Ezekiel glanced down at Marcel with a bloodied hole in his shirt while Elijah laid in a pool of blood he chocked up and Niklaus recovered from the turn.
He folded his arms and heaved out a sigh.
"You guys look like shit,"he said as Elijah sat up.
"Where is Andrea?"Elijah questioned.
"She's fine, she's back at the mansion with Hayley to gather her things and rest,"Ezekiel answered and helped his brother up.
They turned to Marcel as he stirred from his unconsciousness.
"Well, isn't this monumentally awkward,"Elijah muttered and extended a helping hand toward him.
Niklaus grumbled a thousand curses under his breath and pulled his phone out, dialling for their sister.
"Rebekah, where are you?"Niklaus questioned.
Only two important words went through Ezekiel's ear out of the entire conversation and it was when his brother said poison and Davina all in the same sentence.
"Have you gone mad?"Ezekiel stormed toward him, only to be pushed back by Elijah and Niklaus smirked.
"There is no dealing with those who threatens us... This was Davina's choice, not mine,"Niklaus said and hung up the call.
"She's a child, Nik!"Ezekiel yelled.
"A child."
How safe would his daughter be around his brother if he could easily poison a teenager?
"What happens if my daughter decides to rebel against you? Will you poison her too?"he scoffed.
Niklaus laughed bitterly.
"The stench of your judgement is overwhelming,"he said.
"Need I remind you that Davina just bested the lot of us? I did what had to be done. Your daughter will be safe under my protection."
"Davina is family. She is Marcel's family and she is under my protection,"Ezekiel glared.
He turned to Marcel who gave him a look of promise that Davina was going to be okay.
They must've conjured a plan to keep her alive and Ezekiel was grateful for it.
"I cannot stand you,"he muttered to Niklaus and stormed away, opting to drive to the mansion to pick up the girls instead of dealing with his maniac brother.
"You're here early,"Hayley said as she helped Andrea into the car.
"Stuff went down at the compound,"Ezekiel glanced at her through the rearview mirror.
"Here's to praying that our children will be the better versions of us... of Klaus,"he said.
Andrea fell fast asleep in the backseat as he started the car, taking his time to head back to the compound.
"Is she okay?"he questioned.
"She's fine. She's just been tired a lot,"Hayley reassured.
"Try being seven months pregnant for a day,"she said and huffed.
Hayley's own bump had started to grow over the last few weeks and Andrea grew closer to the birth of little Aster.
"I found out the gender,"Hayley smiled.
"I'm having a boy,"she said.
Ezekiel smiled with her, feeling a spark of excitement at having a nephew.
It would be like having a second child. A son and someone he could guide through their family.
The next morning, Andrea groaned as she walked into the study room after being awakened by the sound of vases smashing.
"What is all that noise?"she frowned.
Ezekiel leaned against the doorframe and bit into an apple.
"Well, that's going well,"Niklaus heaved out a sigh, sitting in the armchair.
"If you were trying to win the girl's trust, perhaps poisoning her one true love was not the most splendid idea,"Elijah said and glanced up from the mess of sketches on the table.
Ezekiel neared him.
"Is that..."he gasped, his eyes focusing on the face staring at him on the table.
"Yes, it is the beloved Celeste,"Elijah sighed.
"May she rest in peace,"he muttered.
"Are there any more inopportune deaths you lot would like to wave in my face?"Niklaus questioned.
"Give me an hour, I'm sure I could write you a book,"Ezekiel scoffed.
Another vase smashed against the wall and Andrea grumbled. With a hand on her bump, she moved to lay down on Hayley's lap on the couch.
"Young, old, dead or alive... Witches are a pain in the ass,"Niklaus muttered.
"Only you would have that issue, Nik. Witches loathe you,"Ezekiel said.
Niklaus got up and walked out of the study room.
"You should return to your rest,"Elijah turned to Andrea.
"A little too late,"she sighed.
"Elijah,"Hayley cautiously called.
"There's something you need to know."
Suddenly, the house began to shake and Ezekiel wrapped his arms around Hayley and Andrea as books began to fall from shelves and windows shattered.
"What's happening?"Andrea questioned over the noises.
"She's losing control,"Ezekiel said as the quake died down.
He tuned his ear toward the heartbeats in Andrea and Hayley's womb and shut his eyes in relief.
The children were okay.
"Are you okay?"he questioned Hayley who nodded.
Elijah walked out of the study room to investigate the damage and Hayley turned to Ezekiel.
"He's not gonna like this, Zeke,"Hayley frowned with worry.
"Like what?"Ezekiel turned to her.
"I told Sophie where to find Celeste's remains because she said she would help lift the curse for my pack,"Hayley whispered.
Andrea sat up and turned to her in disbelief.
"That's why you dragged me to the mansion? To snoop?"she raised her voice in a hush.
"I didn't think anything of it,"Hayley glanced between both of them with pleading eyes.
She didn't want to get in Elijah's bad graces.
"God, Hayley,"Ezekiel groaned.
"He takes his promises seriously and he promised her,"he said.
"You broke his promise to her."
"I-I thought they were just bones and it was no big deal... Just a witchy ritual with a dead witch body,"Hayley stammered.
"Hayley,"Ezekiel buried his face in the palms of his hands.
"They are not just bones-"
"Did I hear that correctly or have my ears deceived me?"
They turned to the doorway where Elijah gazed at Hayley with distrust.
"Elijah, I'm so sorry,"she said.
"Elijah,"Andrea called out in an attempt to calm him and he shook his head at her.
"Don't,"he stopped them.
He stormed away.
"Does he hate me?"Hayley turned to them.
"I'm sure he'll come around,"Andrea reassured.
"Right?"she turned to Ezekiel.
"Mmm,"he hummed and stood up.
"Where are you going?"Andrea called out.
"Unfinished business,"he answered her.
"Will you guys be okay here?"he questioned.
"I'll take care of her,"Hayley reassured.
Ezekiel headed out to the Bayou.
He fidgeted with the ring, twisting it around and around in between his fingers as he trudged through the trees.
He stopped when the ground beneath him shook violently again, another sign of Davina's overwhelming magic.
"You came back."
He glanced up to see the man he pulled the necklace off.
"I did,"he nodded.
"I need to know more, Shawn."
Shawn shook his head.
"Not yet, Zeke,"he said.
"You'll know when Ansel thinks you're ready to know,"he patted Ezekiel on his shoulder.
"Is that his name? Ansel?"Ezekiel questioned.
"I saw him with my own eyes, a spear through his body,"he turned to Shawn.
"He shouldn't be alive."
Shawn shook his head again, not saying any more and walked away to rejoin the pack near the vans.
"You should seek shelter elsewhere! A storm's about to hit,"Ezekiel called out to them.
Ezekiel glanced back down at the ring in between his fingers.
Hope bloomed in his chest.
His real father might be alive and all that he went through wouldn't have been a waste. Little Aster would have a genuine grandfather, not a man who hunts his own children to the ends of the Earth to kill them.
Just as easily as hope came, it died knowing nothing good would bode well in the hands of his brother.
He glanced up at the clouds as it began to darken and thunder roared across New Orleans.
He returned back to the compound and Andrea neared him with panic eyes.
"You have to go back to Mystic Falls,"she said.
"What's wrong?"he frowned in confusion.
She was always against the idea of him returning to his hometown and his past, but she needed him there.
What happened?
"Alex's parents... Someone killed them,"her eyes turned teary.
"I don't think I can face everything, but she needs someone familiar,"she pleaded.
"Andie, I can't just leave you here with Davina like that,"Ezekiel frowned.
"Please,"she cried.
"I'll keep her safe, Brother,"Niklaus walked into the compound, right behind him.
"Hayley wants to bring some canned food for the people. I'll be safe,"Andrea reassured.
"Okay, I'll go,"he promised.
"How are you feeling?"he questioned and she wrapped her arms around him for comfort.
She lost a brother figure and a sister. The brother who looked out for her constantly, even as she moved around.
The brother who was always there.
She felt a piece of her was ripped out of her body and an absence that they once filled now sat empty again.
Ezekiel stroked her hair soothingly.
"Breathe,"he whispered.
"I'll go tonight... I'll go right now,"he said.
She nodded and pulled away, wiping her tear stained cheeks.
"I'll make sure everything's okay for her and I'll come right back,"he said.
He grabbed his things and went back to the mansion to get his motorcycle, waiting readily for him in the garage as the car replaced its spot.
Ezekiel climbed onto it instantly, basking in the rumble of the engine under him.
He needed to ready himself to be back in Mystic Falls and most of all, he had to be ready for Alexandra.
He started his journey back to his past. It wasn't that long ago that he left the hometown, and yet it felt like forever.
His first stop when he arrived at Mystic Falls that late night was Alexandra's house. He wouldn't need an invitation now that her parents were dead.
He could hear her lonely sobs in the second-storey of the house, in her bedroom on the far left of the staircase.
"Alex,"his voice called out.
Alexandra glanced up from her hands in fear, tears blurring her vision as she backed up against the headboard of her bed.
The tears rolled down her cheeks and she caught sight of Ezekiel with a solemn look on his face.
"Zeke,"she ran and embraced him.
"Where is she?"she questioned desperately and glanced behind him, hoping for the aunt that could make everything better.
Ezekiel heaved out a sigh.
"She's... too pregnant,"he said.
He watched her brows furrow and she took a step back in disbelief, the tears no longer falling down her cheeks.
"Pregnant?"she gasped.
"With..."
"Mine,"he nodded.
"She was the one who told me to come back,"he said.
"God, Alex."
He wrapped his arms around her again.
She was so much more fragile and vulnerable now, and he wanted to do all that he could to protect her.
His fingers carefully threaded through her hair and he shut his eyes as her vulnerability made way for him in her memories, bringing him back to the very moment her parents were killed.
He watched the car flip on the dark road of Wickery Bridge. He watched as Jackson hid his daughter in the dark corner of the overturned vehicle with his jacket covering her body.
He watched it all through Alexandra's eyes.
There was no way to know who the murderer was. Without a face, the voice would be useless to search in a town full of many people.
It could be anyone.
"God, that's the most cruel thing anyone can put you through,"he whispered and held her tight.
She was like a little sister and a best friend to him, no matter what went down between them.
He needed to take care of her.
"They called my uncle,"she said.
"He'll be here in a few hours for the funeral."
"Tell me all about Andie... please,"she gazed up at him.
Ezekiel carefully pushed her to sit onto the bed and tucked her in, sitting on her comforter beside her.
"She's about seven months along now,"he spoke and held his hands in his lap.
"It's a little girl and we're naming her Aster,"he turned to her.
Alexandra smiled and her eyes were heavy but it shone a little brighter.
"I like Aster,"she said.
"I won't be around anymore, Zeke,"she spoke up after a moment of silence.
"It'll be better for you... It won't be safe for you here,"Ezekiel said.
"Can I tell you something?"he questioned.
Alexandra turned her body to him as an implication that she was listening. She needed anything she could to get her mind distracted.
"I don't think I'm gonna be Father of the Year,"he scoffed and shook his head.
"I'm turning into my brother."
She gazed at the disappointed look at his eyes and wondered exactly how much ten months had changed them.
"You won't turn into him,"she said.
"Why not?"he muttered.
"I question everything I've done now.. Andie says I'm turning into him."
"I know you won't because... I trust that everything you do has a reason for it,"Alexandra said.
Ezekiel shook his head.
She was wary of him, that much he knew by the slight uncertainty in her voice. Nobody had seen him or heard from him in a long time. Nobody knew him anymore.
Even Andrea.
"Get some sleep,"he said and turned the lamp off.
He stood outside of the house, on the porch and took in the breeze of Mystic Falls.
He wasn't the only one that changed.
His mind wandered to Caroline and his best friends.
"Zeke..."
He didn't need to look up to know who the voice belonged to. He knew her like the back of his hand.
He gripped the railing of the porch and his gaze found hers as she stepped out of the car with a dish in her hands.
"What are you doing here?"he questioned.
"I should be asking you that,"she said and let out a laugh.
"Seriously, Caroline,"he heaved out a tired sigh.
"I heard about her parents and with everything going on in town lately... She shouldn't be alone,"she explained.
"I made some of my famous Mac 'n' Cheese for her,"her lips curled into a hesitant smile.
"She's asleep,"Ezekiel said.
"I can feel her watching me from her room,"she said without taking her eyes off of his.
He hung his head and let out another sigh.
There stood the person he trusted who stabbed him. He gave his trust and his heart to her and she stepped on it for her survival.
Could he blame her? Would he have done the same in her place?
"Talk to me, Zeke,"she neared him and he backed away.
"Don't,"he shook his head.
"You know what? I'm done begging for you to forgive me,"Caroline scoffed.
"I'm sorry that I wanted to stay alive, Zeke. God knows you would do the same if your bloodline and your life depended on someone else,"she argued and stormed into the house.
"I wouldn't have done the same,"he said and he could hear her pause in the doorway of the kitchen.
"You know I wouldn't have. We fight and we hate each other, but I would've killed for you,"he turned toward the door.
"I wouldn't have killed you if it guaranteed me my life... I've lived long enough."
Caroline blurred out of the house and for a moment of vulnerability and love lost, their lips crashed with each other with need and want.
Just for a moment.
She pulled away and slapped him.
"You disappeared,"she frowned.
"No calls, no texts and not a care in the world about us. About Bonnie. About anyone else,"she pointed her index finger at his chest, shoving him with a slight push.
"And then suddenly, one day, you just show up."
"I disappeared because..."he contemplated telling her.
"Tyler told me,"she said.
Tyler.
Tyler?
His eyes glowed golden in anger and he growled.
"He's back?"he questioned.
"I'm gonna kill him, Caroline.. I'm gonna fucking kill him,"he whispered.
"He did it to survive, Zeke,"she held a palm over his chest where his heart sat.
"Have you guys not taken enough from me?"he shoved her away.
Maybe the biggest curse was being a Mikaelson. Maybe the threat wouldn't be him or Niklaus or people hunting Aster. Maybe in the end... She will be a threat to herself.
"Get out,"he shook his head.
"You better keep him far away from me, Care,"he called out as she climbed back into her car.
"Or I'll hunt him down until the ends of the Earth."
"You're angry,"Alexandra said in the doorway and watched Caroline drive off.
"You don't know the hell I've been through to protect my child, even from my own best friend,"he turned to her.
"Get to sleep. Now,"he ordered.
She shook her head and slammed the door.
Ezekiel stood in her bedroom the next day in her father's suit, staring at himself in the mirror in the town he didn't think he would be back in.
Alexandra folded her arms and leaned against the wall.
"Penny for your thoughts?"she questioned.
He waved her off.
"Let's get this over with,"he heaved out a sigh.
"Alex?"a voice called out and Alexandra straightened herself as a man walked into her bedroom.
"Uncle Noah,"she plastered on a smile and embraced her uncle.
"Zeke, a friend of Alex,"Ezekiel introduced and shook his hand.
"Are we ready to go? The twins are downstairs,"Noah said.
"We'll be right down,"she reassured and her uncle nodded hesitantly.
He left the room and Ezekiel turned to her, extending a hand out for her to grip onto.
The church was filled with people from town. Some were familiar faces and most were just passing people who stayed to pay their respects.
Ezekiel sat at the front row as Alexandra stood on the platform, getting ready for her eulogy.
She inhaled a deep breath as the church quiet down and not a single voice disrupted the peace.
"I was given the perfect parents who were able to be both my best friends and my protectors,"she began.
"I don't know what happened to them.. but I know I'll spend the rest of my life telling my future kids about how great their grandparents were. I miss them,"her voice broke.
"I miss them even when they're here, and especially now that they're not."
She turned to the large, framed picture of her smiling parents and stepped off the podium. She sat down beside Ezekiel and he hugged her.
He stood by her side through the burial and up until the reception where her cousins whisked her away from the crowd of people offering their sympathy to the orphaned teen.
Elena neared him.
"You're back,"she said.
"Yeah... I am,"he nodded.
"I've been looking for Bonnie,"he said and glanced around the house.
"Zeke... A lot happened while you were away,"Elena reached out for his hand.
"Bonnie's not here."
He scoffed and pulled his hand out of her hold. He folded his arms.
"What the hell are you saying?"he questioned.
Elena grabbed his arm and pulled him upstairs into an empty bedroom, closing the door behind them.
"Bonnie's on the other side a-and we're trying our best to-"
"What?"he frowned.
"Like I said, Zeke... A lot happened,"she heaved out a sigh.
"You never came back and you missed our graduation, but somehow your brother didn't,"she said.
Ezekiel glanced away in shame.
What excuse could he even say to her? Andrea and his baby are not an excuse, they are his life.
He left without a word but he found something to fight for and somewhere he wanted to be.
"I..."he shut his eyes and heaved out a sigh.
"I left for myself,"he said.
"And we just didn't matter anymore?"
Caroline walked into the room and folded her arms.
"If I was here, you'd all just be fighting to kill me to get rid of Klaus,"he scoffed.
"I went somewhere that I belonged. Bite me."
"I'm gonna go,"Elena said and slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.
"I have my little girl now, Caroline,"he sighed and buried his face in the palms of his hands.
"I can't be here. This place..."
He shook his head.
"I just can't be here,"he said.
Caroline's shoulder slumped.
"Zeke,"she reached out and he backed away.
"Stop doing that,"Ezekiel frowned.
"I can't keep going back and forth with you like this, Caroline,"he pleaded.
She nodded and she glanced down to the floor, unable to meet his eyes just like he couldn't meet hers.
He was starting to suffocate in this town and he was starting to suffocate near her.
"I'm leaving tonight,"he said.
"Okay,"she said.
He walked out of the room and headed out of the house, letting the night breeze cool his skin. The skin he wanted to scratch off so badly.
"Zeke,"Alexandra neared him.
"I have to go, Alex... I can't stay any longer,"he said.
She nodded and gave him a sad smile.
"Go,"she said.
"Tell her I said hi."