"Where the hell have you two been and what the hell makes you think that you can hide a threat from me?"

The looks on the Mikaelson brothers' faces was enough to give me enough to laugh at for the next inordinate amount of time I have on earth. It was obvious that this was the last place they expected to see me. Where might this location be? Well, to answer your question, I was sitting in the middle of their living room, levitating above the lovely coffee table in the centre of it. Was it extra? Yeah, but that's exactly why I did it in the first place.

"Ophelia, we just wanted to keep you safe—"

"Safe?!" I interrupted Elijah, anger clearly written all over my face. "You call ignorance safety?! Well, that's funny, because I call it vulnerability!"

"I take it Kol did an excellent job at keeping it a secret." Klaus rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. Yeah, he did. And because of him, I am stuck with a cat and another Mikaelson that is always going to be in my apartment, not to mention the red flags that you three keep giving my boyfriend/boss thing."

"If Dean can't handle it, then maybe its best if you two don't see each other." The hybrid said with fake sympathy, earning a sharp glare at him.

"It's Dylan!" I screamed. "Dill-an. Now if you could stop all this jealousy bullfuckery and just tell me what the hell is really going on, that would be absolutely fucking lovely!"

"Where is Kol, by the way?"

"He is currently covering for me while I talk to you two howler monkeys, simultaneously babysitting the cat I now have because of you while Dylan thinks I'm in the bathroom! Now tell me what the hell is going on so I can get back to work and make sure that Kol hasn't compelled Salem to kill my boyfriend/boss thing!""

Flinching at the tone in my voice, the brothers sighed and looked at me, all previous trace of banter gone.

"Marcel is raising an army." Elijah stated.

"So I've heard."

"He's planning to attack."

"Really? I figured the army was for his newest project concerning Mardi Gras, a flash mob, and Lady Gaga."

"This isn't just any attack, Ophelia," Elijah said seriously. "He's coming for you, and he's gathering everyone he can to make sure that he gets you where he wants you."

"And where might that be?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at the brothers.

Clenching his jaw and glaring at the floor before looking into my dark brown eyes, Klaus sent shivers down my spine with this single word:

"Dead."

I knew he couldn't touch me. Marcel Gerard couldn't even lay a finger on me. If he killed me, I would come right back. I couldn't be killed. I knew this. He knew this. We all did, actually. But for some reason, I felt a deep sense of dread set in my bones. A dark, evil energy filling my very being.

He couldn't touch me. He couldn't touch me. He couldn't fucking touch me.

But why the hell was I so damn terrified?

"Who." Was all that was able to come out of my mouth. "Who is he gathering?"

"Who isn't he gathering is more the question we should be asking," Elijah sighed, beginning to pace slowly around the room, deep in thought. "He's contacting everyone in the quarter, and even going as far as going to the bayou. Wolves, vampires... even witches."

"He can't do that." Klaus growled. "Those are her witches — they can't just revolt!"

"Every other revolution against a totalitarian ruler or oppressive regime suggests otherwise, Klaus," I sighed. "And if you haven't noticed, they're not my biggest fans."

"Doesn't mean that they have the right to do that!"

I watched his anger fester into something more, something passionate. He wasn't angry that the witches were defying me (although that was a part of it), he was mad at the fact that someone was trying to hurt me.

"They've chosen their side." I stated, trying to calm him down. "Surely there is still a majority of the population who haven't deserted me?"

Elijah raised an eyebrow at me, as if telling me to get real with my expectations, and once again, my heart fell to my ass.

"Those bitches left?!"

"Not all, but an amount that could cause some potential damage." Elijah stated. "But your reach isn't limited to only the New Orleans witches, Ophelia. It extends to every coven in the world."

"Ah, yes. Because they like me so much, as well."

"Well I'm afraid you have no other choice, love," Klaus said, a sarcastic edge to his voice. "Right now, there is an army waiting for you. And although you have the originals on your side, Marcel is, unfortunately, capable of causing a lot of damage. So you either get help from the witches, or—"

"Or what, Klaus? Please, do spell it out for me!"

"Don't call me that, Ophelia!" He erupted. "You never call me that, and I'll be damned if you now know me as the name my enemies know me as. And I will also be damned if I see you die again!"

"Enough!" Elijah spoke, looking between us with an appalled expression. "There is enough stress around here without you two clawing at each other like children! Ophelia, Klaus is right. You — correction, we — need as much help as we can get. Niklaus and I have witch contacts of our own, and we will get them and their covens to help us if need be. In fact, we might call in everyone we know to keep you safe. And if that's the only way to do so, then we will do it. You're family, Ophelia."

I was silent for a while, letting the words of my best friend sink in. He was right. They would do anything for me. And that was one of the things that scared me the most.

"Before we do this," I said, letting them know that I was on board with their plan. "I want you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"Woah, there, brother," Nik interjected. "Don't get to loose here. She's quite vexing, this one."

"Shut up, Nikky," I rolled my eyes, trying not to smile in the midst of the serious situation. "This is important."

"Then we're all ears."

"Don't do any stupid shit to protect me or save me."

"Absolutely bloody not!" Both of them shouted at the same time, now going wild at my instruction.

"I'm serious!" I shouted over their clamour. "Don't do anything that would put yourself in danger!"

"I'm afraid that we can't do that, Ophelia."

"Then I guess I am going to have to face Marcel myself—"

"You must be out of your damn mind!"

"Am I really? Because it's perfectly logical to me."

"Then please, feel free to explain."

"I'm more invincible than you."

"Pardon?"

"Only one thing can kill me, and it's a long process, my friends."

"And only one thing can kill us as well."

"The white oak, right?"

"Yes, and there hasn't been one around since—"

Conjuring up a white oak stake in my hands, the brothers paled drastically as I raised a perfect eyebrow at them.

"You were saying?"

"Th-That's not fair!"

"Oh? I wasn't aware that war was fair!"

Throwing it in the fireplace beside me and igniting it with a snap of my fingers, I watched as they regained a little bit of colour in their faces.

"I am the most powerful witch to ever walk the face of the earth." I said sincerely. "Not only am I that awesome, but I have the power of three Originals behind me, one of which is a hybrid. But as strong and as amazing as you are, you can be killed. And I am not going to lose one of you all because of me. So, from the bottom of my heart, don't do anything you'll regret. I love you too much to lose you."

"This love isn't one sided, Ophelia," Nik said. "Just as you wish to see nothing happen to us, we wish to see nothing happen to you as well. You may be damn near invincible, but you can still be killed. Please remember that."

"But the difference between me dying and you dying is that I'll be back," I smiled sombrely. "It sucks, and you might have to wait a bit, but I'll always come back to you. You'll have to do a little bit of channeling to get me, but I'll be there. I'm never going to leave you."

"We say this as if we're sure that we're going to die." Elijah spoke, snapping Klaus and I out of our moment. "Have a little more faith in yourselves, you imbeciles!"

Laughing at his tone, I nodded, finally getting a grip of myself. He was right. All feelings of dread aside, I'm the fucking queen.

He can't touch me.

"Then colour me stoked," I smirked. "I'm ready to kick ass, are you?"

"We came out of the womb kicking ass."

"Good. Now I'm going back to work. I trust that you can not begin the war without me?"

"No promises." Klaus grinned.

Rolling my eyes, I walked over to the boys and hugged them, letting them have a moment before smacking them upside their heads.

"Bye!"

And with that, I Houdini'd my way out of there.