~•⚜️•~
1919
New Orleans
It was early in the morning when one of the doors of the Abbatoir opened and came out the stunningly beautiful Immortal, wearing a nurse outfit with her long black hair pulled up in a neat bun.
Imogen Farien Avery sneaked out of her room and quietly descended the stairs, trying her best not to make a noise to alert Klaus, Marcel, Elijah and Rebekah. She was going to the Fleur de Lis Sanatorium, where her witch friends, Genevieve and Clara Summerlin worked as nurses.
Spanish Influenza was spreading rapidly in the country and the people of New Orleans were getting really sick and worse, dying because of the pandemic.
The noirette wanted to help her people by making herbal remedies that she learned from Genevieve and tried her best to delay the inevitable and take away their pain.
"And where do you think you're going?"
Imogen's flinched, her eyes widen as she turned and saw Rebekah Mikaelson standing behind her with her arms crossed and a serious look on her pretty face.
The noirette gave her blonde best friend an innocent smile. "Good morning, Rebekah. You're early." she said.
Rebekah raised an eyebrow. "Well, seeing that you're all dressed and everything, ready to leave, I could say that you're way earlier than I."
Imogen sighed. "Fine, you caught me. I'm sorry, I tried to sneak out." she apologized in guilt with her head down.
Rebekah chuckled, amused as she shakes her head. "Where are you even going?" she asked. "Nik and Elijah forbid you from leaving especially when this flu is spreading everywhere."
"I'm going to Fleur de Lis Sanatorium." Imogen told the blonde.
Rebekah's eyes widen. "What the bloody hell? The one place you shouldn't be going at a time like this!" she whispered, horrified.
"Our people are getting sick and dying, Rebekah. I'm not gonna stay home and do nothing when I know I can do something for them." Imogen said with a determined look on her face. "I volunteered to help at the hospital. Genevieve and Clara need my help."
Rebekah frowned. "Who now?"
"Genevieve and Clara are my friends that worked in the hospital. They're French Quarter witches." Imogen told her.
Rebekah's eyes widen and looked thoughtful, hearing the redhead's name. "I can't stop you when you've set your mind on something." she muttered.
Imogen smiled and embraced the blonde. "In short, I'm stubborn, I know. I'll be okay and I'll be safe, I promise. I'll see you later." she said and waved goodbye before leaving.
The Immortal Being quickly arrived at the Fleur de Lis Sanatorium and saw her redhead friend standing outside the building, waiting for her.
Imogen smiled. "Genevieve!" she called out to her.
Genevieve smiled and waved at the stunning noirette. "Imogen, hurry!" she said as two women ran inside the hospital.
Imogen Avery and Genevieve, the two unlikely friends tried their best to help the patients of the flu epidemic and made each one of them herbal remedies to ease their pain.
~•~•~
The Immortal Being Imogen Avery, who recently found out she was a witch, and her adopted son, Marcellus Gerard were talking to police officers, sending out more troops to search the city for their missing loved ones. Niklaus and Rebekah Mikaelson.
"Search everywhere every street, every building! Don't stop until you find them!"
Imogen heard footsteps and turned, seeing Elijah Mikaelson walking towards them. She smiled at him.
"Elijah."
Elijah smiled softly at the noirette. "Anything?" he asked.
Imogen shakes her head as Marcel turned to the older Mikaelson. "They're putting eyes and ears out everywhere. Daywalkers are working every contact we've got. Cops, dock workers, guys in the Treme. Word is out, anyone trying to earn favor with me gets a lifetime of it if they find them." he said.
"Good. I need a pen and paper. Farien, come." Elijah said and walked away with Imogen.
Marcel rolled his eyes before following after them to the study. "Hey, am I taking orders from you now, or are we in this together?" he asked, annoyed.
Elijah removed his jacket and turned to him. "Pen and paper, Marcellus. Now." he said, clearly frustrated.
Marcel rolled his eyes as he left the study while Imogen sighed and quickly went after him.
"Marcel!" she called out to him, who sighed in defeat and slowly turned to her.
Imogen raised an eyebrow. "Marcellus?"
Marcel sighed. "I'm sorry. I want her back just as much as he does, you know. The both of them." he told her.
Imogen smiled and embraced him. "All of us want them back and we will." she assured him. "Now go and get that pen and paper Elijah needs."
Marcel nodded and kissed his mother's cheek before leaving. Imogen smiled as she watched her son walk away before hearing Elijah calling her from the study. She quickly entered the room just as Elijah began stripping off his shirt.
"I'm--"
The noirette stopped as her eyes widen in shock when she saw Elijah looking at her, shirtless. His whole torso was covered in tattooed names. She blinked, realizing she was staring intensely at Elijah and quickly looked away awkwardly.
"--here."
Imogen looked back at Elijah, with a confused look on her face and tried her best not to glance at his well toned body. "What is it?" she asked.
Elijah smiled in amusement at the flushed noirette, realizing that his nudeness was affecting her. "I need your help, Farien. I need you to make a list of these names, please." he said.
Imogen smiled slightly and nodded as she walked over to Elijah and examined the names tattooed across the vampire's shoulders, arms, back, and abdomen. She noticed a name she was familiar with but ignored it. She took his left arm and immediately saw Sabine's name.
"Sabine? Elijah, what's all this?" she asked in confusion.
Elijah looked at the puzzled noirette and noticed how close they were. "I believe they represent the names of the women Celeste inhabited for the past two centuries." he explained.
Imogen silently nodded in response as she softly traced the names on Elijah's back with her fingers. Elijah closed his eyes as he inaudibly groaned with the noirette's touch.
Suddenly, the door opened and Marcel quickly entered the room as Imogen moved away from Elijah. Marcel walked over to the two and handed the paper and pen to his mother.
"It's called a Devinette. It's old school. Kind of a riddle. Witches use them to teach their kids. Solve it, and it disappears." Marcel said.
Imogen looked at him confused then to Elijah. "Why? What's the point?" she asked.
Elijah sighed, knowing the noirette won't like what she'll hear. "Celeste forced me to make a choice between yourself and my siblings, and now she means to mock that choice, taunting me with a childish game." he answered.
Imogen's eyes widen in horror. "You chose me." she mumbled.
Elijah smiled softly at her and placed a gentle hand on her cheek. "And I regret nothing, Farien. But the longer the game, the more they suffer. To find Klaus and Rebekah, we need to solve this riddle. The solution lies somewhere in these names." he said and looked at the tattooed names on his body.
Marcel points at a name on Elijah's arm. "The name next to Sabine. Annie La Fleur." he said as Imogen and Elijah looked at the name. "She's the witch that was shunned from her coven just over a year ago. Never knew why, but I can find out."
~•~•~
Imogen was with Hayley as they walk around the Abbatoir. The noirette was explaining to Hayley what happened to Elijah earlier when suddenly her phone rang. She took her phone and saw who the caller was. As soon as she picked up, Elijah explained to her and Hayley what happened to Annie La Fleur.
"She killed herself?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yes, drowned herself in the Mississippi, to be precise. Celeste was clearly tired of the body and ready to take Sabine's."
"How do you know that?" Imogen asked again as she and Hayley exchanged confused looks.
"Because she leaped to her death from the very location Celeste and I had our first kiss."
Hayley frowned. "Poetic, I guess, in a creepy-vendetta sort of way." she said as she and Imogen walked down the stairs towards the courtyard.
"All these names, these lives, stolen that Celeste might take her revenge. I suppose we have no choice but to see where they take us. Farien, I have to go. I'll call you back."
Imogen glanced at Hayley. "Elijah, wait!"
"What is it?"
Hayley nodded at Imogen as the noirette sat on one of the chairs in the courtyard. "Ask Marcel if he knows anything about a name on that list. Brynne Deveraux. Hayley told me that Sophie told her that it was her family's bloodline that put the curse on the Crescent wolves, but Celeste said that she was the only one that could break it. If Brynne Deveraux was actually Celeste when she cast the spell, then maybe Celeste can still break it." she said
"I'll see what he knows."
Imogen sighed sadly. "Thank you, Elijah and I'm really sorry that we're going through this family crisis. If I had known that Celeste made you choose who to help---"
"Like I said, Farien, I regret nothing. You're not gonna die in that fire, your baby and Hayley however, actually, there was no choice. I know how important your baby and Hayley is to you."
Imogen sighed sadly and ended the call as Hayley smiled comfortingly at her before embracing her.
~•~•~
Imogen and Hayley were in the study. Hayley was typing on a laptop while Imogen was sitting on the sofa nearby just as Elijah returned to the compound and entered the room.
Imogen smiled as Elijah walked over to her. "Hey, Hayley and I found---"
Elijah quickly stopped her and placed a finger on his lips. "You were right about the Deveraux witch." he told her as Hayley quickly went over to him but before the three could discuss more, Marcel entered the room.
"Find anything about Clara, the mystery witch?" he asked.
Imogen nodded. "I knew Clara. Her full name was Clara Summerlin. She was a friend of mine but I didn't know Celeste possessed her body at that time. We worked together in the hospital. She was a nurse at the Fleur de Lis Sanitarium." she said as Marcel froze and began to visibly panic.
Hayley quickly returned to her laptop. "Here. I have her picture." she said as Imogen, Elijah and Marcel walk over to her. She clicked on a picture. "Recognize her?
"Top row, second from the right." Imogen said as she points at the picture of Clara with the other nurses of the sanitarium.
"No, I don't." Elijah mumbled.
Imogen noticed Marcel walking away with a worried look on his face. "Marcellus?"
Elijah looked at Marcel to hear what he has to say, and also noticed how alarmed and worried he looks. "Marcel? Do I need to remind you that Niklaus and Rebekah are somewhere suffering horribly? If you know something, talk."
"The Sanitarium. That's where you'll find them." Marcel told them.
Hayley frowned. "Are you sure?" she asked.
Elijah narrowed his eyes at Marcel. "How do you know?" he asked.
"I just know." Marcel simply said and looked at Imogen.
Imogen felt her son's emotions and knew he was hiding something from them. "Marcellus? How do you know?" she asked, sternly.
Marcel sighed. "If I'm right, you need to know exactly what we're walking into. We did something, Rebekah and I." he confessed as he looked at Elijah then back to Imogen with a guilty look on his face. "I think the witches are trying to use it against her. It was, uh, something that you're not gonna like."
Marcel told Imogen, Elijah and Hayley that he and Rebekah were the ones who summoned Mikael to New Orleans in 1919 with the help of one of the noirette's witch friends, Genevieve.
Imogen's eyes widen in shock and looked at Marcel with a look of disbelief, hurt and betrayal. "Marcellus, how could you?! Both you and Rebekah!" she yelled angrily as Hayley quickly went to her side and wrapped her arms around her.
"For the better part of a century, I have wondered how Father found us, what foolish mistake that we had made to destroy our time in the one place that we could finally call home. Did you know, I even blamed myself for a time, Marcellus?" Elijah said, he was as angry as the noirette beside him. "Farien and Niklaus treated you like a son."
Marcel couldn't look at his mother's face and chose to look at Elijah but the older Mikaelson held his neck in a chokehold and vamp-speed towards the wall.
"Rebekah. I loved her. I still love her. All we ever wanted was to be together, but as long as Klaus was around, that was never gonna happen. But hey, I guess you wouldn't know anything about that, huh?" Marcel told Elijah.
Imogen turned to the two. "Elijah! Let him go!" she ordered as Elijah glared at Marcel before doing what he was told.
Marcel took a lot of courage to look at Imogen and quickly regretted it, seeing the look on his mother's face that he caused.
"You and Rebekah used Genevieve to lead Mikael here and killed her so she won't rat you out. Now, Genevieve has returned from the dead to take revenge!" Imogen said, angrily. "And she's using the truth to break this family apart!"
Elijah walked over to the furious Immortal and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder while Hayley continued embracing the noirette, trying to calm her down but it was useless. Imogen felt betrayed yet again for the 3rd time by her own son.
"I will not let your and Rebekah's hundred year old betrayal, as well as Genevieve's revenge ruin this family!"
Elijah turned at Marcel, who looked guilty. "When Klaus learns the truth, there will be no end to his rage. I will not let my sister suffer that wrath." he said.
Marcel looked away from his mother, who was beyond upset with him and turned to Elijah. "Then we need to get to them before he learns the truth."
Elijah and Marcel vamp-speed out of the room, leaving Imogen and Hayley in the compound as the two exchanged looks.
Imogen sighed quietly. "Hayley, Celeste will be in the sanitarium and---"
Hayley smiled knowingly. "Oh, I already know what you're thinking." she said.
Imogen chuckled and nodded. "We promised Jackson, after all."
Hayley looked determined. "Let's get that old witch bitch friend of yours."
~•~•~
Outside the sanitarium, Imogen and Hayley hid in the shadows as a smug looking Celeste, who was still possessing Sabine Laurent's body, walked away from the building towards the street to the French Quarter. The two Labonairs exchanged looks and nodded before sneaking up behind the witch. Hayley hits her hard over the head with a shovel, which caused her to be knocked out as she fell to the ground.
"Hey, there, witch bitch. You and I are gonna have a little chat." Hayley muttered and turned to Imogen. "Go!"
Imogen smiled and nodded before hurrying inside the sanitarium. She could hear Klaus' angry yells, calling for Rebekah. She stopped and looked around worriedly before continuing to look for the two as she fasten her pace. She gasped when she felt a presence behind her and quickly turned to see Elijah, who stared at her surprised.
"Farien?"
Imogen shakes her head. "We have to find them!" she said, urgency in her voice.
Elijah nodded and carried the noirette in his arms before vamp-speeding to where Klaus and Rebekah were.
Imogen gasped in horror when she saw Marcel and Rebekah lying on the ground badly hurt and Klaus, lifting Papa Tunde's blade towards the blonde to her heart.
"ENOUGH!"
Klaus froze, hearing the angry voice of the woman he loves. Seeing his younger brother distracted, Elijah vamp-speed towards him and took the blade from him. Imogen rushed towards Klaus and stood in front of him.
"I am begging you, Nik, please stop." The noirette pleaded.
Klaus stared at her as his eyes softened and the furious look on his face faded. Imogen smiled softly at him as she placed both of her hands on his face.
"GAH!"
Imogen's gasped in shock and her eyes widen in horror as Klaus fell on the ground with Papa Tunde's blade plunged in his chest.
"Nik!"
Klaus looked behind him and saw Elijah was the one who stabbed him. He stared at him with tears in his eyes as Elijah looked away from him and turned to Rebekah and Marcel. "Go. Both of you. Run as far as you can. Run!"
Imogen smiled sadly as she looked at Rebekah and Marcel, who glanced at her before leaving the sanitarium. She looked back at Klaus and her heart broke seeing her lover's state.
"Elijah." she called out.
Elijah looked at her and the noirette stared at his face and saw the look he has, the look of disbelief with what he just did.
Imogen knelt beside Klaus and gently placed his head on her lap as tears slowly ran down her face. "I understand why you did it, Elijah." she said quietly and looked at the older Mikaelson with a sad smile on her face. "I understand."
Imogen kissed the forehead of her lover, the father of her child and caressed his face. "Let's bring him back home and take out Papa Tunde's blade inside him. And after that, he'll want revenge."