"CUS' EVERYBODY MAKES IT TILL THEY DONT"
Mikaelson Mansion
Audrea lifted the outfit and stared at it skeptically. "Bekah, what on earth are the girls wearing these days? These are simply just...just so..."
"Yes, I know." Rebekah sighed, twisting around in the mirror to admire herself from the side. "But that's the twenty-first century for you. We suffered through all those stifling dresses and corsets and now we don't have to wear anything at all. Beautiful, isn't it?"
Rebekah nodded to the dress Audrea was holding. "Nik is going to love that on you."
Audrea frowned and slumped down into the armchair. "Women these days...it's like they just parade their bodies around for all to see. Should I be worried about Nik, Bekah?"
Despite his assurances the previous night, having spent the morning getting caught up with modern culture with Rebekah as her mentor, Audrea was beginning to feel disillusioned. So much had happened and the twenty-first century was nothing like the early 1800s. The clothing, speech, art, it had all changed so much.
Rebekah finally turned away from the mirror and walked over to her sister-in-law, kneeling down and placing a comforting hand on Audrea's arm.
"You have nothing to worry about, sister. Nik would have to be completely mad to go for any other woman. You are the only woman in his eyes. I hate to agree with him, but it's true that he hasn't touched a single woman since you've been daggered. You are gorgeous, sexy, and you have a personality unlike any other. You know how Nik loves it when you get mad at him."
Audrea folded her arms, frowning even more. "He needs to take me seriously when I am cross with him. It is not a moment for him to get...what was that stupid term?"
"'Turned on'." Rebekah offered helpfully. Her expression shifted into a mischievous one, the corners of her lips turning up into a smirk. "Although, sister...there is one thing..."
"What?" Audrea turned to face Rebekah.
"There's this girl...her name is Caroline Forbes. She is a vampire, well she was turned quite recently." Rebekah said. "And Nik seems to be...infatuated with her. The girl has been leading him on, in my opinion. She likes another guy, a hybrid Nik created. She quite likes Nik's attention, though ." Rebekah, sensing that a dangerous fury was rising up in her sister-in-law, quickly tried to ease her worries. "His infatuation is quite a shallow one, really, I assure you. He would never leave you for her. Not in a million years. No one could compare to you."
Despite Rebekah's assurance, Audrea's eyes narrowed. Her fingers curled around the end of the armchair and she declared in a soft but dangerous tone, "Seems they both need to be taught a lesson."
Rebekah was delighted. Having her sister-in-law back was a dream come true. She added eagerly, "Her friend, the doppelgänger, also backstabbed me. Literally. She pretended to be my friend and as I was trying out that dress, the one I was wearing yesterday, she stabbed me with the dagger."
Audrea lifted her chin, anger flashing in her eyes. "Has this whole town gone mad?"
Rebekah grinned excitedly. "So I assume you'll be restoring some balance?"
"It appears I am the only one with enough sense to, considering my ridiculous husband has been parading around foolishly in an attempt to showcase his strength and display his big, bad wolf qualities."
Rebekah giggled.
"Sister, hand me that contraption you showed me earlier." Audrea held out a hand expectantly.
Rebekah placed the phone in her hand and said, "It's called a phone. Well, also known as smartphone, cell phone, etcetera. The list goes on and on."
Audrea looked down at the phone disdainfully and sighed, "It seems I will be spending the entire day catching up on this era's culture. I've missed too much."
"Nik won't be happy about that." Rebekah smirked. "I bet he's dying to get you in bed again. I'm surprised you didn't break the entire house yesterday."
"Well he's just going to have to deal with it." Audrea snapped. "This is his fault, after all."
She pressed something on the phone and lifted it to her ear. A few seconds passed before she spoke.
"Elijah, brother. What kind of ball are you throwing?"
※
"Rebekah, tell me how handsome I look." Kol spread his hands proudly, admiring himself in the mirror.
Rebekah sighed. "Oh, Kol. You know I can't be compelled."
Finn smirked from where he was having his suit adjusted, as did Elijah, who was holding up a leather shoe and inspecting it with a critical eye.
Kol frowned and turned to his sister-in-law. "Rea, tell her how handsome I look."
"Kol, dear." Audrea sighed, nudging him out of the way and holding up two dresses to compare. Once she decided she liked neither of them, she tossed them aside and turned to Kol, reaching forward and straightening his bow tie. She patted him twice on the chest and tilted her head. "Now you know my type of man is a little wilder. You look good enough, I suppose. But you know you'll never match up to my husband."
Rebekah snorted in laughter as Kol's expression turned annoyed and he rolled his eyes, declaring, "You have no taste."
"So you've made up with my brother?" Kol continued and waggled his eyebrows. "Did he tell you why he daggered you, his one true love?"
"Like you don't know." Audrea snapped, her eyes flashing. "He told me last night what you were saying back then about me behind my back. Can't you control your mouth? "
"Well..." Kol shrugged. "I don't particularly care for controlling it."
He smirked and taunted, "Though I'm sure that's not the only reason he daggered you. Come on, out with it."
Audrea sighed and held up another dress to inspect. "He will tell me in time. I trust him, but I am also determined enough to get it out of him. For now, though I will be patient."
Kol groaned in exasperation. "You are such a pushover."
Audrea's eyes flashed and her hand shot out to grip Kol by the neck. "Don't ever presume to dictate what I choose to do in my marriage with Nik. Understand?:"
Kol narrowed his eyes dangerously but he nodded. Had anyone else dared touch him like that, he would have ripped them to shreds. But this was Audrea, who had stood by their sides for centuries. When things began to fall apart, she was the one who put things back together. Besides, she was Klaus's wife and he was pretty sure if he dared to even look at her sideways, Klaus would inevitably dagger him once more.
Klaus stormed into the room towards Rebekah, his expression furious.
"You went after Elena." He growled. "What is wrongwith you?"
Rebekah leaned back and smiled sardonically. "Here we go."
"Do you want another dagger in your heart?" Klaus threatened, staring down at her angrily.
Kol perched on top of an armchair and shook his head, amused. "Again with the dagger threats? Don't you have any other tricks?"
Klaus whirled around to face his brother. "Oh, go back to staring at yourself."
"And who are you, my father?" Kol taunted.
Audrea stilled, shifting her gaze from her brother-in-law to her husband, whose posture stiffened. Klaus turned around again and snapped, "No, Kol. But you're in my house."
"Then perhaps we should go outside." Kol stood up and walked forward, leaving only a foot's distance between the two. They stared at each other challengingly, the tension growing thicker by the second, until finally Audrea intervened.
"That's enough!" She placed a hand on each of their chests and pushed them apart. She could tell from the way Klaus's heart was beating that he was furious, and that the standoff would have become bloody had she not interrupted. She turned and placed both her hands on Klaus's cheeks, tilting his head down slightly so he would meet her gaze.
"Nik, the doppelgänger drove a dagger through Rebekah's back. You can't have expected her to stand around after that." Audrea smoothed a hand through his hair and gave him a pointed look. "I would have done the same if it had happened to me. What would you have done then, hmm? Drive a dagger through my heart?"
Klaus stared down at his wife, the fury inside him slowly settling down, his expression turning slightly guilty. Audrea turned to face Kol with a disapproving look.
"And Kol. Don't rile him up so." She said, folding her arms. "You're not five years old."
Kol sighed and shook his head, picking up an empty glass from the table and inspecting his reflection in it. "I honestly still don't see what you see in my brother. You could do so much better."
Klaus snarled furiously, pushing Audrea aside to get to his brother.
"Niklaus!"
He stilled, and swiveled around to look at his wife. She lifted her chin and held up something between her index and middle fingers.
"I do believe you have an invitation to deliver." Audrea mused, waving the invitation in the air. She glanced at it, and squinted, as if she didn't know what was on it. "To a Miss Caroline Forbes."
The distraction worked, as Klaus paled in realization and he stepped towards her, palms up.
"Love, she means nothing to me. I promise you." He urged, silently begging for her to understand. "I haven't done anything with her. I swear it."
He turned to glower at Rebekah, who simply smirked and shrugged.
"Good." Audrea walked up to Klaus and stared at him challengingly, hooking a finger in his jeans and pulling him forward. She raised her hand and slipped the invitation between his lips. "Then I look forward to you proving it tonight at the ball."
Kol whistled, chuckling lowly. "Dra-ma."
"Oh, shut it, Kol." Rebekah rolled her eyes, but eagerly turned her attention back to watch the interaction.
Audrea simply turned around and exited the room. She could feel Klaus's eyes following the way her hips swayed as she walked away from him, her skirt dancing around her thighs.
Things in this town needed to change, and she would be the one to do it if no one else, not even Elijah, dared to.