Finn didn't turn her away.
She thought he would, when she arrived in the Lycée, her face blotchy with tears. Amaris braced herself for him to point at the door, or to knock her out again.
He simply heaved a sign, fetching the car keys to take her to Vincent's apartment.
He sat in the kitchen, waiting for her to shower. She was taking forever, but he didn't rush her. He simply got to making lunch. A few ham and turkey sandwiches that she seemed to enjoy as she tried to stop herself from crying again.
"What happened?" he asked in a slightly exasperated tone once they were on the couch.
"I just wanted to keep Jackson and Hayley safe," she whispered. "And Klaus..." she squeezed her eyes shut. "He beat me. And stabbed me in the same spot where Adriel once did. A scar that didn't heal, and never will heal. Reminding me of a pain that I can't forget no matter how hard I try. I was supposed to get the choice to have children or not. Adriel took that from me because of my mother's lies. I made the choice, this time, to be brave... introduce myself to everyone... but Klaus just showed me that choice was wrong."
Finn tapped his fingers together. "You were impulsive. You understand that, yes?" She nodded. "You accepted to moving in too soon?" She assented again. "You trusted too easily? You got ahead of yourself?"
"Yes," she said, her voice cracking. "I get it. You sound like my mother."
"Well, I'm about to tell you a lot of things that you aren't gonna like, because you have to learn from this."
Amaris gulped. "I get it. I act before I think... I don't consider the consequences. Since I was a child I would take risks that I shouldn't have. I risked leaving the safety of my home, the security of a marriage, to find all of you, and I never made it back. I got my throat torn out just when my family was in reach. And now, I was too rash... thinking this would go well."
"It's the unfortunate truth," said Finn as calmly as he could. "No matter what you witnessed on the Other Side when you watched over us, you will never understand who they are until you have faced them and seen firsthand their cruelty directed to you. Until you have spoken to every single one of them. Seen how they behave with you. Watching how they interact with others gives no insight to what kind of people they are. At this rate, they're hardly people."
He took her hand. "You assigned yourself to be our guardian angel. Watching over everybody. Feeling connected because you were close to finding us, but didn't, and the only way you could feel like you managed it was to observe. It's what kept you from getting to peace, Amaris. Your mother must have moved on so long ago and yet you were still there, and now..." he trailed off. "You watched from an... audience's perspective. You didn't internalize what beasts they are until now that you were able to hear their responses. To see their reactions to your choices. Now, you know what kind of people our siblings are. Now you know they're selfish. And you got hurt, Amaris."
"I thought I knew what to expect," she sniffled. "I knew Klaus would be brutal, I just... I didn't think I'd get my ass handed to me. I didn't think he'd smash me into a tree and stab a branch into me. He's just like Mikael. Maybe it's a good thing I haven't spoken to him. Maybe I shouldn't... why would I bother? He hates werewolves, he has for a long time. He couldn't even be kind to Klaus when he still thought him to be his son. There's no way he'll want anything to do with me. I don't want to be a Mikaelson. As nice as it was to talk to Kol... to see Rebekah... to be acknowledged by Elijah... I made a mistake in trying to be part of this family."
Finn sighed. "They like to use people. They will take advantage of anyone who is even a temporary ally. Tying up loose ends, milking them for all their worth. Just to stab them in the back in the end. I imagine since you were so eager to be a part of it all, without first taking the time to get to know them from afar, they decided to use you for their own gains. Put you to work, expect you to listen to their orders. They figure, you want to be part of the family so bad, then you contribute. But let me tell you something— Kol and I, Mikaelsons by blood, we never meant anything to them unless we conformed to their brutal ways. They're never going to value your opinions if those opinions are different from theirs. They're never going to see you as your own person unless you do what they ask and don't question it. Anyone who isn't a Mikaelson is nothing to them. And anyone who is... isn't any safer unless they take orders from Klaus like a soldier. Not like a sibling."
"I just want to be respected," she whispered. "Valued. Klaus treats me like a child."
"You are a child."
"No I'm not! I'm an adult!"
"No you're not, Amaris," he said firmly. "You aren't mature enough to be an adult. Your trauma doesn't make you mature in the way you think it does. How old were you when you died, hmm?"
"Twenty-three," she muttered.
"Precisely. You were a child."
"That's ridiculous, Finn! Rebekah was what, seventeen when she turned? Kol was nineteen, Klaus around twenty-one... do you think them to be children, too?"
"Not anymore. They are monstrous adults. In that time, however, they were children. As were you. And you remain being a child even now."
Amaris huffed. "I spent three years searching for all of you. Three years, since your mother turned you. Three years since my life changed forever. By that time, vampires were sprouting everywhere. One after another they were becoming a plague. I had to grow up quickly to surv—"
"But you didn't survive," he said, ignoring the hurt look on her face. "You died. You got caught off guard. And to an extent, that 'growth' you claim to have had? It was stunted. You were a kid when you left your pack. Out of stubbornness you didn't go back until it was too late. You were still a child when you died, Amaris. And you may have watched us all but you didn't interact with anyone.
"I only got to read a few books when I was posing as a psychologist but I know for a fact you are stuck, Amaris. Stuck with the mindset of a teenager who thinks life will be easy. You don't realize that being arrogant isn't going to get you anywhere. For a thousand years you had no human interaction whatsoever. In reality, we learn through experience, through going into situations in real life with actual people. You didn't have that. You didn't have to learn anything from the things you witnessed because you weren't going to be able to put it to use. You didn't develop socially, not to the extent you think you did. Especially not for a world like this. To enter a family like this."
She was rather quiet now, staring at the wall across from them. "Abandon your efforts," he told her. "They are not worth your time or your pain. It is like you said... we can find Freya. She and I can help you. We three can be the better siblings."
Amaris's smile was weak, and he noticed it. "But you're not going to stop trying to hurt the others, are you?" He didn't respond. "As much as I hate Klaus, as much as I'd like to see him dead... I can't let you do that. I can't support it, Finn. I don't want Rebekah or Kol hurt. Or Elijah. Jackson, Hayley, Marcel, and Cami have all been kind to me and they will defend... your siblings if you hurt them. Just stop this, Finn, please. I'll help you find Freya and... I'll go off on my own, honestly. I can tell when I'm not wanted. Despite the fact you've been kind to me just now, I can tell you don't really like me, and I don't want to intrude."
"I don't dislike you," he said, standing up when she made to leave. "You are my sister, I believe that. I value that. I wish to continue getting to know you."
"But we don't share the same beliefs. I will defend your siblings, but you would rather see them harmed. I don't fancy being put to sleep all the time. Tell me, what were you doing in the Lycée when I found you?"
He pursed his lips. "Confirming something I learned from Marcel last night."
"Marcel? You saw Marcel? Wait a minute... I haven't heard from him... not even since I called him yesterday." She made a face. "Don't tell me you murdered him!"
"I didn't," he said firmly. "I am merely keeping him... for reasons."
"What did you learn from him? What are you talking about?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Yes, it does. I want to know. If you want me to stop being a child then help me. Help me learn to mature. Help me understand responsibility and interactions between people. Start by telling me what's going on."
He didn't want to. Because he knew how she'd react. "I need to go work on spells," he said, going to the door. "If you wish to remain awake, you will stay here."
She tried to follow after him, but he waved his hand, creating a barrier that made it impossible to access the front door.
She snuck out through one of the bedroom windows. From a distance, she followed after him, until she saw him enter the St. Louis Cathedral. She frowned, sneaking up to the attic, tiptoeing as quietly as she could manage. She could hear him chanting, but it didn't seem like his spell was working, because he kept pausing and repeating the same phrase over and over.
She walked in to find him chanting over a map of the United States, with several bunches of herbs, a poppet, and a jar full of caterpillars.
"That is nasty," she said.
He whirled around. "Why am I not surprised?" he said, frustrated.
She cast a cheeky smile. "You didn't put a barrier on the windows. Why do you have a doll? Who are you trying to...?" She trailed off when she saw a runic marking made of sprinkled salt at the edge of the map. It read 'baby.' "Finn," she said softly. "No."
"You knew?" he said in disbelief. "You knew Niklaus's child was alive?"
"Are you crazy?" she demanded. "Are you going to hunt her? She's a baby!"
"You knew," he repeated, "and he let you walk out of that Compound with your life? I just learned that he killed Ansel to keep it all a secret."
"Ansel told me. He sensed it. I would never have hurt her. How could you? You can't do this. You can't. I may hate Klaus, I may not be related to that little girl, but I won't let you hurt her."
He was about to respond, but faltered when he saw a woman walk in behind her. Amaris turned to face the blonde, who was smiling at both of them.
"I was wondering if you'd recognize me," she said softly, almost disappointed when both glared at her as if to ask, 'Who are you, and what are you doing here?' "Then again," she motioned to Finn, "you look a bit different yourself."
"Who are you?" Finn asked sharply.
"Fitting I find you up here," she said, walking closer to him. "We used to climb up into the trees when we were planning a bit of mischief. Never wanted Mother to hear what her little Huginn and Muninn were whispering about."
Finn's mouth dropped open. The woman said, "Now, Finn, don't break my heart and tell me you've forgotten me."
"It can't be," he whispered. "Freya?"
She pulled him into a tight hug. Finn seemed ready to cry. Amaris wasn't sure what to do, and was planning on leaving to give them a moment when Freya turned to her.
"And you," she said. "Rebekah told me about you."
"You know Rebekah?" asked Amaris quietly.
She assented. "Yes. Our sister... born to the Alpha of the Paxon Wolf Pack. Soyala. A beautiful name. As is yours, Amaris."
Amaris half-expected to be punched, given her track record these past few days. But Freya merely offered her hand. The wolf shook it carefully. "We have both arrived in the same way," mused Freya. "After a very long time of searching for our family... and never giving up. You and I are alike in that way."
"How are you here?" asked Amaris. "Where... where have you been?"
Freya pursed her lips, beckoning for Amaris to join her as she sat on the chairs around the table Finn had been casting his spell on. Immediately, he removed the spell materials, and brought forth some teacups, a kettle, and teabags. Amaris certainly hadn't expected a tea party.
"I'm here because of a spell Dahlia cast," explained Freya once they were drinking their tea, "placing me in a deep sleep for a century, only to then wake for a single year of life. I've repeated this cycle for hundreds of years. It started as a way for us to stay young and beautiful. She said if a witch can't be immortal, this was the next best thing. But, in time, I realized that all her stories were paired with lies."
"It's true, then?" asked Finn. "Dahlia is still alive?"
Freya drew a gentle sip. "She doesn't just live— she hunts. I fled from her long ago, and I've been running ever since. To Dahlia, any act of betrayal is punishable by death." She noticed Finn had pinched the bridge of his nose anxiously, causing her to lean forward reassuringly, "Dahlia is my cross to bear. She has no grudge against anyone but me."
"Did she ever speak to you about the curse she placed on this family? The one that says she can take the first-born of every generation?"
"Yes, but why should that concern you?" she asked. "Our siblings are vampires, there are no first-borns for her to take. Forgive me—" she placed a hand on Amaris's shoulder, "one of our siblings is mortal. However, you are not of Dahlia's bloodline, nor of a witch bloodline in general. You have nothing to fear."
"I-I don't," said Amaris awkwardly. "I can't..." she gestured to her stomach. "We're worried about..." she looked at Finn, wondering if he wanted to be the one to say it.
"Niklaus," he mentioned. "The hybrid. He had a daughter."
Freya looked concerned, and clutched at a blue pendant hanging from her neck. "Where is she?"
"He has her hidden," said Finn. "Our mother filled my head with the terror of what would happen to all of us if that child had lived, and I've been searching for her, but she's been impossible to find!"
"Nothing is impossible to find, Finn," said Freya. "As powerful as you are... I found you."
"What I want to know," said Amaris, butting in before Freya could offer to help, "is what you're planning to do when you find her."
Finn couldn't put it into words. "That child cannot live. She was not meant to live. Dahlia will come for her."
"But you can't take it upon yourself to kill her. If you aim to find her to hurt her... then I will say it with Freya as my witness that I won't let you do that."
This seemed to amuse Freya, not having expected her to be so firm about protecting a baby she didn't even know. "Brother," said Freya, giving Finn a significant look, "what are your intentions for the child?"
He faltered. "I... I don't..."
"Please do not tell me you intended to harm her."
Finn remained silent. "Oh, Finn," she sighed. "You will need to forgive me for this. It is for your safety, and for the safety of that little girl." She clutched her pendant and chanted, "Yovara vimuna virael. Yovara vimuna virael..." The pendant started to glow, and Finn seized for a moment, before slumping back in his chair, asleep.
"What did you do to him?" asked Amaris, seeing the pendant had stopped glowing.
"I placed his soul in my pendant," said Freya. "It's a talisman to focus my power. His hatred of our siblings— which is astoundingly clear— will no longer do damage to our cause. The brother I knew would never have stooped to threaten a child. My mother destroyed him. Like she did me... Niklaus... everything she touched."
Amaris was still staring at the pendant. Freya laughed lightly. "It was crafted by Dahlia. Only Mikaelson souls of our bloodline can reside in it."
"So not me then," said Amaris. "I'm not related to Dahlia."
"That theory would need to be tested," said Freya. "Given you and I share a blood connection... perhaps it would allow it." She smiled, taking her hands. "It is so good to meet you. I have been waiting for this for a very, very long time."
Amaris's jaw went slack. "A... long time? How could you have been waiting for that?"
Freya sighed. "I learned quite a bit about our family, in seeking them out. I searched using my blood. Prior to being placed in the spell that plunged me into a deep slumber, I found something in my search. I found you. A singular dot of blood separated from the other five dots that I was monitoring. I came across your mother, shortly after that."
Her eyes started to water. "You did?"
"She had come to our lands, searching for you. I believe at the time you were in Europe, looking for our siblings. She needed the help of a witch. She came on a bended knee offering us herbs that grew only near your pack. She told us who she was, unaware that Dahlia and I had a connection to Mikael as well. All she had heard was that we were powerful witches. Feared witches. Your mother... was fearless. She was more respectful than any other wolf we ever came across."
"And what happened next?" asked Amaris eagerly.
"She gave her blood. We attempted to locate you. The spell yielded nothing. Your mother left distraught, and confused. I could not risk revealing that I had tracked you before, and the search had shown where you were. I believe this may have taken place shortly after you were killed. For a thousand years when I searched for our siblings, I thought of what you might have been like, based on what I knew of your mother. I see very much of you in her. But... quite a bit of Mikael, as well."
She managed a smile. "Finn said I bear a resemblance to all of you, in small ways."
"Tell me, sister," said Freya, furrowing her eyebrows, "why do you not reside with in the Compound? When I revealed myself to Rebekah, she stated that you were at the Compound, and that she would meet you soon. But I sensed you here, with Finn."
She pursed her lips. "It's... it's not a nice story."
"I still wish to hear it, if you are willing."
So she told her everything. And something gave Amaris the feeling that while Freya agreed with Finn that she'd been too impulsive about entering the family, she also didn't wish for Amaris to just give up on them.
"Surely there is something that can be done," she said. "After all... I intend to make myself known to them, as well. Rebekah has already informed our brothers of my presence in this city. We will need to inform them all of the threat they face. And... assimilate into our family, as we rightfully should, sister."
"You belong there," she murmured. "You're more their sister than I am. I'm done with that. I'd rather go find some other Paxons and stay there. Maybe get married. At least in this day and age, children aren't mandatory like they were before."
She shook her head. "I will not go unless you are with me. Niklaus is my brother. And you are my sister. No matter what his feelings toward our father, or toward you, I will not allow him to cause you physical harm. That, I promise you." She gestured to the sleeping man on the table. "Had you not warned me about what Finn intended for Hope, I would have helped him find her. He would have done a terrible thing to that child. She is my niece. And you protect her as if she were your niece, too. That must be honored. I will ensure it is so."
She went over to Vincent Griffith's body. "This will need to be taken care of. Have you any idea where he resides?"
"Yes," she said. "We were there, earlier. I'll lead you there... though I'm not sure how we'll transport an unconscious man back on foot."
Freya smiled. "Not to worry. I think someone will be eager to help us."
Amaris made a mental note to not piss Freya off. Be it with magic or her charm (but Amaris suspected it was through magical mind manipulation), she got someone to take them back to Vincent's apartment. They laid him down on his couch. Moments later, Marcel finally called Amaris back. She explained everything to him, minus Freya's presence (because the blonde had given her a look that suggested she didn't want anyone else becoming aware of where she was). He told her he'd deal with Vincent Griffith, and that he was glad to hear that she was okay. Apparently, Hayley had already told him about how beat-up she'd been when she found her in the Bayou.
"What's next on the agenda?" asked Amaris, walking with Freya to the apartment the witch had settled into, for the time being.
"We'll all need to protect each other," she said. "If Dahlia has sensed Klaus's child, she's already on her way."
"But she's cloaked," said Amaris. "Even if she isn't impossible to find, it wouldn't be easy... right? I mean, from what I heard, Esther couldn't find them right away. It took her eight months."
"Esther was nothing compared to Dahlia," said Freya. "I was taken when I was only five years old. I had just started to display a potential for magic. It is the magic that will draw Dahlia. It will serve as a beacon, calling her. Dahlia will come, and she will take what's hers." She stopped in front of Amaris, who nearly tipped over and fell onto the street given she was dragging her bag of clothes with her. "I see such sadness in your eyes, sister. Though I wish to encourage you to speak with our siblings again, with me, I wish you to know that you are free to go. You bear no relation to Dahlia— she will not harm you if you are on your own, somewhere safe."
"Freya," said Amaris, "I can't just leave knowing Hayley's daughter is in danger. Klaus, I don't like or respect. But Hayley, despite our rocky start, was kind to me. And that baby is innocent. I won't let what happened to you happen to her. I'm thinking, maybe, I can go speak to Hayley and Rebekah about all this. I'll tell her that maybe her daughter needs to come home so she's here for us to protect. She can pitch the idea to Klaus so that we don't get slaughtered instantly. Hayley's getting married... really soon. I think she should know about this as soon as possible so that she has the option to have her daughter in her arms on her wedding day."
The blonde smiled at her. "You have a good heart. And you are resilient, wishing to stay despite the way you have been treated. I admit, I have some fears, knowing how our siblings behaved with you."
"I don't think it'll go so badly for you," said Amaris. "Me, they never had heard of. You, they were told about. Your name is familiar to them, even if your face isn't. You already got to know Rebekah. Elijah, I imagine, will be more inclined to learn about you than about me. And Klaus can't deny that you're his sister."
"We are the odd ones out," said Freya softly. "We do it together, or not at all. First, I must ask you... have you spoken to our father?"
"Not exactly," she said. "And I don't know where he is... Finn desiccated him to channel him and I don't know where the body ended up."
"I will search for him. In the meantime, if you would please speak to Hayley and Rebekah... I would appreciate it." She beckoned her toward her apartment. "Please, come in. I imagine you are tired. As eager as I am to hear more about you, I ought to let you sleep. We will get to our tasks in the morning."
Amaris shrugged. "Actually, I'm not tired at all."
Freya grinned. "I will make us some more tea."