I'm standing on the balcony in the nursery and I'm staring out into the city. Nik and I suspect Esther took Elijah captive. I'm wondering what Esther is doing to Elijah. Stefan called me a couple of times these past few days. They say with time losing someone gets easier but it doesn't. It's been almost six months since Damon died and I haven't been able to stop thinking about him. I cry each and every time I think about him. My brother is dead. It becomes clearer that I'm not going to see him again.
The sounds of screams startled me and I went into my room where Nik is. He has blood splattered all over his hands and face. He's washing up in his sink as I sniffled and quickly wiped my tears.
"Are you okay?" Nik asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thinking about Damon. I just miss him. So much."
"I know, love." Nik says and I smiled softly.
"One day I will be okay. Hopefully." I said and he looks at me with concerned so I cleared my throat. "Did it go well?"
Nik looks at himself in the mirror while he washes up. "It turns out these witches are delicate creatures. No matter! I suspected my mother had Elijah captive."
"Let me just put some shoes on." I said and Nik shakes his head no as he walks toward me.
"Esther is too powerful. She won't be easily found. I need to draw her out." Nik says as he walks into the closet. "First, I'm going to change my shirt, and then I'm going to find my brother."
"I'm going with you." I said, firmly.
Nik sighs deeply and walks toward me. "I know you want to help, Ava, but you can't. My mother is wretched. She will target you in order to thwart me, and I can't very well save Elijah if I'm busy saving you, can I?" He says as he puts his arms around me. "I need you here at the compound where I know you'll be safe."
I looked at him for a moment before I sigh in defeat. "Okay, fine."
"So, you called Mikael a coward?" Nik asks, smiling, as he takes off his shirt.
"Like a couple of times."
"I'm surprised he didn't kill you right on the spot." Nik says, jokingly, as he throws his bloody shirt at me and I caught it.
"Don't let Esther capture you because then I'm going to have to save both of your asses."
"I won't." Nik smiles as he gave me a kiss. "Promise."
If I can't help Nik then I can help someone else. Like Oliver. I can't leave him for dead. I mean, I can but I can't. I need to keep myself busy because I'm going to start thinking about my daughter, my brother, and I'll get drunk again. Saving Oliver seems like the perfect task to get my mind off everything.
***
I came to Marcel's loft to get some help. Figured I could use some. I heard Gia and Marcel talking.
"I did like you said." Gia said. "I kept a low profile, went all over the city. There's no sign of Elijah anywhere."
"Yeah, the humans I know said the same thing. Maybe Klaus is having better luck?"
"No, he's not." I said as I walked into the room, making my presence known. "All we know is that Esther has him. You guys want to help with something? Like a... rescue mission?"
"Are we going after Elijah?" Gia asked.
"Nope. That's all Klaus. He doesn't want me to get targeted by Esther if I helped him. I'm talking about Oliver. Now, he and Elijah were fighting the werewolves together. I've heard that Oliver's been captured and is about to be executed. Now, look, if we can save Oliver, then we might be able to find out where Elijah is."
"Okay, so what do you want from us?" Marcel asked.
"Just a little distraction. Finn is the one that's controlling the werewolves. If you can keep him out of the way, I can go get Oliver myself."
I turned to leave, but Marcel vamp-speeds around me and blocks my way. "You can't take on all those wolves by yourself. You'll get killed, and then I'll get killed for letting it happen."
"I'm not going in alone." I told them. "I'm finding Jackson and I'm resigning from being Alpha. I don't like it. The wolves will listen to him because they know him. I hope they'll listen to him. I just have to find him."
***
I'm somewhere deep in the bayou looking for Jackson while Marcel and Gia took care of distracting Finn. I came across a trailer. I could tell someone was living there. I walked over to a trailer when I heard a creaking sound. I quickly turned and saw two arrows coming towards me. I quickly catch both arrows before it could hit me.
"Come on now! Show yourself. I'm in a mood for a fight!" I shouted as a man comes out of the woods and walked towards me.
I smirk as I got ready to throw the arrows back but someone grabs my arm from behind. "Stop."
I turned around and I saw Ileana. "What—what are you doing here?" I asked as Jackson and Hayley comes out of the trailer and run over to me. "You found them?"
Hayley looks at me for a long moment before pulling me into a hug. "Ava. I see you met my friend Ansel." Ileana said as Hayley and I pulled away from the hug.
"You know her?" Ansel asks, confused.
"Yeah..." Ileana said. "She's my mother."
***
We're all sitting around the fire pit, while Ansel sits on a log across from us and sharpens his knife. Jackson is telling me everything that happened on the day my daughter was born.
"After Francesca Guerrera took over the wolves, she offered me a moonlight ring as long as I'd call her Alpha. I declined. So, a couple of her brothers dragged me out here and left me for dead. By the time I healed up, word had spread about what happened to you, and to your baby."
"I knew it was over so I found Jackson and we ended up here." Hayley said. "And that's when we met Ansel. See, he's been teaching us the old ways, the traditions. What it means to be a wolf."
"You mean by living out in the ass-end of nowhere?" I laughed. "This is worse than where you were living before."
"Hey, easy. Your kind makes him ornery." Jackson said and I rolled my eyes.
"How is everything over there?" Hayley asks.
"Great. I supposed. I mean, I lost my daughter and my brother is dead. Esther is back from the dead. So is her suicidal son Finn. Had to break Elijah's heart so he can get over me. I hope it worked. Nik and I are good, I guess. We spent four months arguing about anything and everything."
"Ileana told us about Damon." Hayley said. "I'm sorry."
I didn't know what to say to I just smiled softly.
"Oh, yeah, for the reason I came here." I said as I stood up. "Jackson, the wolves they need you as their Alpha. I'm a vampire and they don't trust me. Besides, I don't want to be Alpha. The wolves need an Alpha. Oliver needs one, too."
"Yeah, I heard about that." Jackson says and he stood up. "The thing is, Ollie betrayed me. He plotted with the Guerreras. He spilled his own people's blood."
"Well, he's trying to make up for that."
"It doesn't matter. Witches have him... he's dead. Not that I care." Jackson said and I looked at him in disbelief.
"You don't want to be the Alpha? Fine. Hayley, you're stepping up as Alpha. Let's go. We'll save Oliver ourselves." I said as we got up to leave and Ansel starts packing up his things. "Hey, you got a problem, grandpa?"
"I have no love of vampires, but I will not allow a wolf to be killed by witches." Ansel said as he walks past me.
I looked at Ileana who's sitting next to Jackson. "You coming?"
"I think I'm going to stay here with Jackson." Ileana says as she put her hand on Jackson's arm, affectionately.
I gave them a confused look before I brushed it off. "Okay. Come on, Hayley." I said and we headed to the French Quarter.
***
After leaving Jackson and Ileana, I called Marcel and he quickly answers. "Tell me you have your Alpha."
"He retired, but I got the next two best things." I told him. "I'm assuming you have a plan to keep Finn occupied?"
"Yeah... Yeah, I think I might have an idea." Marcel said before hanging up.
***
Night has fallen by the time we made it to the Lafayette Cemetery. Hayley, Ansel, and I made walked into the lycée where we saw Oliver tied by the wrists.
"Ollie!" Hayley rushed over to him. "Ollie, wake up!"
"The hell are you doing?" Oliver asks and he looks at Ansel. "Who the hell is that?"
"We're here to save your ass." I told him. "Please tell me you know where Elijah is."
Oliver weakly shakes his head. "What? What happened to Elijah?" Hayley asks, worriedly.
"They know we're here." Ansel said as I used my vamp-heading and I heard wolves coming for us.
"This is going to hurt." I said as I yanked off the chains and when they broke, Oliver falls to the floor. Hayley helps me pick him up. "Let's go."
"Just leave me here." Oliver said. "Go!"
"Yeah, right." I laughed. "I've been wanting to get into a fight for weeks."
"No." Ansel said as he approached us. "I came with you to save one of my own, not watch as you kill scores of them. Take your friend out the back, move as fast as you can. I'll hold them off here."
I looked at Ansel for a moment before I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Whatever you want, grandpa." I said as Hayley help me walked Oliver out. "Come on. Quickly."
***
I could hear wolves coming closer so I pulled Hayley and Oliver behind a crypt when I heard Aiden shouting.
"Come out!" Aiden shouts. "We know you're here."
I looked at Hayley and Oliver before I turned around the corner of the crypt to face the pack of wolves. "I'll give you two options. Let us go and I will kill you all."
Aiden looked conflicted but he just shook his head. "No, I don't think so."
"Option number one it is." I said as I vamp-out and the werewolves brace for a fight, but then I heard Oliver's voice from behind.
"You idiots! You're lining up to fight a hybrid? For what? So you can kill me? All because some witch gave an order? I know I ain't innocent, but I never lost sight of what I was fighting for! We were gonna be a pack! But now? We're turning on each other! Killing your own people? We do that, we're nothing."
I waited for them to lunge towards us but they cleared the path so Oliver put his arms around me and Hayley as we help him walked out.
***
We made it back to the bayou where Jackson and Ileana are at. Jackson isn't too happy to see Oliver.
"Well, you got him. Great." Jackson says, clearly annoyed. "Where's Ansel?"
"He was busy being a man." Hayley said. "He should be right behind us."
"Jack, I have to tell you..."
Oliver gets cut off by Jackson.
"I already know, Ollie... you sold me out to Francesca." Jackson said, angrily.
"Look, I know that I can't make up for that. But, you need to hear this. You're the one." Oliver said as he struggles to stand up. "Ava, she's a great Alpha. But, you're the Alpha. Our people are not meant to be slaves. You can free them."
Suddenly, Oliver starts coughing up blood and falls to his knees. "Ollie? Ollie?" Jackson says and looked at me. "What is wrong with him?"
"It's the witches." I told them in realization as Jackson rushes over to Oliver and kneels next to him to check on him.
"Ollie?"
"They, um ... they said he only had until midnight."
Jackson lifted Oliver up in his arms, "Stay with me."
Oliver starts to cough up more blood as he stares at Jackson, who is panicking. "Jack..."
I saw the life drain out of Oliver. I looked at Hayley who's near tears. Ileana is standing near Jackson and a few tears fell out of her eyes.
***
I was about to get in my car when Hayley walks over to me. "Hey, do you think I can come with you? I want to make sure Elijah is okay. And maybe I can stay at the compound just for a few days."
"Yeah, sure." I said as I'm looking at Ileana and Jackson, who are hugging each other. "Is there something going on between them?"
"Ileana and Jackson?" Hayley asks as if I was joking but then she sees them. "I don't know."
"It looks like it, doesn't it?" I asked and Hayley nods. "Oliver just died so that might be the reason they're hugging like that. Let's just go."
Jackson and Ileana?
***
Hayley and I walked back into the compound where we saw Nik carrying Elijah into his bedroom.
"You found him?" Hayley says as she rushed into the room and Nik looks surprised to see her here. She went to the side of his bed and took hold of his hand. "Why isn't he waking?"
I turned to Nik, confused, "What did Esther do to him?"
"I don't know."
***
I'm in my room drinking scotch when Nik walks in. "Love..."
"Oliver is dead." I told him as I turned to face him.
"You killed him?" Nik asks and I shook my head.
"No. The witches did." I told him. "This is the exact reason I didn't want to be Alpha. I don't want to be responsible for people I don't want to be even responsible for."
"Ava..."
"I don't like feeling guilty for someone I didn't even kill. You told me to step up as Alpha and that's what I did for our daughter. I am done being Alpha. We will bring our daughter home without those wolves."
"Okay." Nik says and I just looked at him. "You don't have to be Alpha."
"Okay."
"You should know that Kaleb is actually Kol." Nik says and I stared at him for a long moment before I stormed out of the room. "Where are you going?!"
"Out!"
***
I'm walking on the sidewalks and it's late at night. The streets are empty to my surprise. I was going to find Kol. To find him I have to find Davina. To get Davina's attention is easy. Cami. I'm on my way to her apartment.
I'm near Rousseau's when noticed Kaleb... I mean, Kol from a distance. I didn't suspect him to be out here in the open. I vamp-speed in front of him and he looks surprised.
"Miss me?" I smirk. "Kol."
I punched him in the face in the face and he falls into the ground. "I'm guessing Nik told you."
"Obviously." I said as rolled my eyes.
"If you still upset over that one kiss in 1914, don't worry about it. I'm over it. I got my eye on someone else. Davina."
I went for another punch, angrily, but he casts a pain infliction spell on me and I grabbed onto my head as he stands up.
"You need to understand." Kol says and I laughed through the pain.
I backhanded him and he flies across the street, landing on his stomach. "I don't need to understand. You were my friend!"
"I am your friend, Ava." Kol says as he stands up but before he can I kicked him in the stomach so he falls down back onto the floor.
"You stopped being my friend the moment you stood with your mother. The person who ordered the witches to kill my daughter!" I yelled at him.
I punched him over and over again and he didn't defend himself. Kol and I used to get in a lot of fights. Physical fights. Mostly because I was hellbent on proving to him I could beat an Original. I was very wrong. But... I'm pretty sure he let me win once or twice.
***
An hour later, we're still fighting on the streets and it's pretty bloody. I'm bleeding, he's bleeding. Both of us are exhausted. "Time out." Kol says as he puts his hand into a T. "I can see that you're tired."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, for you. Since your mortal and you need to take a breath." I said even though I was tired too and he sits back down on the ground to relax.
After a few minutes, I walked over to him as I held out my hand and he takes it but before he could stand up I punched him in the face again.
"I should've seen that coming." Kol says with his hand over his cheek.
"How could you do this to me? I was your friend." I said as I grabbed him by the neck of the shirt. "She came after my daughter and you just stood by her. How could you do this to me?"
"I did try to tell you." Kol says as I was ready to punch him again.
"What?"
"I tried to tell you, Ava" Kol says as I let him go. "When you were on the other side. I tried but then the red-headed witch brought you back to the living before I could. You have to believe me."
"Yet, you still stood by her. Some kind of friend you are." I said before I left him on the streets by himself.
***
I'm back at the compound and I'm at the bar pouring myself some bourbon. "Little sister." I heard someone say and immediately become frozen in place. "Did you miss me?"
I slowly turned around and I saw my youngest brother next to my oldest brother. I looked at him for a second for a ran over to him and pulled him into a tight hug.
Flashback 1864
I'm outside watering the rose bush I have. It's the middle of the afternoon. Stefan is somewhere with Father. "Little sister." I heard someone say as I dropped the watering can. "Did you miss me?"
I turned around and when I saw Damon a huge grin appears on my face. "Damon!" I ran over him and he picks me up as he hugs me tightly.
"You've gotten bigger since last I saw you." Damon says as I smiled as I stood on my own.
"How are you here? I thought you were in battle for another two weeks."
"I wanted to surprise you." Damon says and I pulled him into another hug.
"I've missed you so much."
Damon pulls away and picks out a red rose. "For my beautiful little sister." He says handing me the rose. "Come. Let's go find Stefan."
End of Flashback
"Damon." I cried and I pulled away for a moment to look at him. "How... how are you here?"
Damon grabs my chin and examines my face. "What happened?"
"Oh, you know, typically Ava. She had to get to a fight." I said and he laughs. I looked at Damon and sobbed even more. "I've missed you so much, Damon. I thought you were gone for good. So much has happened. I... I..."
"I know. I know." Damon says as he comforted me. "Stefan told me everything."
"Stefan, how did you bring him back?" I asked him and I looked at my big brother. "How are you here, Damon?"
"I'll tell you everything." Damon said. "But first, we'll need some bourbon."