TWENTY FOUR:
Thursday, January 17th
9:03 AM
I walked into the bedroom with coffee in one hand and scissors in the other. Klaus was in the guest room where Cami's body still remained, covered by a mere tan blanket. "Hey," I greeted my fiancé softly.
Klaus turned to me, "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."
I furrowed my brows, "Don't worry, you didn't. A crying baby did. Then I showered. Talked to Freya who asked me to get a lock of your hair. Hence the scissors."
"Is that coffee?" Klaus questioned. I walked over to him, handing him the cup. He leaned down and pecked my lips. "Good morning, beautiful."
"You're in a... surprising mood."
He raised a brow, "I'm doing my best to behave, love. You're welcome."
"I don't want your best behavior. I want honesty. And I want you to grieve. Get it all out instead of piling it up for later cause it always comes out at the worst time."
"I'm fine."
I noticed his tone shift to one of repressed anger and his jaw clenched. 'Fine' my ass. I held of my scissors and he flinched away. "Give me a lock of hair," I said.
He rolled his eyes, sipping my coffee whilst plucking a curly hair from his head with his other hand. "There's an easier way," he replied with a smirk, holding it out for me to take.
I snorted, "less fun."
He scoffed, "What? You want me to chance a bald spot? You with scissors."
He laughed sarcastically then. I playfully hit him on the chest, taking the one strand of hair out from his fingers. "Um, hi," a voice interrupted us.
"Did you bring it?" Klaus asked as we both turned to see Hayley in the doorway.
She gave a slight nod, entering the room with only a small book. "Jack wrote down everything your father told him about the ancient werewolves. I've read it. I don't think there's anything in there that's gonna help us kill Lucien, though," she said as she walked over to hand it to my fiancé.
"I'll see for myself. You can go," he told her.
"Klaus," I scolded. "Don't be rude."
"Klaus, I think that we should do something about the body, about Cami. I know that she wanted an Irish wake. I can I can make the arrangements," Hayley said.
"It doesn't matter what she wanted! She's gone. There's no time to sing dirges. We're at war."
"Niklaus!" I raised my voice. "That's what I mean. You cannot take your feelings out on other people!"
"I'm not!" He shouted back.
"Okay, guys—" Hayley was trying to interject.
"Get out," Klaus growled at her the same time I spat, "Butt out!"
Hayley held her hands up in defense before leaving the room. I sighed, ashamed of myself. We shouldn't be arguing. "Give me my damn coffee," I said, snatching the cup from him then leaving the room to find Freya.
I headed downstairs to find the witch in the courtyard with Elijah. "Morning," I greeted.
"Something the matter?" Elijah asked.
"Nothing out of the normal," I replied. "Here you go, Freya. A curl from the stubborn one."
"I need a strand of your hair too," Freya told Elijah. "Is there more coffee?" She asked me, nodding at my mug.
"Uh, yeah. In the kitchen," I replied. "Um, what is the hair for?"
"I'm working on an early warning system. Lucien has all the witch Ancestors in New Orleans on his side. I need to know if they tried to magically interfere with any of my siblings," she explained.
"Freya, when we said no rest for the wicked, I certainly didn't expect you to—" Elijah was saying as he handed over a lock he plucked from his own head.
"I'm up against centuries of dead witches who are apparently now strong enough to reach beyond the grave and shake the entire city on its foundation. I'll rest once I've sent them all running back to hell," she told us both.
"Great, everyone is in a wartime rage and stubborn mood," I murmured.
"And you're a delight," Elijah teased with a smirk.
I purses my lips, "Migraine. It happens around you lot."
Elijah chuckled while Freya walked off, in the direction of the kitchen so I'm sure she was going to get some coffee. "Marcel called. I'm off to meet him now. Tell your brother, if he cares, asks, or isn't listening in now. Okay?" I smiled sarcastically at Elijah.
"Good day to you too," he mumbled as I walked past him without waiting for a reply.
***
Thursday, January 17th
9:56 AM
I rushed into St. James' Infirmary, the bar. I could hear voices. "Okay, we got to get her consecrated right now. If we don't we can't even attempt to get her back," Vincent I believe was speaking.
"We can't consecrate her!"
That was Kol. Oh, God. Consecrate who? I picked up my pace to find three men, all steps behind the other. Vincent leaning over a table where a body laid. Marcel behind him, raising his voice as he turned to Kol, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Oh, my God!" I gasped. "What happened?"
"The Ancestors despise Davina. If we consecrate her, she'll wake up in their domain, and they will destroy her," Kol said.
"Davina?" I frowned, glancing at the body. I found myself in Marcel's arms suddenly. He sighed deeply as he squeezed me tight.
"Thanks for coming," he said.
"Anything you need, you name it. Are you okay? What happened?" I whispered, staring up at my dear friend.
"It was me," Kol said. Blood all over his shirt. My jaw dropped as I saw his remorseful expression. He was cursed. He killed the woman he loved? No. No, no, no. That was too far, even for the ancestors. Too tragic even for the Mikaelsons.
"Alright, we all want to help her, so we need to make sure that she's consecrated, but she's got to be safe so we're gonna pull her into a place where she's protected, then we can resurrect her..." Vincent trailed off, turning back to Davina on the table. "And that's gonna require a lot of energy, and my power's not what it used to be before I got shunned."
"Alright, we need Freya," Marcel said. I nodded in agreement, pulling out my phone.
"You think my family's going to help? Nik hates Davina. Freya will not defy him," Kol scoffed.
"This wouldn't be happening if it wasn't for your family," Marcel snarled back at him.
"Hey, hey, enough," I told them both. "If we're going to save her and bring her back, we don't have time to argue. Vincent, prepare her body. You two, come with me."
"We don't need Klaus' permission, we have Danielle's," Marcel smirked at Kol.
I rolled my eyes playfully, "Freya may do what he says, but every now and then, he succumbs to my wants. Especially when it's important. And nothing is more important than this. We will get her back, boys."
It was only a fifteen minute drive in awkward silence back to the compound in my car. When we got there, Elijah greeted us. Marcel immediately began explaining the situation whilst I fetched Klaus to do the same.
"Davina's dead," I told Klaus when I entered the room Cami still remained. He had looked at me as if I was disturbing him so I was quick to the point. Alarm was written on his face.
"How?" He frowned.
"Kol. The ancestors. It was a tragic accident," I said, grimacing.
"What do you need me to do?"
I smiled, slightly amazed at how easy he was making this. "Get your sister on board. Today we focus on Davina," I told him. "You all can fight Lucien another day."
"You got it," he whispered in agreement. I led the way out the room to the courtyard where Marcel, Elijah, and Kol were still at.
"...This is a war. Please, understand, I despise the situation," Elijah was telling Marcel.
"No, that's the wrong answer!" Kol screamed, ready to lunge and attack, but Marcel stopped before he could reach his older brother.
"No, no, no, I know this is a war but I've lost a lot of friends, too. Today I need your help," Marcel begged.
"And you shall have it!" Klaus announced his presence as we hurried down the steps. We joined the three of them, Klaus stepped forward towards his younger brother. "Come on, Kol. Let's get you cleaned up."
"I'll fetch Freya," I smiled. "Let's go, team."
The blonde was slightly reluctant to shift her focus, but of course wanted to help her youngest brother. The two of us the began pulling together ingredients while we waited for the men to join us.
"Hey, I need a lighter," I said. Freya chuckled, she snapped her fingers and suddenly candles lit all around the room. "Is this going to take long?" I asked.
"No," she answered. "It shouldn't, why?"
"Just worried about Davina."
"We all are, love," my fiancé said as he and Kol joined us. Elijah hot on their heels. "Sister, walk us through this. What do we need to do?"
I smiled proudly at Klaus, taking his hand in mine. "Where's Marcel?" I whispered to him.
"On the phone with Vincent."
"I'll draw Davina's spirit to a circle. As long as she's there, the Ancestors won't be able to torment her. With luck that will buy you some time to find a way to resurrect her, but I'll need to channel an Original if I'm going to sustain the spell," Freya said.
"Well, take me. Put me down for all I care, if it keeps her safe," Kol offered himself.
"No, you've been marred by the Ancestors' magic," Freya said.
"So, Klaus, Elijah, rock, paper, scissors," I shrugged at the two.
Elijah walked forward just as a set of four candles in front of us flashed crazily upwards. We all turned to Freya. "That can't be good," Elijah commented.
"My early warning system. I think a New Orleans witch is trying to meddle with one of you," Freya said.
"Lucien has the new Regent at his beck and call. It's me he's coming after," Klaus said, dropping my hand.
A sudden roar came as a fire started. We all spun to face the portrait in flames. Rebekah's. It was burning. Guess the warning system was rather direct in approach. "No. He's going after Rebekah," I told my fiancé, patting his back.
"Lucien thought that killing Cami would have me charging into his lair on a suicide mission. When it didn't, he set his sights on Rebekah. He's kicking hornets' nests, until we have no choice but to confront him!" Klaus ranted.
"Presumably, he still believes she's at the bottom of the ocean," Elijah said.
"I cloaked all of you, but with the Ancestors working for Lucien, it may take awhile, but if he wants to find Rebekah, he will," Freya sighed.
"I'll go get her," Klaus decided.
"We," I corrected. "I won't be apart from you. No more."
"It's not safe out there. For either of you," Freya argued against the idea.
"What then?!" Klaus roared. "Are we to sit here and play cards until Lucien slides Rebekah's bitten corpse down the hall?"
"Let me go," Elijah offered, heading for the door in hopes to get away before anyone could argue against him leaving.
I raised a brow, looking at Klaus, who cringed, pursing his lips. "Elijah, wait!" I shouted.
He slowly turned to face us. "I moved her," Klaus shared with the rest of his siblings what I already knew. "What, don't look so surprised. I never did like you two sharing secrets."
"Tell me where she is, unless you expect me to stay here and leave our sister entirely defenseless," Elijah demanded.
"I expect you to prevent Kol from suffering the loss of the love of his life," Klaus quipped, taking my hand and stepped toe to toe with Elijah. "Lucien deserves our collective ire. Today, all grievances are tabled."
"I need my purse," I told Klaus as we were making a hasty exit. "And a jacket."
"You may need a change of shoes for the bayou," he chimed in.
"Ugh, I'll meet you at the car."
Klaus kissed my forehead before we separated. I ran upstairs to change into something more comfortable. A black sports bra and black biker shorts paired with long black socks and black and grey sneakers. I tossed my hair into a bun and grabbed a cropped cardigan at random. It happened to be a cool one that was half purple, half green. Then I grabbed my small black purse and hurried to the garage.
As I got in the SUV, I noticed someone in the backseat. I raised a brow at Hayley. "You're coming?" I questioned surprised at her presence.
"Who knows the bayou better?" She smirked back at me.
I shrugged, "you told the others to watch Hope, right?"
"Better, I asked Josh to babysit."
"Josh?" Klaus frowned.
"Well, everyone else is a bit preoccupied," the baby momma retorted.
"Let's get on the road, please," I interjected before the two started arguing. Klaus grumbled under his breath but finally he backed out of the garage to start our mission.
***
Thursday, January 17th
2:44 PM
"Klaus, I know that you're angry—" Hayley spoke up after awhile of silence between the three of us. The two wolves were trying to smell Rebekah out and Klaus was trying to recall the exact area, which he swore he knew.
"I don't need advice on healthy mourning from the girl who kept her husband's rotting heart in a box, thank you," Klaus dismissed her.
"Please," I sighed, giving him an exasperated look. We've been looking for over an hour. It was hot, I was nauseous and dying of thirst.
"Look, I get it. You think that if you revert to being the cruel bastard that you were before you met Cami, you can pretend like she was never there. Like she never changed you," Hayley continued.
"You want to commiserate with me, Hayley, but our experiences of grief are not the same. Your husband is dead. It hurts, but we both know the person you share a true connection with is still breathing. Camille was my friend. No forced marriage, just a genuine connection based solely on mutual friendship, to an extent I've never had in my thousand years of life. So excuse me, as you and I are not the same. We don't have to grieve the same or even keep talking about it."
Hayley opened her mouth but I shook my head, raising a hand to tell her to save it. This day was long enough. We were all going through enough. We didn't have time for their back and forward shit. Klaus would grieve as he sees fit, and if anyone is going to talk him through it, I don't see that person being Hayley.
A few minutes later, Klaus came to a stop, slamming his shovel down. "This is it," he stated.
"You said that before," I panted. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," Klaus answered. "Why are you so out of breath? You workout ten times a week."
"That's an exaggeration," I huffed. "And it's been awhile and I feel... I don't feel so good."
"You're going to see a doctor, first thing tomorrow," Klaus ordered.
I rolled my eyes, "it's the heat."
"It's the heat, it's worry, it's the plane ride. It can't be all of those things, Danielle," he quipped, annoyed.
"Just dig," I groaned. "I'm tired."
"You wanted to come!"
"Do you guys get off on arguing? You do that as much as you have sex," Hayley scoffed.
"No," I answered her, narrowing my eyes. "Do you get off on being annoying?"
"Clearly," Klaus scoffed. "She's been getting on my nerves since I've met her."
"Just dig," Hayley grumbled, using her own shovel while I took a seat in the grass.
It didn't take them long to dig. Thankfully, Rebekah's coffin was there. Unlike the last hole they dug. Klaus groaned as his phone started ringing, "it's Elijah."
"Put it on speaker," I said, holding a hand over my eyes to shield from the sun.
"Hello," Klaus answered.
"We have an idea to run by you," Freya's voice came through. "A way to kill Lucien."
"We're listening," Klaus said.
"Well, this morning I was going through mother's grimoire, trying to find the spell to create an Original in order to undo it on Lucien," Freya began explaining. "Vincent said he can't do it, he used the ancestors powers. Which means that's what we'll need to use to undo it."
"And how are you going to do that?" Hayley questioned. "You're not an ancestor and they don't like any of us."
"I was thinking... As long as Davina's caught between our worlds, I can use her as a conduit to channel power from the Ancestors. Once I have it, I can make Lucien killable again," Freya finished.
"Okay, what's the catch?" I chimed in, scoffing. If it was that simple they should have done it already. We're sitting ducks for Lucien as we speak. He's after Rebekah, we just found Rebekah. Mind you he's un-killable now.
"Everything comes with a price," Elijah sighed.
"In order to take power from the Ancestors, you have to steal it. Which means, to make Lucien killable, I'll have to draw through Davina, while she's in the Ancestral Well. And to do that... I will have to break the circle that protects her," Freya informed us.
"Sister, are you certain this power will be enough to kill Lucien?" Klaus asked.
I stood up, "it doesn't matter."
"I think it is if we're willing to risk lives," Klaus retorted.
"We're not willing to," I replied. "You break that circle, Davina will be in terrible danger."
"They'll rip her apart. She's just a kid," Hayley backed me up.
"What choice do we have?" Elijah asked.
"No. Find another way. If we destroy Davina, we lose both Kol and Marcel. I won't have us all turning on each other. Keep looking, brother," Klaus decided, hanging up the phone.
"Are they insane?" I scoffed. "Another witch, another time. Or another plan. What choice do we have?" I mocked. "Any other choice! We got Rebekah. We live to fight another day. We're not sacrificing Davina and her soul."
"Calm down, love."
"No, your family sometimes... God," I groaned loudly in disgust. I hated when they came up with unnecessary plans that hurt others. And it was always the same tired excuse, there was no other option. When honestly, there's always another option, sometimes it's as simple as not do anything.
"You just did a nice thing today, Klaus, for Davina, who you hate," Hayley commented as the two were carrying Rebekah's coffin back to the SUV.
"It was a purely strategic decision, I assure you," my fiancé replied.
"Maybe. Or maybe you knew that Cami cared about her, and would have wanted you to fight for her," Hayley shrugged.
"You know, I thought I told Camille everything. Every moment that mattered from my past, and yet, in the mere hours since she died, I've thought of a thousand things I forgot to say."
I frowned from beside him but didn't say anything. That's the most he's shared since she died. And yet I could hear the bitterness in his voice. Hayley was getting under his skin.
"Yeah. I know the feeling."
"Do you? Because the prophecy is still upon us. And my brother's immortality suddenly seems quite fragile. Talk to him, Hayley. Stop wasting your time," Klaus snapped at her which finally shut her up.
No one said anything the next ten minutes to the car. They put Rebekah in the trunk and then we piled inside. I sighed in relief as the AC blasted on me. I cranked the radio on low, ready to relax. We completed our mission. All was well enough. Today was turning out to be a good day.
"I'm ready for a bubble bath," I told the two, reaching over to place my hand on Klaus' thigh as he began driving. "Can we stop at the gas station? I really need some water."
"Sure, love."
***
Thursday, January 17th
5:36 PM
I hung up the phone after checking in with Josh for the three of us. Hope was fine. She was currently snacking, much like me. We had stopped at the first gas station, nearly out of the bayou. And we were half way home.
"I pushed him away for so long, Klaus, what if What if he doesn't..." Hayley finally spoke up.
I furrowed my brows, looking at her in the backseat. "He does," I stated with a smile.
Klaus' phone began to ring and he picked it up before chuckling. The caller ID read, Elijah. I laughed too, turning back in my seat. "Ask him yourself?" Klaus said, holding his phone out behind him.
Boom! Skkkr.
My body jolted forward, seatbelt tightening and crushing my chest. "Dani!" Klaus shouted, reaching an arm out as if to keep me from flying out the windshield. Gravity sent me back, my head bouncing off the headrest. Airbags exploded all around us, glass shattering as our SUV spun out. I glanced over in Klaus' direction, before my head slammed roughly against the door.
Everything then went black.
***
Thursday, January 17th
6:09 PM
I coughed a couple times, my head throbbing and a sharp pain in my lower abdomen pulsing as I did so. I blinked my eyes open, seeing stars and a blurry picture. "Klaus?" I croaked out.
I shakily undid my seatbelt, or at least tried to but it was jammed. After a few clicks it unfastened. To my left, the car was empty. My neck hurt when I turned to look in the backseat. Hayley was gone too. To my right my door was gone. I pushed the airbag up out of my way as I tried to get out of the SUV.
I groaned loudly at this sharp pain on my right side. I pressed my hand to my hip, gasping as I touched wet, blood. I swallowed hard, getting out the car to stand up. My right leg hurt too. My whole side felt beat us. I guess that's because the other car slammed into my side.
I took off my cardigan, pressing it to my bleeding wound. It was a large slash that would probably need stitches and months of healing. It hurt to breathe. "Klaus!" I tried again.
A loud crash came from behind me. I spun slowly, pressing all my weight on my left leg and foot. My jaw dropped as Klaus flew stumbling to ground through the side of an abandoned looking farm house.
"Klaus," I whimpered.
He was on his hands and knees, looking around until he spotted me. "Danielle!" He screamed.
"I wouldn't move too quickly," a new voice came. I looked behind Klaus to see Lucien coming out of the house, pushing Hayley forward, his hand to her back and she was coughing up blood. "You go after Danielle and I'll kill Hayley," Lucien threatened.
Klaus held his hands up in defense, giving me a sorry look as he turned to face Lucien holding Hayley hostage. "Oh well, a queen and a king caught by a one-time pawn. Thus the game comes to it's inevitable end. And bonus, the rook over there might just bleed out to death," Lucien smirked.
"What are you proving by killing her? It's me you hate," Klaus said.
"Was I not clear when I murdered Finn and Camille? I don't care who dies! But since you do, indulge me and I might just spare the mother of your child. Kneel!" Lucien bellowed. "Get on your knees!" He ordered as Klaus did nothing.
Klaus looked over his shoulder at me and I stared pleadingly. I felt like I was going to pass out at any second and my cardigan was becoming soaked. The bleeding wasn't stopping no matter how much pressure I was applying. Lucien was right, I could bleed out if I didn't get help.
"I can feel her heart pounding in my fist. Do you really want to measure your pride against my mercy?" Lucien continued.
Klaus turned his back to me, slowly lowering down onto one knee. He bowed his head down and Lucien smirked. I leaned against the torn up SUV, trying to manage my own weight. In a flash Lucien was pushed, releasing Hayley.
I stared amazed as Elijah appeared. Freya too, coming out with her hands forward and chanting loudly. Klaus stood up, flashing forward to throw Lucien further away. Freya continued her spell while Lucien stood frozen, chocking and croaking in pain. Freya's hands were glowing blue for a few more seconds.
"His power's gone. He's nothing but an ordinary vampire now," Freya said, out of breath.
"You see that family drama you so joyfully derived does have its merits," Klaus said, waving towards me.
Hayley in a flash was beside me, arm around my back and biting into her wrist before holding it out for me. I took it, drinking quickly knowing it would heal me. When the pain went away I pulled from her vein, coughing. I dropped the cardigan to see my gash had healed up magically. "You okay?" Hayley asked.
"I think I'm going to throw up," I answered.
"You can kill me but the prophecy still stands, you cannot outrun it," Lucien was saying.
Hayley and I joined the rest of them, surrounding Lucien who Elijah had kicked at the knees so he kneeled before them. "I've heard about 1000 years too much from you. For a century you lived with my name and you never did quite recover from losing it, did you? You became a man of wealth and stature but you never could crawl from my shadow, and in the end, despite the gift of immortality, you have always known what you truly are," Klaus said, lowering to the ground in a squat in front of Lucien. "You are nothing," he added after a dramatic pause, picking up a piece of glass from the ground as I continued walking towards the two of them in the center.
Klaus then shoved his hand into Lucien's chest and ripped out his heart. Lucien slowly fell forward while Klaus stood up, tossing his bloody heart on top of his body now face down in the grass. "Baby," I sighed relieved, closing the space between us by stepping over Lucien.
"Are you okay?" He asked, hugging me and patting me down with his hands. "I'm so sorry, baby girl."
"It's not your fault," I replied, pulling back so he could look at me from head to toe. "I'm okay now. Hayley fed me her blood. I'm fine just... a little shook up."
Klaus frowned, "You sure? I still think we should get you looked at."
"I just want to go home," I sighed, wrapping arms back around his neck. Lucien was dead. I wanted this nightmare to finally be over.
Klaus suddenly lifted me from the ground. I flinched at first, surprised. "Let's get you home then," he said. "Someone burn the body."
"I got it," Hayley said, heading towards us and the gray body on the floor.
"Wait," Freya spoke up. "I know there's a lot on your plate already, but there's something you guys should know."
Klaus paused, turning around. I tightened my legs around his waist, nuzzling my face into his neck for comfort. That queasiness bubbling back up in my stomach. "What is it?" Klaus asked his sister.
"We broke the circle protecting Davina," Elijah told us.
"Oh, my God," I gasped, raising my hands to cover my mouth in shock. Klaus thankfully held onto me. "Marcel."
"Kol and Marcel," Klaus sighed.
"We need to get to them, now," I stated, trying to get the urgency into the rest of the lot. I hoped like hell they made it in time to save Davina. I don't know what would happen if they really lost her. They were in bad shape this morning with the potential to bring her back.
He sighed, "let's go."
"I'll drive," Elijah said. We all then hurried to Freya's small car. Only after Klaus lit Lucien's body on fire. Good riddance.
***
Thursday, January 17th
9:12 PM
Klaus, Elijah and I were walking into the courtyard together. Freya and Hayley dropped us off and then went on to pick up Josh. Marcel was at the bar, a glass in his hand until he noticed the three of us. "I did everything you asked," he stated before approaching us.
"Marcel," I said, ready to embrace him. But he held a hand up to keep me at arms length. His gaze focused solely on Elijah and Klaus.
"I joined your stupid cult, I left my friends in the dust because that's what you needed!" Marcel yelled.
"Marcel—" Klaus tried.
"I fought for Hope! I kept Hayley breathing, I kept white oak from piercing your cold black heart. I did everything."
Elijah spoke up then, "We know."
"No you don't. No you don't!"
"Marcel he had no choice!" Klaus argued. I winced. That wasn't good enough. No excuse was. He lost the one he loved like a daughter. Nothing would fix that. No words for sure.
"Oh they were right about you yeah, Aurora, Tristan, Lucien. Anybody who's not your family, is nothing to you. Nothing," Marcel said.
"Marcellus, you are family," Elijah stated.
"No I'm not. Not anymore. Never again. I am not your family!"
"Marcel," Klaus pleaded.
"No! No," he said stepped back and knocking over a chair as he tried to walk around all of us to leave.
"I'm going after him," I told Klaus.
"No, you're not," he said to me.
"Yes, I am. He's my friend—"
"Danielle," Klaus sighed. "He's too upset."
"When I was upset he was there for me."
"Baby girl, I don't want him to take his anger for us out on you," Klaus said softly, gently grabbing hold of my hips to keep me still.
"He won't hurt me," I stated confidently.
"You can't be too sure or too safe. Give him some time and space," Elijah advised.
"Keep your two cents to yourself. Today you made a bad decision. I'm pissed at you too," I snapped in his direction. Then I pushed Klaus' hands off me. "He's my best friend. My family. I love and care for him. He was there for me at my worst, I owe him the same loyalty and kindness. Not just on the easy days. But on the especially tough ones too. And if you cared at all about him, you'd be grateful he has someone like me that wants to be there for him now."
Klaus pursed his lips, "I am grateful that you two have bonded. But my protectiveness over outweighs my concern for him. That's just the you way it is. The way I love you. But... If you want to go—If you think that's best, I won't stop you."
I smiled just a tad bit, "thank you."
"But you call me if you need me. I don't care how tough or nice you are, lean on me for support. Anytime," he told me seriously.
I cupped his cheek in my hand, "I think therapy is helping."
He rolled his eyes and chuckled softly, "Go before I change my mind."
I got on my tip toes and kissed him sweetly, "I love you, Klaus."
"You can do better than that," he replied, fisting my sports bra and yanking me to him. He kissed me ferociously, tongue dominating my mouth and his other hand smacking my ass. "Tell me who you belong to," he growled against my mouth, pulling back ever so slightly to gnaw on my bottom lip.
"I'm yours, Klaus."
***
Thursday, January 17th
9:51 PM
I shut the door softly behind me before racing up the stairs to the loft. "And you decided to bring it to me?" I heard Marcel's voice.
I furrowed my brows, slowing before the open doorway. Was he on the phone? Or did he have company now? Oh, crap. I don't want to interrupt. It could be a girl as a distraction. People grieve differently. Especially men. And in this city with all the heightened emotions of vampires? What else could I expect?
"Marcel, you once drove the Mikaelsons out of this city by summoning the one person they fear most. That was brilliant and I want you to do that one more time, only this time you be the thing that they fear. New Orleans is our home Marcel and it's time we took it back."
He wasn't alone. He did have company. I knew that voice. It was Vincent. I gulped and slowly stepped into the doorway to make my presence known. I didn't want to get caught, I didn't want to snoop around. He was my friend. He's been nothing but generous and supportive of me. We both valued honesty, trust, and respect. He's given it to me, so I owed him the same in return.
"Is that what I think it is?" I questioned the bottle Vincent was holding across the room from Marcel. The witch sat at the bar alone on a stool. My friend near the window with a drink in his hand.
"I extracted it from Aurora's heart. I was supposed to destroy it—" Vincent was saying.
"But you didn't because you're upset. And you blame the Mikaelson's for all your grief. But I hate to break it to you both, Camille forced her way into Lucien's path. And Davina got on the ancestors bad side far long before she met Kol. So if you want to hate them, don't do it on their behalf. Because we all know they wouldn't want you to hurt the men they love. Even after today," I said as calmly as I could but my heart was racing and my hands were shaking.
Vincent pursed his lips, "The city is better off without them." Then he left the serum on the bar and gave Marcel a look, "I'll leave this up to you. Give me a call if you want to work together."
"So much for being friends, huh?" I scoffed as Vincent passed me to leave.
He paused then, "You're welcome to stay. But those leeches... Death and destruction follow everywhere they go. You can put Klaus on a leash but eventually he'll end up dragging you for a walk. And besides him, you can't control them all. Tell me, do you agree with what they did today? They destroyed somebody good, in order to save people who have had more than their share of lifetimes."
"I don't agree with what they did. They should have found a different way. Save Davina today, fight Lucien another," I replied. "And I understand that they've had lifetimes. I agree with you. But rationale doesn't always win over affairs of the heart. We all know that well enough. So, can you blame Freya who only has had a year with them? Or me for wanting to spend my lifetime with Klaus? And if they didn't stop Lucien today, more lives were at risk. Mine, Hayley's, and Rebekah's. And I know Marcel cares about us too. So I get being upset. I get being mad. I get feeling cheated. But that's life. Not every bad thing that happens in this city is because of the Mikaelsons. Sometimes it's just a bad stroke of luck. Look at your wife. Or how Marcel cursed the wolves. Who was persecuted and ran out of town then?"
"Maybe they should've been," Vincent shrugged. "But I'll take the lesser of two evils."
I sighed as he left the room. I turned to Marcel who shook his head at me. Either way I headed towards him. "I want to live in this city, Marcel. I've grown to love it. To call it my home. You are my friend. Don't ask me to leave," I said softly, heading to the bar.
"I'm not saying you have to leave," Marcel groaned in frustration. "I don't want that, Dani. But I asked for one favor! One thing! I wanted Davina!"
"I know," I replied, picking up the serum. "But this isn't going to bring her back. This isn't natural. This isn't the answer to peace in this city. You know that."
"If we're friends, it shouldn't matter if I take it."
I raised a brow, "whether you take this or not, we will be friends, Marcel. But what you do after the fact... is another story."
"I'm taking it," he stated.
I frowned, "sleep on it."
"I don't need to. I'm taking it," he repeated, walking over to me.
"I can't and won't stop you."
He narrowed his eyes, "then hand it over."
I placed it on the bar, "I don't want you all at war with each other. I love you. But I won't live without Klaus."
He sighed deeply, "this is for protection."
I shook my head, "We're all on the same team, Marcel."
"Then why is you and I always suffer?"
"My relationship with Klaus is not the same."
"Imagine if it were one of your friends. Ethan, Brooke... Would you be so forgiving?"
"I never said I didn't understand," I sighed, rubbing his arm comfortingly. "I'd be angry and hurt too. But starting a war with Elijah, Freya? What good would that do? I'd be no better than them... Look what happened to Lucien. His inferiority complex. Don't paint yourself a villain. Every hero has a tragedy."
"Too many tragedies," he retorted.
"I'm here, Marcel. If you want to talk and vent. I will shit talk all night if it makes you feel better. We can get wasted tonight. Whatever you need me to do, I will. We can get through this."
"You should go home."
"Marcel—"
"Really, Dani. I'll sleep on it."
I purses my lips, "You promise?"
He put his drink on the counter, "I promise." Then he held up his pinky. I took a deep breath before wrapping my pinky around his.
Then I hugged him, tightly. For a long time. I wanted to wear out his anger. He was an amazing man. Hate didn't look good on him. He was livid, and that was valid. But two wrongs don't make a right. And I don't know if me or this city would survive another war.
"I love you," I said as we pulled away.
"We're family," he responded. "You and I. Always. I love you."
I smiled sadly, "Get some sleep. I'll check in, in the morning. Okay?"
"Okay, and thanks, Dani."
"Anytime."
~Picture: Danielle on Jan 17th in her outfit for the bayou 🤸🏻♀️
Confession this chapter almost ended a bit differently!!! Want to know how?? Well, I was gonna have Dani stake Lucien and trigger an unknown werewolf curse 😅 But wasn't sure how I wanted to take it from there so I went back and re-wrote that scene to the end where she was saying she wanted to chase after Marcel and Klaus says no, we have to talk, you triggered the curse, etc.
But instead you got human Dani with a moment with Marcel. What do we think about that? Is he going to take the serum? What would happen if Dani did? Do we want her to stay human?
We still have quite a bit to get through with this book. I'm thinking 30 chapters total. If that. So this is coming to an end. Feels like it's been quick, but idk... Book 4 though, any ideas, suggestions, requests, or guesses for what I have planned???
Dani being a werewolf was an idea I got after a comment quite a bit ago. But as you can see I haven't worked out the kinks of how or why or what part of her family... But if it's something you guys would LOVE... I can probably make it happen.
Anyways, funerals next chapter. And drama, drama, draaaaama! Til next time love bugs.
If you liked this chapter leave some black, purple and/or green emojis for Danielle's outfit 💣🧑🎤🔮