Chapter Seventeen. Live & Let Die
ELIJAH
{Patience Is A Virtue by Slaves}
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Never done it the way I should
So impatient, misunderstood
I've always let a girl dictate my feelings, yeah
Too distracted, too direct
Too numb, so I neglect
The things I should protect
I'm ready for what is next
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Arabella and Niklaus traveled outside of New Orleans for what they were calling their late-night snacks. Arabella effortlessly tore three hearts from three vampires in a matter of three minutes while Niklaus drained six humans of their blood. When they were finished they piled them all on top of one another and set them on fire. For the five hours, they hung out with one another, all they managed to do was smile their devious grins at one another and then moved on to their next victims. There was comfort in their silence. But Niklaus had to remember, Arabella wasn't comfortable with sharing anything with him. So if they hunted their prey in silence, then so be it.
The very same day, several hours later, Arabella walked the streets of the Quarter with a chilled iced tea with lemon, while Eli was trotting alongside her.
Arabella didn't really have anything to do on that particular Saturday but she found things to do to keep her busy.
With the lack of sleep, she spent the morning running to keep her mind off of Elijah, and she even decided she wanted to join a self-made gym Marcel had been throwing together. She saw several people do that as a way to blow off steam, and perhaps make her a bit tired so she'd actually have a chance to sleep. For the most part, it did help.
The old church Kieran ran happened to be condemned recently due to no one wanting to step foot inside of it. So Marcel thought it was best to make it into something more useful, like a gym for vampires. At some point Arabella did care there was yet another place where she wouldn't be welcomed. But she had an agenda of her own, and she needed a gym where she could do what she needed, and she couldn't do anything of the sort in a regular establishment.
That was second on her list of things to do for the day. The first was to grab a couple of her things because although she found Ara Michaels' wardrobe to be utterly adorable, she found comfort in the clothing Rebekah picked out for her. And she needed to talk to Elijah anyway.
So when she rounded the corner and walked in through the gates, she sipped at her drink as a red-headed woman-not the one she saw the night before- walk down the stairs. She was Niklaus' guest no doubt.
"Is there something I can help you with?" She asked. Her hand glided down the banister as she didn't break eye contact with Arabella. She stopped on the last step and crossed her arms under her chest as her red locks fell behind her shoulders. Arabella wondered if she'd entered an alternate universe, or if someone was playing some sort of joke on her. Because with an attitude like that, Arabella wanted to knock her head clean off her pretty little shoulders.
In what world, was a harlot asking Arabella any sort of questions? As if the wench had any sort of authority in the compound or in Niklaus' life for that matter.
Arabella looked behind her because maybe there was someone else there she wasn't paying attention to. It was when Arabella found no one there, she raised her eyebrow in confusion and turned back to the woman while pushing her sunglasses away from her eyes and up into her hair. Who was this woman, and why was she acting like she wasn't one of Niklaus' little harlots?
"No, you cannot help me. But I can help show you the way out." Arabella sassed. She brought the straw up to her lips and sipped at her iced tea slowly. Eli sat cautiously at her side and bowed his head slowly as he kept his eyes on the woman.
Aurora De Martel didn't like to be talked to in that manner. Nor did she like the dog. People who spoke to her like that always ended up having their throats ripped out and completely drained of blood. She couldn't wait to make an example out of Arabella. So Aurora swiftly sped in front of Arabella and stared into her eyes as she was prepping to compel her. Her pupils dilated as she stared. "You are going to turn around and never come back. You are not going to remember who Niklaus is. Or his family for that matter."
Arabella stared back at her as her expression fell. Arabella couldn't be compelled, but obviously, Aurora didn't know that. So when Arabella burst into a fit of laughter, Aurora took an abrupt step back.
"I'm sorry, I saw the opportunity so I took it!" Arabella continued to laugh. Her hands were resting on her chest as uncontrollable laughter came from a place that didn't feel amusement in so long. It was the first time in an extremely long time since Arabella laughed like that, and she missed it dearly. And Aurora was so used to having her compulsion work, she didn't think of the one time it wouldn't. "You should see your face!"
By then Niklaus heard what was going on, even the part where Arabella sassed Aurora. So he decided to end whatever it was going on down in the courtyard and send Aurora on her way. As much as he enjoyed her company, he'd rather deal with Arabella than deal with Aurora. He could almost guarantee Arabella wasn't there for him anyway. But her presence was obviously more light than one of a red-headed temptress.
While Niklaus leaned on his hands against the railing on the second floor, he looked down at Arabella with a smirk of his own. When she looked up at him from her continuous laughing, she stopped and sipped casually at her drink again. Niklaus shook his head playfully, and while he did so, Eli began to yelp in his direction.
Arabella looked down at her companion and raised an eyebrow at Eli's sudden interest in the hybrid. It didn't take her long to realize Niklaus might have had a part in taking care of him while she was indisposed for the day. So she looked down at Eli again and smiled, she couldn't help but find the two's relationship, adorable. "Well go on, he's not going to wait forever."
With that being said, Eli darted from his seated position and raced passed Aurora, and went up the stairs. Arabella could see Eli's tail wag ferociously as Niklaus started rubbing him all over. That was a sight that actually made her heart warm.
"Aurora was just leaving," Niklaus mentioned as he was sharing an almost friendly moment with the Goldie, who was now laying on his back while Niklaus gave his belly a rub. "You can show yourself out."
"You're going to make me leave, over this frizzed hair, short, little hobbit?" Aurora gaped, clearly appalled Niklaus would make her leave over Arabella. She obviously didn't know who Arabella was and what her place was in the Mikaelson family, but it was great Arabella was there to let her know personally just how important she was. But that didn't stop Arabella from being over-exaggerating as she gasped and dramatically placed her hand on her chest. Yes, she was short. But in no way like a hobbit, whatever that was. And her hair was hardly frizzed, at least she thought so. The heat in New Orleans was far worse than the heat in Cannes.
"Well that is what happens when family has jurisdiction over one-night stands," Arabella sat her drink down on a nearby table and walked up to Aurora casually. That remark made Arabella casually smile cheekily at Aurora. "And to be clear, compulsion does not work on me. So I'm only going to tell you this once. If you try and pull another stunt like that again, I'll rip your throat out so fast, your hands won't have time to cover it before you hit the floor."
"I'm a vampire, I can't die." She took a step forward. She was so sure, which was rather dumb of her. And all Arabella did was stand her ground and keep her chin up.
"Well if you're dealing with me, sure you can." Arabella smiled softly with a nonchalant shrug of her left shoulder. Aurora was confused. But when she saw Arabella's eyes flash the famous amber and maroon colors, that struck fear in her no doubt.
Aurora's nose flared. She didn't move from where she was standing, so Arabella being who she was, started waving her hand toward the gates to get her going on her way. Aurora rolled her eyes and left without another word. When she was no longer in earshot, Arabella looked up to her ex-brother-in-law, who looked pleased to see his ex-sister-in-law stand her ground without an ounce of violence. Although, he did secretly wish to see Arabella show Aurora a lesson or two.
"So what pleasure do I have in your visit today?" He asked. He stood up when Eli rolled over onto his paws and lay at Niklaus' feet.
"Who said I was here for you?" Arabella cocked her head back, clearly joking with him. It was weird they were actually getting along, especially since they didn't share many words while they were feeding together in the early hours of dawn. But Arabella wasn't trying when it came to being nice to him. That's what caught her off guard. "I'm actually here for Elijah. Have you seen him?"
Almost immediately after she asked, Elijah emerged from the direction of the kitchen. He was wiping his hands with a white cloth, but he also had his suit jacket on too. So he must have been getting ready to head out. But not before he stopped and looked up and saw Arabella standing there. He looked at her the same way, every time he saw her. Like a rare gem, a sight of pure beauty. A genuine smile arose on his lips. He looked at her as if they were still a couple, he looked at her as if they were still married. So much love in his eyes, and all hers revealed was pure adoration. They were crazy for one another no matter the turmoil and drama.
"Found him," Niklaus called. Arabella turned her head up to him and smirked as she got the gist of his joke. But she wanted to throw something at his head for being so generic.
She turned back around and returned a small smile of her own. Why was it so hard to stay away from Elijah? She knew she needed to talk to him, but every other time where she tried to avoid him, she found herself only inches away. She didn't get it, but she had the idea. She just had to look at him, he was a sight with godly proportions.
"Can I speak with you for a moment?" Arabella asked softly and with hope. She wasn't sure with all the pushing away she was doing, that he would even want to hear from her. But it didn't take Elijah more than three seconds to nod his head and turn to the side and wait for her to walk ahead towards the kitchen. Before Arabella did so, she turned her head up and smirked again.
"Keep an eye on him for me?" She asked. She was clearly talking to Eli. But she meant that as a joke also. Niklaus however, didn't catch it.
"Sure thing," Niklaus replied with a small shrug of his shoulder and Arabella chuckled as her eyebrows went up.
"I was talking to Eli." She shook her head as she still laughed at him, and then she walked off, Elijah following shortly after.
When she made it to the door of the kitchen, Elijah turned and planted his feet firmly on the ground, he threw the cloth down on the island and then stuffed his hands in his pants' pockets. He raised his head and looked at her expectingly. "What can I do fo-."
"I wanted to apologize." She cut him off. Arabella felt if she didn't get it out, then she would have never said it. So although she didn't mean to interrupt him, she was glad that she did. Elijah however, looked confused. He didn't know what she was apologizing for.
"Can I ask what you're apologizing for?" He squinted slowly. Arabella already looked like she didn't want to have a conversation with him, but he was the reason why she couldn't sleep. So she had to say what she was thinking.
"For my behavior, for treating you less than what you deserve. I was hurt because you didn't choose me over Niklaus, and ever since I've been holding it against you. I was hurt and I was treating you like your feelings weren't valid. You've proved yourself more than once that you've always cared for me even when I've been less than accepting of it. It wasn't fair for me to give you a choice, Elijah. And I'm sorry."
"Why are you telling me this?" Slowly, Elijah's eyes were watering, he even looked away momentarily to try and hide it but Arabella hadn't noticed them yet. She only thought he looked away because he didn't want to speak with her.
"Because I am so tired of fighting my feelings for you, Elijah. I can't help but love you. And it's literally driving me mad trying to be upset with you." Arabella confessed. They were both at a safe distance from one another, but all Elijah wanted to do was wrap his arms around her. He obviously controlled the urge to do so. "And that is why I wanted to tell you first, that you were right."
She lightly shook her head as tears were brimming her eyes also. She blinked slowly and looked away so that he wouldn't notice. But he did notice.
She really didn't want to have the conversation with him, but the constant guilt ate away at her conscience. She might have done things out of spite to annoy and upset Elijah. But every word she said was true. She loved Elijah with every single part of her heart and she couldn't bring it to herself to continue to be so cruel to him. She had no right to give him a choice, and she had no right to treat him so horribly just because he made one. She couldn't believe it took her that long to notice. And she realized if Bête still had a say, Arabella and Elijah would have not been discussing any of it.
Elijah tilted his head a bit in confusion because he didn't know what he was right about. The look he was giving her, told her she needed to elaborate on what she meant.
"You asked me if I was really going to spend the next thousand years trying to plot and kill Niklaus. And at first, without hesitation, my answer was yes. But now? That isn't what I want. I was upset because a thousand years were wasted, and taken from me. From us. But as I live and breathe, I do not wish to find myself living and plotting my ex-brother-in-law's demise while trying to be happy. I'm done with being angry, spiteful, and sad. Now, I just want to truly feel peace. And I can't truly move on with my life and feel this peace if I don't apologize. If I don't make this, right." Her hands motioned in a slow gesture towards the both of them.
Elijah was at a loss for words. He felt Arabella was sincere, and he assumed Arabella really put a lot of thought into it. Her words meant the world to Elijah, just hearing how Arabella no longer had a vendetta against Niklaus, had been a sigh of relief. Redemption was in the far future for Niklaus, but it was a one-step-at-a-time, type of scenario. As of that moment, all was well.
A smile gradually lit up Elijah's face. And it was a smile Arabella hadn't seen in so long. So when she saw those gleaming teeth her stomach felt light, producing butterflies and her chest felt heavy.
Neither noticed their closeness when Elijah brought his hand up to Arabella's chin and held her face between his index finger and his thumb. For once, everything felt right. Elijah was elated that the circumstances between him and Arabella could finally be fixed. And he planned to gently place a kiss on her cheek. Just to show that he'd accepted her apology. But as he got closer, her eyebrows furrowed as she realized something so suddenly.
"What is a hobbit? And why was I called one?" She asked as Elijah's lips were only two centimeters from her face. When he stopped, he processed what she said and when he thought about it, his smile returned as he chuckled.
"You, were called a hobbit?" He squinted just as he again processed what she said. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh or really answer her question. So he decided to laugh. "Who's bright idea was to do that?"
"Redhead, clearly a vampire. Apparently has an unhealthy relationship with your brother." Arabella stuck up three fingers one by one into the air as she named off none other than Aurora de Martel. She rolled her eyes to Niklaus' taste in women.
"Ah, that would be Aurora de Martel. Rebekah sires her; and between you and me, the girl is similar to what we call a 'basket case'. She's nothing like her brother, he on the other hand is somewhat of a brilliant nuisance." He described the two siblings as he placed air quotes around Aurora De Martel's mental state. Arabella normally didn't judge, but the vampire annoyed Arabella. Now she knew the woman wasn't right in the head.
"Oh, so you sire her brother then?" She asked with a sort of knowing. Brilliance radiated out of Elijah's pores. That much, Arabella did know. And whoever Elijah sired had to be one of his own reflections. He didn't care less about who he turned. She could tell.
"Yes, Tristan de Martel. He's sort of someone I left in the past, but somehow, he, his sister, and an organization that I created had decided to make an unexpected reappearance." Elijah explained while sticking a hand in his pocket. A gesture Arabella knew too well. But little did she know, Elijah did it because he wanted to hold Arabella's ring in his hand. Sort of giving him that feeling of holding her hand. He had done it every day since she gave it to him, and he continued to do it. In that little piece of jewelry, he found comfort.
"So if you sire this Tristan, and Rebekah sires Aurora. Then who does Niklaus sire?" Curiosity got the best of her. She needed to know. She missed out on so much while she lay in a box for a thousand years, she didn't know anything about being a sire since wolves didn't have that type of power. Wolves couldn't turn anyone of their choosing, the curse had to be passed down.
She would never know anyone like her anyway because Arabella didn't have a lengthy family tree, and with a thought like that, she felt lonely. Being immortal like the Mikaelsons, she assumed she couldn't reproduce, so that was why she never gave it a second thought about having children. And besides, she wouldn't want children if they couldn't be Elijah's, and he couldn't procreate because he didn't share Niklaus' bloodline. He was just a vampire, and that was enough for her.
"Lucien Castle. And he happens to be brilliant as much as he is psychotic." Elijah sighed. It made sense to Arabella though. It brought her out of her thoughts because meeting someone like Lucien, he shared Niklaus' smugness. And she wondered why it irritated her at some point. Not recently, but when she first met him.
"This just proves to me once again Niklaus sure knows how to pick them." She laughed as she shook her head and leaned back against the island.
"They showed up a little after you were abducted, but they haven't given me a reason to question their intentions. At least not yet." He explained.
"When did you all start to turn people?" She turned her head slightly. She only asked because there was no way they were turning anyone when she was around a thousand years ago. Niklaus And Kol were wooing the pretty little servant girls of the castle, Rebekah was being tailored for various gowns and chatting it up with the older ladies who made those gowns. And Finn had a knack for being alone, he did however spend a lot of time with Arabella's father before he passed. And Elijah, he was always with Ara, they were inseparable.
"It was shortly after hearing you were killed. I had a rather dark period because of it. With you being gone and Mikael on our trail, we had to blend in for a while, but of course, every turn we took Mikael was three steps behind us. So we decided to sire these three because we thought it might help to throw Mikael off and into a different direction, at least for a little while. So we turned them, and we compelled them to take on our lives, live as we lived and that lasted for a while also. A hundred years or so. Then slowly they began to remember who they were but not who they were running from. Ever since they've been searching for us." he bowed his head, and with Elijah explaining what happened, he realized just how horrible it sounded. He didn't want to meet Arabella's eyes because of it.
"Well, it seems like this Aurora can be persuaded into forgiveness." Arabella joked. Which caused her to burst out in laughter. The whole ordeal seemed to fly right over her head. But of course, it would, at the end of the day, she would always forgive Elijah.
Elijah had been the one to shake his head and laugh. It felt amazing to have a decent conversation with Arabella where they weren't arguing, but he wondered how long it was going to last. It was only yesterday when he accused her of having feelings for his brother, and somehow she was there, standing with him, apologizing for how she acted towards him. He didn't want to look forward to anything that involved her hating him and him arguing with her, but lately very little made Arabella want to explode. And he didn't want to be the one to light the fuse.
When the laughter between the two died down and it became quiet again, Arabella looked about the kitchen, where there was another question she needed to ask so she thought it was best to get it out there before the moment passed.
"Where is Rebekah? I haven't seen her since before you snapped my neck." her head tilted slightly and her eyebrows furrowed while remembering the events that happened the day before.
"It's a long story, but she's with Hope. Maybe I can tell you about it over lunch or perhaps dinner?" He asked, that time he was the one who was hopeful.
Arabella squinted, but she understood. Hope was the one person in the Mikaelson family who deserved to be protected. Especially since she was only a child. And from what little Arabella remembered of the little girl, every enemy the Mikaelson family had ever known would come for that special baby. So it was imperative that Rebekah watched over her. No person better to watch over her than Bex. Hope was the family's hope, and she was Niklaus' road to redemption. Again, Arabella understood.
"Is the Elijah Mikaelson asking me out on a date?" Arabella cocked her head back as if almost surprised and smiled widely.
"Is there something wrong with that?" He lifted his head and met her eyes while taking a mindless step forward. He returned her smile with one of his own.
"Besides the fact that we're divorced and I'm sort of convinced that you don't like me. Of course not." Arabella laughed at her own sarcasm and Elijah joined her. Her smile ran a mile when she looked at him, it grew at the thought that he was already looking at her.
"So?" Elijah asked, he grew hopeful again that she'd say yes.
"I -." Arabella began, but as soon as she wanted to accept, she was cut off.
Arabella's phone started to ring. She took it upon herself to purchase a new phone while her recent one had been destroyed the day she was abducted. She had completely forgotten she had it in her pocket, as it made some annoying jingle. She still wasn't fond of it, but she had to agree it did make her life just a smidge less complicated.
She looked at it and saw Camille's name pop up across the screen. She looked up at Elijah, somehow apologizing to him with her eyes. He just nodded his head and gave her the space she needed to go ahead and answer.
Arabella turned away and slid her finger across the screen and pushed the device to her ear. On the other end was a breathless Camille who was explaining Francesca was spotted outside of Rousseau's and how she overheard she just bought the place. So she was definitely up to no good, and to Arabella, that clearly wasn't something she was okay with. Camille was ready to go and figure out what that key belonged to. And Arabella agreed.
"Okay, meet me at the church. I've been meaning to talk with Marcel anyway. From there we'll figure it out together." Arabella became furious. She sounded like she was in a rush and it was important that she get to that church.
Arabella hung up the phone and almost didn't recognize she was walking out of the kitchen. Elijah was trailing behind with a curious look on his face. He heard the entire conversation but he thought it'd be more appropriate if Arabella told him herself. He continued to remind himself he didn't want to do anything to upset her.
She turned to him and smiled lightly. "I have to go help, Camille. Apparently, Francesca just bought Rousseau's so she's moving in closer to the compound." Arabella mentioned.
"You think that's a bad thing?" Elijah squinted. He couldn't hide his smile though, and it was the most he's done it in a long time. Arabella could tell.
"Of course, the closer she is to you, the more damage she could do to this family. And I'll be damned if I let her hurt any of you." Arabella ranted as she walked a little further until she reached the opening to the courtyard.
"And what about Marcel? How does he come into the equation?"
"Marcel has the key that Camille needs, she has this need to find out why Francesca is so needy of it. If we find out what it is first, we can maybe use it against her." Arabella answered.
"You do know that Francesca and her brothers haven't shown any signs of being werewolves." He mentioned a small smirk appeared on his face. He was somehow trying to let Arabella down gently because maybe she was wrong about Francesca and her brothers.
"Oh, they are werewolves. They just haven't triggered their curse yet. But they will, with the right motivation." Arabella walked up to him after looking away from her phone. She needed to get to the church, and she had very little time to get there before Camille showed up. And the last thing Arabella needed was to have a human walking into a gym full of vampires, alone. So she needed to hurry. "And yes, I would love to have lunch or dinner with you. But may I take a rain check?"
Arabella playfully rolled her eyes and bit her lower lip. Just that face alone made Elijah weak. So he nodded his head, and instantly a smile beamed across her face. She stretched out on her legs, reached up and kissed Elijah's cheek in excitement, and bounced lightly on her feet as she backed away slowly. When she went to turn around and disappear, Hayley happened to be walking in. The sight of the werewolf made her shoulders drop and her eyes begin to narrow.
Hayley on the other hand didn't like to see Arabella and Elijah in the same room with each other. Call it jealousy, but she believed the two were too toxic for one another. Just like she was toxic to Elijah. Stringing him along knowing he didn't fall for women easily.
"Hayley, I assume you've come to speak with Elijah on the many bad decisions he seems to be making on being involved with the likes of me?" Arabella smiled. Now Arabella had reasons to believe that she was picking up Niklaus' habits and snide remarks.
"Not everything is about you, Arabella." Hayley rolled her eyes and Arabella crossed her arms as she became smug.
"Eh, I disagree. But, I-uh- heard you were getting married here in the next few days. Congratulations." Arabella shrugged her left shoulder.
"Thanks." Hayley pursed her lips. Then she looked past Arabella and eyed Elijah. Arabella however, stepped to her left and blocked Hayley's view. They weren't together, but Arabella would forever be protective over the man she once called her husband.
"You're welcome. Clearly, I was surprised poor Jackson wanted to be married to you in the first place. Seeing as you're obsessively in love with my ex-husband and all. Does he know- Jackson I mean- that you're here to see the man you're still in love with, just days before your wedding?" Arabella furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips also. Somewhat mocking the look on Hayley's face.
"Is that any of your business?" Hayley flipped her hair over her shoulders and her eyebrows arched.
"I like to make it my business when it comes to who speaks to my family," Arabella replied dryly.
"If you haven't gotten the memo, you're not a Mikaelson anymore." Hayley shot back. Clearly below the belt, but Arabella was quick to brush it off.
"And you never were a Mikaelson." Arabella flared as her eyes shifted into their red bloody-molasses color. "So if that's all. Then you may go."
"If I wasn't clear, you're obviously not invited to my wedding." Hayley rolled her eyes as she made a beeline for the gates.
"Oh, shoot." Arabella snapped her fingers, dramatically showing that she was hurt. But she really didn't care. Her eyes faded back to her icy blues with a calm blink.
With that, Hayley parted ways by glaring at Arabella and glancing at Elijah. Once her presence was no longer felt. Arabella turned to Elijah, shrugged her shoulder, and winked. Then she was gone.
It was something with the way Arabella took charge without Elijah saying a word to Hayley, that got him in a type of mood. He didn't have anything to say to Hayley anyway with what she said about Arabella at the party. He didn't want to hold that against Hayley because she was entitled to her wrong opinion. But really, there was nothing else to say. So for Arabella being there at the right time, he was grateful, and most definitely amused.
Upstairs, Eli was napping on the edge of Niklaus' bed while NiKlaus took his time and showered. And downstairs, Elijah was alone, also wrapping his head around what just happened. Arabella's assertiveness didn't even make him question why Hayley was coming to see him.
But it did make him think of Gia, and his heart sank. She was who he was aiming to see before Arabella walked into the courtyard with her workout gear and her furry sidekick. For if Arabella knew of her, Gia would suffer. And by suffering, Arabella would most likely tear Gia's heart out and make Elijah watch. Elijah couldn't let another person perish because of him. He couldn't allow Arabella to let that happen. He knew he had to end whatever it was he thought he had with Gia.
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Arabella walked into the gym and was instantly surrounded by what looked to be extremely skilled vampires. Quite a few were dressed in workout gear, while others were dressed in suits. Arabella looked down and smiled at their alertness. She assumed that this group might have been a fraction of the organization that Elijah mentioned. They all dressed just like him.
Marcel walked through the surrounding circle and grinned from ear to ear when he saw it was Arabella, living, and breathing. He was convinced she was actually dead, but then again, she couldn't die. He hoped for a while, that she did, and that she could.
"Arabella Mikaelson, what can I do for you?" He asked as he became smug, the circle around them didn't light up around her either.
"I've come to talk to you about joining your gym." She stuck her chin in the air as her feet planted themselves firmly on the ground.
"This gym doesn't welcome werewolves. Especially your kind of werewolf." He pointed a finger at her. Arabella was sure that the whole city knew who she was by now, but that didn't bother her the least bit.
"Ouch, and here I thought that you of all people, would be the one for integration. Taken your background and all." She rolled her eyes at Marcel's ignorance. Even she thought that he wouldn't be one to judge someone based on who they were.
"This has nothing to do with integration, Hell! Not even segregation. This has to do with werewolves being lethal to vampires. I'm not taking a chance. So, you can go." He was in her face now, but Arabella's expression never faltered as everyone else watched.
"I can go, but before I do. I'm going to need that key you've been holding on to." her right eyebrow raised.
"What key?" Marcel knew of the key she mentioned, but no one else knew. And he would like to keep everyone else clueless about its existence.
"Oh you know, the key that belonged to Father Kieran the day he died. The one you took." Arabella was through with the run-around she was receiving. She was fed up with the games. And she knew that Marcel knew. "Yeah, Camille caught me up with all of the gory details."
"And what makes you think I would give it to you?" His smile widened. There was no way he was going to give it to her that easily, he didn't know whether she had plans to use that key herself or give it to someone. So for that, he was extra protective over it.
"Would you rather Camille come in here and get it from you? Because she's on her way. She's supposed to meet me." Arabella turned slightly in the direction from which she came and poked her thumb out as if Camille would walk in any moment.
"You're bluffing." He narrowed his eyes.
"Am I? I can call her if you'd like." She grinned shortly after she pulled out her cell phone. "Or you can hand over the key and I'll be on my merry way."
"I don't think so." His smile returned, only, it wasn't from being amused. He really didn't like Arabella. He didn't have to be nice, but he had to respect her, she was the most feared in all of New Orleans. And he really didn't feel like dying by her hands.
Never thought he would have to think that. Arabella is more terrifying than Niklaus Mikaelson.
"Fine, then how about I take on your best fighters for it?" She asked, which she closed with a sigh. She already knew how the whole thing would turn out. But she needed that key. That was her main priority.
"Ha, no way. All they need is one bite and they die. I'm not taking that chance." Marcel became defensive almost immediately.
"I've never used my bite to kill anyone. I have other methods for that. Besides, I'd like to get a workout in since I'm clearly not welcomed there. So what do you say?" Arabella raised her eyebrow again. For being feared, she would have thought that everyone would have an insight into her patterns. But it seemed like they were all clueless.
Marcel looked around to see if it were really a good idea. Looking for the okay from the others. Arabella was dangerous, and he didn't want to be responsible for any dead Strix members.
"I'm in." A tall, dark, and bulky man stepped from the circle and stood behind Marcel. Arabella's eyes lit up.
"Excellent." Arabella beamed. The bigger they are...
Four more stood around Arabella and she couldn't contain her excitement as she smiled brightly at Marcel.
"Fine, if you beat all five of the Strix's best fighters. Then I will gladly give you the key." He rubbed his forehead and threw his hand up in defeat.
"But?" She egged on. She knew there wouldn't be a fight without rules and guidelines.
"You cannot turn wolf, nor could you bite any of them." Marcel's tone became low. If Arabella actually cared about Marcel's opinion, she would almost feel insulted. But she hadn't, and she didn't. But she only dealt with his existence because Rebekah fancied him.
"Sounds fair. Shall we?"
After that, the circle around her parted and the space that she walked through led straight to the cage where Arabella would fight the Strix members.
She was the first to step up and step into the ring. Behind her, a female, about the same height as Arabella, followed in behind her holding an extra pair of wraps. She held them out for Arabella to take, and she did take them. Arabella wondered why she was offered anything at all.
The woman nodded her head once and then backed away and started stretching while she waited for Arabella to finish wrapping her hands. But holding those wraps, memories flashed behind her eyes.
Arabella didn't know how to fight, so Kol decided that he would be the one to teach her. So she dressed in an extra pair of Kol's trousers and a button-down shirt and waited for her lesson in the ballroom. Elijah leaned against a nearby wall as he watched her with curiousness and adoration. He felt that he could always protect Arabella from harm. But Arabella, being who she was, wanted to be able to defend herself, and her family when the time came. By then, she knew they were vampires, and they knew she was a werewolf, though they had not seen the beast she transformed into. So the lessons wouldn't be hard or awkward when the time came. When Arabella turned her head to see Elijah watching her, she smiled wide, and with the clear love in her eyes, she knew her life couldn't be any better. Then Kol walked in with his boyish grin and started with three simple words.
"Shall we begin?"
Arabella came back, and she remembered. She remembered who Kol was. And instantly she sighed with exasperation when the memories of him came sailing back.
She looked down at her hands and they were wrapped almost perfectly, but she didn't have any recollection of doing it herself.
She would get back to Kol later, for now, the remembrance of knowing how to fight surged through her bones, which made her look up through her eyelashes and smile devilishly. The female fighter placed her hands up close to her face and inched closer as she indicated she was ready too.
Arabella didn't know anything about protecting her face, all she knew was to simply keep her guard up. She was so used to shifting into her inner monster that she really didn't worry about up-close combat. But she no longer wanted to rely on the Lycan inside of her to fight her battles, she wanted to be as dangerous as her counter-demon. And fighting the Strix members and getting that key was technically killing two birds with one stone.
She was obviously still working on the common phrases for the present century.
The fighter tried to catch Arabella off guard by swinging her foot up towards her head. Arabella reacted by diving below and then jabbing the fighter in her stomach. The force of the blow sent her flying into the wiring around the cage. But she caught herself and landed on her feet with little to no effort.
That was when another fighter entered the cage. And Arabella couldn't help but smirk. They all wanted to see a challenge. Vampires versus Werewolves.
He came in swinging, and at that time Arabella was unprepared. The male fighter's foot connected directly to her chest and she went flying back against the cage that time. The wind was knocked out of her, but she didn't plan to stay on the floor for long. She hurried and scrambled to her feet, and as soon as she was standing straight her eyes flared. She wasn't shifting, but the male fighter didn't know that. So he backed away, and she stalked closer, and as soon as his back hit the cage, Arabella went to swing at him but the female fighter was behind her. But that didn't stop Arabella since she quickly turned and grabbed her by her neck and snapped it with an effortless move. Which made the male fighter upset because he charged at Arabella. She was quick to twist around and grab him from behind, and she squeezed him hard enough to make his spine snap. Once he cried out in pain, she took his head in her hands and twisted it hard enough to snap it. Two bodies lay limp on the mats as she stood above them with her chest heaving.
Arabella was panting now when she looked up to see how Marcel was looking at her but instead found Elijah, standing right behind him. When the others felt his presence, they all turned in his direction and stared. But Elijah's attention was on one person only: Arabella.
Quite frankly he assumed that she would be in and out with retrieving the key from Marcellus. However, he didn't expect Arabella to stoop so low into fighting them for it. For now, he felt obligated to get her out of the mess she was in. Too bad he didn't know that Arabella wanted to be in that fighting cage. She needed the practice.
"What happened to needing the workout?" Marcel shouted as his arms flew outward from his sides.
"What happened to this being a challenge? This is sad." Arabella shrugged. She calmed her breathing and turned away, and as soon as she said and did it, the tall, dark, and bulky fighter sped into the cage, and Arabella's shoulders fell. She knew that there were three more fighters she was supposed to take on before getting the key, but now she was bored.
Elijah used his vampire speed to get into the cage and he stood right in front of the other male fighter. The two temporarily dead vampires were being pulled out of the cage.
Elijah removed his suit jacket as he waited for the fight to commence, and as he did so Arabella's right eyebrow automatically went up as she checked out Elijah. She realized just why she didn't picture him wearing anything else because he was absolutely arousing in the suits he wore. Especially when he was wearing all black. She wasn't entirely sure whether she wanted to scold him for trying to defend her, or simply unbutton his shirt slowly, and entertain the craving she'd been missing.
And since she couldn't go with her second choice, she went by scolding him for trying to defend her.
"Elijah, Qu'est-ce que tu fais?" {What're you doing?} She mentioned as she turned him slightly by the shoulder. "I've got this handled."
"If this were truly handled, then you would have already had the key and you wouldn't be fighting vampires Arabella. What're you trying to do, get them to trigger your inner wolf?" He didn't look at her, and that's what Arabella hated. She didn't like when he didn't look at her when he spoke because she knew, just by that he was upset with her. But she didn't know why. It was her choice to fight these vampires, but he wouldn't understand.
"I cannot work out in a normal gym Elijah. And I hate to say it, but vampires give me a challenge. I'm trying to stay in shape and help Camille. So what if I have to fight to get it?" She explained. But that didn't cause Elijah to move.
"We'll talk about this later," his head was low as he rolled up his sleeves, and then he positioned himself as the fighter stalked closer. Then the other two joined him as they could see that it was unfair for one vampire to go up against two Originals.
Elijah calmly raised his fists, but Arabella took it upon herself to fight the other two. They immediately began to throw their punches and Arabella ducked and weaved. They were fast, but Elijah was faster since he knocked the bulkier man out with two swings of his fist, then he raced around them and snapped the others' necks, and stared at Arabella. He was annoyed.
"Marcellus, if you would." Elijah's eyes didn't leave Arabella's gaze. But it didn't matter because she didn't feel guilty about her choices, and if that was how Elijah wanted to make her feel then he was in for a rude awakening. She wasn't taking anything back.
Arabella was the first to step out of the cage and was met by Marcel who was approaching her through the expanding crowd of vampires.
"A deal's a deal." Marcel smiled as he held the key up for Arabella to take. Just before she reached to grab for it, Elijah was already at her side, precisely at the same time Aya walked in to see what was going on.
"Oh look who it is, the sire who doesn't give a rat's end about any of us." She smirked as she swayed with a certain beauty in her walk.
"Aya, it's always good to see you." Elijah sighed as he continued to stare at the woman who drove him completely mad. Arabella.
"Mmn, likewise," Aya replied dryly and with a great amount of sarcasm.
Arabella had no clue who the woman was, but clearly, there was a past between Elijah and her that was definitely unfinished. Arabella continued to stare at Elijah just like he was doing to her. Two could play at that game, and she had no intention of letting Elijah feel like he was right about something he knew nothing about.
"Now listen closely. Arabella is going to walk out of here. Beyond those doors you do not speak to her, look at her, or breathe in her general direction. Do I make myself clear?" Elijah looked from person to person as he weaved his arms through his suit jacket, making him look dangerous and sexy at the same time. Arabella had to snap out of her daze before she realized she was drooling. She was supposed to be upset by the way he interfered with her business, but it was kind of hard when she wanted to bite him.
"You're really just going to come in here and start making demands?" Marcel asked as he grew smug. Somehow thinking that giving Elijah lip would earn him brownie points with the Strix. It wasn't.
"Ah. Shh, Shh, Shh. Marcel, grown-ups are talking." Elijah turned his head away from Arabella and ignored whatever snide remark Marcel thought he was going to come up with.
But Arabella couldn't control the chuckle that escaped passed her lips. Once Elijah looked at her from his side view she tried her best to close her mouth. It was time for her to go, so she turned and started for the entrance to the church. No one was stopping her, not even Elijah. She thought that he was making sure that she left without someone following her, and that was why he wasn't leaving with her. But she had other things to do than worry about Elijah and his sired vampires.
Arabella made it outside and Camille turned around and faced Arabella when she approached. Camille seemed almost dazed and confused by Arabella, and Arabella wondered why that was.
"Are you ready to go?" Arabella asked as a general precaution. She wanted to see if she had been compelled by Elijah or not. And she could tell by what Camille's answer would be. If Camille were to ask where they were going, then Arabella would know, and that would cause a problem for Elijah and her. She needed Camille focused and with compulsion, Camille would be left cloudy and dazed and not herself. Arabella held up the key for Camille to take.
"I'm ready whenever you are," Camille replied calmly, however, her body language told Arabella that she was nervous about something. She took the key from Arabella and diverted her eyes elsewhere. She appreciated the help Arabella was giving, but she was still cautious because Arabella was still the big bad wolf of the French Quarter. A title that rightfully belonged to Niklaus Mikaelson, but now that Arabella Sophia Bonavich was back in town, she definitely reigned as the most terrifying. Even when she did look like a goddess on the outside. "When my brother was still alive, we spoke in this specific code. Somehow my uncle figured out how to leave me a clue as to where this key goes. I solved it, and now I know where we're going."
Arabella looked around the Quarter while she listened, and what she found were tourists walking and laughing with their friends or relatives. Arabella's eyes came across werewolves who were gathered around eating hotdogs and laughing. It was weird that they so freely roamed about in the Quarter, but they weren't the reason why Camille was feeling uneasy.
And then her eyes landed on a man, he had dark hair and bright eyes. He stared at Arabella as if he knew her. But she was sure she had never seen him before in her life.
He smirked at her, and that caused Arabella to furrow her eyebrows as she turned Camille away and began walking down the sidewalk. But Arabella couldn't help herself, she turned a little and looked at him again, and he didn't blink. He watched her. She was sure that she didn't know him, but by the look on his face, he definitely knew who she was. More than anyone in the entire city of New Orleans. And that made Arabella nervous.
"Is that guy behind us making you feel weird? Cause I can rip his tongue out if you'd like." Arabella offered, clearly covering up the uneasiness that she was feeling toward the stranger. She needed Camille to say yes in order for Arabella to feel better because Arabella didn't like to feel uneasy, and Arabella didn't like people who made her feel uneasy. She needed an excuse to use violence.
"Wha- oh, no." She turned, but Camille didn't see anyone when Arabella turned to see what she wasn't seeing, the man was gone. So that did make Arabella feel a little crazy. "I just know Francesca is up to no good. And I'm hoping this key could give us some answers."
Arabella smiled lightly, she could sense the good in Camille, and sure, it made her want to hurl. But she was trying to be good also. Start a new life of positivity and happiness. And the first step to doing so was helping Camille put a stop to Francesca Correa.
🖤
Arabella and Camille had been led up a flight of stairs, no words were exchanged, just looks between the women. When the door opened they stepped through and what they saw was disappointing.
At least, to Arabella it was. She just bought an extravagant house and lives lavishly. The apartment she was roaming into had not been tasteful. Actually, she thought of it to be completely bland in color, decor, and furniture. She didn't know Father Kieran, but his taste seemed sad. Even for a priest.
"Do you mind if we take a look, alone?" Camille asked the man standing at the door.
"Take as long as you need." He replied as he closed the door behind him. Arabella continued to look, to search for some sort of a clue. But nothing was catching her eye.
"So, what is it we're looking for?" Arabella wondered. She used her senses to spot anything out of place. She looked in the kitchen first, and then the rather small and dainty living area. And as she took three steps in, then turned slightly to the left. She felt it. It was a cold draft of air, and she smelled old iron. At first, her first inclination would be to think it was blood but taking that she felt cool air, actual iron was her next best guess. She just had to find out where the cool air was coming from.
So Arabella held her hand up to keep Camille quiet. She wasn't trying to be rude, but she needed the silence to hear the whistle coming from the air. If there was a secret door to be found then she would be the one to find it.
Ten minutes in and Arabella was standing in front of a closet door. If there was something important in that closet then it wasn't hidden very well. And Father Kieran was more careless than Arabella thought.
"Maybe the key belongs to a chest." Camille shrugged her shoulder and then looked at Arabella.
"We won't know until you open it." Arabella sighed.
Camille reached for the doorknob and hesitated on turning it. But Arabella didn't rush her. She lost her uncle not too long ago and Arabella knew of loss all too well.
What happened to her mother, and her father? Arabella was alone in the modern world. Elijah was there but he wasn't always. Arabella would do anything to have at least one of her parents with her. She felt for Camille, but only for that moment.
When she opened the door, all Camille saw was clothes hanging on hangers, and shoes that she never saw her uncle wear. Arabella poked her head around the door and knew that wasn't it. She stepped around Camille and separated the clothes, which revealed another door. Camille didn't take the time to question her deceased uncle, instead, she took the key and placed it into the door, and turned it. Resulting in it propping open. So now they knew where the key belonged, but what was behind it?
Camille pulled the door open and the two stepped inside. At first, Arabella didn't notice it because magic no longer worked on her, but she could sense it all over the room.
"Dark objects." Arabella sighed. An entire room filled with objects that could be used against supernatural beings, and Camille's uncle happened to have a hold on all of it. Arabella looked over at Camille and saw how overwhelmed she was becoming.
"Now we know why Francesca was so hell-bent on having the key." Camille continued to look around, confusion etched across her face, but curiousness took over soon after. "But why would someone who's in charge of the human faction, want centuries-old artifacts? I mean, my uncle was human but he had allies."
"That's because, unlike Kieran, he was involved with the community within the Quarter. Whereas Francesca, just wants to rule over all the factions."
"How do you know this?" Camille asked.
"You could tell when someone is hungry for power. And I can smell it all over her. If she was itching to have that key, she was planning something dangerous. It's up to us to figure out what it is. Something here has the answers." Arabella continued to look around the room.
"Okay, so we'll take a look. You take one side and I'll take the other."
Arabella nodded and after, they went to work. About thirty-three minutes in, Arabella heard Elijah. And for a split second, she thought she was hearing things, but then a woman's voice started joining in, and she heard Elijah again. Arabella knew she wasn't crazy.
She left Camille at her work and went to check out one of the nearest windows. She didn't lift the blinds and peer out, she leaned softly against the wall and pulled down one of the flaps, and looked outside. And she was correct, Elijah was standing there on the street, with some girl with a medium tan skin tone, wearing a leather jacket while also holding a violin case. She was a little too close for Arabella's comfort, and quickly she dismissed it as something minor. Elijah had just asked Arabella out on a date, he wasn't a two-timer. They weren't together anyway, so why was jealousy soaring through her entire body, as if they were?
The woman began to tug on Elijah's tie, and he seemed almost dazed.
She reached up and kissed Elijah's lips, and he didn't think about stopping her. That sent her over the edge. Arabella's rage had gotten the best of her because she punched the wall next to the window and automatically cracked it, leaving a deep dent behind. A growl rumbled in her chest shortly after.
Elijah was trying to keep a leash on Arabella, No pun intended, so while keeping her distracted he was spending time with someone else. Arabella wasn't going to be played for a fool, she didn't care how long she loved Elijah Mikaelson. Two could play the same game, but she wasn't going to. She was better than that.
"Arabella, are you okay?" Camille raced out of the hidden room and checked on Arabella. She felt the vibrations throughout the back of the apartment, and she saw Arabella having a difficult time keeping her anger in check.
"I need to- I need to go. I'm about to lose my temper." Arabella inhaled deeply. She felt tears stinging her eyes, and sure she wanted to cry, but her anger was greater than her sadness at that particular moment.
She apologized to him for her behavior, she wanted to start over and lead a different lifestyle, and after all of that, things still fell apart. So what was the point of change?
"Okay, yeah. Yeah, go ahead, I'll call you when I find something." Camille raked her hand through her hair as she wondered what triggered Arabella. But Arabella was already running before she could ask.
Arabella kept her eyes closed as she nodded to Camille before running off. She didn't want to give in to ripping out that little vampire's heart but the urge to do so was incredibly large. Arabella ran out of the door and down the stairs. Instead of going through the back door so that Elijah wouldn't see her, she slammed the door to the front entrance open and she glared at Elijah with maroon irises. Elijah's expression became cautious as his eyes widened as he knew the look on Arabella's face all too well.
"Je vais la tuer." {I'm going to kill her} Arabella spat as her canines started descending. And her face started to shift a little. "Alors je vais te tuer." {then I'm going to kill you}
When Elijah's and Arabella's eyes met, Elijah saw hurt before anger. Gia didn't know French, but she knew a death threat when she saw one. She didn't know who Arabella was, and she didn't know why her face shifted into something that resembled a hound from Hell.
"You need to run." He motioned to Gia. Arabella's head turned curtly at Gia, which made her freeze in fear.
"What, wait. I'm not leaving you." She didn't meet Elijah's gaze, she continued to stare at Arabella.
"You need to run, now!" He shouted. When he did, Gia sped off. Soon after Elijah did too, he was gone.
"Je te déteste tant." {I hate you so much} she whispered into a sob. When her face went back to normal, she felt drained. She felt tired, she was hurt and she didn't know what to do.
So she broke down. Her tears ran rivers down her face, and she didn't bother wiping them away. She sat down on the curb and she cried until she couldn't feel anymore. She wanted to turn into the beast everyone feared. She wanted that release, but the sadness overwhelmed her. She thought seeing Hayley with Elijah was hurtful, but seeing Elijah with a complete stranger was devastating.
"I'm done." She inhaled sharply. "I can't do this anymore."
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Word Count: 10,305