Rebekah parked in front of the plantation house, leaving another message for Elijah. Madison, who was inside, heard the car pull up and walked down the staircase warily.
"Elijah, if not answering your phone is part of your clever plan to get me back to this godforsaken city, then well done. I'm here, and I'm worried. Now pick up before I kick in your bloody door."
Rebekah walked up the front steps and opened the door as Madison came down the stairs, balancing a ball of flames on her hand with her magic.
"Who the hell are you?" Madison's eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she held up her palm in self defence.
"Oh, you must be the maid. My bags are in the car – get them, will you?"
Madison smiled a bit before closing her hand, extinguishing the flame.
"Hello. Not the maid."
"Right. You're that witch girl my brother, Klaus, knocked up. I was expecting to see some kind of supernatural, miracle baby bump. Guess you're not showing yet. It's Madison, isn't it?"
"You have your brother's manners," Madison mumbled.
"And his temper, too, so watch it," the blonde snapped. "Where's Elijah?"
"Beats me. He's long gone," she shrugged.
"What do you mean, 'long gone'?"
"Well, one minute he was here making epic promises about protecting me in this predicament that a bottle of scotch and some bad decisions got me into – he was all poetic about how we're family – and then Klaus told me he bailed," Madison smiled sarcastically. "Guess that's what I get for trusting a vampire."
"Elijah is not just any vampire, and he doesn't break promises. Which means Niklaus has done something dastardly and Klaus-like. Klaus!" Rebekah started yelling. "Get out here and tell me what you've done with our brother, you narcissistic, back-stabbing wanker!"
Klaus opened a pair of doors, walking into the room the two girls were in.
"Enough with all the shouting. Little sister, I should have known," Klaus smirked. "I assume the six dead vampires were your doing?"
"They were very rude," Rebekah remembered how she violently impaled the vampires with a pool stick. "Trying to victimize a poor, innocent girl just trying to find her way to the Quarter. So sorry, were they friends of yours? Oh, that's right, you don't have any friends."
"I do have friends. I have Marcel. You remember him, don't you? Yes, of course you do. He fancies himself the 'King of the Quarter' now, and he has these rules about killing vampires. It'll be fun to see what sort of punishment he comes up with for you," Klaus continued to tease his little sister.
"I don't care about Marcel or his rules. Elijah doesn't welch on deals. What did you do to him?" she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Perhaps he's on holiday... or taking a long autumn nap upstairs. Well, go on. Take a look around," she got up to leave. "You remember this house as well as I."
"I remember everything," Rebekah said, turning to face her brother.
"Your brother killed your boyfriend?" Madison furrowed her brow. "And he says I'm crazy."
"How did you know?" Rebekah's mouth was hanging open.
"Clairvoyant," she answered boredly.
"Well, he wasn't good enough for you," Klaus shrugged as Madison left the room.
"No one was ever good enough for me, Nik, you made sure of that. Now where is Elijah?" Klaus' phone started buzzing. He checked it, stood up and moved to leave, only to be stopped by Rebekah's voice. "Where are you going?"
"It appears the night is not quite over, yet. I'm off for another drink with Marcel."
"Elijah told me about your plan to take apart Marcel's empire piece by piece. I don't remember it involving you two drinking New Orleans dry together," she tilted her head slightly.
"I know you don't have many friends, Rebekah, but what some friends do when they get together is they drink. And when they drink, they tell secrets. Marcel has somehow found a way to control the entirety of witches in the Quarter, and I aim to uncover the 'how' so I might take it for myself. Madison claims she doesn't know, but I can tell she's lying. Finding Elijah didn't make my to-do list today," Klaus turned and walked towards the door, stopping in front of it. "Oh, and welcome home, little sister."
Rebekah spun on her heel after Klaus shut the door and spotted Madison sitting on the stairs above.
"You, witch bitch. I'm going to search this house inch by inch until I find what my evil brother has done to my good one. You're helping," Rebekah demanded.
Madison knew she didn't have a choice in the matter as she got up and followed Rebekah. Neither of them said anything until they reached a spiral staircase and Rebekah started talking.
"The governor had lots of secret rooms. I'll show you his favourite," she said as they arrived in a dusty cellar, covered in cobwebs.
"You think Klaus daggered him?" Madison's brows knitted together as she spotted the coffins.
"Klaus gets his jollies from keeping us in a box, until he decides to pull the dagger out. That must be what he's done to Elijah," Rebekah's eyes land on a coffin. "This one's mine."
"He keeps your coffin on standby," Madison said incredulously.
"He likes to be prepared for when his family members inevitably disappoint him. Elijah's isn't here – he must've stashed him elsewhere."
"This is weird, even for me," the witch muttered to herself.
"Welcome to the family, love. You should've run the second you realized Elijah was gone."
"Yeah, well, the witches have put a hex on me. As long as I'm carrying this baby, I can't leave New Orleans. If I do, they kill me," Madison frowned. "I've tried to break it, but something keeps fighting me."
"Well, knowing Klaus, he's planning a box for you the second you give birth to whatever's cooking in your tum," she glances at her stomach. "I'm leaving as soon as I find Elijah. Being daggered in a box for decades sucks, trust me. You'd best find a way to break that hex and run."
"Yeah, I'm working on it," she sighed.
"Speaking of magic, why don't you do a locator spell to find Elijah?"
"Well, you see, Elijah is your brother and therefore your problem, not mine."
"You really are a bitch," the vampire glared before continuing her search elsewhere, leaving the witch alone with her thoughts.
-
Madison's long thin fingers punched in the number that was still engraved in her memory, nervously twirling the phone cord.
"Hello?" he picked up on the third ring.
"Marcel? It's me. We need to talk," she took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Woah, Maddy?"
"Meet me at Rousseau's in 5 minutes," she told him before hanging up and stepping out of the phone booth.
Madison brushed the hair from her face and began to walk down the street towards the bar where she once worked. The bell above the door jingled a little as she pushed it open and took a seat at the bar.
"You're really here," his voice was no more than a whisper, his hot breath fanning her neck.
"Marcel, we need to talk," Madison grabbed his large rough hands.
"I know, you said that on the phone," the vampire say down next to her. "So what do we need to talk about?"
"I'm, uh, I'm pregnant."
"What?"
"I need your help. I'm not gonna keep it, it's not safe," she shook her head. "And frankly, I don't want kids. Ever."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"You helped me the first time, I thought you'd help again."
"Okay, but we have to be quick because Klaus Mikaelson is in town," the vampire placed a hand on the small of her back to guide her outside.
-
Madison laid on the table, tightly clutching Marcel's hand nervously as they waited for the woman to return.
"Are you ready?" she came back in with a long needle in her hands.
"That's sterilised, right?" Marcel questioned, rubbing Madison's hand soothingly.
"Of course. Now, Madison, I need you to open your legs," she instructed. The witch complied, but began to freak out when the needle was an inch away from her entrance.
"Wait," she sat up. "Stop. I don't think this is a good idea. I'm going back to New York."
Madison got off the table and quickly put her pants on before running out of the house, Marcel following her outside.
"Maddy, wait," he called after her.
"No, Marcel, I made a mistake coming back here," she shook her head.
"I swiped these in case you changed your mind," the vampire handed her two prescription bottle. His large hand captured hers as he handed it over. "Please don't leave again."
"I think it's best we see other people," she slipped the bottles into her bag. "Besides, your ex, Rebekah, is back in town. I think she'd make you happier than I ever could."
And in the blink of an eye she was gone, using her magic to run away.
-
After walking around and enjoying the fresh air for a little while, Madison found herself sitting on the same river bank she was killed on several months ago. The witch held a mifepristone pill in her hand, preparing herself for what she was about to do.
"Come on, Maddy. You used to be a drug addict, you can swallow one pill," she muttered to herself. "One pill and this will all be over."
But the sound of a branch snapping made her stand up and look around for the source of the noise. Madison turned around only to find a vampire standing in front of her. One of Marcel's minions.
"Marcel has been looking everywhere for you. Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way, but you're coming with me," the vampire smirked, taking a step forward.
"I have had it up to here with vampires telling me what to do," she frowned, using her magic to kill him. Madison spun around, only to find two more vampires standing there.
Rebekah used her vampire speed and strength to snap the neck of one vampire and rips out the other's heart.
"Now, that is no way to treat a pregnant lady. I do hate bad manners," she said to the dead vampires, throwing the heart to the ground while Madison stood there unfazed.
-
Klaus threw the final body onto the pile of bodies in the courtyard.
"This is why I told you never to leave the house. Witches are banned from practicing in the Quarter."
"Yeah, I'm aware. I'm the one that helped Marcel control them. Anyway, I wasn't practicing," she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I had a plan, and your little nighttime stroll put it all in peril! Leave him!" Klaus yelled at his sister who had started walking toward the pile of bodies where one of them was still alive, but she stopped when Klaus yelled. "You've done enough, don't you think? Leaving a trail of bodies like a road map to my door?"
"If I hadn't overheard this lot bragging about being the first to find Madison, everyone here would be screwed. And don't give me that crap about having a plan. You've had all the time in the world to execute a plan, and no one's seen you do a damn thing!" Rebekah yelled back. "Elijah made a deal to protect your child, so that it could save you from your selfish, rotten self. But you obviously don't give a damn about the child or Elijah, because what have you done to honor it?"
"I have done everything. Let me spell it out for you, shall I? From the day I arrived, Marcel hasn't trusted me. From Day One, he's had his vampires ingest toxic vervain which, as you know, little sister, protects them from my mind control," he said angrily. "I needed a spy, someone on the inside with me who Marcel would never suspect. So, I created a Day Zero and got there first. Marcel had just lost six vampires, thanks to your little murder spree, and he needed new recruits. So, I made the new one mine, before he'd had even a drop of vervain."
Klaus continued to rant, remembering how he compelled the new vampire, Josh.
"But we all know the real way to a man is through his heart, so... " he began to explain how he compelled Cami. When he finished he grabbed the vampire from the pile that was still alive. "And this one – I'm gonna drain him of vervain, compel him to believe his mates found religion and moved to Utah, so that he can explain to Marcel why he lost three more vampires tonight," he dragged the vampire inside, Rebekah and Madison following him. "Does anyone have any more questions? No? Good, because I have a question. Madison, if you weren't practicing what were you doing in the bloody French Quarter in the first place? Answer me!"
"Leave her be," Rebekah frowned.
"You wanna know what I was doing? I was at the abortion clinic, so I could put this baby out of its misery," Madison spoke up.
Klaus ran at her with his vampire speed, pinning her to the door by the neck as she struggled for air. But Madison didn't fight him, she just smirked.
"Do it. Put us both out of our misery," she growled.
"Nik! NIK!" Rebekah screamed, pulling him off of Madison, grabbing him by the shoulders as she coughed and spluttered, rubbing her throat. "Keep your hands off her! She is pregnant, for God's sake! All of this bluster about not wanting the child, and then the second she tells you she's ready to get rid of it? It's okay to care. It's okay to want something. That's all Elijah was trying to do, all he's ever wanted for you. All we've ever wanted."
Klaus, who had calmed down a bit, sat on the stairs next to Rebekah.
"I gave Elijah to Marcel," he finally spoke.
"What?"
"Marcel was nervous. It's bad enough one Original returned to town, but two? His crew was getting antsy. He wanted Elijah gone, so... I gave him a peace offering," he calmly explained.
"You bartered our brother?" Rebekah spat in disgust.
"I have a plan. Gain Marcel's trust, dismantle his empire, honor Elijah's wish that that baby be born. I am executing that plan the only way I know how. If you don't like it, there's the door. See if I care," Klaus growled and stood up, leaving his sister and the witch sitting on the stairs.
"Thank you," Madison finally spoke after a few moments of silence. "Look, I get it. When you spend a long time with someone, deciding to quit them is like losing a part of yourself. That's why you act how you do, saying you hate Klaus but still caring for him. But sometimes hate is just so powerful."
"Emil wasn't the only boyfriend of mine that Klaus killed," she told the witch. "He did it again, and again, and every time I found someone to care about. He just kept doing it until, finally, I stopped falling in love. He said he was protecting me from my mistakes, that no one was ever good enough for his little sister. Until one day, someone was."
"I need you to do me a favour and get Elijah back. Because truth be told, I'm scared that if you don't this baby will never be born," Madison admitted, reaching into her bag. "I did a locator spell after you left. I figured I could make some sort of deal with you, but now I just... I want you to keep them."
The witch pulled the daggers that were wrapped in a cloth from her bag and handed them to the vampire. After a few moments, Rebekah offered Madison a smile, which she returned.
-
Klaus walked into Madison's room the next morning, observing her for a moment as she slept. Klaus spotted the prescription and picked it up, pulling the bottle of pills from her bag when Madison woke up.
"I didn't use them," she said softly.
"You're awake," the hybrid sounded slightly surprised.
"I could barely sleep all night. I was slightly worried you'd come in and choke me again," she sat up in bed watching Klaus, who looked guilty, as he stared out the window. "Relax, I'm just kidding."
"What stopped you?" he asked after a moments silence. "You could have been free of all of this... of me."
"Yeah, well... ever since I found out I was pregnant I've felt things I haven't been able to feel in a long time. And then when those vampires showed up I – I realised I wasn't just protecting myself," Madison looked up at him. "Maybe it has to do with the fact that my mother was in a similar situation, and that if she had gone through with the abortion, I wouldn't be here. All I know is push came to shove, and... I realised I wouldn't let anyone hurt it."
"I'm beginning to think we're a lot alike, you and I. We're both castoffs who have learned to fight when we're backed into a corner."
"Well, we're backed into a corner now."
"Ah, that we are," he gently placed a hand on Madison's shoulder. "It's time to fight... little witch."
Klaus backed away and moved towards the door.
"What's with you and Marcel? You talk like you hate him, but the look in your eyes tells a completely different story."
"I made Marcel everything that he is. I treated him like a son. And when my father chased me and my family from New Orleans a hundred years ago, we believed Marcel was killed – we each mourned him, in our own way. Yet, when I returned, I found not only had he survived, he had thrived. Instead of seeking us out, instead of sticking together as one, he made a choice to take everything my family had built and make it his own. Now, he is living in our home, he is sleeping in our beds. That 'M' he stamps everywhere... it's not for 'Marcel'. It's for 'Mikaelson'. I want it all back, and if I have to push him out to get it, then that's exactly what I'll do," he told the blonde.
"You're not the only one with a protege," Madison sighed, stopping him from leaving. "I mentored a girl, Davina, taught her everything. She's the one who brought me back from hell, actually. Anyway, you want to stop Marcel, you need her on your side. Davina can sense when witches are practicing magic. She's one of Marcel's secret weapons."
"Why are you being so helpful?"
"Believe it or not, I want what's best for this child," she placed a hand on her stomach.
"What about the other secret weapon?"
"Me," the pair locked eyes. "I'm the Supreme, meaning I'm the most powerful witch currently walking the earth."
"This is the part where I have to convince you to help me, correct?"
"I'll help you in anyway I can, on one condition," Madison flicked her hair off her shoulder. "Help me get my feelings back."
A grin spread across the hybrid's face, "I believe we have a deal."
Klaus turned around and walked out of the room, feeling like a child who had just been given candy. Madison seemed to have that effect on him, and he on her.
They were the two most powerful beings to roam the earth, and together they would be unstoppable.
---
didn't even check this for mistakes lol.
hope you all enjoy. I have big-ish plans for this book.
all the love, M x