The dried leaves crunch beneath our feet as we enter the camp. Children playing all around with adults supervising and chatting. All wolves. All my pack. And yet the only thing I care about right now is finding my sister.
"Hey there." I bend down, picking up a ball that I stopped with the base of my boot. The little boy chasing after it looks up at me curiously. "I won't hurt you. I'm Felicity."
He continues to watch me in confusion and I realise I'm not going to get answers out of a kid. And I'll be damned if I ever hurt one.
I feel Klaus's hand rest on my shoulder so I stand up and join him in entering the encampment. Most of the wolves turn to look at us, mainly at Klaus.
Klaus watches them all with an eerie eye, planting a sinister smile on his lips.
"I wonder if you lot can help me and your alpha."
I step forward and face the silent wolves.
"I'm looking for my sister. Hayley?"
My eyes dart around from head to head, silence lingering.
"I'd prefer you to tell us where she is before I grow irritated. After all, there are children present."
After a moment a woman steps forward, a young child in her arms.
"We don't want any trouble."
I raise my hands and soften my voice, "please. I just need to speak with her. She's my sister."
She sighs and points to the south, deep bayou territory.
"They've gone to the elder Mary. Jackson's grandma."
I smile and nod in gratitude.
"Thank you."
With Klaus's hand in mine I begin to drag him deep into the Bayou.
"I'm impressed love."
I chuckle, raising my eyebrows in question as I do my best not to trip over the large tree roots in the ground.
"With what exactly?"
"Your kindness. Mercy even. I would have slaughtered the lot had they not given me answers."
I push my hand against his chest and he stumbles backwards only to regain his footing and laugh.
"Oh please. I know you're a big softie deep down."
"Very deep down and only for you."
I blush, breathing in the warm air of the Bayou before my mind becomes burdened yet again by the endless outcomes of this situation.
"What if we're too late?"
"We will cross that bridge when we come to it. Though I doubt you'd like the outcome very much."
"I'm serious Nik. This isn't something we can let slip. If Hayley has to divulge all her secrets then I'm sorry, but they're not doing it."
"You don't need to persuade me love. If Hayley so much as utters a figment of what has been told to her, I'll simply cut her tongue from her mouth and render her speechless."
I grimace at the thought before I realise that this is deadly serious. Klaus killed his father to protect Hope. How far would I go to protect her? It's an question I already know the answer to.
A little while later, Klaus and I finally came across a shack that I presume belongs to Mary. I could hear her heartbeat inside, the sound of a knife slicing against a chopping board echoing throughout the small shack. The door was wide open so Klaus and I approach, our hands wound tightly together.
The woman inside slams her knife to the board, spinning on her heel. Her short white hair twirled around as her grey eyes met ours.
"What do you want?"
"Well, we could start with some common courtesy. You could invite us in?"
"Not likely, vampires."
For Jackson's grandma, she's not very friendly.
"We're hybrid, dear. Half-wolf. We could be distant relatives, for all you know! In fact, Felicity here is Hayley's sister." Her eyes flick to mine and I give her a small smile.
"I need to find Hayley." I add, squeezing Klaus's hand in mine. "We were told she'd be nearby."
"What do you want with Hayley?" Mary watches us with distain.
"We wish only to remind her of the importance of family. Dissuade her from foolish mistakes." Klaus insists.
"Jackson's with her now. They can look out for each other. Why don't you just leave them alone?"
"Well, perhaps we should. Clearly, I can trust Jackson's selfless nature, as willing as he is to marry Hayley and save her from the horrors of her current existence. And, in exchange for nothing more than an empowered werewolf pack to serve as his own personal army. Hmm. You know, on second thought, I think I'd like to congratulate the bride and groom."
"Don't listen to him," I step closer to the door away from Klaus's grip, "we need to talk to Hayley about the ceremony."
A look of alarm crosses her face but I don't try to soothe her worry. This is urgent.
"No doubt they're close by, attending to their prenuptial observances. And since you've been unable to help us find them, well... I suppose I'll have to hunt them down myself, won't I?"
I bite my lip anxiously as Klaus grabs my hand, vamping us away from the cabin and deeper into the Bayou.
Soon enough, I pick up on the low rumble that is Jackson's voice.
"That was my secret. Whatever yours is, if you don't want to tell me, then don't. It doesn't change a thing. Least of all, how I feel about you."
We pause, standing behind the two. I push my hair from my face, adrenaline pumping hard.
"Quite the romantic sentiment."
Jackson spins on his heel, his gaze tightening upon seeing Klaus. Hayley turns to me with questioning eyes.
"Hayley, we need to speak to you right now."
Jackson grabs Hayley's hand but she seems to sense the urgency in my voice, kissing Jackson on the cheek before stepping forward.
"It's okay. Go ahead. I'll meet you back at Mary's."
After a reluctant moment, Jackson leaves in the direction we came from. Hayley crosses her arms and looks Klaus and I over.
"What do you want?" She shrugs, making me angry.
"What do we want!?" I scoff incredulously. "Have you lost your fucking mind?"
Klaus steps to her threateningly causing my hand to bolt out, pulling him back to me.
"Are you seriously considering this preposterous truth-telling idiocy?"
"Actually, I'm kind of on the fence."
"On the fence? Hayley I told you this in confidence. Klaus and I trusted you to take this to your grave."
"Jackson wouldn't tell anyone! Besides I haven't even decided yet."
Her attitude is infuriating.
"Well, allow me to make this simple for you. Under no circumstances will you divulge any family secrets, especially none that would endanger our child." I signal between us with death in my eyes.
"Except it's not that simple. Finn and the witches grow more powerful by the day. Right now he controls over half of the wolves. This marriage could change that. Felicity, even you know that I'm right."
"You may be right about the witches but not about telling Jackson. Hayley, Hope is our daughter. It's our job to keep her safe. I trusted you with that and now you want to throw it in my face?"
She shakes her head and begins pacing, the leaves crunching under each weighted step.
"The outcome of your strategy is not worth the risk it imposes on our daughter."
"Well, it's not a risk if I trust Jackson. Klaus, Felicity, think. We could have a whole army of super-wolves who could protect Hope as one of their own."
"Hope doesn't need a wolf army! Felicity and I will protect her ourselves! And an easier time we'll have of it, too, without you running off sharing secrets with every motley member of your werewolf brethren."
"Klaus is right Hayley. Hope is our daughter. If we are telling you not to share this secret, you don't share the fucking secret!"
I snap which only acts to make Hayley even more annoyed. Well two can play at that game.
"Dammit, Felicity! This is our chance. We can bring her home. We have to at least consider this!"
"She is not yours to bring home!" I bark, Klaus grabbing my wrist to pull me back to him. Her words are infuriating, so much so that I can actually feel the blood pumping from my heart and splashing against my bones.
"Hayley, we have considered it, and we have deemed it absurd. And in this matter, there is no one above our decree, not even you."
Hayley takes a step towards Klaus. A step too far for my liking. I push my body in front of his, raising my eyebrow at her. Her eyes narrow into thin slits, her hazel iris's trying to set me on fire. I can't be burned.
"You will tell Jackson the wedding's off. There's no way I will use Hope's blood to turn you into a Hybrid if you can't even follow one simple order."
"Order!? What are you my mom? I don't take orders from anyone, certainly not a shitty co-alpha who can't think with her head instead of her pussy for two seconds! Klaus is manipulating you once again into following him!"
The sound of skin slapping against skin bounces from tree to tree, my palm stinging. Her eyes widen as she stares at me, an unreadable expression on her face.
"I am done listening to you. Let me know when you want to have a real conversation." She snaps, spinning on her heel away from me.
Klaus vamps to her and grabs her arm, turning her back around to face us.
"Hayley!"
She yanks her arm free and glares at Klaus, fury in her eyes. I walk across the leaves to join Klaus by his side.
"I am not going to stand here quietly while you tell me what I can and cannot to do to protect your daughter." She jabs her finger into his chest as he points at me.
"Our daughter! Not yours!"
"Right. Yours. But it was your mother who tried to kill her, and who knows what your equally psychotic brother is up to!"
"I will deal with Finn."
She turns to look at me incredulously, "And then what? Hope will always be the daughter of Klaus Mikaelson, the hybrid killer with a thousand enemies!"
Klaus's shoulders slump slightly, clearly hurt by her words, though he'd never show it.
"Don't you get it Felicity? It's him. He's the threat. He's so paranoid that you can't see that this wedding can help her. She can come home. The wolves will be on our side. That's what you wanted!"
That is what I wanted but this is not the way I wanted it to happen.
"The wolves cannot be trusted!" Klaus snarls, shaking his head as Hayley gets up in his face. I'm surprised he hasn't ripped her heart out, though I am grateful, as despite our differences, she's the only blood relative I have.
"In your paranoid mind, nobody can be trusted! Where does it end?"
"There is no end! Need I remind you I killed my own father in order to protect her? Felicity and I have sacrificed everything to protect our little girl."
"Really? That's why you killed him? Or is it just that you were so terrified of letting someone in?"
I step in front of Klaus's shaking fists, holding my hand up as a warning to her. The tips of my fingers touch her chest and I allow my wolf claws to come out slightly.
"Don't."
"Felicity please! I know this wedding can work. We can bring your little girl home. But you have to trust me. Please just trust me..."
Our eyes meet and I see a sincerity that I know is honest.
"I do trust you. Hayley... I just don't trust that Jackson won't tell. Willing or unwillingly."
I spin on my heel and begin walking away from the pair.
"Where the hell are you going!?" She snarls at me but I keep walking.
"To tell your fiancé the weddings off."
- - -
Helloo!
I hope you're all alright and that you enjoyed this chapter.
Felicity has gone into mama bear mode to protect Hope. How do you think Jackson will take the news?
Will the wedding go ahead?
Also, I wanted your opinions on whether or not Felicity and Klaus should visit Mystic Falls?
Let me know your thoughts and opinions, I love reading your comments! Don't forget to vote, comment and add to your reading lists.
Oh, and have a good day!
Xx