Chapter Thirty-Two
I was in the kitchen, finishing my stack of pancakes my sexy boyfriend made me. "Morning, Allison," I was greeted. I looked to see it was Elijah entering the kitchen.
"Morning, Elijah. Sleep well?" I smiled.
"Just fine, thank you," he said politely.
"What happened to you last night?" I asked, going to wash my plate now.
"I took care of Marcel, if that's what you're asking," he stated, watching me.
"How did you handle him?" I asked, frowning in confusion.
"I knew I couldn't kill him without upsetting Niklaus, so I did the next best thing. Killed his right hand man. Thierry is dead."
"Good strategy. I approve," I said, drying my hands.
"Where is my brother?"
"In the study area by the living room," I answered. He nodded and we both headed to the room to find Klaus tearing books from the bookshelf, angrily.
"Can I help you find something?" Elijah asked as Klaus had his back turned to where we were in the doorway.
"Yes. In fact, I believe you can," Klaus said and turned around to face us then back to the bookshelf. "I'm looking for a book about yay big filled with our mother's most powerful spells. It appears to have been misplaced."
"How very mysterious," Elijah muttered and I frowned. He knew where it was. I could tell from his tone of indifference.
"Indeed," Klaus said, a sarcastic smile on his lips as he looked back at us again. I walked over to him and pecked his lips. "How was your food, love?"
"Spectacular," I grinned. He kissed me again, a little bit longer and rubbed my growing belly. I was pretty big now. Well, very big. There was like a foot between Klaus and I every time we tried to get our bodies as close as we could.
Klaus pulled away and moved me to his side, his arm going around my waist to rest on my hip. He looked over at Elijah, "At first, I feared the witches had succeeded in their efforts to obtain it, but considering their last attempt ended with me relieving a rather large tattooed man of his hands, I began to wonder if the thief wasn't a bit closer to home."
I would have scolded him for accusing his brother like that but I was sure Elijah had the book. We both looked at Elijah who was sat at his desk, writing away. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be brother," Klaus told him.
"Well, admittedly, I did have a theory that your sudden interest in mother's grimoire was in some way related to whatever foolishness you've been conducting with the crescent wolves. Therefore, I took it upon myself to carefully place it where naughty little fingers could not pry," Elijah replied.
"And here I thought you, of all people would understand, I am simply trying to help those wolves, play Samaritan to the abused, champion to the underdog, so to speak."
"How splendidly noble of you," Elijah mocked and I forced myself to hold back a giggle.
"Have you ever considered that, like you, I am trying to keep Allie safe, using our mother's magic to empower those wolves and get them on our side to make them capable of protecting her when needed," Klaus said and I furrowed my brows.
"You want to befriend the wolves to make them my bodyguards?" I scoffed at the thought.
"Yes, unless, of course, they try to seek retribution for decades held in exile, and Allie will find herself in the middle of an uprising, one that will only provoke further violence," Elijah stood up, moving around the room. "You see, you risk turning New Orleans into a war zone, brother. I won't let that happen."
"The drums of war were beating long before we returned. I suggest you use a little less of this," Klaus said, doing the 'talking too much' signal with his hands. "And a little more of these." He pointed to his ears.
Then he moved to plop down in an armchair. Elijah and I shared a look. Mine of worry and his of indifference. I just wanted things to be safe for our child. I sat down next to Klaus, staring at his face. He sent me a charming smile but I didn't really react. He frowned and grabbed my hand. I brought it to my belly and a grin took over his face. "Hi beautiful," he whispered, leaning down to kiss my bump. "I know, mommy is clearly upset with me."
I smiled softly, rolling my eyes. "But I love your daddy very much," I said, leaning over and pressing my lips to his for a short kiss. "And I'm trusting him to take good care of us." I watched my boyfriend smile brightly and kiss me harder this time.
"I would never put you two in danger. Your safety is my main priority, followed by your happiness, love," Klaus mumbled against my lips.
"I believe you," I whispered back, biting his bottom lip gently and tugging it. His phone began ringing and he pulled away from me. He helped me out of the chair and stood up himself. He excused himself out the room to take the call.
I looked at Elijah and sighed. We both waited around for a couple minutes before Klaus came back into the room. He moved to me in a rush and pecked my lips.
"I gotta go, love," he said.
"What? Babe," I pouted.
"It's Cami. She's with Kieran and he's gotten worse."
"Let me go with you."
"No. Kieran's dangerous. I'm not letting you anywhere near him in this state. I really have to go though, love. Hang out with Elijah, okay?" He suggested and I nodded, frowning.
"Okay," I mumbled. He leaned down a bit and kissed me passionately.
"I'll call you later. And call me if you need anything. I'll see you later today, okay?"
"Okay," I repeated.
***
Elijah and I were outside a little cabin where Hayley was inside with some lady named Eve apparently. Elijah stepped into the doorway to make his presence known. "Pardon the interruption. I wonder if I might have a quick word with the conspirators of a supposed uprising," he stated.
Hayley soon got up and left the room, gathering two guys and then leading Elijah and I into an empty cabin. "You're making a grave mistake," Elijah said as we stood side by side with the other three across the room.
"So you're just worried about us, is that it?" The long haired blonde guy asked. Something about him always seemed to anger me.
"Look, Elijah we know all about your brother's reputation.But if there is even a chance that these rings can help us take control of our curse-" Jackson was saying.
"Our gift," the blonde corrected.
"Then, honestly, we don't care what he's really after. Won't have to," Jackson finished.
"I see," Elijah replied. "There are those in the quarter who will consider this a great provocation."
"Apparently, most of them seeing us breathing the same way," the annoying one chimed in.
"No, just you and your stupidity and annoying nature to provoke," I sneered. Jackson smirked at me a little. It was condescending, simply amused.
Elijah placed a hand on my shoulder to warn me to calm myself. Elijah turned his gaze to Hayley finally who was the ever so girl with an attitude. She was leaned against the wall, arms cross, and that rude and ugly look on her face as her lips were a bit pursed. "You signed a pledge, and you looked me in the eye as you did so," Elijah stated.
"We don't want a fight, Elijah. We just want a better life," Hayley said.
"Allegiance with my brother will guarantee anything but that," Elijah retorted and I frowned at him. Don't insult my baby. Of course, I was team Elijah at the moment. This treaty was important to us and Klaus was jeopardizing it. I loved him but I couldn't stand back and let him put the city in turmoil.
The sound of a motorcycle seem to catch all of our attentions. "What the hell?" Jackson growled. He was the first to the door followed by me and Elijah. We all walked to the motorcycle that stopped a few feet infront of us.
"Which one of you is in charge?" The guy on the motorcycle asked.
"Who's asking?" Jackson questioned. The guy stared at Jackson for a moment before smirking. Elijah in a flash left my side and was throwing the guy off the motorcycle right before it blew up and pushed us all back, a scream leaving my lips. Everything went black for me a few seconds later.
***
I woke up on the ground, feeling sore all over. There was this weird ringing in my ear. I struggled to move my body to sit up. When I did I looked around at the catastrophe. One hand went to my stomach as I tried to breathe in and out slowly. "Allie, are you okay?" I heard someone asked. It was Hayley who was on the ground to my right.
I nodded and she forced herself up, looking weak too. She helped me up and I thanked her but stumbled on my feet a bit. She looked around too while I wandered off. I needed to find Elijah and make sure he was okay. I moved slowly on my feet, not feeling stable at all. I froze when I saw a child looking down at a groaning man on the floor.
I rushed over to the little boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. Here. Come here," I mumbled. I picked the small boy up. He looked about 5 or 6 at the most. He was a bit heavy in my weak state but I was going to keep this boy safe. I gasped a bit at the soreness in my arms and looked around.
"Jackson?" I called out worriedly as I spotted him getting himself off the floor, wiping blood off his face. Jackson walked over to me and I began handing the boy over. "Here. Get him away from here."
"Come on," he whispered softly, grabbing the boy.
"Allison?" I heard. We both looked to see Elijah coming over.
"Thanks, Allie," Jackson said in his gruff voice before leaving with the child. Elijah wrapped an arm around my shoulder.
"Elijah," I mumbled, feeling way more safe now. He looked banged up and dirty but I could see he was fine and not hurt.
Elijah and I both found ourselves crouching by the guy on the ground. He was panting for breath while Elijah pulled up his shirt to showing a small bloody but sizzling wound. I looked at Elijah in confusion. "Wolfsbane," he stated.
"It must have been in the gas tank," I said.
"Allie, Elijah?" We looked to see Hayley rushing over.
"You're the fastest. Take him, and anyone who can't walk on their own to..." I trailed off, looking at Hayley who was observing the scene.
"In the barn," she instructed. Elijah nodded, looking at me wearily.
"I'm fine. They need your help. I'm gonna call Klaus now," I assured him. I then watched him walk away while Hayley grabbed my arm and pulled me with her.
"Thanks for helping," she said. "I saw the boy with Jackson. He said you helped him."
"I did. It's no problem. We're not enemies, Hayley," I sighed. She smiled at me and I gave her a small nod. We walked around and she went to help some girl while I stayed to merely watch seeing as I didn't know how to help.
"We're going to pay Marcel a visit. If this was a vampires doing I'm sure he's the one who gave the orders," Hayley said, walking over to me.
"I'm in," I stated, putting my phone away. I tried calling Klaus but he didn't answer so I was about to try again. I sent Elijah a text that Hayley and I were off to handle something and that he should stay to help the pack.
***
Hayley and I stormed into the vampires little barn den. I think we were both pissed. Her people were attacked and I was just put in danger, my baby more importantly. And I wanted peace in this city. I warned everyone at that party I was gonna kill whomever dared to jeopardize the forming treaty. Not the treaty was formed and everyone is already abandoning it. "You done got some nerve coming up in here, wolf," Diego said.
I walked over to him and kicked the bottom of the chair he was sitting on so he fell out of it. He was quick on his feet growling in anger. Hayley quickly had him pinned to the wall, holding a stake to his chest. "Someone attacked my pack in the bayou this morning, and since I don't see any genius mastermind types around here," she said, shoving the stake through his chest, right in the middle. "Why don't you just tell me where Marcel is and we can both get on with our day. Huh?"
"You think we're playing. There were families out there," I stated, placing my hand on Hayley's to push the stake further in.
"He used to keep a place--1917 Rampart. If he's still around, he'll be there," Diego finally told us. Hayley pulled the stake out and we both left the room. We were heading to the car when I finally decided to call Klaus. He wouldn't like the idea of me doing this but I had to. I needed answers because war was already brewing here. We needed to know how far people were going to go.
"Hello, love. Are you okay?" Klaus asked sweetly, answering the phone.
"I was at the bayou with Elijah. Someone sent a suicide bomber and it got bad. Hayley decided that it was Marcel's orders so we tracked him down. We're on our way to talk to him right now."
"What? No. You don't need to go."
"I do. This isn't okay, Klaus. Those wolves could have been hurt. I could have been hurt. If Marcel did that, I want him dead. You should see this little boy Klaus, scared and confused. He didn't know how to help one of his own," I said sadly.
"I assure you, I will handle Marcel-"
"No, I'm gonna handle it. Whomever did this put me and our daughter in danger. I want to know if it was Marcel. And I need to know now. You handle whatever you're doing. Call me when you're finished," I said and hung up.
"You really are out on a mission," Hayley smirked at me.
"As are you."
"It was my pack. It makes sense," she shrugged.
"Is it hard to believe I care about those wolves? About innocent people being hurt? I've been helping them way before you came into this city," I told her.
"Hmm. You're that person. The kindhearted that likes to help everyone," she noted. "How'd you end up with someone like Klaus?"
"Opposites attract. And he's not all bad," I said vaguely. I didn't say much knowing I'd gush about Klaus' weaknesses such as his undeniable love for his family.
***
Hayley and I walked around some pier towards where Marcel was supposed to be at. We came around to a door and she pulled it open, holding it for me. I walked in first and headed up some stairs. We had to weave our way around this large building until another door came, it was slightly open.
"Come on in," someone called. Marcel. We both walked inside, Hayley clutching the stake in her hand still. Marcel got out of a seat and turned to face us.
"I'd offer you a drink, Allie, but--" he smirked. "You, Hayley?"
"No, thanks," she said.
"Sweet pad," I said, looking around at the rundown building but he had nice furniture.
"Oh, it's just temporary. Friend hooked me up. Believe it or not, I still got a few of those kicking around. I need friends to keep me informed, to warn me when someone is coming looking to blame me for things that I didn't do," Marcel said. "For the record, you guys didn't have to work Diego like that. And Hayley, you and I are long overdue for a chat."
I looked at her with a raised eyebrow and she shrugged, looking equally confused. "You want to talk, talk," Hayley said.
"Tough girl. You're a lot like your dad in that way," Marcel said, sitting down on a couch with a drink in his hand. We both stayed standing across the room. I knew Hayley was an orphan and she was from New Orleans that's why she found herself here, to her real family, the crescent wolves. So mentioning her real father obviously hit a nerve. "Oh, yeah. I knew him. I knew your whole family. In fact, if you knew them like I did. You'd know just how many enemies they have."
"Care to enlighten us about the wolves?" I questioned. He was being taunting on purpose. A stupid grin on his face. I wasn't in the mood for games. Hayley needed to know this so I wanted to rush the information out of him. He already said he didn't do the bombing and I for some reason believed him. But I did want to question what he knew.
"Back in the nineties it was the cresecent wolves who took over the city. Or tried to. They lived to throw down and they were good at it, too. They didn't care who they killed as long as they got more power," Marcel continued his story of history.
"So the crescent curse was your way of stopping them? How heroic," Hayley scoffed.
"It was either that or kill them all, and I'm not big on indiscriminant slaughter. See, I have this thing about kids," he was saying, getting up to go over to the drinks again.
"So I've heard," Hayley replied.
"Oh... You did more than hear about it, Andrea. Labonair. You're living proof," he said and I frowned in confusion.
"How long have you known who I am?" Hayley asked.
"I saw how interested you were in those crescents when you showed up to town. After you making your way into staying with them, I started to put two and two together."
"Tell me something, Marcel. Did you kill my parents?"
"There was infighting among the wolves," he said. There are more wolves? I knew about the small group Klaus and I were helping that had stayed in the church. But they were just getting to New Orleans. "Your folks were laying low. Somebody turned on them. I honestly don't know who. I got there afterwards, found you in your crib."
"Give me one good reason why I should believe anything that you have to say."
"Believe anything you want, but you were the last Labonair. I mean, could've been a lot of leverage for our side. But instead, I took you to father Kieran," he informed. He moved and grabbed a duffel bag, placing it on the table in front of us all.
"What's that?" I asked.
"Money mostly, stuff you'll both need to start over some place safe," Marcel said. "Whatever happened in the bayou, I'm not your guy, but the way things are going, eventually, I might have to be. It's not safe for you here Hayley, returning was a mistake. And it's not safe for you to be here or raise a kid here, Allison."
"So this is your grand plan. Get her out of town, and Klaus and Elijah follow closely behind?" Hayley questioned. "And me out to stop helping the wolves bounce back? Using the excuse we're both not safe here?"
"I'm not saying that wouldn't be a positive side effect."
"Why don't you take your own advice and leave town?" Hayley asked.
"I was born here, Hayley," he stated.
"So was I," she stated. She looked at me.
"I don't run from my problems. This is my home now. Klaus and Elijah are the ones who even put this state on the map so you to could even be born here. So don't expect them to want to leave now. And I sure as hell am never going to make them. You should know, I will forever be by Klaus' side. Leaving and starting over, with or without him isn't an option," I told him and he nodded slowly.
Hayley and I both turned to leave, done with this conversation. He was trying to make coming back into power easy. Klaus and I weren't leaving. Elijah wasn't leaving. We were all going to fix this city. And maybe one day, Marcel will be able to step foot into the quarter again without his life being threatened for doing so.
"Guy on the bike, the bomber, word is he had a gambling problem," Marcel stated, stopping us both as neared the exit. "Owed money to the casinos, more importantly to the humans that run them, and, girls, when things get bad, remember, I tried to get you clear of it. Again, for you, Hayley."
I turned and headed to door, Hayley joined me. We left and hopped in her car. I asked her to drop me off at the compound. "Thanks for today," Hayley said.
"No problem. I'll talk to Klaus about the casino owners. We'll be in touch," I told her and she nodded, smiling at me. I smiled back before hopping out of her car and heading into the house, straight to my room. I texted Klaus to hurry home and texted Elijah I was home safe.
***
"First Marcel's massacre,now bombs in the bayou," Klaus said, holding my hand as we walked into the study where Elijah was waiting. He had got home, checked on me and wanted a word with his brother. "I'll assume you're ready to give up this doomed treaty."
"This alliance with the wolves, well, if it is to succeed, I believe you'll want this," Elijah said. Klaus had sat down behind the desk and pulled me on his lap. Elijah placed a book in front of us and stepped away.
Klaus hummed and leaned forward to look over the book. "The rifts in this city are deeper than I even imagined, Niklaus," Elijah said pouring himself a drink behind us. "These tribes, these factions, they're families, families who choose to fight. Mayhem has descended upon our home, and if I'm to choose a side..."
He moved and leaned his back against the desk, looking at us both. He handed Klaus a drink, holding one of his own. "To our victory, brother," Elijah toasted. Klaus clinked his glass with Elijah's and a smile crossed his face.
I kissed Klaus on the lips and then grabbed Elijah's handle. "I'm trusting you both to take care of this city. I have a baby due in a month," I said.
"We'll be ready," Klaus assured. I squeezed Elijah's hand and then let it go to kiss Klaus again but more tenderly, holding his face in my hands. "I love you," he whispered against my lips, I was shocked he said it in front of Elijah. He's the one who said he wouldn't be saying that too often but he just did with his brother listening nonetheless.
"And I love you," I grinned, kissing him on the nose.
"And we both love uncle Elijah," I smiled, grabbing Klaus' free hand to bring to my belly. We both looked at his brother who shot us both a small smile. Klaus even smiled back, warming my heart completely. This family, us three, and a half, were united. Finally and completely. I don't think anything would get in our way now. Not for these two Mikaelsons.