The only sound in the Mikaelson Mansion was the soothing tune of Bach's Concerto for Violin in E Major echoing throughout the cavernous house as Rebekah Mikaelson walked down the stairs from the second floor and her stiletto heels tapped loudly on the tiled flooring in contrast to the calming melody of the violin.
Back in the early 19th century, the mansion the Original's now resided in had been called home to the governor of New Orleans with whom the Mikaelson family had an understanding regarding their presence in the Louisianan city. The Governor had often thrown lavish parties in honour of the Mikaelson's in the ballroom of the mansion and had kept their true nature a secret from the general population in exchange for gold.
The blonde Original female froze in her steps at the bottom of the staircase with a frown etched on her pretty face as she looked at the slightly domestic scene in front of her and walked a few paces forward to stand in the doorway of the downstairs sitting room.
Niklaus sat on a red armchair at one side of the living room with an old book in his hands as he rested one elbow on the arm of the chair with his knuckles under his chin and Elijah relaxed on the couch opposite his younger brother while reading through one of the Original witch's ancient grimoires.
In the middle of the living on the vintage coffee table was the corpse of a young woman with pale skin, ink black hair and her eyes closed almost peacefully with her hands folded gently over her stomach much like how bodies were posed at a funeral parlour.
"So, this is what you do the first time we're back together as a family? Vampire book club?" Rebekah asked her older brother's mockingly as she placed her hands on her hips and quirked a pale eyebrow at them as she stopped to stare at them incredulously.
"Reading edifies the mind, sister." Niklaus replied to her absently without looking up from the poetry book in his hands and glanced up at his older brother with a smirk on his lips as his light blue eyes twinkled with mirth. "Isn't that right, Elijah?"
"Yes, that's quite right, Niklaus." Elijah agreed smoothly as he lifted his head from the grimoire he was reading to look at his younger sister with a faint smile on his lips and Klaus hid a small smile as he heard his sister grumble in the back of her throat at his answer.
"And what's this business?" Rebekah asked them haughtily as she wrinkled her nose slightly in disgust and gestured with her hand at the dead girl lying lifeless on the coffee table in the middle of the room.
"This is a..." the eldest Mikaelson began to explain to her as he looked at the corpse and used one hand to motion to the girl as he searched for the right word to describe the situation before them. "...peace offering."
"I presumed, after so much time desiccating in a coffin, that my big brother might be a bit peckish." Klaus explained in a false innocent voice as he shrugged his shoulders slightly at the accusation behind his older brother's words and Elijah internally rolled his eyes at the statement as he looked back down at the grimoire in his hands.
"And I explained to my little brother, that forgiveness cannot be bought. I'd simply prefer to see a change in behaviour that indicates contrition, and personal growth." He bit out in a mock politeness as he tightened his grip on the ancient book to keep himself from taking his annoyance out on his younger brother and Klaus rolled his light blue eyes guilty as Elijah gestured with one hand dismissively at the corpse. "Not this nonsense."
"Well, I couldn't very well let her go to waste, could I?"
"Well, I suppose I'll go fetch the rubbish bin, because she's staining a two hundred-year-old carpet." Rebekah snapped at her brother's with an annoyed frown as she waved an arm wildly at the corpse lying on the coffee table over the vintage rug and Elijah furrowed his eyebrows as he looked up from the grimoire before following his sister's gesture to see scarlet red blood dripping carelessly on the floor.
"Ah, yes." He muttered in acknowledgement to her comment as he frowned at the puddle of scarlet red blood leaking onto the carpet and went back to reading the grimoire in his hands as Rebekah sighed heavily before stalking out of the living room in a huff.
Klaus glanced at his younger sister's retreating back as she entered the kitchen and bit back a grin at her agitation as he shared a quick look with Elijah before going back to reading his poetry book without saying a word. As much as it pained him to admit to himself let alone out loud to another person, he was enjoying the peaceful moment with his older brother even though he could practically see the waves of bitter distress coming from Elijah. His older brother did have some right to feel dismayed by the fact that Niklaus had once again plunged a dagger into his heart when all he was trying to do was strengthen their bond as a family and even Klaus could admit that it was a bit dramatic of him to dagger Elijah all those months ago.
The soft sound of footsteps approaching the living room from the staircase made Elijah glanced up from his grimoire in his hands just as Hayley strolled into the room with her hand resting gently on her barely visible pregnant stomach.
Hayley Marshall was a beautiful werewolf with light olive toned skin, memorizing hazel green eyes and dark brown hair with fell wildly to her shoulders. The last three months, she had been living in New Orleans under the protection of the Original family based solely on the fact that she was carrying Niklaus' hybrid child. The pregnancy was not something Hayley had planned by any means and even though she wasn't very enthusiastic about the prospect at first, once she had learned via a witch that she was carrying a little girl something changed for her. Family wasn't something that she had much, or any of, and the thought of being a mother gave her a sense of stability, eagerness and affection just at the mere thought of her future daughter.
After Hayley triggered the werewolf gene at thirteen when she was drunk on a boating trip by accidently killing a friend of a friend, she transformed for the first time in her adoptive parent's living room and after wreaking havoc in their house they kicked her out onto the street. She had been living on her own since then and had occasionally joined up with wolf packs all over the country but she never stayed long in one place.
As she passed through the room, Hayley glanced subtly over to where the older Mikaelson was sitting as she ignored the fluttering in her stomach when she saw his dark brown gaze already on her and she quickly ducked her to hide the shy smile that crossed her lips. The werewolf hated that with one smouldering look Elijah Mikaelson could turn her into one of those snivelling teenage girls that giggle and melt at the sight of their crush but still she couldn't help the silly butterflies that he caused her.
Elijah watched from the corner of his eye as Hayley strolled casually into the kitchen adjoining the living room and marvelled silently at how well she seemed to be adjusting to her current position. He knew that spending time with his sibling was a challenge to begin with so the fact that Hayley had survived the three months he had been indisposed was a miracle in and of itself. It wasn't a secret that Niklaus was often short tempered and volatile while Rebekah was erratic and spiteful but nonetheless, Elijah loved his siblings more than anything or anyone else on the planet and had always placed them above his own happiness which had often left him with the choice between family and romantic partners.
Klaus glanced up from his book when he heard the soft thump of something hitting the table and saw Elijah carefully placing the ancient grimoire down as he stood up from his armchair gracefully. Elijah's gaze was focused on something across the room as he straightened his suits sleeves and Klaus narrowed his light blue eyes warily as he followed his older brother's line of sight over to the she-wolf passing through the living room. He pursed his lips in slight annoyance as he watched Elijah pathetically follow the werewolf out of the room and tried to ignore the growing suspicion that something was going on between the two of them because he simply wasn't ready to face the obvious fact.
Standing in the doorway to the spacious kitchen, Elijah watched in amusement as Hayley rifled through the refrigerator with growing agitation when she couldn't find what she was looking for. She was shaking her head slightly as she furrowed her eyebrows in frustration and muttered under her breath so quietly that he couldn't hear the words even with his superior Original vampire hearing.
"Good morning." Elijah greeted the beautiful werewolf with a small smile playing on his lips as he leaned his shoulder on the doorframe and Hayley jumped slightly in surprise at the sudden interruption as she slowly stood up straighter in front of the fridge. The eldest Mikaelson frowned in concern when he heard to her heartbeat increase because he was worried that stress wouldn't be good for the baby and he made a note not to scare her anymore just in case.
Hayley closed her eyes tightly as she mentally scolded herself when her heart rate picked up slightly at just the sound of his voice and took a deep breath to calm herself down before plastering a smile on her lips. She slowly turned around to face Elijah as she closed the fridge room and walked over to kitchen counter as she subtly took in his handsome form.
"Hey." she replied with a small smile on her lips as she placed her hands on the bench and Elijah pushed himself off of the doorframe as he strolled further into the kitchen with his hands in his suit pants pockets.
Rebekah entered the kitchen through the back door as she dragged a trashcan behind her with a scowl etched on her pretty face and she glanced up to glare at her older brother accusingly as he hid a sheepish smile. "Listen, I know I'm the only one in this house that actually drinks milk, but would it kill any of you to make sure it's on the grocery list?"
"Speaking of, add bleach." Rebekah spat out venomously as she threw one last look at her brother before stomping through the kitchen towards the living room and Hayley bit back an amusement smile at her retreating back.
Elijah smile faintly at his little sister's temper as he moved over to the kitchen cabinets behind the counter and glanced back over at the werewolf watching him curiously as he searching through the overhead cabinet. "You know, I do hope my siblings were hospitable to you, in my absence."
"In your absence, as you like to call it, which is a way-too-polite way of saying that your brother put a dagger in your heart..." Hayley answered him with a slight bitter note in her voice as she looked up at him through hazel green eyes and saw him fighting a smile at her words as he brought a bowl, spoon and box of cereal to the counter. "I have been attacked by French Quarter vampires, I've had to live in a house with a secret dungeon full of coffins, and I was nearly murdered by witches who are convinced my baby is Lucifer."
Listening to her rant about what had happened while he was daggered brought a sympathetic smile to Elijah's lips as he placed the item's he was carrying down on the bench and turned to the fridge to pull out the orange juice and milk that was hidden behind some blood bags. He walked back over to the counter as Hayley poured some cereal into the bowl and he lifted the milk carton to pour some into her bowl as she looked up at him in shock. "Oh...milk. They've been fine. Your siblings are weirdly protective, I know I have you to thank for that."
"I'm just happy to see that you're in one piece." He told her sincerely with a smile as he stepped back to give her room to eat without feeling crowded and she ducked her head to hide the slight blush on her cheeks as she smiled back at him. "So, back to the murderous witches. I have some concerns."
"They're evil. And, my life is still magically linked to Sophie Deveraux, which is not comforting." She muttered with a slight roll of her eyes as he handed her the bowl of cereal and she looked up at him with a small smile as she took the bowl from his hands.
"Yes, I think it's time we took care of that little problem."
"I am all for it. As soon as they're unlinked, we get to leave this crap town." Rebekah announced as she came back into the kitchen dragged the corpse from the living room behind her making a trail of blood on the floor and smiled gleefully with anticipation flashing in her cerulean blue eyes as she looked at her older brother. "Who do we have to kill?"
".... Probably no one." Elijah said hesitantly after a moment of thought as he calculated the best course of action and Hayley looked at him with obvious scepticism as she continued to eat her breakfast. "Alright, potentially everyone."
Rebekah grinned manically at her older brother with bloodlust in her eyes as she strolled back through the kitchen just in time to the last of his sentence and Elijah smirked back at her as she walked into the living to clean up the mess left on the carpet by the dead human girl.
The music in the living room was still playing softly as the only Original female walked in with a bucket of water and other cleaning supplies as she cast a withering look at her older brother who was still sitting reading in the same armchair. Rebekah set the bucket down with a sigh as she climbed down to her knees on the carpet and started scrubbing at the bloodstains with vigour as she glanced at Klaus from the corner of her eye to see him reading 'A Poison Tree' by William Blake.
"Poetry about poisoned apples from dead trees. Looks like someone's worried about impending daddyhood." She taunted him with a mocking smirk on her lips as she ignore the jealous in her stomach over the fact that the brother that never then contemplated children was getting the one thing she wanted more anything else in the world.
"Nonsense. Elijah's back. In his presence, all problems turn to pixie-dust and float away!" Klaus replied nonchalantly without looking up from his book as he kept his face blank and disregarded the bitterness he could detect in his little sister's voice. He glanced up at Rebekah from the book with a grin as she looked up at him with a matching smile and he was instantly reminded of a time when the two of them were nearly inseparable.
"Strange, I don't recall any pixie-dust from the darkness of the coffin I was recently forced to endure." Elijah said loudly as he entered the living room from the parlour and Rebekah grimaced guiltily as she quickly stifled her smile like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
Elijah ignored the mock-innocent expressions on his younger siblings face as he strolled into the room and bit back a smile of his own at the familial scene before him as he picked up his mother's old grimoire before flipping through it for the right page.
"What are you doing with Mother's spell book?" Rebekah asked suddenly as she pushed herself up onto her knees with a confused frown and looked over at Elijah almost accusingly as she thought about her lost mother.
"Well, in exchange for my freedom, I promised the witch Davina that I would share a few pages from Mother's grimoire. To help her learn to control her magic. Plus, I'm sure the lovely Imogen might like the chance to practice some magic since she's removed herself from the local coven." Elijah replied absently as he continued to flip through the grimoire without looking up and he paused for a moment when he mentioned the fiercely protective witch he had met the day before.
"Imogen? How do you know Imogen?"
"I met her yesterday when I was talking to Davina."
"Davina?" the youngest Original asked questioningly as she stood up from the carpet gracefully and placed her hands on her hips as she quirked an eyebrow at her older brother.
"Really, Rebekah? You didn't catch the similarities between the two young witches?" Klaus asked teasingly as he closed his own book with a mocking smirk on his lips and Rebekah turned her head around to glare at him through narrowed eyes as she waved a hand for him to continue. "They're sisters."
"Hm. That's correct. From my understanding, Imogen has strayed from the local coven because of their interest in Davina and she intends to do whatever in her power to keep her sister safe from harm." Elijah informed them softly as he thought of the blue eyes brunette that had intrigued him with her passionate determination and unwavering loyalty to her younger sister in the face of danger. He could still see her bright blue eyes flashing with heated dedication as she spoke to him on the stairwell the previous day about her younger sister and the devotion that she presented without hesitation was something he could easily empathise with.
"That bitch. Although, she did say when we met that she would do anything to protect her family." Rebekah murmured thoughtfully to herself as she came to terms with the fact that her new friend was more a part of the supernatural community then she previously thought.
"If Imogen's loyalty isn't with Marcel, it may another chance to form a powerful alliance." Klaus uttered pensively as he leaned his chin on his hand with a considering expression on his face and Elijah glanced up with a scolded look as he came to a stop on the right page of the grimoire.
"Yes, well, I think Imogen's loyalty is solely with Davina." Elijah told his younger brother pointedly as he quirked an eyebrow at him but Klaus just waved a hand dismissively in the air as though that little detail was insignificant in his plans. "Anyway, I thought we'd begin with a little unlinking spell."
"Wait, you want to use her to unlink Hayley from Sophie Deveraux?" Rebekah asked in a stunned voice as she shared a confused look with the hybrid and then turned back to her oldest brother with a shocked expression.
"Sophie brought us here under false pretences! She doesn't just want us to take down Marcel and his minions, she wants to take Davina back. So, she yolked her own cause to ours, with magic threats and half-truths! Well, no more. As of now, our deal with Sophie Deveraux is null and void." Elijah declared passionately as he ripped the page he wanted out of the ancient grimoire carefully so that he didn't tear the paper and pursed his lips in annoyance as he looked up at his younger siblings.
Elijah Mikaelson may have been known as the moral one of the Original family and he prided himself on being a man of his word but he was also proficient at finding loopholes in the deals that he made. Every negotiation he proposed was carefully worded in a way that made it clear that is hasn't promised to do anything and he only broke his word when he came to the realisation that he had been lied to by the opposing party.
Klaus grinned manically at his older brother's words as he leaned forward in anticipation with bloodlust shining in his eyes and he looked up at his little sister to see the same expression on her pretty face as her eyes gleamed with maliciously.
"Niklaus, I need you to come with me. I need five minutes alone with Davina, you need to make certain that I am not interrupted." Elijah commanded sternly as he tucked the page from the grimoire into his pocket and then pointed a finger at Rebekah as she quirked an eyebrow at him questioningly. "You stay here and watch Hayley."
"I have plans with Imogen today! How did I get elected super-nanny?" Rebekah asked indignantly as Elijah started walking towards the doorway to the parlour while straightened his suit jacket and she pouted at his retreating back as he ignored her question.
"More importantly, who put him in charge?" Klaus asked quietly as he obediently followed his older brother out of the room while Rebekah sighed in defeat and looked off towards the stairs that lead to the second of the house where Hayley had disappeared to.
_____________________________
The sight of Davina silently sketching in the sunlight was something that Imogen was sure never to take for granted again and she made a mental to remind herself of that moment whenever she had doubts about aligning herself with the vampires. Nothing was more important to her than her little sister's safety and she had made her alliances quite clear to all those involved, Davina was the only person with her loyalty.
Lying on her stomach on Davina comfortable bed in the attic of the church as she watched her sister sketch with a piece of charcoal while she studied her behavioural psychology textbook was the first completely peaceful moment that Imogen had experienced since the Harvest and she finally let herself relax at least a little as she kept one eyes on the door in case of an intruder. Imogen had always been slightly cautious of the dangers surrounding her but she supposed that was merely a repercussion of her childhood experiences and had learned to embrace her paranoia so that she could use it to her advantage. One benefit of her totally awareness of her surrounding and the magically energy in her veins was that she could relax slightly when she was out in the city and still know which supernatural creatures were near her at any given time.
"This silence is driving me mad." Davina complained to her sister with a pout on her lips as she turned her head slightly to look at the older girl laying her bed with her ankles crossed in the air and one hand twirling a lock of her long brunette hair as she read her textbook for graduate school.
"You're already mad." Imogen replied absently without looking up from her book with a faint smile playing on the edge of her lips and Davina made an indignant noise in the back of her throat which caused her to look up at the younger witch with a grin. "We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. You used to read that to me at bedtime." Davina said with a remising smile on her smile as she tilted her head to the side and Imogen chuckled softly as she nodded her head in acknowledgement.
"I thought it was a good way to teach you about individuality, justice and the power of imagination."
"It was." Davina agreed happily as she sat her charcoal down on the edge of her easel and slowly walked over to sit down on the side of her bed next to her sister with a small smile on her lips. There was something that the youngest Clare sister had been wondering about since the events of the Harvest but she hadn't been able to contact Imogen before and now she was hesitate to bring to it up in case it upset her sister in any way. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course, Pixie. What's up?" Imogen asked her with a mixture of concern and curiosity in her voice as she closed her text book so that she could give her little sister her full attention because there was something in the other girl's voice that was unsettling to her.
Davina looked down at the bed top as she played absently with a piece of frayed cotton on the quilt and Imogen grasped her hand in hers comfortingly as she brushed a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear with a frown etched on her face.
"Why did mother and father hate us?" Davina asked in a small voice as she looked up at her big sister with tears in her bluish eyes and Imogen felt her heart break into pieces at the shattered look in her baby sister's eyes because it just gave her another reason to hate her late parents.
Imogen had spent many years trying her hardest to keep her parent's attention away from their youngest daughter by acting out and rebelling just so that all of their focus was on her instead of innocent Davina. She wanted to keep Davina's view of reality as unadulterated as possible for as long as possible and that included keeping the truth about their parents from her.
From the age of six when Victoria had brought home her sweet baby sister, Imogen had made it her duty to protect and teach Davina the exact opposite of her parents so that one day she would grow up to be a kind-hearted, strong member of the community.
Victoria and Robert Clare were horrible people that never should have been allowed to be parents in Imogen's opinion and she was adamant in her belief that despite their genealogy, she and Davina were decent people just making the best of their situation.
"Oh, honey." Imogen muttered with a heavy sigh as she sat up to wrap her arms around the younger girl tightly and rested her chin on Davina's head as she buried her face in her shoulder comfortably. She knew that this conversation would one day have to take place but she had never really thought about what she would tell her younger sister and right then she was mentally hitting herself for not preparing better. "They didn't hate you, Davina. I know that they didn't act how normal parents should and I know that you deserve better than what they gave you but don't for a second think that they didn't love you. How could anyone not love you? It's pure nonsense."
"They didn't read to me at night, or tuck me into bed. They didn't come my school plays, or my soccer games. Mom didn't braid my hair like the other mom's did. You did all those things for me." the younger girl mumbled softly into Imogen's shoulder as she blinked back tears that threatened to fall from her eyes and sniffled slightly as she sat back up to look her sister in the eye with a steely resolve.
"I was glad to do all those things for you, Pixie."
"But you shouldn't have had to! You were only a child yourself."
"Davina." Imogen said sternly as she placed her hands firmly on her younger sister's shoulders and used one hand to gently lift her chin so that she was looking her sister right in the eye with a determined glint. "All those things that you just listed? I loved doing them for you. Nothing made me happier than being with you. Do you know what one of my favourite memories is?"
"No." the young witch said softly as she swallowed harshly against the lump in her throat and used her hand to wipe away one of the tears that had escaped her as she sniffled a little.
"You were four and I was ten. You had decided that it was a perfect day for a tea party, like the one in Alice in Wonderland. So, anyway, I made us tea and sandwiches and we set up a blanket in the backyard. About twenty minutes into the picnic, you saw a white rabbit across the garden and you got up from the blanket and took off across the yard to follow it. I had to run as fast as I could to catch you and you begged me to let you follow the white rabbit down the hole like Alice. I managed to convince you that only one person could go down the rabbit hole and you refused to go without me so you turned around and yelled at the rabbit for not letting me come with you." Imogen told her with a wistful smile as she played with the ends of Davina's brunette hair and Davina broke it out laughing at the end of the story as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I don't regret a second of our time together, Pixie."
"Me either." Davina agreed instantly as she gave her sister a slight smile with tears still in her eyes and she watched curiously as Imogen's blue eyes brightened with mischief as she climbed off of the bed quickly.
"Want to see something awesome?"
"Of course." the younger sister said enthusiastically as she nodded her head rapidly and Imogen chuckled at the eager expression on her sister's face as she bit her lower lip to keep from grinning too widely. She turned around so that her back was to her little sister as she slowly reached behind her to lift off her blouse with one shift motion and bit back a smile when Davina let out a small gasp from the bed. "Oh, my god."
On the side of Imogen's left hip was a small inked on tattoo of a black crumbled top hat with a small ticket reading 10/6, a banner wrapped around it and the words, We're All Mad Here scripted in black ink. It was a perfect image of the Mad Hatters top hat in Alice in Wonderland and Davina giggled in awe as she slid off of the bed to look at it more closely.
"Do you like it?" Imogen asked her sister nervously when she heard her giggling behind her and gasped slightly at the cold when Davina's finger gently traced the writing on her skin.
"Can I get one?" Davina asked excitedly as she ran her fingers over the picture with a grin and Imogen let out a breathy relieved laugh as she turned around to face her little sister with a quirked eyebrow. "So, can I get one?"
"When you're eighteen you can do whatever the hell you like. Until then..." the oldest Clare sister said as she placed her hands on her little sister's shoulders with a grin and smiled slightly as Davina pouted jokingly at her with a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Am I interrupting something?" a melodic familiar male voice asked hesitantly from the doorway of the attic and Imogen jerked in surprise as she spun around to face the intruder with a shocked expression because she hadn't heard anyone approaching.
Elijah was slightly shocked when he opened the door to Davina's attic bedroom and saw both Clare sister's standing in the middle of the room facing each other with smiles on their lips but the most surprising thing was that Imogen's shirt was currently lying on the ground at her feet so that she was only in a navy blue lace bra that showed off her toned stomach.
"Uh.... No, not interrupting." Imogen assured him as she quickly turned around to grab her shirt from the floor and Elijah sucked in an unnecessary breath when he saw the tattoo on her lower back as his oak brown eyes darkened with lust. There was no point in him denying that Imogen Clare was an attractive young woman with her striking blue eyes, wavy brunette hair that hung at her shoulders and her athletically toned body with her simple tattoos on her tanned skin.
Imogen scrunched her nose up at Davina to convey her embarrassment when her back was turned to Elijah and the younger sister pressed her lips in a tight lip to stop from laughing at her predicament as Imogen slipped on her shirt back on.
"Elijah, what are you doing here?" Davina asked the handsome Original vampire curiously as she tried not to laugh but a bright smile still played on her lips and Imogen sighed in relief that the attention was off of her as she turned back around to face the door with a smile.
"I made you a promise." Elijah reminded the young witch with a smile as he pulled a folded piece of paper out of his inside suit pocket and held it up for her to see as he watched her pretty face light up with happiness at the sight of it.
"Come in!" she chirped happily with a grin as took the paper from his hands before she practically skipped over to her bed and sat down in the middle with her legs crossed as she unfolded the paper so that she could read the spell to had chosen to give her.
Imogen chuckled lightly at her sister's enthusiasm as she fondly watched her sit down on her bed and turned to face Elijah with a small smile on her lips as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She nodded her head for him to come into the attic as she walked over to sit down on the edge of the bed next to her sister and crossed her ankles as she waited for Elijah to get to the reason that he was here.
"It's a spell of unknotting?" Davina asked in confusion as her forehead scrunched up in concentration and she glanced up at Elijah for an explanation as the vampire strolled further into the attic to lean against the desk at the side of the room.
"This is a sanguinum knot. The witches use it as representational magic." Imogen explained to her sister with amusement in her voice as she leaned over her shoulder to see the spell and Davina looked at her with a small smile on her lips before turned back to the paper.
"If you can unknot this using that spell, you will have taken a step towards learning control. This is one of my mother's later spells. It requires much more power than you realize. Now, if you can perform this, then I shall return with another page." Elijah told her with a small quirk of his lips as he watched the two witches interact with one another and he shifted on his feet when Imogen looked up at him with a smile that conveyed just how much it meant to her that he had kept his promise to her sister. "A spell of your own choosing, next time."
"Thank you, Elijah." Davina said sincerely as she looked up at him with wide blue eyes so much like her sister but he could see the pure innocence in their depth that had been taken from Imogen's and found himself wanting to protect her from the dangers that awaited her outside the attic haven.
Imogen was slightly in awe of the powerful Original standing by the desk opposite them simply because of the fact that he had kept his word to her little sister and not many people in the world had in the past. Elijah had a presence that could not be denied and she was quickly finding herself in a position that she was not used to being in as she was feeling unsure of herself around him when she usually exuded confidence around the opposite sex. There was something irrefutably different than she was used to about the oldest Mikaelson that Imogen couldn't place a name on and that made her slightly insecure when she was in the same room with him especially when she knew that it was pointless to refute the fact that she was attracted to the man.
"You're very welcome, Davina." Elijah replied with a small smile on his lips as he straightened his suit jacket cuff and nodded his head at the younger witch as she beamed up at him before turning back to examine the spell in front of her.
"Crap." Imogen muttered quietly under her breath as she looked at the thin wrist watch she was wearing and gracefully stood up from the edge of the bed as Davina looked at her sister with confusion in her bluish eyes. "I've been here longer than I was planning on it. I have an assignment for my abnormal psychology class due in two days and I'm nowhere near finished. Sorry, Pixie."
"It's okay, Imogen. I have to study this spell anyway." Davina assured her with a dismissive wave of her hand as she smiled at her older sister and Imogen returned the gesture as she pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"I love you, honey."
"I love you, too."
Elijah subtly watched the sister's interaction with a growing sense of envy as he turned his head to the side to give them some semblance of privacy. He couldn't remember the last time that he had told one of his siblings that he loved them and that fact alone made him ashamed of himself when he had over a thousand years to perfect the art of being an older brother. This young woman in front of him was only in her early twenties and yet she had put everything she had into protecting her sister when he had failed so dismally to protect his brothers.
"'Bye, Elijah." Imogen's voice interrupted his thoughts about her as he turned his head to look at the witch's sincere bluish eyes and he found himself wanting to know more about loyal, protective young woman in front of him.
"Actually, I have to leave as well, I'll walk you out." Elijah told her softly as he offered her a small smile that made a blush creep onto her cheeks and she nodded once in agreement as she collected her things before pressing another kiss to her sister's cheek.
Imogen met Elijah gaze across the attic as she placed her textbook in her large handbag and begged the universe that her heartbeat would stay at a steady pace since she knew that the Original would easily hear it pattering in her chest.
The Original placed his hands in his suit pants pockets as he silently followed the young witch out of the attic room and faintly smiled to himself as Imogen glanced over her shoulder at him with a slightly confused glint in her bluish eyes. He heard her sigh under her breath as she turned her head back to the front so that she could see where she was going and continued to walk down the narrow staircase as she tucked a strand of long hair behind her ear.
"Okay.." she whispered to herself as she spun around to face him in the middle of the stairwell with a expressionless mask plastered on her pretty face and looked up at him from two steps below him as she tilted her head to the side slightly. "What's your angle, Elijah? What is it you want from Davina and me?"
Elijah's oak brown eyes swept over her face as though he was looking for an answer to a question and was a mixture of frustrated and amused by the fact that he couldn't solve the puzzle.
"Imogen..." he said softly as he stepped down on to the next stair so that they were only a further inches apart and she swallowed tensely at the sound of her name coming from his lips as she met his gaze unwaveringly with a flicker of defiance in their depth. "I am a man of my word. I just want my family protected. I don't know what I will need to do in the future but presently? I do not want anything from you or your sister."
The tension surrounding the pair was thick as they stared at each other as though they were both assessing how serious the other was and didn't want to be the first to back down from the contest as they searched each other's gaze.
The young witch bit the inside of her cheek gently as she thought about the vampire's answer and found herself appreciating his honesty as she slowly nodded her head in understanding. She was only too familiar with the need to protect family so she couldn't fault him for doing what she would do in his situation and in fact it only furthered her admiration for the Original.
"Fine. Thank you for your honesty." Imogen replied quietly as she offered him a small smile on her lips and he nodded once with a smile of his own as he gestured for her to continue down the staircase. She gave him one last doubtful look as she turned around before walking down the staircase with a light-hearted spring in her step now that her concerns had been remedied and Elijah had to fight a grin at her quick change in attitude as he trailed after her.
"My sister, Rebekah mentioned that the two of you are friends." Elijah mentioned nonchalantly as he placed his hands in his pants pockets and Imogen flashed him a smile over her shoulder before turning back around.
"That's right. Rebekah, Cami and I have gone shopping a few times. She's a surprisingly good friend to have."
"Rebekah has always had a hard time making female friends. I believe because of the heartbreak she has endured in the past, Rebekah has built up an emotional wall that causes her to come across as cruel to hide her emotionally fragile nature."
"She's just a lonely girl who wants someone who to care about her. I can understand her." Imogen stated softly mostly to herself as she exited the stairwell and cleared her throat to dislodge the memories of the past that caused her to empathise with the Original sister in the first place.
"I'm afraid understanding is something my sister has had go without for centuries. Appallingly enough, it is my own fault that she has had to endure such treatment. I've been so focused on attempting to contain my brothers, that I have overlooked my younger sister and her happiness." Elijah admitted regretfully as he walked over to sit down on the pew closest to the alter in the church and Imogen slowly sat down next to him with her ankles crossed comfortably as she tilted her head to the side in consideration.
"If the stories are true, you and your family have been vampires for more than thousand years, correct?" she asked him with a quirked eyebrow as she leaned her elbow on the back of the wooden pew and turned her body to face him as he looked back at her while nodding to show that she was correct. "A thousand years is a very long time, Elijah. I don't know what you've gone through or what your siblings have gone through but I do know that if you don't want to keep going like you have been, you have to make a change."
"If only it were that simple. I'm afraid that our current familial situation makes it nearly impossible to make life altering amends."
"You mean the werewolf girl that your hybrid brother knocked up?" Imogen asked him with a slightly amused smirk on her lips as she leaned her chin on the hand that was propped up on the back of the pew and his eyebrows creased in confusion as he looked at her because he thought that she was out of the witches gossip loop. "Something as nature disrupting as a vampire conceiving a child with a werewolf kind of spreads like wildfire."
"Yes, Rebekah keeps referring to the child as 'the Mikaelson miracle baby'. I don't think it's as complimentary as it sounds." He remarked drily as he subtly rolled his dark brown eyes with a smirk on his lips and his smile only grew when he heard the witch next to him laugh freely at his comment.
"And how is Klaus taking it? It has to be shocking to find out you're having a child after thousand years thinking it was impossible."
"My brother seems to be ignoring the fact that he has fathered a child." Elijah told her honestly with a small frown on his handsome face and he opened his mouth to tell her more but suddenly stopped himself when he realised that it was about to reveal his family secrets to a stranger. "But I'm sure that he'll come around in the end."
"And you? How do you feel about becoming an uncle?" Imogen asked him tentatively as she was well aware that he had stopped himself before so that he wouldn't divulge any information she might use against him or his family and she wanted him to know that she wouldn't pursue the conversation if he didn't want to. For some reason that she didn't understanding in the slightest, Imogen wanted Elijah to feel as though he could confide in her and she wanted to know if she could trust him with the secrets of her past.
The Original turned his head to face the young witch in surprise when he heard the earnest curiosity in her voice and paused for a moment when he realised that he hadn't really considered the fact that he was going to be an uncle because he had been too focused on the baby being his brother's redemption.
"I am..." he started to answer unsurely before he was interrupted by the sound of his cell phone ringing in his suit jacket pocket and he gave Imogen a look of apology as he slipped his hand into his pocket for it. She waved a dismissive hand in the air to show she didn't mind as she looked away to give him some sort of privacy and he frowned in concern when he saw that it was Rebekah calling him. "Hello?"
"Elijah? Something is happening to Hayley!" Rebekah cried in a panic through the phone line as he creased his eyebrows anxiously and glanced over at Imogen to see her watching him with concern in her bluish eyes.
"What's happening exactly?" he asked her as he stood up from the wooden pew and began to pace in front of where he had been sitting.
"I don't know exactly. Hayley felt a pain in her neck like she was being stabbed. We think it has something to do with her connection to Sophie."
"I'll go investigate. Try and keep Hayley calm. Call me if anything changes." Elijah commanded sternly to his sister as he stopped in front of Imogen before hanging up the phone and slipping it back into his suit pocket as he turned to the brunette. "I'm afraid something has come up. I'll be back to visit Davina soon with another spell."
"Wait." The young witch said to him firmly when he started to walk away and he turned his head around with a quirked eyebrow to see her standing up gracefully from the wooden pew. Imogen held her head high as she walked over to stand in front of him and he frowned at her in confusion as she placed a hand on her hip. "Let me help. I'm the only witch in the Quarter that can practice magic. Because of my blood link to Davina she can tell when I'm the one using magic and won't tell Marcel. If something magical is happening to the baby or its mother, you're going to want me there just in case."
"Why would you want to help us?"
"Magical curiosity." Imogen replied with a delicate shrug of her shoulders as she smiled slightly at the reversed roles they were playing and Elijah nodded once in acceptance as he started walking down the aisle with her following him.
"Do you know where the old governor's mansion is located just outside of town?" he asked her as he glanced over his shoulder at her and she nodded in answer as she tried to keep up with his long strides.
_____________________________
Rebekah couldn't remember a recent time when she had felt this panicked over someone else's wellbeing as she sat on the edge of the bed and gingerly blotted some of the sweat away from Hayley's forehead. The last ten minute's since her phone call to Elijah had progressed rapidly when Hayley had broken out in a sweat and Rebekah made her go lay down in bed as she pressed a cold cloth to her burning skin.
"Stop fussing, will you? Elijah will be here any minute." The Original female commanded in stern tone that lacked her usual abrasiveness as she gave the werewolf a pointed look and Hayley grimaced in pain as she squirmed on top of the quilt.
"I feel like I've been microwaved." Hayley complained in a murmur as she sighed heavily with exhaustion and closed her eyes against the harsh light for a moment.
"Hey! Just because you're carrying a baby, doesn't mean you get to act like one! I'm sure my little niece is healing you up as we speak." Rebekah assured her with a weak smile as she removed the cold compress from her head and replaced it with another as Hayley glared half-heartedly at the insult.
"Rebekah!" a female voice called out from the parlour as Rebekah froze at the sound of the front door opening and the vampire slouched in relief at the familiar voice as Hayley grew suspicious at the stranger's intrusion.
"Upstairs!" Rebekah called back loudly so that they would be able to hear her from downstairs and Hayley grimaced at the sudden noise as she turned her head away from the overhead light to look at the door to the bedroom so that she'd be able to see the stranger. "It seems Elijah has called in reinforcements."
Imogen hurried up the stairs to the second floor as fast as she could in the direction that Rebekah had called out from and found the door to a bed on the left open with the light shining into the hallway. Inside the room she found a distressed looking Rebekah sitting on the edge of a double bed and a young woman with tan skin, brunette hair and green hazel eyes that was sweating profusely as she lay in the middle of the bed with a folded cloth on her forehead.
Hayley heard the sound of footsteps rushing towards the bedroom with her werewolf hearing and within seconds a gorgeous young woman with shoulder length wavy brunette hair, bluish coloured eyes and rosy cheeks appeared in the doorway slightly out of breath.
"Hey." Imogen greeted them breathlessly as she strolled into the room almost hesitantly and Rebekah narrowed her cerulean blue eyes at her friend as she approached the bed.
"What are you doing here?" Rebekah asked her suspiciously as she gracefully stood up from the edge of the bed and took up a protective stance in front of the werewolf that she had been tasked with protecting.
"I was with Elijah when you called him. I offered to help."
"And that's what makes me question your motives."
"You can relax, Rebekah. I actually like your family. Hayley and her little 'miracle Mikaelson' won't come to any harm from me." the young witch assured the blonde Original with a small smirk on her lips as she held up her hands in mock surrender and Rebekah eyed her thoughtfully for a moment before nodding in acceptance.
"Someone want to explain me what the hell is going on?" Hayley asked impatiently from the bed as she tried to ignore the slight pain that was increasing around her stomach and tensed warily when the new brunette stepped around Rebekah to sit on the edge of the bed with a smirk.
"You must be Hayley. I'm Imogen." She introduced herself politely as she reached a hand out to feel the werewolf's forehead gently and frowned when her magic immediately swelled in her veins like it couldn't wait to be released. "Something's wrong."
"Well, that's bloody obvious." Rebekah remarked drily with a roll of her eyes as she crept closer to the bed and knelt down next to the edge as she placed another cold washcloth on Hayley's forehead.
"My magic just went haywire." Imogen elaborated carefully as her forehead creased in concentration and she tried to figure out what could be making her energy react so strongly to Hayley's condition until she gaped in realisation. "Oh, crap. I know what happened."
"What?" Hayley asked her weakly as she stared at the young witch distrustfully because she didn't have the best track record with witches of the French Quarter and Rebekah shifted slightly to look at her friend nervously as she gripped Hayley's hand in hers in a sign of comfort.
"I've heard stories about these cursed objects that are in the hands of the coven. The elders also kept them locked away but told us legends about them. Apparently, the cursed objects were created a long time ago. The remaining coven members use them so they don't get busted by Marcel for doing magic. The one Hayley is showing symptoms of is called the Needle of Sorrows. It was cursed in 1860 when... That doesn't matter but it has only one purpose: to kill a child in utero by raising her blood temperature."
"It causes a miscarriage." Rebekah surmised grimly as she watched Imogen nodded while gently place her hands on Hayley's subtle baby bump and close her eyes as she muttered under her breath in Latin.
"I'm trying to cool your core body temperature down." Imogen informed Hayley in a comforting tone as she felt the magic energy in her flow straight to her hands and she felt her blood run cold as she concentrated on the spell she had to use.
Rebekah sighed slightly in defeat as she turned her attention to the pregnant werewolf next to her and ran her thumb soothingly over Hayley's knuckles as she tried to remain positive that Elijah would save the day. She snapped her head around when she heard the sound of footsteps hurrying towards the bedroom and her blue eyes narrowed threateningly when she saw that her older brother wasn't alone.
"What the hell is she doing here?" the Original sister asked in a hiss as she stood up from her kneeling position to glare at the woman standing next to her brother and Imogen frowned in confusion as she kept her focus on the spell she was performing.
"I'm trying to help." Sophie assured Rebekah with a sigh as she rolled her eyes at the blonde and then froze in surprise when her gaze landed on the bed where Imogen was sitting on the edge with her hands resting on Hayley's stomach.
"Help? You're the reason we're in this bloody mess! Why aren't we unlinked with this witch already, Elijah?"
"It's not working." Imogen murmured in defeat as she slowly opened her eyes to look apologetically at the werewolf and Hayley offered her a weak smile in response when she saw the honest sorrow in her bluish eyes.
"Rebekah, let her do what she can." Elijah ordered his little sister softly as he looked at her imploringly and Rebekah huffed slightly as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I may know a way to slow the fever down. But, I'm gonna need some special herbs." Sophie told them as she broke her gaze from the brunette sitting on the bed and looked at Rebekah with a pointed expression as she quirked an eyebrow. "I'll text you a list."
Rebekah scoffed slightly as she rolled her eyes at the witch's total lack of respect for someone who could snap her like a twig and looked over at Elijah who nodded in encouragement.
"Fine. Happy to play the fetch girl." Rebekah relented with a patronising smile on her lips as she uncrossed her arms from her chest and case an anxious glance over her shoulder at the two brunettes' on the bed. She sighed in defeat as she turned back around to face her brother with a tight sarcastic smile and shoved the towel she was holding into Elijah's chest before stomping out of the room.
"Hayley's still dying over here, if anyone cares." Imogen called over her shoulder sarcastically with a roll of her eyes at the bickering as she dabbed the werewolf's head with a cloth and Hayley chuckled feebly at the young witch sitting next to her.
Elijah snapped his head over to the double bed where the two women that had begun to intrigue him sat together and abruptly used his vampire speed to blur over to the edge of the bed with a concerned frown.
Sophie walked briskly over to the edge of the bed with an impassive expression to hide the mixture of emotions that were swirling inside of her and tried to ignore the raging urge to hug her best friend after not seeing her for months since the Harvest. "We need to get her outside in the cool air."
"I've tried a simple frigus temperatus spell but because it's a hex from a cursed object, it's not working." Imogen informed the other witch without looking at her as she stood up from the edge of the bed and Elijah moved closer to gently lift Hayley into his arms as she stepped back out of the way.
"What? No, 'Hello, Sophie. My best friend in the entire world.'?" Sophie asked in a sardonic voice mixed with bitterness as she crossed her arms over her chest as though it would protect her from whatever Imogen was about to throw at her.
Imogen spun around to glare at the dark eyed witch with fierce flashing eyes as she tried not to let her growing magical energy get out of control and Sophie lifted her chin in defiance under her heated stare.
Elijah ignored the growing tension between the two young witches as she carefully carried Hayley out of the room and made a mental note to speak to Imogen about the comment later at a more appropriate time in the future.
"A best friend doesn't try and murder the other's sister!"
"Sacrifice! It's a sacrifice, not murder."
"It's not going to happen!" Imogen snapped in a dangerously low voice as she stepped forward threateningly and Sophie scowled at the other brunette as she ran a frustrated hand through her long hair.
There was a time when Sophie Deveraux and Imogen Clare were inseparable and no matter what anyone tried to do to keep them apart, they always fought tooth and nail until they found their way back to each other. Since pre-kindergarten the two young girls had formed a friendship that had lasted through elementary school, high school and college until the night of the Harvest when the bond of family loyalty had finally pulled the two apart.
"We need to get downstairs. I came to help and I pan to do just that." Imogen said coldly as she stared at Sophie with dull bluish eyes so that the other brunette wouldn't see the hurt behind the impassive mask.
"Fine." Sophie murmured quietly as she turned to walk out the room but spun back around with her dark brown eyes shining with all of the longing, remorse and pain that she wouldn't allow herself to speak out loud. "I miss you. I miss us."
Imogen swallowed down the lump in her throat as she blinked away the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes and let stern expression crumple so that Sophie could read the despair and regret in her eyes. "I miss you too. You have to understand why I'm doing this."
"I do." The other witch assured her quickly as she nodded shakily in acknowledgement and let a shuddering breath as she fiddled restlessly with her fingers. "You have to understand why I'm doing this as well. Jane-Anne died for this. If there's a chance Monique can come back, I have to take it."
"I'd be the same if it was Davina." Imogen acknowledged with certainty ringing in her soft voice as she nodded her head and allowed a small smile blossom on her lips as she took a step closer almost instinctively. "We should get downstairs. Rebekah will be back with the herbs by now."
"Let's go then." Sophie uttered quietly as she started to leave the room once more and Imogen closed her eyes gently for a moment as she tried to collect her scattered emotions before following after her ex-best friend.
Outside in the backyard of the mansion, Hayley was sitting by the edge of the large pool as the moonlight cast a gloomy backdrop for the night's events and Rebekah was placing the correct herbs that she had gotten on the small table on the patio in preparation for Sophie's spell. Elijah was standing protective behind the sick werewolf with his arms folded over his chest as they waited for the two young witches to join them and everyone turned to face the door as it suddenly opened from the inside to reveal Sophie and Imogen emerging.
"She's burning up! We need to do this now." Elijah informed them sternly as he slipped out of his suit jacket and Sophie rushed towards the table with the herbs on it as she felt her own temperature spike but she kept her focus on the werewolf.
"Get her in the water! " Sophie ordered the male Original as she bit into her lower lip anxiously and started pouring the herbs into a bowl in the right order as Imogen strolled over to her side in case she needed help. Elijah jumped into the pool with a splash before he gently placed his arms under Hayley to help her into the water and Sophie mixed the herbs together quickly before following them into the waist high water.
"I don't see how a midnight swim is supposed to help." Rebekah commented drily as she crossed her arms over her chest in what might have been construed as impassiveness but Imogen immediately recognised it as a barrier between the blonde and reality.
Her temperature is sky-high. The water, with the help of the herbs, should cool them down." Imogen explained to them from the edge of the pool as she walked around to stand next to the female Original and Sophie quickly drank half of the greenish herb mixture before walking over to hand the cup to Hayley who immediately gulped down the rest of it.
"God, that's disgusting." Hayley complained in a weak voice as she grimaced at the taste of the murky liquid and Imogen smirked at the comment in admiration that she still had her wit about her when she was in danger.
"You're going to have to get her heart rate down. Hold her. It's a natural human remedy to slow the heart rate and reduce blood pressure." Sophie told Elijah firmly as she pursed her lips together to stop from groaning at the heat building underneath her skin and Elijah quickly slipped his arms under Hayley's legs before picking her up bridal-style.
"Davina will break the link, we just need time." Elijah murmured just loud enough for Imogen to hear him as he held the werewolf close to his chest and the young witch frown in confusion before realisation set in.
"The sanguinum knot." Imogen uttered to herself in understanding as she glanced at the ground before turning her accusing glare on to the other brunette witch and scowling at her as she shook her head in disapproval. "You linked yourself to a pregnant werewolf? To what end?"
"We needed leverage over Klaus." The other witch told her defiantly as she returned the glare with equal measure and Imogen scoffed at the remark as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I can't breathe!" Hayley cried out loud with a groan as she clung to Elijah's shoulder and gasped for breath as she hyperventilated under the stress of impending miscarriage.
"Okay, long deep breaths, Hayley! Look at me. Long deep breaths, just focus on the sound of my voice." Elijah instructed her soothingly as he rubbed a hand gently down her back and demonstrated her to breathe calmly as she followed his lead.
"I just felt it lift." Sophie murmured as she looked up at the sky in wonder with wide dark brown eyes and everyone sighed in relief as Hayley started to even out her breathing now that she wasn't in pain because of the weapon used on Sophie. The young witch removed one of the earrings from her earlobe before stabbing her palm with the sharp metal end and she winced in pain as the skin broke but Hayley's skin stayed undamaged.
"Thank god." Rebekah breathed out in relief as she slouched her shoulders and Imogen placed a reassuring hand on her friend's arm as she ignored the moment being shared by the couple still standing in the middle of the pool.
"Elijah...as soon as your brother finds out that the link is broken, he'll kill Agnes. I know you don't owe me anything, but please, don't let him kill her." Sophie said in a rush as panic overtook her because if Agnes died no one would be able to perform the Harvest ritual and Imogen snapped her gaze around to the other witch as Elijah used his vampire speed to run out of the pool towards his jacket. "Elijah! She's our only access to the power we need to survive. Promise me that you'll stop him!"
Imogen released Rebekah's arm from her hand with wide eyes filled with alarm and walked quickly over to where Elijah was dialling someone on his cell phone as hope started to swell in the stomach that everything might be over sooner rather than later. The young witch stood a few feet away from the Original as he held the phone up to his ear and his dark brown eyes moved to capture her bluish ones as she bit her lower lip nervously.
"It's me, where are you? Don't hurt her. I'll be there shortly." Elijah said into the phone as he read the hope shining in Imogen's gaze before hanging up the cell phone and slipping it into his pants pocket before turning to face Sophie with a blank expression on his handsome face. "I'll make you one last promise. I won't let my brother kill Agnes."
Sophie nodded her head stiffly in agreement as she pressed her lips together in a tight line and Elijah narrowed his eyes at her before walked into the house through the back door without another word. Hayley climbed out of the pool slowly as she wobbled slightly on her feet and threw a heated glare in the Deveraux witch before silently walking into the house to lie down.
"Come on, Imogen. I'll get us a drink." Rebekah told the brunette as she strolled over to place a hand on the witch's arm and Imogen nodded shakily as she stared blankly at the girl she used to be friends with before following after the blonde Original.