?"

"Okay, okay, hon." She murmured quietly with a frown as she leaned over slightly to press a kiss to Davina's forehead and then sat back as she snuggled deeper into her pillow with a yawn. It reminded Imogen of when Davina was little and she would tuck her into bed to say good night. She used to read her fairytales and fables and other tales, some true and some make believe. Everything from The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, The Velveteen Rabbit, Stuart Little, Peter Pan. Anything that Imogen could get her hands on.

"How about something empowering, feminist and awe-inspiring?" Imogen asked her sister with a slight teasing tone in her voice as she leaned forward and cupped Davina's cheek with her hand as she smiled slightly. The younger sister's lips tipped up a little as she nodded her head and leaned into Imogen's touch as her eyes fluttered closed. "For centuries, people have come to New Orleans looking for a fresh start. Looking to find adventure, fortune, and even love. In the 18th century, young society women imported from France with the promise of marrying a proper New Orleans gentleman like the legendary Casket Girls. Little did they know that the men who awaited them were far from proper, and not at all gentle."

"Do you know what happened to them?"

"The real version, or the doctored version the human told the public?"

Davina opened her eyes to give her sister a pointed look and Imogen laughed softly as she nodded her head in understanding, "Female vampires killed the men who waiting for them and took the girls under their protection. Some choose to acclimate into the human faction, and some, those who wanted to be strong, to never again be victim to a man, chose to become vampires."

"Is that why we have the Casket Girl parade?" Davina asked sleepily as Imogen gently ran her fingers through her brunette hair and smiled slightly at the feeling as she closed her eyes once more.

"Mm-hmm. The Casket Girls legend lives on, now celebrated in typical New Orleans fashion with stylish costumes and supernatural flair. It's a yearly reminder of how woman can be oppressed by selfish men and how they can triumph when brave enough to fight for themselves."

"I like this story. Sometimes I forget how to be brave."

"Please. You, Pixie, are stronger and braver than anyone I've ever met. It is said that this is a man's world, and sometimes it is. For every Casket Girl that was saved, countless others were not. But women are more resilient than given credit for. And some women, well, let's just say their oppressors had better watch out. I truly believe that you're one of those women and I'm so proud of who you've become." Imogen told her honestly as she offered the younger girl a sincere smile, pride spreading through her body as she looked down at the young woman she had raised.

Tears filled Davina's blue eyes as she tried to best to smile back at her sister, overwhelmed by the joy hearing those words from the woman she admired so much. All she had ever wanted was to make Imogen proud of her. After all, she was the woman who raised her.

Imogen leaned over with a smile on her lips and pressed a kiss to Davina's temple as she tucked a strand of brunette hair behind her ear, "Good night, baby girl."

__________________________

It turned out that a warm, long shower could make someone feel nearly ten times better after a horrible day. It relaxed the muscles, soothed the soul and cleansed the conscious. It was sometimes the favourite part of Imogen's day because for those few minutes she didn't have to be anything other than what she was. It was okay not to be perfect; no one was there to see her imperfection, her scars, her blemishes. No one was there to judge her. No one was there to see her tears mix into the water.

So that was what she did after saying good night to Davina. She took a shower and tried to decompress. It worked and she was currently wandering through the compound wearing her pyjamas and her brunette hair damp around her shoulders.

Her footsteps dragged slightly, even though she was rejuvenised from her shower fatigue still ate away at her and she headed towards the light coming from one of the rooms at the end of the hallway. Curiosity was getting the better of her as she pushed open the door to the study and saw Elijah sitting on an armchair examining numerous pieces of canvas paper spread across the ground.

"You ok?" Imogen asked him softly as she wrapped an arm around her stomach and strolled further into the room as she swept her blue eyed gaze from papers on the table to the man sitting in front of them.

Elijah looked up at the sound of her voice, his heart lurching slightly as the familiar scent of 'Imogen' filled the room and he offered her a crooked grin as she stopped next to the table. "I'm better now. How was your day?"

"Killer. Literally." She admitted drily as she looked over at him with a smirk on her lips and he chuckled slightly as he watched her blue eyes light up slightly at the sound, something that made him smile.

Her smile faded slightly as she turned her attention towards the table full of disordered artworks done in black charcoal and she took a step forward as she studied the familiar scraps of the drawings. "What's with the artwork? Aren't these Davina's? She drew those the whole time she was in the attic, said they're different than what she draws when she senses magic. These ones, she called them evil."

"Yes, I found them in her room earlier. I wonder if they represent some kind of premonition. They seem to suggest something is coming. Something sinister." He murmured quietly, more to himself than to her as he turned back to the papers with his brow furrowed and Imogen knelt down next to the table as she pulled her brunette hair over one shoulder.

Elijah glanced over at her with a fond smile on his lips as she bit lower lip and swept her eyes over each individual l piece of parchment until his gaze fell on the purplish bruise across her left shoulder blade. Anger rushed through him, quickly like a lightning strike and he pushed it aside as concern battled it out for the most prominent emotion. "Imogen. You're injured."

"What?" she mumbled in confusion, too entranced in trying to decipher the artworks and she looked over at him with a frown on her lips before her blue eyes widened in recognition. "Oh! You mean my shoulder? It's fine, just a bruise."

"Where did it come from?"

"Some witches attacked us earlier at St Anne's church. I killed two of them but there were another four of them and while I'm powerful, I can't compete against four at a time while trying to protect Davina and Cami. I was knocked unconscious. Must have hit my shoulder when I fell."

The Original slowly lowered himself to the ground next to her so that she was nestled in between his legs and Imogen snapped her head up at look at him in confusion with a frown, a blush heating up her cheeks. Elijah lifted his gaze to meet her blue eyes as her breathing quickened at the close proximity and he swore he could see the lust burning in her eyes as she parted her lips to speak but stopped herself at the last minute.

Curiosity burned through Imogen as she watched the dark veins under his oak brown eyes come into view and his fangs elongate as he lifted his wrist to his mouth before biting down with a sickening crunch. Scarlet red blood seeped out of the puncture wound as he lowered his arm slightly, his vampire visage fading and he held his wrist out towards the witch as he placed his other hand on the back of her neck. "Drink. You'll heal."

Imogen met his oak brown eyes as she grasped his arm and slowly lowered her mouth to the wound without looking away from him, almost transfixed as she made contact with his skin. Her parted lips seared his skin as she gently sucked some of the tangy blood into her mouth and her eyes fluttered closed as her grip tightened slightly.

Elijah's lips parted in a silent gasp as his skin sent electric shocks through him at the contact and he soothed back Imogen's brunette hair so that he had a clear view of her face as she moaned against his skin.

It was an intimate act, blood sharing. One of the most personal acts between two people, literally sharing part of yourself with another person. Giving them a part of your life force, giving them part of your essence. It wasn't purely the psychical aspect but the act of connecting with someone so deeply that you feel as though you can see into their soul, into their heart of hearts.

Imogen ran her tongue over the wound as it slowly healed under her mouth, making a shiver course over both of them and she lifted her head slowly as her eyes fluttered open, keeping her gaze on the now healed wrist in her grasp. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip to remove any remaining blood and turned her head to meet Elijah's burning oak brown eyes, noticing the intense but clouded focus.

"Thank you." she whispered gratefully as she glanced quickly down at his lips for a moment and he nodded subtly as his gaze flickered down to her parted lips, his inhibitions almost overwhelming him.

She slowly reached out, lifting her hand up to his lip and dragging the pad of her thumb over the corner of his lower lip, sending a bout of electric current through him before placing the thumb in her mouth to suck away the excess blood. "You had some blood."

"Thank you." he whispered back quietly as his finger intertwined in her hair and he started to lean in closer to her while maintaining eye contact. The atmosphere surrounding them was thick with tension as they both slowly started to lean towards the other and they were so close that they warm breathes mixed together. Imogen reached out to balance her hand on the table but her hand slipped when it landed on one of the papers and all the artworks flew to the ground around them as they jerked away from each other in surprise.

Imogen burst out laughing at the audacity of the situation as she rested her forehead on Elijah shoulder, allowing herself the small respite from the dangerous life she was living because she needed to find joy in the little moments in between the big ones.

Elijah chuckled along with her, more amused by her reaction than by being interrupted but he was quickly learning that he would do anything to hear her laugh. It always made him happy to hear, like a rush overtaking him and making him laugh along with her.

They both start picking up the drawings, sharing secret smiles when their fingers accidently brushed and Imogen looked back down at one of the images until it started to take shape into something familiar. Her blue eyes narrowed in intrigue as she snatched the paper out of Elijah's hand and placed it next to the one in her hand, her eyes widening when she recognised the pair of eyes staring back at her. She placed the papers on the table and continued to search through the various artworks, adding another piece to the puzzle whenever she recognised a feature until it became an obvious portrait. One that she identified easily when it all came together.

"Oh, my god. Isn't that..."

"Celeste..."