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Everyone is sat down at the table to discuss Dahlia. Apparently, she appeared to Hayley and possessed my brother as they walked with Hope. "Isn't that the point of a fortress?" Klaus yells. "It does a better job of protecting you when you stay within its walls."

"Okay, Klaus, we get it." I say and grab his arms softly to try and help soothe the anger.

"Now let's just figure out what we're gonna do." Hayley says stressed.

Klaus stands up angrily looking to Hayley. "What I would like to do is take a strong leash-"

"Children, please." Elijah interrupts as I chuckle. "Niklaus, your ire is justified. However, Maddison and Hayley are quite right." Hayley has a smug smile as i point to Elijah in triumph. "We need to find a new strategy. Freya, if you please..."

"This spell you described, Dahlia calls it kenning, using proxies to watch her enemies from afar, but I've never seen it done in quite this scale." Freya explains to us.

"Awesome. So basically, every hurricane-chugging, boob-flashing tourist on bourbon street is a potential spy." Hayley says.

"The good news is, I know a little bit about how her magic works. This tonic will at least prevent her from using any of us." Freya sits as her and Rebekah grab a glass.

"Well, come on. Should work like a charm." Rebekah says as Elijah sits down and he and Hayley grab a glass as well. "Bottoms up." Klaus stands a little away from the table as I occupy his chair from earlier. I'm not drinking that, that's for sure. Elijah sticks his hand out with a glass to Klaus.

"Niklaus, is there something you wish to contribute?" Elijah asks him as I turn around to look at him.

Klaus shrugs and walks towards the chair I'm sitting on. "I prefer biscuits with my tea." I cover my mouth to try and stop the laugh but fail.

Elijah rolls his eyes and puts down the cup. "Of course."

"Besides, our minds are far too strong to be invaded by kenning spells. So what we experienced was a test. Dahlia is watching to see how we respond to aggression." Klaus says.

"And we all know how you respond to aggression, my love." I smile up at him as he leans down to kiss my forehead.

Klaus grins and continues, "she's preparing for battle. My guess is sooner rather than later."

"Well, if she was watching us, she would know that we have our own army." Hayley contributes.

"She also knows where we are, and, given the immense nature of her power, we simply have no idea what to expect from her." Elijah tells everyone. "What we need is to create a new stronghold, something that Dahlia knows nothing about, a sanctuary from any witchcraft."

"That's a fine strategy." Freya says making Elijah look her way. "I offer another. We could use Jackson to trace her magic back to its source, find out exactly where she is."

Hayley and I immediately look at each other. The easiness clear in our eyes. I shake my head, knowing I don't want to but of course it's up to Jack and we both know he will if it will help.

"Fine." I sigh "Do it." We say at the same time.

"Good. Then it's settled. Off you pop to your respective tasks. Me, I've always been of the opinion that the best defence is a good offence. So I'm gonna find a way to murder that god-forsaken witch."

*

"Just stay calm." My dad tells me as I nod.

I take a deep breath as I lay back, staring at the ceiling. I hear the door open and look up. "Miss. Gerard. Great to meet you. I'm Dr. Jonathon Quint. How are you feeling?" He asks as I smile.

"Good. Really sick, and I feel like I'm getting huge way too early." I say nervously as my dad grabs my hand.

He chuckles a bit and sits down on the chair next to me. "The sickness is perfect normal and you look beautiful." He checks my heart rate before grabbing some gel stuff, putting it on my stomach and looking up at the screen while spreading the gel and using a transducer.

I try and keep my heart rate steady to conceal my nervousness. "Everything's gonna be okay, Ana."

The doctor makes a weird sound which causes me to grow nervous and look at him. "What is it? Is my baby okay?"

"Perfect actually." I sigh in relief. "They are perfectly healthy."

"That's gr-" I pause. "Wait, What?" I ask shocked as well as my dad.

"You're having Twins, Maddison." My dad says making me slowly look up at the screen and gasp quietly.

"Those are my babies?" I whispers as i cry tears of joy.

"They are. Would you like to know the genders?" The doctor asks making me open my mouth but no reply coming out. Do i want to find out the babies gender when Klaus isn't here?

Klaus walks towards Davina who is sat on a bench waiting for Mikael. "So what's the deal, anyway? Aiden at your beck and call now?" She asks him.

"I'm simply mentoring a promising, young wolf." He responds.

"Josh isn't gonna be too happy when he finds out about it." Davina tells him, looking away as Klaus sits down next to her.

"And I am shaking in my boots at the mere thought of his displeasure. You see, Davina, josh and Aiden are in love, which means they both have something to lose, thus making them all too easily manipulated should the need arise." Klaus explains to her before scrunching his eyebrows and parting his mouth while looking to her.

"It must really suck to have to be you all the time." Davina says looking at Klaus, interrupting him from saying anything.

"Well, it hasn't been a picnic, honestly." Klaus says looking away.

"You know, thing is, you have that now too, don't you," Klaus smiles mockingly, "someone you love more than anything, even yourself." Klaus loses his smile. "How does that feel to be one of us, someone with something to lose? I'm not just talking about you're daughter, I'm talking about my mom and the baby she's carrying. She loves you more than anything in the world and I can see you love her too. I know that you will protect her as much as you can but when you aren't with her, doing god knows what, I hope you'll still remember that she can't protect both of them by herself and protect you too in the process...because we both know she will do anything to protect the people she loves, including you." Davina looks away and leans forward. "Klaus, there."

Klaus looks at the cab that's approaching and sits up. Mikael opens up the door and steps out, the cab door closing behind him, making my turn. "Well, well, well, Well, if it isn't the bastard himself. Have you come looking for another beating, boy?"

Klaus stands there unfazed as he responds, "As much as I'd love to kill you again, I wonder if our interests might be better served by joining forces. You know full well the threat we face, so...how about it...father? Care to join your bastard son on a witch hunt?"

"What do you mean she's gone?" Elijah asks.

"She was a risk." Hayley defends.

"She's also the one person who intimately understands the enemy we now face." Elijah says walking forward.

"Both of you, shut up." I close my eyes and sigh.

"I was protecting Hope from someone it is obvious none of us completely trust." Hayley tells Elijah.

"Correct. We've done nothing but doubt Freya. Nevertheless, she kept her promise, and she saved your life." Elijah says looking to Rebekah. "We certainly haven't demonstrated the same kindness towards her."

"To be clear, she sure as hell won't be getting my kindness, that's for sure. She may be your sister, Elijah, but Hayley is right. None of us trust her, okay, and I won't put my brother or our children's life on the line because of her. No matter who she is." I finish.

"So what the bloody hell do we do now?" Rebekah asks her brother.

"There's a jazz club in Algiers by the name of the St. James infirmary. Marcel has acquired it, and Josephine is fortifying it as a sanctuary against magic." He explains. "Pack your things." His eyes drift towards Hayley and I. "Marcel will escort you two and Hope there tonight at 9:00. You wait with with me." Elijah walks away pointing to Bekah.

"What for?" She asks.

Elijah's stops and turns. "If Freya should return, we'll be here. Now, whether we trust her or not, we cannot win this fight without her."

As Elijah walks off, Rebekah turns to Hayley and I. I shake my head annoyed.

*

I hear Aiden and Josh talking and back up leaning against the wall quietly. "Uh, yeah. Vamp hearing, dude. You can turn it on and off, but I'm nosy, particularly when my boyfriend is conducting secret business with the guy who, you know, murdered me on my spring break." Josh tells him.

"I just didn't want you to get involved, okay?" Aiden says to Josh.

"Involved in what?" Josh asks confused.

"It's nothing. I've got it all taken care of." Aiden goes to walk away but Josh stops him.

"Whoa. Hey, wait a minute. What is going on?" Josh asks.

"No, I just..." Aiden trails off.

"Please." It was silent for a moment before Aiden sighs deeply.

"Oh, I don't know what to do. Jackson's got this big escape plan with Hayley, Maddison and the baby tonight, and if I don't tell Klaus, then he'll..."

"Cut your head off with a dull butter knife." Josh says worriedly.

"But Jackson's been looking after me since we were kids. I can't just stab him in the back." Aiden argues.

"I don't know if you have a choice." Josh tells him quietly.

"He's part of my pack. You don't know what that's like." Aiden says as I roll my eyes.

"Hey, you don't have to be a crescent wolf to love your friends. Look. It's fine. We're gonna...we're gonna figure this out, okay?" I take a deep breath and lean my head against the wall.

I walk away from the compound and scroll through my contacts. I think about it before pressing his name and put the phone to my ear.

My dad asks.

"I'm okay. I'm calling about Hayley and Jackson." I tell him, feeling a little guilty.

*

I sat in the compound with all the Mikaelsons, watching Klaus in particular as he drinks. "Well, that sounds like a bloody fiasco. Where's Dahlia now?" Rebekah asks.

"She could be anywhere. There wasn't a trace of her left at the church." Elijah says.

"She's done with us for the night. No doubt, she wants us to take some time to wallow in our defeat." Freya says annoyed.

"Defeat?" Klaus asks. "I disagree. We saw her face. We took her measure. If that's the best she's got, quite frankly, I'm unimpressed." Klaus stands and walks towards Mikael.

"Her aim was not to impress us, she wanted us to reveal our sole weapon, and like fools, we did." Mikael says angrily.

"Am I hearing things, or did Nik just exchange words with our father?" Rebekah asks Elijah.

"Rebekah. I'd know that wicked tongue anywhere. What mischief have you gotten yourself into now? No doubt, the bastards doing." Mikael says to her.

"Enough." Klaus says to him and turns around. "My patience, like this farce of a reunion, is at an end."

"Agreed. There really is only one question here. What, exactly, are we doing?" Elijah asks walking past Mikael and Freya.

"This was not my plan. You rushed it and made but a single weapon. Of course she took it from you, and now we've lost what advantage we had and used up the very materials we needed to kill her." Freya says angrily like Mikael.

"It's a bit histrionic. Your material are easily found. Let's take stock, shall we? There's an ample supply of your blood. Norwegian soil is hardly scarce. What else? Ah, yes... the ashes of Dahlia's Viking oppressors." Klaus sets down his drink after he finishes speaking.

"Only priceless relics gotten with great difficulty at a museum, lost due to your worthless strategies." Mikael yells as Klaus speeds towards Mikael and pins him against the wall with the white oak stake pointed at his heart.

"No!" Freya yells and tries to attack Klaus but Elijah grabs her arms and holds her back.

"If I feel even the faintest touch of your magic, Freya, I'll end him with the flick of my wrist." Klaus yells back at her before looking at Mikael. "You don't seem surprised."

"Betrayal is in your nature, boy." Mikael says.

"No." Klaus shakes his head as I watch carefully. "I wasn't born like this. Her you fight for, lovely Freya, the daughter you barely know...yet there was a time when you knew me as your son, a time before all the disappointments, the revelations of betrayal. There were moments when all you had to do was be my father, and even then, you despised me, didn't you? I want to know why."

My hand covers my mouth as Klaus' voice breaks and tears are visible in his eyes as he cries. "I don't know. I just did." Mikael says.

"Are those your final words?" He asks Mikael.

Mikael looks to Freya whose crying, "Freya...I'm so sorry. I love you." Klaus shoves the stake in Mikaels chest as Freya collapses on the ground while screaming and crying. Veins start creeping through Mikael's face and hands before he burns and Klaus turns towards us.

"Viking ash is indeed rare...but all you really need is a burning Viking corpse." Klaus starts to walk up the stairs and Freya stands and goes to attack him again but Elijah holds her back. I follow Klaus upstairs and walk into the bedroom seeing him standing with a drink in his hand.

"Are you okay?" I ask him quietly while walking towards him. "That's a stupid question." I shake my head. "Of course your not. I was gonna show you this another time, when things were okay, but it seems maybe you could use some good news."

Klaus turns towards me and puts his glass down. I grab the envelope from my bag and hand it to him. He slowly opens the envelope and surprise covers his face.

"My dad took me to the doctor to make sure our baby was healthy, and it turns out, they both are." Tears gather in my own eyes as a smile appears on his face and he brings me in his arms. I rest my head against his chest and close my eyes.

😊