Mindless Hopes and Shattered Dreams
~~~~~~~~
"We've been living on a fault line
And for a while, you were all mine
I've spent a lifetime giving you my heart
I swear that I'll be yours forever
'Til forever falls apart"
Ashe and FINNEAS
(Till Forever Falls Apart)
"You could at least pretend not to enjoy this so much" Nixie grumbled, hands straightening out the ungodly amount of ruffles on the bottom half of her dress as she scrutinized her reflection in their bedroom mirror. To say she was less than thrilled about her appearance was an understatement. Not only was she being forced to participate in some mumbo jumbo Casket Girl parade thing, but the dress Rebekah picked out for her was one of her least flattering ones, at least in Nixie's opinion. The dress itself wasn't horrible, but the young Dovers had a very particular style she liked to stick to and this was not it. It took several hours of arguing with the blonde original about the color before Nixie actually won but then she somehow ended up with no say in the appearance. Ya win some, ya lose some.
Klaus' grinning face was hidden behind his canvas, the hybrid's eyes peaking over the top of it every few seconds at his human before his brush frantically scribbled his newest piece. While he knew Nixie was in a sour mood due to the festivities, Klaus basked in the view of her spinning in their bedroom mirror for the last 2 hours giving him the perfect opportunity to pull out a blank canvas and create his newest masterpiece. The back ruffles of her dress were the most time consuming, but the details in them were nothing compared to the delicate strokes he was forced to use when trying to recreate Nixie's reflection. The painting itself was rather simple, yet elegant all the same. Nixie's back was to him, her black curls cascading and nearly blending in with the black of her dress, one arm resting delicately on her right hip while the other held a handful of the ruffles. Her reflection stared back, the only part of the painting where you could actually make out her facial features and Klaus made sure to exclude himself from the finished product, and instead filling in blank space where the reflection of him and his easel would've been. After all... there was only room for one masterpiece in this painting, and his human deserved all the credit.
"You know," he hummed, adding a few miscellaneous lines here and there before resting his brush in water and giving her his undivided attention, "typically wedding dresses are supposed to be white, I don't recall the real Casket Girls wearing anything of this sort.."
"You think I'm getting married in white" Nixie snorted, eyeing him through the reflection with a raised brow, "oh, bless your little delusional heart."
Klaus wasn't all that surprised by this sudden revelation, after all, it was Nixie, she practically owned the rights to the color black. The hybrid didn't dare reveal the sudden flashes his mind decided to conjure on it's own. Visions of her wearing said wedding dress, making her way down the aisle towards him, both grinning like absolute fools while a faceless little girl happily skipped her way in front, flower pedals raining from the basket she carried and innocent giggles echoed within his eardrums... the perfect picture- -
"Hello" Nixie called, waving a hand in front of his face causing him to snap out of whatever daze he had fallen into and her head tilted to the side as his cheeks took on a pink tint, "uh, whatcha thinking about in there?"
Clearing his throat, Klaus shook away the remnants of those thoughts, playfully swatting the hand she used to knock against his skull while simultaneously trying to act as casual as possible, "mm, I'm thinking about how absolutely exquisite you look in this dress" he grinned, hands wrapping around her waist and quickly turning her back to his chest forcing her to face their reflection as his lips suddenly brushed her ear, "and about how ravishing it'd look on this floor."
In record timing, Nixie's bashfulness due to his first compliment turned into pure wickedness with a smirk to match as his hands brushed the lower half of her back before slowly trailing across her zipper, "Mr. Mikaelson, your hunger is insatiable."
"What can I say, love" he winked, playfully biting at her earlobe once his fingers finally clasped around her zipper, his other hand slowly pushing her forward until she was forced to stop herself right in front of the mirror, both of them still staring at each other's reflections while Nixie's hands gripped the edges, "you are simply sensational, I cannot get enough."
Nixie's heart was pounding at this point, the poor organ practically killing itself as her excitement raised with every word that left his mouth. Sure, her and Klaus had slept together, a fair amount of times at that too, but foreplay was hardly ever an option for the couple with how many times they're interrupted. Whether it be one of Marcel's vampire's knocking with the updates Klaus was forcing them to relay, the Original's siblings making sure he wasn't running amuck causing some form of chaos, or just Gale barging in at random moments in time with no actual reason for being there.. Getting a minute alone was nearly impossible now that they were at the compound and while Nixie was happy that Klaus was back in his old home, ruling his kingdom and getting whatever his twisted little heart desired, a small part of her missed the seclusion of the plantation and a time where no one knew about her existence.
Now it was all, 'Do this', 'do that', 'Marcel wants this', 'the vampires are unsatisfied with that', 'we have a problem'. It was exhausting at times, but of course Nixie would never actively complain about it, 'adapt and overcome', and as long as there wasn't some supercharged enemy out there plotting all their deaths and mutilating them like cattle, well, then she'd get over it.
And Klaus? Well, he was definitely helping her get over it..
Zipper already undone and forgotten about, Klaus used the hand that wasn't holding her to him to brush the curls from her shoulder to reveal her smoothed skin that he didn't hesitate to bring his lips to.
Anticipation rising, Nixie was wholeheartedly awaiting the moment his hands would remove her dress and she nearly shook with excitement the higher up his lips moved against her neck. Finally, fucking fin-
*knock* *knock*
An inhuman growl left the former protectress' mouth, the sudden absence of his lips against her skin causing a bubble of irritation to brew in the pits of her stomach and she could've cried as he hastily redid her zipper with an amused chuckle at her reaction, "now, now, sweetheart, duty calls."
"Fuck your duty" Nixie grumbled, moodily crossing her arms over her chest with a huff while Klaus poked his head out of the door. The sudden silence that infiltrated the room was almost overwhelming as whoever was on the other side of the door most likely presented some less than exciting news judging by the tensed muscles in the hybrid's back. They exchanged a few heated words before the door slammed shut, the force causing a few frames on the walls to shake and Nixie's lips to purse, "what's wrong?"
Sighing, Klaus turned to face her with a look of exasperation, "it would appear our super witch has taken it upon herself to fly the coop..."
Shoulders slumping, Nixie didn't much care for the fact that the teenage witch decided to go out and get a life for herself, hell, she hadn't even met the girl yet, to her knowledge, but this was definitely going to put a damper on well, everything else. "Just a day of the life in New Orleans" she muttered, lazily throwing her arms up as she followed her hybrid's hurried steps into the neighboring room where Marcel was already pacing the floors, "hip hip."
"What are we hooray-ing today, little sister" Gale joined her side, bumping his shoulder into hers with a bright grin... too bright.
Nixie took one look at him and pursed her lips, "what did you do?"
The eldest Dovers heart stopped, "w-what? All I said was-
"I know what you said" Nixie cut him off before he could repeat himself, eyeing the rest of him distrustfully, "you look guilty."
"Why, I-" Gale placed an overly offended hand onto his chest, "why I never, is this the treatment I get around here for trying to be optimistic?! BLASPHEMY!"
Flinching as he noisily slapped the wall beside them, Nixie just rolled her eyes at his theatrics. If there was one thing she knew about her brother, it was that whatever was currently eating away at him would soon come to light, all she had to do was wait. Gale was his own biggest enemy when it came to keeping secrets, especially from Nixie. Between the two siblings, the youngest Dovers had been the only one blessed with the ability to lie and get away with it so Nixie wasn't too worried, he'd squeal like a pig eventually.
And that was exactly what Gale was dreading because he knew it too.
"You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to know the obvious" Klaus' voice trailed through the open doorway as Nixie finally caught up with him and a pacing Marcel, "our secret weapon has escaped."
"Okay, Sherlock is way overrated" Nixie grumbled to her brother, who nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, downright dickhead that guy was."
Nixie pointed in recognition, ignoring the deadpanned looks they were receiving from both supernaturals before Marcel spoke up on behalf of the girl he considered a daughter, "she wouldn't just leave," he defended, "she knows the witches want her back."
"Her violin is missing" Elijah voiced once he entered the room, the suited Original making sure to shoot the young Dovers a smile feeling like he hadn't seen her in ages before falling back into dutiful Original, "she may have left on her own volition."
Muscles tensing, Marcel whipped towards the older Mikaelson and pointed an accusing finger, "what did you say to her in the attic? She lied to my face so she could stay up there thinking that you'd help her control her magic. How do we know that you didn't take her?"
Elijah eyed the lack of space between himself and the young vampire distastefully before replying, "I have no idea where Davina is or why she ran away" he assured before gesturing towards their close proximity, "can I suggest you take a step back?" Thankful for the distance between them now, Elijah flattened his tie with a nod, "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 so affectionately is the most powerful witch in New Orleans" Klaus reminded rather heatedly, "if she's fled, what's to stop her from destroying us, in fact, destroying all we've worked for?"
"I highly doubt she'd be dumb enough to come waltzing back in here, a plan of destruction in her back pocket after running away from you lot" Nixie snorted, "why would she leave? If she's as powerful as you say, and wanted to destroy you, one would think she would've done it already, would you not?" Crossing her arms, Nixie could feel her lovers eyes burning into the side of her head as she so blatantly went against his words, but she refused to meet his stare.
Teeth gritting, Klaus ignored the small sting of betrayal he felt after Nixie failed to back him up and instead continued himself, "if she's not a friend to this family, then she is our enemy."
"She is a friend, Klaus" Marcel gritted, the mere thought of his sire doing anything to the 16 year old witch putting the young Gerard on edge.
"Well, let's hope so" the hybrid shrugged nonchalantly, "lucky for you lot, I know how to get her back." Pushing himself off the desk he had been leaning against, he looked towards his brother as he made his exit, "follow my lead." He made it a point to completely ignore his human's existence on the way out, still bitter about her words against his.
Rolling her eyes, Nixie gave no indication that she was even phased by his actions, having already been used to their normal bickering seeing how Klaus was a very demanding man and Nixie was a very outspoken woman, they clashed all the time. He'd get over it, eventually.
Watching his brother leave, Elijah waited until he was out of hearing range before he stopped Marcel from following behind, and grabbing Nixie's attention before she could flee causing both of them to raise a brow. "You both know how Niklaus operates" the Original quietly pointed, "if he perceives a threat, he can become quite ruthless. This would not bode well for Davina."
"I'm not gonna let anybody lay a finger on her" Marcel scolded, the threat in his words quite loud.
"Nor will I" Elijah remarked, his eyes drawing over the vampire's shoulder and stopping on Nixie, "which is why I need your help with something.."
Nixie's brows furrowed in confusion, "my help? What could I possibly do? I haven't even met the girl."
"That's where you're wrong" Elijah shot back, digging into his pocket causing both her and Marcel to watch with a hint of interest as he pulled out a folded paper, "when I checked her room and noticed the missing violin, I remembered something.." The Original unfolded to paper before turning it around for both of them to see, "I saw this the night Davina and I were conversing in the attic, now at first I thought she had gotten inspiration from a vision.. but as it turns out, this muse was one she had actually met in person, would you care to share how this came to be?"
Marcel was the first one to move, the vampire taking a step closer to the drawing to analyze it before he too turned towards Nixie, "what is this?"
With all eyes on her, Nixie took one look at the drawing, a sudden realization dawning on her as she easily recognized the moment and suddenly she was bashful, "I've never been anyone's muse before.. how sweet."
A sigh, "Nixie...."
"Sorry."
***
"This is useless" Nixie sighed, grunting as yet another drunken casket girl bumped her shoulder in the crowded street she was attempting to maneuver through. Davina could've chose any other day to run away, but no, it had to be the day of a festival, smart on her part, but more work for them. Realistically, Nixie wasn't really all that into the searching, instead her and Gale were left mindlessly wandering the streets pretending to search while stopping at every piece of food they found and leaving the actual searching for Marcel's vampires.
"I'm just surprised Klaus let you out of the compound" Gale admitted, "he made Hayley stay back..."
"He tried" Nixie shrugged, "I grabbed the duck."
Gale bit his lip to hold back a proud grin and instead focused his attention on the bustling crowd, eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary but all he could see were people dancing, eating, making out and the occasional person veering off to vomit in an empty alley before throwing themselves back into the crowd. Gross. "How are we supposed to find a 16 year old runaway all powerful witch who doesn't want to be found" he quizzed, "I mean, remember when you were 16 and snuck out? I bolted your door shut."
"I jumped out the window."
"I nailed your window."
"I could literally teleport."
"I didn't think of that at the time" he shrugged, "all I'm saying is I searched high and low for you and never even came close. Davina isn't going to be found unless she wants to.."
Nixie's stomach twisted with a sudden realization, "or unless someone lures her out....."
***
"I know Klaus told you to follow me, but does it really mean you have to follow me to the bathroom?" Hayley glanced over her shoulder, rolling her eyes as the two vampires remained trailing her. Luckily for them, before she could start bitching, her phone rang and she stared down at the name with distaste, "give me two minutes" she ordered her lurkers, "it's my gynecologist." With that being said, the wolf hurriedly closed herself inside the outdated bathroom before answering the rings with a sneer, "what the hell do you want?"
"I know you don't trust me" Sophie Deveraux's voice chimed from the other end, "but you need to listen. Everything is about to change. Davina is on the loose."
Pursing her lips, Hayley's hip jutted out as she leaned against the wall, "figured that out on your own, huh? Remind me again why I should give a damn."
"I need something from you" the witch replied, a knowing glint shining in her brown orbs that the wolf obviously was oblivious to from her end, "so that the witches can complete the harvest."
Withholding the sudden urge to laugh, Hayley simply tightened the grip she had on her phone and released a scoff, "on what planet would I help you witches get more power? All you've done is screw us over left and right!"
"You'll help me because if we don't complete the harvest, our access to magic will fade for good, which doesn't bode well for your family... your actual family."
That certainly caught her attention, Hayley's shoulders straightening up as she wearily glanced towards the door she knew the vampires were still loitering behind, making sure to lower her voice before she spoke again, "what do you know about my family?"
Sophie's head tilted back as she grinned towards the sky.. hook, line and sinker. "You're from the Crescent Wolf Bloodline" she recited, "Marcel forced a witch to curse them so they'd be trapped in wolf form."
"And I should keep listening to you because- -
-because my bloodline executed the curse" Sophie revealed, "help me complete the harvest, and I'll undo the curse for you."
Hayley's moral compass was fluctuating. On one hand, the pregnant wolf felt like jamming her fist into Sophie Deveraux's face until she was unrecognizable, but on the other hand... this was her family. Her actual family, blood and all. They've been suffering at the hands of Marcel for who knows exactly how long, and if she could do something about it, wasn't it her moral obligation to try? Especially after everything they'd done for her lately whenever the Mikaelson's newest enemy brought her out into the bayou to kill her or miracle baby. She knew in her heart that there was no real contemplation, "what can I even do?"
The breath Sophie had been holding during Hayley's silence came out in a relieved sigh, "I need to consecrate the remains of a powerful witch so I can absorb their magic. I know of one whose body was never found. Her name is Celeste Dubois. I believe you and she have a friend in common."
"Elijah" Hayley breathed, the witch's name brining back the memories of taking care of the Original after Klaus' bite. During his hallucinogenic state, the eldest Mikaelson had muttered the name multiple times until eventually he was healthy enough to gather his bearings but he ended up showing Hayley what kind of horrors the witch had to endure just by falling in love with him.. Klaus, of course being the horrors. It was truly tragic.
"Story goes that when she died, he buried her in a secret spot at her request. All you need to do is find out where."
Shoulders slumping, Hayley didn't give the witch any time to say anything else before she hung up, pressing her phone against her chest as she bit her lip in contemplation.
She had 2 choices... 1, she could call the witch back and tell her to go to hell, or 2... she could betray the only vampire who seemed to give a damn about her in order to help her family, but possibly lose Elijah in the process.
...... "shit."
***
Cami's palms were sweating profusely, and she would've been embarrassed by that fact if Davina's hand that she was currently clutching wasn't in the same shape. Together the two of them made their way through the festival as nonchalantly as possible, the young witch's face being covered by a veil the bartender had taken from a shop window to hopefully hide them from any onlooking vampires. Marcel's men were sweeping the streets, thankfully none of them sparing the two a single glance as they made sure to stay out of the street and stick to the sidewalks.
"There's people everywhere" Davina breathed, fingers tightening around Cami's as her heart sped up, the parade around them growing bigger by the second.
"Just keep walking" the blonde instructed, "no one knows it's you."
Swallowing her fear, Davina forced herself to do as she was told, her steps only slowing once she caught sight of a familiar hybrid in the crowd and her breath caught, "Cami...."
With a hammering heart, Cami looked towards the teen with baited breath, "do you trust me?"
"W-what" Davina stammered, continuously glancing towards the hybrid and back to the bartender, "Cami?"
"Just... just trust me, okay" Cami nodded more to herself than anything before pulling the witch down the nearest alley and out of sight and taking her phone out. Ignoring the incoming call from Josh, the blonde instead trailed through her list of contacts before stopping on the name she was looking for and only hesitating for a second "we need help" she reminded herself and before she could second guess her intentions, she pressed the name.
***
"Cami, hey, it's me.. again.. stalking you" Josh's worried tone trailed throughout the bartenders empty apartment, phone against his ear as he paced the wooden floor, "look, just really need to know where you guys are so I can meet you before the sun comes up... again."
Before he could get another word in, his phone beeped causing him to pull it away from his ear with a huff, brows furrowing as a number he didn't recognize popped up. Unsure whether or not it was Davina or Cami attempting to contact him on the down-low, he chose to answer it, and damn did he wish he hadn't. "Hello?"
"Joshua" Klaus' smug tone greeted him on the other end causing the young vampire to freeze, "my most disappointing minion, I suspected you wouldn't answer the call were it from me."
"Klaus" Josh gulped, "uh, hey.. what up? Guess what. I just moved to Turkey.. Weirdly, they don't eat turkey here. Go figure."
"You're lying" the hybrid hummed amusedly, "in fact, Marcel and I were just chatting about your failed double agent status, and we've surmised that you're likely still in town and in the company of a friend- - a young, angry witch."
Josh could feel his palms sweating causing him to hastily wipe them against his jeans while attempting to answer the Original with his most steady voice, "uh, nope. Nope. No witches here. Totally digging Turkey, though."
Rolling his eyes, Klaus took a moment to scan the crowd around him in search of a familiar black dress that he hadn't seen in the last hour while also gripping young Timothy's arm to hold him in place , "are you really gonna leave Davina's fiddler soulmate Timothy alone with me? Oh, Josh, what would she think of that?" Without waiting for a proper response, he continued, "I assure you, I just want to talk to her. Tim and I will be at the compound. I really do hope she comes home soon."
Hanging up, Klaus hardly reacted to Timothy's horrified expression that was aimed directly at him while he pressed the first name on his contact list and brought the phone back to his ear. He was disappointed to have his call unanswered and failed to withhold the childish huff he released after the beep, "I didn't allow you to wander about and ignore my calls, sweetheart, call me back."
Leave it to his human to go MIA while they were in the process of looking for an already missing super witch..
***
Davina Claire felt as if her heart were in her throat, the young witch swallowing every few seconds to rid herself of the lump but it stayed resilient causing her to nearly choke on her own fear as she and Cami hastily entered the familiar set of double doors. After successfully managing to avoid Klaus Mikaelson's hounds, Davina felt it in herself to finally rip the blackened veil that had been obscuring her view from her face and finally allowing herself a small moment of solace. They may not have been in the clear yet, but the empty church provided a much needed break in their rather disastrous escape plot.
While Davina was brought a moments of peace after stepping into the church, Camille O'Connell felt anything but. The familiar walls surrounding them brought brutal visions to the surface and horrified screams echoed in her pulsing eardrums, a familiar masculine one at the forefront of her mind causing her to physically recoil.
Sensing her companions inner turmoil, Davina rested a hand on Cami's shaking one, "we should keep moving" she softly suggested, "how long do we have to wait for your friend?"
Gulping, Cami shoved the horrors of her mind back into their box and hastily swiped at her moistening hairline, "give it a few minutes" she reassured, "they should be here any second.. and after that we'll check to make sure the coast is clear and head out."
Nodding, Davina didn't have any time to voice her discomfort at involving an unknown third party before Cami's phone was ringing and the bartender paused at the nearest pew to answer it.
"Josh" she sighed into the phone after taking a glance at the caller ID, "sorry I missed your calls, I-what?!"
"I didn't wanna tell you" the vampire sighed from the other send after explaining the phone call he just had, "but I know Klaus. If Davina doesn't show up, he'll kill Tim."
Shuddering, Cami placed a reassuring hand on the young witch's arm who had overheard and now looked as panicked as she felt, "we'll think of something" she promised before focusing back on Josh who was awaiting his next order, "make your way to the quarter. Stay hidden. We'll text you when we have a plan." Hanging up without so much as a goodbye, Cami sent a frantic text to her last hope with a rather spastic, 'where the hell are you?!'
"I have to go" Davina blurted, the fear of Klaus ripping away the last bit of her old life bringing on a new kind of fear she hadn't felt since the attempted harvest.
"Davina, wait" Cami pleaded, grabbing ahold of the teens arm with a desperate grip causing her to whip around with wild eyes.
"I can't let Tim die" she denied, going to rip her arm away from the human until a startling vision flooded behind her eyelids causing her to go stiff.
Taking note of her now stoic expression, Cami felt her stomach flutter, "what's wrong?"
Davina didn't have to speak, the sound of the Church doors slamming open was answer enough as they both whipped in the direction of the intruders with equal expressions of fear.
"Gadyen nan balans. Gadyen nan la foi. Se pou nou fe. Se yo dwe fe."
The witches entered the church with determined chants, Sabine's arms flying forward with a large gust causing Cami's feet to go flying from beneath her and her body dropped with a loud thump.
Watching her eyes roll back, Davina sucked in a sharp breath before releasing a thunderous, "NO!"
The building shook with her protest, the teens arms raising towards the startled coven causing their focus to falter long enough for her to focus her sights on the two in the back long enough for her to snap their necks with a simple twist of her wrists. Her distraction gave Sabine enough time to hone her focus back onto her and Davina let out a startled cry as a tension began to build in the back of her skull causing her to curl in on herself. The pain was nearly blinding making her arms to drop their defensive stance in order to cradle her thrumming head. Perhaps if she hadn't had her eyes clamped shut she would've had the privilege of watching Sabine's eyes grow in size as a breathless gasp escaped her already bloodying lips.
Within a second the pain has subsided and Davina gingerly lifted her head to see why and the witch was stunned to watch Sabine's body drop to the ground with a resounding thud leaving only Sister Evina standing with a petrified expression as the woman who so brutally shoved the blade through her sister's chest stood there in all her glory.
Nixie didn't even so much as blink after tearing her blade from Sabine's now mutilated corpse, in fact, she rather enjoyed the feeling of ending the witch's life that had been making her life absolute hell for the last few weeks. "I've wanted to do that for awhile now..."
"You..." Davina couldn't even speak, let alone comprehend what she was witnessing as the mystery woman she shared a bowl of food with all those nights ago stood in front of her... and saved her.
Grinning, Nixie twirled her sword for a small second, noticing the woman beside her attempting to flee but before the witch could run out the door, an arm appeared in front of her colliding with her neck and causing her back to slam against the boards with a pained grunt before another head of dark hair appeared in the doorway with a matching grin, "I'm glad I didn't miss all the fun."
Rolling her eyes at her brother's antics, Nixie silently gestured for him to finish the job while she focused back on the frozen teen who was staring at her as if she suddenly sprouted another head, "howdy." Grinning, the former protectress would've attempted a witty joke over the sounds of the witch's last breath behind her but the sight of a familiar blonde over Davina's shoulder had her faltering, "Cami?!"
Her heels clicked against the wooden floorboards as she hurriedly made her way to the unconscious bartender, only allowing herself a relieved sigh after her fingers made out the very strong pulse in her neck.
Davina wanted to ask, hell, about a million questions sat at the tip of her tongue just begging to be released, but she knew now was not the time. Not when Tim's life was hanging in the balance and she was the only one who could save him. It took everything in her to ignore the two newcomers who had shifted their focus onto her as she made a sudden beeline to the open doors and disappeared around the corner without so much as a glance in their direction.
Gale was the first to blink after the teen had left, the protector finally looking at the carnage around them and releasing an annoyed huff, "she left us with cleaning duty!"
"Gale.." Nixie sighed, taking a moment to lift Cami off the floor and onto the pew beside them, using her own jacket as a makeshift pillow before begrudgingly looking to her older brother, "go get a mop, I got a hybrid to reign in.."
"Nix.." Gale cautioned, his earlier jests now forgotten as genuine worry bubbled in his gut, "little witch is quite mad.. are you sure you wanna walk in there? I'm sure your hybrid's gonna be fine."
Casting a glance over her shoulder, she flashed him an assuring look, "it's not my hybrid I'm worried about.."
***
If it were possible for vampire's to have headaches, Marcel was positive he'd have one every time he so much as stepped foot into the same room as the Original family. Not only was he forced to endure his former sire's need for theatrics as Timothy sat idly by on a lonesome plank only a few feet from the ceiling, he was also forced to listen to the boy's shaky tunes that the hybrid so gleefully requested every few seconds while Elijah stood off to the side after another one of his so called 'moral rants' as the young Gerard liked to prefer them as. A nicer term for what he liked to call complete and utter bullshit.
"Look" the young vampire sighed for the umpteenth time after attempting and failing to take over what was sure to be a tragic story if Klaus were left in charge, "all that matters is, I got it covered when Davina gets here, you two need to let me do the talking."
Eyes flittering over his shoulder, Klaus merely shrugged in neither agreement nor dis, "well, I'm sure you'll have your chance" he hummed before nodding to the entrance with a smirk, "hello, love."
Davina walked in with her shoulders straight and expression stoned, her eyes sweeping across the room in search of her friend only for her stance to wobble once she actually caught sight of Tim who looked back at her with a wounded expression of both pain and confusion.
"Silence is golden, Timothy" Klaus instructed, the soothing sound of the violin halting with a deafening screech, "thank you."
"You got me here, now let him down" Davina ordered, her words aimed towards the arrogant hybrid who head yet to wipe off his devilish smirk.
Unphased by the witch's anger, Klaus simply shrugged off her demands, "well, first we have to have a little chat about you returning to the fold."
"What did I say, Klaus" Marcel stepped in after recognizing the murderous gleam in his young companion's brown orbs. The hybrid was doing nothing but riling her up which Marcel had a feeling wouldn't bode well for anyone at this rate, "I got this." Without giving the Original any time to protest, he turned to the witch with a softer approach, "D., what happened? Why'd you run? Talk to me. I can make it right."
A scoff left her lips before she could even attempt to withhold it, "how" she sneered, "by threatening my friend?"
"Actually, that was my idea" Klaus piped in with his dimpled grin, "apologies. I've been known to go too far to make a point, but I do always get results."
A sudden calmness overtook Davina's expression which should've alarmed the trio in front of her yet none of them had the decency to even flinch as she offered nothing but a sinister chuckle in response to the hybrid's words. "You pretend to be so confident" she hummed, enjoying the amused expression on his face that she was going to have the privilege of ripping off, "but I know the truth. You're afraid everyone can see what you really are- - an animal."
A reverberating cry echoed through the formerly silent compound causing those around to all flinch in surprise besides Davina who's arm was outstretched towards the screaming hybrid she had forced to his knees.
Jumping into action, both Elijah and Marcel attempted to intervene but the witch simply waved her other hand forcing them to follow in Klaus' steps and join him on their knees without so much as tearing her eyes away from her current attack.
"A beast" she snarled, flicking her hand up and drawing another yell from the hybrid who's body had no choice but to bend to her whim despite his internal protests and Elijah's vocal ones, "why don't you show us your real face?"
An angry snarl left the hybrid's lips as he felt the familiar sting of his fangs forcing themselves out of his gums and he didn't need a mirror to know his eyes were their haunting amber shade, dark veins swimming beneath them as he glared up at the witch with as much hatred as he could harbor.
Davina was hardly phased, "that's enough of you." With a simple wave, Klaus' head snapped at an unnatural angle causing his body to fall and Elijah let out a groan as she focused her sights on him next.
"Davina" he heaved, arms shakily holding himself up as he stared into her unforgiving eyes, "you don't have to do this."
"You- -" her lip curled as she stepped towards him while ignoring his pleas, "you looked me in the eyes and lied to my face, pretended you wanted to help me."
"Listen to me" Elijah grunted as her hand raised causing his hunched figure to painfully straighten along with it.
But she didn't, "you call yourself the noble one" she laughed, "but you're a killer just like your brother. For 1,000 years, you fed on innocent blood. Why don't you choke on it?"
Elijah lost the ability to breathe as his throat suddenly began to burn and his head lurched forward as an explosion of blood began pouring out.
She allowed him a few seconds of torture, the sounds of him choking fueling her burning rage before she finally focused her sights onto the one she actually looked up to, "and you..."
Unlike the others, Marcel was released from his hold the second Davina's attention was on him and the vampire hesitantly pushed himself up in order to face her.
Her expression of hatred morphed into something a little more desperate and the anger she harbored had quickly shifted to betrayal, "I trusted you" she practically whimpered, "I loved you, but you were just using me to stay in power. You don't care about me."
"You're wrong" Marcel denied, his voice almost as steady as his heart as he spoke nothing but the truth, unfortunately for him she didn't have the senses to hear it.
"When you lost to Klaus, you handed me over like some trophy" she tearfully reminded, "maybe I should boil you in bronze."
But Marcel was nothing short of persistent, "I care" he promised, "I took you in like you were my own blood."
Sniffling, Davina felt her resolve crumbling at the familiar soft expression she was receiving and had she had a few more seconds, she might've bought into it had it not been cut short by Marcel's pained scream as a wooden stake suddenly protruded from the lower section of his chest, right below his heart. She was startled as she watched him get tossed away like some sort of rag doll revealing a familiar head of blonde hair and blue eyes that smirked at her from where Marcel had stood.
"C'mon now, love" Rebekah sighed almost woefully, "don't tell me you were falling for that. Isn't it time for us girls to have a chat?"
***
Nixie wished she could've said she was surprised by the sight she was greeted with when she finally made it to the compound, but the sad fact was she wasn't. The only surprising thing about the whole ordeal wasn't the incapacitated hybrid, nor his brother's bloodied corpse, but the fact that Marcel was currently rolling around on the floor with his hands weakly grabbing at the large chunk of wood stuck in his chest. Nixie's brows raised, slightly impressed with the young witch's brutality but nonetheless she felt only slightly obligated to help the tortured vampire who had yet to even notice her arrival.
Coming up behind him, the former protectress gave no advanced warning before brutally tearing the chair leg from its makeshift home in the vampire eliciting a pained roar from his lips to which she rolled her eyes at , "dramatic much?"
Groaning, she wasn't exactly sure if the sound was aimed towards her appearance or the feeling of his skin reattaching itself but she offered him nothing but an amused snort in return.
No more than two seconds later, the other Dovers appeared joyfully in the open doorway, an unconscious Cami on one shoulder and a mop laying against the other, "am I late?"
Looking around, Nixie shook her head, "no, I think you're right on time."
***
Elijah wholeheartedly expected to wake up to the sounds of Davina Claire's smug laughter, hell, or the sound of his brother continuing his taunts after somehow managing to remove himself from the young witch's grasp, anything along those lines.. What he hadn't expected to wake up to was Gale Dovers quite literally mopping his face.
"You're quite the mess" Gale voiced after the Original woke from his forced slumber, the sound of his sputtering a dead giveaway to his revival as a few mop strands managed to invade his mouth until it was forcefully pushed away, "hey! I was almost done."
Ignoring his body's obvious protest to the sudden movement, Elijah forced himself up from the unforgiving concrete, choosing not to comment on how the eldest Dovers instantly returned to his mopping of the bloodied floor while he instead focused his sights onto the two beings in front of him.
Nixie was begrudgingly fixing Klaus' tussled curls, her fingers running soothingly along his scalp as he held his phone up to his ear with a permanent scowl on his face until his call was finally answered, "Rebekah, where are you?"
"I'm with Davina, and she's dying because of your treachery."
Due to her close proximity, Nixie was able to pick up on the younger Original's words causing her fingers to pause in their grooming and yet her hand remained in Klaus' hair as the hybrid offered nothing more than a measly shrug, "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" Rebekah barked, her saddened eyes forced to watch her brother's murderous story unfold right in front of her as Josh held an unconscious Davina to his chest with a deceased Timothy lying beside them, "vampire blood isn't working."
"No, it wouldn't" Klaus sighed out of what Nixie deemed as boredom and she dropped her hand from him and took a step back, a lump forming in her throat as she finally caught on to what was happening, not that her hybrid had noticed her reaction over his own gloating. "You see, the poison I compelled Timothy to feed her is quite potent. It's just a matter of time for her."
Having collected himself during the midst of Klaus' call, Marcel took no time to digest the Original's words and had all but launched himself towards the arrogant bastard only for Elijah to stop him before he could reach his target, the two of them sharing a knowing glance that only Nixie caught.
"You diabolical bastard" Rebekah swore, "they're children! We could've dealt with her fairly!"
"There is no dealing with those who threaten us" Klaus heatedly reminded, pushing himself in front of Marcel and Elijah, the latter having to look away in shame after learning of his brother's actions. Klaus didn't seem to care, "Davina sealed her fate when she stood against me," his words aimed towards all of them, "this was her choice, not mine."
With a simple click, the call was ended and Klaus was left with Marcel's expression of utter betrayal and Elijah's disappointment, "oh, come on" he chuckled, "the stench of your judgement is overwhelming." His amusement wasn't hard to determine, and the two men only felt a hint of satisfaction when the hybrid turned towards his lover only to be slammed in the gut with her equally as horrified expression causing his smile to instantly fall as he tried to justify what he had done. "Need I remind you that Davina just bested the lot of us? I did what had to be done." Unable to meet his human's stare that had been joined by her sibling counterpart, who's usual expression of mirth had long since been wiped away thanks to his confession, Klaus turned to his own sibling instead. "Don't worry, Elijah. I remain as redeemable as ever."
"So you compelled that boy to poison Davina without consulting anyone" Elijah stated, choosing to ignore his brother's attempt at riling him up.
Klaus could offer nothing more than a shrug, and suddenly Marcel's look of betrayal turned into something darker. "You know what the worst part is" he scoffed, instantly drawing his sire's attention, "it's that you're so predictable, I had to make an alliance with your brother, who I don't even like, and your girlfriend who apparently trusts you about as much as I do."
With those words, Klaus' head snapped towards Nixie who met his stare head on, his eyes swimming with nothing but raw unadulterated betrayal and hers unreadable with the amount of walls she suddenly built behind them, preventing him from truly seeing what it was that she was thinking. It took everything in him to look away, and he only managed to do so after the eldest Dovers stepped slightly in front of his sister, breaking the hybrid from his nearly lucid trance and focusing his attention back onto Marcel who now had the nerve to look smug. "Judging by your expression, you have something you'd like to share."
"Damn straight, I do" Marcel chuckled, "you know, I got a call from Kieren earlier after Sabine and some witches nearly got their hands on Davina first—."
Listening to Marcel's tale about how he managed to convince Sabine to place a protection spell on Davina, the only thing Nixie managed to focus on was the fact that the witch she had thought she killed was in fact, not dead. Like a fucking cockroach.
"So when you slipped away to allegedly check on your nightwalkers" Klaus pointed, "you were, in fact, colluding with a witch. Very clever." His compliment lacked his usual wit, in fact, ever since he found out the 3 of them had been working against him, Klaus couldn't really feel anything. "I suppose I should be proud."
Marcel shrugged off the half-assed compliment with a grin, "eh, I just wanted to make sure I had a fail safe just in case, as Elijah expected, you started acting like you."
"Except that now you've involved the witches, who last time I checked, were enemy to us all" Klaus angrily retorted, "to everything we have, and to our family."
"Davina is Marcel's family, Niklaus" Elijah cut in before the vampire had a chance to respond, the suited Original stepping around to the center of them, "or did that somehow slip your mind as you tried to take her life?"
"I imagine Sabine wasn't too happy to perform the spell after I shoved a blade through the center of her chest" Nixie couldn't help but contribute causing all eyes to fall on her but she only met one pair, "and even then, she still helped to keep Davina alive even after it was her that I had spilt the witches blood for.. what does that say about you, Nik?"
Nixie had endured rage before, had felt the burn of it flood her veins until she felt she were going to burst in a pile of ash, but nothing.. nothing compared to what she experienced after learning what her hybrid had done, to a child, no less. Nixie Dovers could forgive Klaus Mikaelson for a lot of things, but attempting to murder a teenage girl, let alone after already killing her best friend, now that? That was something she found inexcusable, even in their fucked up lives.
"We're having a child" she felt the need to remind him, her voice no longer as strong as it had started but it was still loud enough for them all to hear and she watched her hybrid's figure shrink in on itself. Good. "We're having a child, and here you are, out here, attempting, no, succeeding, in murdering a teenage boy and attempting to kill 16 year girl."
Klaus' felt his mouth drying at her words, no longer caring for the multiple sets of eyes on him as he lost his previous smugness and gained a new sense of urgency, "Nixie, sweethe-
"No" her voice thundered over his causing the others to all straighten at the sheer ferocity in that single word, but Nixie was done with this foolish game. No more. "If this is how you act towards a misguided teenage girl, then I fear for our daughter more than I thought I would have to."
The words she spoke were like a vice, they wrapped around Klaus' entire being until constricting around his heart so tightly he thought it had stopped beating. He was positive the white oak would've hurt less. Not only had she managed to knock down every single pedestal the hybrid had placed himself on, she had singlehandedly brought Klaus Mikaelson to his knees in front of her, but her words managed to draw a look so desperate he knew even Damon Salvatore would've been put to shame.
Where Nixie once felt sympathy, she now felt nothing. Where his eyes once brought her joy, she felt only pain. The man she loved, the one she thought she knew, had somehow managed to make her question every instinct the former protectress relied on. How could she have been so blind? Had she really been so oblivious to his wickedness that it nearly cost Davina Claire her life?
It wouldn't happen again.
For once, Niklaus Mikaelson didn't care how he looked. He didn't care that Marcel, his older brother or even Nixie's were all watching him grovel at the feet of the woman he loved. They watched him grip her hands with desperate fervor, his forehead dropping against the lower part of her abdomen where he wished she would soothe the curls from his face as she had been doing not only a mere hour ago. The need for her to touch him was almost unbearable. A simple act to show that he hadn't completely messed up the only good thing in his life. The only thing that was keeping him going.
The urge to cradle his face was too much, and Nixie's fingers pressed delicately to the underside of his jaw drawing his eyes to meet hers and she easily spotted the hope behind his shining orbs.
She imagined Davina Claire once held that same expression.
Marcel was the only one to flinch at the loud crack, and he watched in blatant shock as Klaus' body dropped to the floor for the second time that night, his mind having a hard time comprehending what exactly happened. It wasn't until Nixie's fingers flexed before dropping to her sides did he understand and for the first time in a long time, Marcel Gerard was reminded that human or not, the Dovers were not someone to mess with.
"I'm going to bed" Nixie announced, refusing to acknowledge the body at her feet as she turned to the others in the room as if she hadn't just snapped the hybrid's neck. She could see the expressions on each of their faces despite their attempts to hide them, but she paid them no mind, instead turning to her brother with a newly turned look of exhaustion, "I'm gonna stay with Cami."
Gale nodded, knowing that her words were the confirmation that she would be staying in his room due to the fact that they had placed the bartender in there earlier since she had yet to wake up from whatever spell the witch's threw at her.
They watched her leave, the only acknowledgment to them being the lazy wave she offered before heading upstairs and only when the sound of a door closing was heard did they move, nobody willing to move the hybrid from the spot he'd dropped and instead choosing to simply walk around him.
Marcel headed towards Davina's room while he waited for Rebekah to bring her, Elijah disappearing into the nearest study while Gale remained at the center of the compound, green eyes dancing along the eery railings before releasing the pent up sigh he had been holding in.
Perhaps he'd take a page out of his sister's book and sleep his troubles away until they were long forgotten.
Yeah... that sounds like a good idea.
***
Marcel's figure was slumped, the vampire practically hovering over the unconscious witch as he gently raked his fingers through her already tussled locks from the days events. He knew the peaceful expression she harbored while she slept would disappear the second she woke up, so he chose now to enjoy it while he still could. He didn't need to look over to see who had entered the room, whether they did it purposefully or not, the Originals' presence somehow always managed to change the atmosphere. "She'll never trust me again."
"Perhaps" Elijah murmured, offering the sleeping teen a solemn glance before focusing his attention towards the younger vampire, "you must never surrender the fight to reclaim that trust." Turning to the left, the Original felt his brows furrow at the dark smudges overtaking the once white canvas, "these drawings," he gestured curiously, "what are they?"
Marcel hesitantly turned away from the witch in order to look and pursed his lips, "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 calls evil."
Elijah could feel something tickling the back of his skull, a warning of sorts, and turning his head to the side in order to get a better look is what managed to set the bells off. A familiar eye greeted him and he felt his undead heart lurch almost painfully while his body went into autopilot making his hands work on their own accord. Before Marcel could question him, the Original had already bundled the drawings into a single pile and hastily exited the room with them clutched between his fingertips.
***
The first thing Klaus comprehended when he woke up was the absolute killer headache he was experiencing after not even a full second of consciousness. The second being the unforgettable expression on Nixie's face that had been the last thing he saw before succumbing to the familiar darkness.
She broke his neck.....
She broke his neck.
That realization alone was enough to send an invisible fist right into his gut. It wasn't enough that the last thing he saw was the look of sheer and utter disappointment from the one person he never wished to experience it from, but something about waking up in the same exact spot he had been immobilized while the rest of the compound remained eerily silent was like salt in the wound.
He was alone.
The dark thought invaded his mind before he could even hope to shove it away and it didn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon as he stepped into his and Nixie's shared room only to find it just as dark and empty. A new sense of dread formed in the deepest pit of his gut and without much thought, he trudged to the end of the hall and stopped in front of a familiar door, hesitant to go inside in fear that what he was looking for wouldn't be there.
To say it was a relief when he opened the door and noticed the three slumbering figures in the bed was an understatement.
The eldest Dovers was on the left, the upper half of his body hanging off the side of the bed, mouth unhinged and a small puddle of drool pooling on the floor below him as it trailed from his lips and across his forehead that was hanging upside down. The hybrid wished he could say he was surprised.
Camille O'Connell was at the center, the blonde bartender sprawled out in an almost starfish position, one leg pushing against the protector on her left which was most likely the cause for his less than ideal positioning.
And on the right.... on the right lied his human.
Nixie's dark ringlets poked out from beneath the large comforter, her hair being the only part of her that was visible besides the single leg she had poking out from the side.
The bed was easily big enough for all 3 occupants to have their own individual space but due to their spastic positions there was at least one body part touching that of another.
While Klaus was upset at the fact that Nixie clearly wanted nothing to do with him, he was admittedly the slightest bit relieved that she was still there. When he had woken up from his forced nap with her nowhere in sight, a part of him feared she may have taken off and left him to drown in the sorrows of his own actions alone. A most deserved punishment yet painful all the same.
Shame had been an overwhelming emotion for the hybrid since awaking. It had been nothing but a minuscule tickle when having been confronted by Rebekah over the phone, but Nixie's earlier words managed to take that tickle and turn it into what he would consider a third degree burn at that point. It was up front and nasty and unable to avoid no matter how hard he tried to shove it to the back of his mind.
He knew it was going to take a lot of groveling to fix what he had broke,
and he could only hope that the people closest to him would forgive him for it in the end, Nixie most of all.
After all...
What good was a king without his queen by his side?
***
Laughter.
Laughter was what woke the protectress out of her peaceful daze, her green orbs snapping towards the culprit with a mirthful grin of her own.
"Phee, look at this" her older brother's voice appeared beside her, drawing her attention away from the serenity long enough for her to roll her eyes at the video he suddenly shoved in her face.
Gale's gleeful expression rivaled one of a child on Christmas, which was rather fitting seeing how an oversized Christmas tree stood off in the corner with miscellaneous bulbs decorating its withering branches. It was accompanied by the occasional strand of garland hung around the room and the comforting fire beneath the chimney that was more for show than actual warmth.
It reminded her of one of those cheesy hallmark movies she detested that Gale never failed to force her to watch around this time of year. It was perfect... almost too perfect, the only thing that was missing was-
"Gale, quit bothering your sister, I think she's seen enough penguin videos to last a lifetime."
Nixie's heart thudded at the familiar voice, her head whipping towards the man with enough speed to give a normal person whiplash.
Axel Dovers was a sight that should've had his daughter reeling, in fact, that's what she wanted to do as she watched his towering figure enter their living quarters but the sight beside him was one that had her practically choking on air.
"Mom?"
The unmistakable figure of Nadia Thorn was one not so easily forgotten, no matter how much the youngest Dovers truly tried to. Her raven locks trailed elegantly across her shoulders, bright red lipstick accentuating her flawless features and surely capturing the attention of those who had the privilege of seeing it.
Hell, it was a privilege to be seeing this in general.
The Dovers family together again, all in one room, and nobody tearing at each other's throats... yet.
Before Nixie could question the bizarre setting, her parents plopped onto the couch, Nadia letting out a slight giggle as her husband playfully nudged her knee with his before tossing an arm over her shoulders, pulling her in close with a rather lovestruck grin.
Nixie watched her parents in silent awe, amazed by the pure domesticity happening in front of her until a shoulder knocked into her own, "quit gawking weirdo and watch this penguin smack the other one in the back of the head."
"You're such a loser." The words had fallen from her lips without second thought, and despite her initial confusion the young protectress fell back into the simple act of watching videos with her brother while her parents put on a disgusting display of PDA behind them that neither sibling dared to acknowledge.
"It's nice, right" Gale grinned, drawing her attention away from his phone as he gestured back towards their parents, "I haven't seen dad look that happy since she left.. and then you, ya know, killed him.."
"W-what" Nixie stammered, his words shattering the peaceful atmosphere and practically nailing her to the floor as she stared up at him with widened eyes, "what did you just say?"
Snorting, Gale playfully shoved her shoulder while the grin never left his lips, "don't play dumb, Nix, it wasn't even that long ago, only a few years."
"I have no idea what the hell you're talking about" she denied, shaking her head as an unpleasant ache began to form in the back of her skull.
"Your modesty is annoying" Gale huffed, "you shoved a blade right in the man's chest, Nixie, that's not so easily forgotten."
The ache was blossoming into a full blown throbbing now and it was becoming impossible to ignore, yet she was determined, muttering a rather heated, "shut up."
Any and all amusement had faded from the elder Dovers' face and was replaced with something much darker, "you didn't think you could just forget about it, did you, Phoenix? Forget the fact that you are quite literally the reason for us losing half of our family? It wasn't enough that you drove mom away, but then you had to go and kill dad too... I know I joked about being Batman once but you took it a little too seriously, Nix."
She could hardly hear him over the thrumming in her ears but it still didn't stop her from denying everything he was saying. "Shut up" she barked over her own pain, "just shut up!" Nixie let out a gasp as her shoulders were suddenly gripped and she was forced to look up by a hand clutching her jaw.
"Look, Phoenix" Gale's voice tore through the room, "look at this picture!!"
And she did.
The perfect family wasn't so perfect anymore.
"This is wrong" she whispered, watching the way her parents continued their robotic like movements as if unaware of their own surroundings.
Gale's face appeared beside hers, expression now neutral, "what's wrong, Phoenix?"
"This" she shakily gestured around them, "all of this! I can't- this is-
"This is what?"
Nixie's headache was unbearable now, and no matter what she did it only seemed to make it worse and she was almost convinced her head was going to combust... until she looked at her. The second Nixie's eyes landed on her mother, every ounce of pain she had felt suddenly vanished and all that was left was a soft humming sound that should've been soothing, had the entire picture not froze in place, including both her dad and brother.
It was only then, did she finally understand.
"It's you" she realized, easily recognizing the antagonizing glint in the woman's eyes despite her not having seen her in what felt like forever.
Nadia's head tilted to the side in faux confusion, "what's me?"
"You're what's wrong. You're not supposed to be here.."
"Well, if you wanna get technical, I have more of a right to be here than your father considering you put him 6 feet under and all that."
Something about those words had Nixie flinching, unlike how she had reacted to Gale saying them, Nadia's statement left a bitter taste in her daughter's mouth.
Sensing her sudden shift, her mother's head tilted back as a tinkling laugh tumbled from her lips, "oh, don't look so shocked, daughter" she giggled, "I do like to keep tabs on my children despite how poorly you think me as, Phoenix."
"Don't call me that" Nixie couldn't help but snarl, and just like that the perfect picture began to melt. The once cream colored walls faded to an eery gray and the Christmas decorations had long since been burned while the fire that had been an imitation of warmth suddenly looked a little too intense. Axel and Gale were gone, along with whatever semblance of peace their presences had brought.
Ignorant to the young protectress' obvious distress, or just uncaring of it, Nadia simply scoffed at her snippy remark, "don't call you Phoenix? That's your name, is it not? What else am I supposed to call you? Miscreant? Parent killer? How about-
"Daughter" Nixie roared, cutting off the woman's mindless rant with an angry snarl, "don't call me daughter! You are not my mother!"
The surprise in the older woman's eyes was blinked away as soon as it appeared, and she forced her body to remain lax and unbothered, "well now that's wishful thinking" she snorted with a cross of her arms, "tell that to my lady bits that you clawed your way out of, not the most pleasant of experiences from my end, in case you forgot."
Her voice was grating. Everything about it had Nixie itching to tear her own hair out and it was only a matter of time before she forcefully blew out her eardrums just to put herself out of her misery. It didn't matter what this woman, this stranger, said, Nadia Thorn hadn't been Nixie's mother since the day she walked out of their lives all those years ago.. and she wasn't about to act like she was.
"Ugh, you're just like your father" Nadia groaned after realizing she was now being ignored, "he also knew the way to get on my nerves was to ignore me, although he always managed to forgive me in the end."
"I guess that's one thing we don't have in common" Nixie couldn't help but scoff, aware that by responding she was giving the woman exactly what she wanted but she couldn't sit back and listen to her pretend like she knew who she was. Nadia Thorn had no idea who Nixie was, no matter how much she tried to pretend she did.. and Nixie was about to show her just that. One discreet sweep of the room told her everything she needed to know and all Nixie wanted now was to shove the woman's arrogance up her ass and get the hell out of this one pony show. "You know," she couldn't help but chuckle as she finally stood up to face the searing eyes that had been burning into her, "for someone who threw her family away like secondhand trash for what she deemed a 'better' life, you sure are a disappointing sight.. I mean, I've heard stories here and there, rumors I guess, of the great 'Nadia Thorn'. Hell, from the way some of them spoke of you I thought you were gonna be some sort of God or as close to.... turns out you're just some pathetic woman with nothing better to do than try and regrow old roots that had long since been burned. I imagine it's sucks going from someone that everyone looked up to, to, well, whatever the hell it is you are now. Some rundown bottom feeder who spends more time begging people to like her than she does brushing her teeth, I mean seriously, come on, what is that? Leftover spinach from lunch?"
"Why you little-
Nixie reacted before she could even get the full sentence out, the necklace that had been dangling from Nadia's neck now in her own grasp and the bright green crystal tucked neatly within her fingers.
Nadia's furious expression shifted to one of surprise and then quickly morphed into slight admiration, "you're smarter than I took you for."
"That's because you don't know me" Nixie boldly stated, no longer in the mood to play into anymore games and offering nothing more than a dignified sneer, "now get the hell out of my head."
The crystal shattered in her palm as she squeezed it and the nightmare quickly dissolved into complete nothingness, the last thing Nixie saw being the overly confident expression on the woman's face before it all faded to nothing.
Nixie sat up with a gasp, her sudden movement causing a stir from the blonde beside her who shuffled for a few seconds before ultimately falling back into an uninterrupted slumber with an arm tossed over the former protectress' lap. Any other time, Nixie would've found amusement in the situation as she took notice of her brother sprawled across the floor with only a pillow to cover his shivering form while herself and Cami took up the entirety of the king sized bed despite both of them being quite small in stature.... But the only thing she could focus on was the pointed green shards digging into the palm of her hand as she finally managed to unclench her fingers from their fisted state. Ignoring the small remnants of blood they drew from the force she had been squeezing them, Nixie brushed them off with her other hand before throwing herself back into the pile of pillows she had been burrowed in with a quiet huff.
This could only mean one thing....
Nadia Thorn was in New Orleans.
** Holy hell , I have no idea why my brain would NOT function long enough to write this chapter but I am so glad it's over☠️ **