"Wake up." I hear someone whisper while shaking me. Groaning, I open my eyes immediately trying to touch the side of my head where an intense headache has formed. Only my hand doesn't make it to my head because both of them are zip tied together. Confused I take in my surroundings. Hayley is next to me, also, zip tied. It's still dark outside and we appear to be in the trunk of a moving vehicle.
"Damn it." I say in frustration. "I can't catch a break."
"Shhhh." Hayley insists as she nods to the front on the car. I lean up and see the back of an unknown man's head in the drivers seat. Laying back down I look at Hayley and then try and break the zip ties around my hands. My wrists start to burn from trying to pull my hands apart and the plastic is cutting into my skin. So, more pissed off then ever I start kicking. Hayley does the same and we kick anything we can reach, like the windows and the roof. Hearing the commotion, the man quickly pulls the car over and gets out. When he opens the trunk Hayley, who is closer, goes to kick the stranger, but he catches her leg.
"Seriously?!" The dark hair and dark eyed angry looking dude says. "You don't want to fight me, Hayley. You know you can't beat a hybrid."
"You know this fucker." I exclaim as he ties her feet together. When he's done, he goes to do mine too. "Get your hands off me, psycho." I fight him off which works, and he stops trying to tie mine.
"You backstabbing, half-breed piece of shit." Hayley yells.
"Shut up!" He says throwing her over his shoulder and yanking me up by my tied hands forcing me to follow.
______________
By the time the sun comes up we have made it to a small cabin in the Bayou. It sits next to the water and has a dock attached to the porch. Our kidnapper stops and sits Hayley down on the porch and lightly pushes me down next to her.
"What is this place?" Hayley asks him.
"The armpit of Louisiana." He answers as he pulls out a knife.
"What are you going to do with that?" She inquires trying to put me slightly behind her.
"Depends on you guys." The stranger points it at us as he walks closer and bends down to cut the ties off her ankles.
"Hey, you attacked us, remember?" Hayley retorts. "You ambushed us in our own living room." She adds standing up in front of me.
"It's not your living room. It's Klaus'." He scoffs. "You're shacked up in a mansion with that psycho, a long way from the girl I met in the Appalachians helping other werewolves."
"Actually, lunatic you don't know what you're talking about." I defend Hayley. She's only in this mess because of me.
"Tyler, I'm sorry, but a lot has happened since the last time I saw you." Hayley says attempting to keep his attention off me.
"You mean how your friend here" He nods in my direction. "is pregnant?" He scoffs. "A hybrid baby. Yeah. I know all about it. I've been roaming around the Bayou asking questions. Let me tell you what I learned." He says pulling her cardigan off her shoulder. "This crescent birthmark means you come from a big shot family, some kind of royalty to the werewolves of this region, and right here, this is all that's left of them." Looking around I spot a girl with blonde hair pulled into a braid hiding in-between the trees. She has a burned looking crescent birthmark showing on her shoulder just like Hayley and me.
"Hey, help us." Hayley tries when she sees her, too. But the girl takes off running.
"They can't help you. They're in the woods hiding because they've been persecuted for decades by vampires." Tyler says as a new guy walks up to Hayley. He's tall and has his dark hair pushed back.
"Is that her?" He points at Hayley in question.
"No. This is, Dwayne." Tyler nods to me as I watch them with a bored expression. "Get them inside." Dwayne grabs Hayley's arm as Tyler walks in the opposite direction.
"Tyler? Tyler?" Hayley pleads. When they get over to me Dwayne goes to grab me but I stop him.
"Touch me and I'll rip out your liver and feed it to you." I threaten before standing and voluntarily walk ahead of them and into the cabin. Trying to run to soon would only make things harder on me and Hayley.
______________
Tyler's sidekick zip tied Hayley and me to a heater and left us alone. We both sit in silence trying to come up with a plan. But, there is a question I've been dying to know.
"Who the hell is this guy, Hayley?"
"Not someone I thought I'd see again." She says. I stay quiet waiting on her to continue. "I met him in the Appalachians. He was lost and confused about being a new werewolf. It didn't take long for us to become friends."
"Great friends you have." I scoff.
"I don't know what his deal is. He left right before I met you. He went home to Mystic Falls, to his girlfriend. When I went to Mystic Falls because of the professor, Tyler had changed. He was a hybrid. Klaus had fed him his blood and snapped his neck. Once Tyler was fed Doppelganger blood he turned." She explains. "He was sired to Klaus. When Klaus realized he could make an army he turned more. Tyler found a way to brake the sire bound and I helped him free the other hybrids. But Professor Shane needed Klaus to massacre them so, I told Klaus they were conspiring against him. And he killed them all, including Tyler's mother."
"Oh, this is just great." I mutter. "So, he has a reason to be a psycho. Niklaus drove him there, shocker." I say as Tyler enters.
"Tyler, there's been a wolf watching us lately, protecting us like it instinctively knows that we're part of its pack." Hayley says as he grabs a bag and sets in on the table uninterested. "You're a hybrid. You can turn into a wolf whenever you want. Was it you?" She asks.
"No, but you're right." He shakes his head. "Only hybrids can control when they change, and I'm the only one left besides Klaus, which is why we're here."
"Whatever you think you're doing, you should know that the whole Original family has made some sort of pact or something to keep me, Hayley, and my baby safe." I warn him. "So, if you hurt us, they'll kill you."
"What makes you think I'm afraid to die?" He questions as Dwayne walks through the door. "You ready for this?" Tyler asks directing it at Dwayne.
"Let's do it." He replies looking at me. Tyler pulls out a needle attached to a syringe.
"What are you going to do with that?" I ask a little scared as Dwayne comes towards me and holds me still.
"Tyler! No! Please stop." Hayley pleads, unable to help as Tyler advances on me.
"Klaus destroyed everything good in my life." He says angerly in my face. "So, I'm gonna take away the thing he wants most." He says pulling up my shirt and revealing my belly. Hayley starts begging him to stop, but I know it's no use. I can see it in his revenge filled eyes. There was no stopping him. He plunges the needle into my round stomach. I slam my lip between my teeth refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing he is hurting me. But when he starts to extract blood, I can't hold back. The burning is too much, and I let out a blood curdling scream. He pulls the needle out and the pain slowly subsides as I catch my breath.
"You're such a dick." I snarl as he stands and quickly turns to Dwayne, injecting him in the neck with my blood. When Tyler pulls the needle from his neck, he immediately reaches and snaps Dwayne's neck, causing Hayley to gasp.
Tyler walks over and grabs the now dead werewolf under his arms and drags him against the far wall. I stare at him disgusted and I know Hayley is wearing the same look.
"Don't get all judgey." Tyler says looking at us. "Dwayne knew what he was getting into. He volunteered."
"For you to kill him?" Hayley inquires in a scoff.
"You think he'll turn into a hybrid." I say in realization. "Are you crazy? You killed him as an experiment." I spit out.
"What?" Hayley scrunches her eyebrows.
"Dwayne is a werewolf who died with Kelsey's blood in his system, the same blood she shares with her hybrid baby." Tyler explains what I've already put together.
"That's impossible." Hayley snaps in denial.
"Been running with wolf packs all over the country. One of them was tight with a witch." He says going through his bag on the table. "She had nightmare visions about that baby and how Klaus could use its blood to make an army of hybrid slaves ."
"I am sick of these fucking witches and their premonitions about my baby." I growl, my blood starting to boil. "It's just a baby."
"Maybe. Maybe not." He shrugs. "That's where Dwayne comes in. You see, he was happy to be the test case. If you guys haven't noticed, these people don't have much to live for. They'd all welcome the chance to become the superior species. Trouble is that all hybrids are sired to Klaus. They follow his every move." He grabs the knife he had earlier and set in down on a small in table. "No way I'd let that happen."
"How can you be so sure Klaus knows what the baby's blood will do?" I scoff at him.
"What do you think?" he says sarcastically. "Klaus Mikaelson, killer of men, women, and puppies all the sudden wants to be a daddy" And then he goes serious trying to convince us. "Or he's got an ulterior motive. Hybrids can walk in the sun. Their bite is lethal to vampires. They'll take over New Orleans by the end of the week, and you know what's gonna stop Klaus then?" He shakes his head. "Nothing."
"You're wrong." I state. "I get it, he's not the good guy in your story. What he has done to you and to thousands of others is disgusting and there's no defending it. But you don't understand him. Hell, I don't fully but I know for sure he wouldn't use his child as a tool. Even if it is for power."
"You're delusional." Tyler scoffs just as Dwayne gasps awake and starts breathing heavily on his hands and knees.
"You're gonna have to feed on her." Tyler tells him while looking at me.
"Like hell." I snap trying to break my zip ties again.
"What? No! "Hayley exclaims in a panic as Tyler grabs the knife and pushes my hair to the side and cuts a shallow line on my neck causing me to gasp. "Do it." He orders Dwayne and before I can react Dwayne grips under my jaw and inserts his fangs into my neck on the wound. I can do nothing but scream. It doesn't take long for him to snatch his body away and starts throwing himself around the cabin. "Dwayne." Tyler tries to calm him, but he wasn't paying him any mind. He stumbled around violently until he made his way to the door and forced himself outside. Tyler gives us one look before following still trying to help Dwayne.
As soon as we were out of his line of vision, Hayley reaches as far as she can to the fallen knife on the ground. When she realizes it's impossible, she grabs a piece of wood broken by Dwayne's staggers. After a minute the chaos outside gets quiet and Tyler reenters with an intense look.
"It worked, didn't it?" I say a bit guarded. "He's a hybrid."
"I can't let Klaus get ahold of you, if he gets that kid, he wins." Tyler replies sounding desperate, like he's backed into a corner.
"Then help us hide the baby from him." Hayley tries to bargain as I discreetly roll my eyes knowing I'm not going anywhere. "Help us run."
"He'll find her." He says in denial as he slowly bends and picks up the knife. "He'll take your kid away, and he'll make more hybrid monsters" He continues walking closer and closer to me. "Slaves who do everything he says."
"Tyler, whatever you're thinking of doing, there has to be another way." I try to reason.
"You're not like this." Hayley adds shoving the wood into his stomach when he gets close enough. He groans and grunts pulling it out.
"That was stupid." He says pissed walking at us again.
"Get away from her." Dwayne demands suddenly appearing behind Tyler.
"What do you care?" Tyler sneers.
"I said, get away." He warns again.
"You got what you wanted. Now, get lost." Tyler advances on him pointing outside.
"Dwayne, he's going to kill me." I tell him, thinking quick on my feet and hoping my theory is right. "He's going to kill you, too. He said that hybrids are too dangerous to live. You need to stop him."
"SHUT UP!" Tyler swings around in my direction. Just as he turns his back fully to Dwayne, Dwayne grabs both of Tyler's shoulders and throwing him into the wall. Dwayne goes after him as I quickly grab the knife that has, thankfully, fallen in my reach. I cut all our zip ties. Hayley grabs my wrist and rushes us out of the cabin and over to a bunch of barrels by the water. She pushes me down and puts her finger to her mouth.
"Stay quiet and stay here I'll try to lead him away."
"Wait. Hayley." I whisper yell but she's already gone. Not even five minutes later Tyler storms out of the cabin.
"Kelsey! Hayley! Don't make this harder than it has to be!" He yells as I hold my breath. "Give up now. I'll end it quick." He says on the other side on the clearing on a hill near the cabin.
"Quite an offer" I hear Niklaus' voice causing me to peak through the small gap between two barrels. Tyler turns around and face Niklaus. "Though not one I'll be extending to you."
"Klaus." Tyler acknowledges while getting in a fighting stance.
"Hello, Tyler. You look well. I aim to change that." Niklaus walks closer to him. "Threatening a pregnant woman in order to exact revenge against me. I never expected you to sink so low. I admit, I'm impressed." He smirks causing me to roll my eyes.
"I used to hang out with you." Tyler replies keeping his distance and walking around Niklaus as they switch sides. "I guess something must have rubbed off."
"What do you think Caroline would say if she saw what you've become?" Niklaus taunts. "Perhaps I'll ask her when I call her to tell her of your demise."
"Whatever happens to me Caroline is never gonna stop hating you." Tyler says and Niklaus grabs him and throws him into a tree.
"Come on, mate." He yells trying to piss Tyler off. "Give it a bit more effort. I want to enjoy myself." Tyler vamp speeds away and Niklaus smirks before smiling and following. But Tyler hid and Niklaus starts searching through everything, including old tents and behind trees.
"Is this your idea of revenge, Tyler, grueling game of hide-and-seek?" Tyler suddenly shoves a stake through Niklaus' back causing him to scream and swing around to backhand Tyler sending him flying. Niklaus yanks the stake out of his chest. "Let's end this, shall we?" They both run at each other. They lose the balance and roll down the hill closer to me.
Tyler lands on top of Niklaus and he swings his fist hitting Niklaus in the face. Niklaus reaches up and grips Tyler's throat. "How dare you?" Niklaus say dangerously.
"I'm just getting started." He stabs Niklaus in the side with the stake causing Niklaus to lose his grip screaming in pain and anger.
"You've grown bloodthirsty." Niklaus grits. "Perhaps it's best your mother didn't live to see you like this." He uses his trauma against him with a laugh. A pissed off Tyler punches his face again and again. However, on the third swing Niklaus catches his fist, throwing him down and then he gets on top on him. He pulls out the stake in his side, and he stabs it close to Tyler's heart and stands as Tyler screams.
"It's sad, really." Niklaus say as Tyler pulls the stake out and standing up. "I thought I made you better. Turns out, you're quite the disappointment."
"I guess I'm another one of your failures, like how you failed at making hybrids, how you failed your family." Tyler verbally abuses him with a little blood trickling down his chin. "Now it looks like you're even gonna fail your own kid." He taunts walking closer to Niklaus. Niklaus vamp speeds him against a tree, holding him there.
"And thus ends your tedious, little life." I decide that it's time to come out from behind the barrels. "At least it was brief." He says putting a look of fear and desperation on Tyler's face before shoving his hand into his chest and grabbing his heart. Tyler screams in agony.
"Stop." I say calmly walking up to them and earning shocked looks.
"Kelsey, get out of here." Niklaus demands, before looking back at Tyler.
"Let him go." They both snap their heads at me in disbelief. "From what Hayley says you're a good person." I tell Tyler before looking at Niklaus. "He's consumed with grief. Of course, he'd want revenge."
"He kidnapped you." Niklaus states flabbergasted.
"You killed his mother. I can't blame him for waiting to avenge her." I sigh. "I'd do the same for the people I love. So, just let him go and let's go home."
"Do it." Tyler demands looking at Niklaus daringly. "You're never gonna break me. Only thing you could do is kill me. So go on. Go on. Get it over with." He basically pleads.
"Ah." Niklaus smirks staring at him. "You want me to end your suffering, don't you? Hmm? I did break you, took everything from you, and now you're begging me to sweep away the shards of your shattered, little life."
"Niklaus." I say sternly but he ignores me and twist Tyler's heart. He rips his hand out of Tyler's chest as Tyler gasps in pain. He pants to catch his breath and Niklaus keeps a firm grip on his shoulders.
"Death offers more peace than you deserve. It's better to let you live, and each morning, you will wake knowing that your wretched existence continues only by my will." Niklaus tells him causing me to roll my eyes at his dramatics. Niklaus looks straight into his eyes and compels him. "Now go, don't ever threaten Kelsey or my child again and live the rest of your days knowing you are nothing to me." He lets him go, comes over to me, and guides me away silently.
___________________
Niklaus had led me to the cabin where inside he found a dead Dwayne. He brings him out onto the porch as Elijah and Hayley walk up.
"There you are." He greets them as I run to hug Hayley and stand next to her. "I see you found our wandering stray. Perhaps her and Kelsey could shed some light on the situation. This." He says kicking the corpse onto the ground. "Would appear to be the body of a hybrid."
"His name was Dwayne." I tell him.
"Well, whoever he was, I didn't sire him. Any idea how that's possible?" He asks.
"As if you didn't know." Hayley accuses causing me to look at her confused. Elijah pulls her back before she can do anything to endanger herself.
"Ah." Niklaus smirks. "Aren't you two fast friends? Well, come on then, what horrible accusations have you conspired to levy against me?"
"Tyler Lockwood brought Kelsey here to test a theory, that the blood of her child could be used to sire hybrids." Niklaus' smirk falls as Elijah explains. "He claims you knew that. Furthermore, you intended to use this knowledge to build an army."
"And, of course, you assume it's true." Niklaus says with small traces of betrayal. "I mean, why else would I show any interest in my own flesh and blood?" Sarcasm dripping from his words. "A heartbroken, little crybaby points his finger at me, and my own brother falls in line, eager to believe it. How quickly you assume the worst, especially when it comes from her." He gestures to Hayley.
"Oh, spare me indignation." Elijah retorts. "When have you ever demonstrated any kind of concern towards Kelsey or her child beyond your own selfish pursuits, and what was it you once said to me? 'Every king needs an heir.'"
"Okay, that's enough." I exclaim walking between them.
"Kelsey." Hayley tries to warn me, but I glare at her.
"No. You guys are out of line." I look at Elijah and Hayley. "Tyler is a broken person who only sees the bad. He's not objective to the situation." I scoff. "And you're wrong about Niklaus not being concerned. He didn't have to come find me when Agnes had her crazy ass goons chase me in the Bayou. He, also didn't have to track Agnes down in attempt to break that hex. He doesn't have to be here now to save me and Hayley. You could have done that all on your own, Elijah." They are both staring at me in shock that I'm defending him. Hell, I've surprised myself. "So, instead of giving him the benefit of the doubt and simply asking him if he knew, you decided to just accuse him." I turn and look at all of them and see Niklaus' consternation expression. He clearly didn't expect me to take his side either. "And you all wonder why you're in a constant circle of betrayal and violence. You're all so willing to cast a stone at the other, instead of just being a family. Now, I'm exhausted. I've been kidnapped, tied up, thrown in a trunk, dragged through the woods, bitten, and stabbed with a needle. Not to mention, I was forced to listen to the cautionary tales of a psycho hybrid." I turn to Niklaus. "One you made, by the way. All because he didn't want you controlling him. You can't just kill someone in spite of someone else, just because you can, and then get pissed off when they do it back. I'm done with this ridiculous conversation in the middle of fucking nowhere. It's time to leave. Now." I demand with all of them staring at me before Niklaus turns his attention to Elijah.
"My big brother, so you doubt my intentions. Well, I can't say I'm surprised." He says causing me to groan knowing he wasn't going to just let the accusations go. "Standing beside the Noble Elijah, how could I be anything but the lesser brother. A liar, a manipulator, a bastard?" He steps off the porch and walks pass me to Elijah. "That's all I am to you, isn't it, and to Rebekah, and judging by the way Hayley hangs on your every word, it's clear she feels the same way. No doubt Kelsey and my child will, as well."
"Brother, if I..." Elijah starts but Niklaus cuts he off and jerks him forward by the top of his suit jacket.
"We've said all that needs to be said, Brother." Niklaus lets him go and backs up with his hands raised. "I'll play the role I've been given." He turns his back to them and faces my direction. I can see by the look on his face that he's going to do something he shouldn't.
"Niklaus. Don't." I tell him, but it's too late. He vamp speeds back to Elijah and bites the side of his neck.
"Klaus." Hayley gasps as he drops Elijah on the ground.
"You two enjoy each other's company." Niklaus says cockily. "You'll have much to bond over once the hallucinations and dementia set in. Consider that bite my parting gift to you both." And with that he, without any warning, picks me up bridal style and vamps us away.
____________________
The world stops spinning when Niklaus puts me down in the foyer of the mansion. I grab the nearby wall to help regain my bearings as he walks into the living room and pours some scotch.
"Are you insane?" I exclaim in disbelief.
"Some people seem to think so." He shrugs.
"Your brother could kill Hayley. What happens to an Original when they get bit by a werewolf?" I ask folding my hands over my chest.
"Hayley isn't my concern. The bite will wear off."
"Hayley is my concern and you just left her with a vampire that can't be killed, who is going to start hallucinating all the terrible shit he's done in the last thousand years." I tell him trying to knock some sense into him.
"He won't kill her. He likes her. So, relax Love." He smirks. "Besides, they deserve it."
"What they accused you of was wrong." I reply calmly. "But haven't you ever heard two wrongs don't make a right."
"That's to be debated." He jokes causing me to scoff with an eye roll.
"Whatever." I tell him giving up and turning towards the stairs. "I'm going to shower and go to bed."
"Kelsey." He call sounding more serious. I turn around and look at him. "Did you mean what you said? That you believe my intentions are genuine."
"Yeah. I don't believe you'd use your child for personal gain." I reply honestly. "Even if you don't always show it, I can tell family means a lot to you."
"Thank you."
"My turn." He nods for me to continue. "Why not leave me out there too?"
"I went out there to save you and the baby. I'd never intentionally put you in harms way." He says slightly letting his guard down and turning to the window. "I thought you were leaving us." He adds not talking to me. I glance to my side and see Rebekah.
"Oh, thank god." I say in relief and give her a side hug.
"We both know this family can barely function without me." Rebekah answers him. "Where are Elijah and Hayley?"
"I left them in the Bayou."
"Why?" She inquires sitting down.
"Have fun with that." I chuckle and head upstairs.