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༒ 𝐃𝐚𝐰𝐧༒

• 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 7; 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 •

Jealousy is often an expression of insecurity and thus its fixing requires internal reflection and addressing matters of self-esteem. It is easier to see than one might expect, it for sure has no cloak of invisibility. It eats you up from within until you are a zombie corpse, feasting on the hive-mind. You cannot control it and no living soul can deny not feeling it, from time to time. And only the bravest of hearts can let go of the envy, and free themselves from constant anxiety from betrayal.

But, what is jealousy if not the fear to lose the things you care for most?

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"So, where is Klaus?"

Gathered around the table with a map and lit candles, the five of them, wearing worried and anxious faces, stood in determination to discuss the matter, and what they're going to do about it. The arrival of the Strix and the trio - Aurora, Tristan, and Lucien - in New Orleans did not make it easy for them to finally be peaceful, since they always feel the need to be on guard.

"When I told him about Rebekah, he said he'd pursue another lead." The Mikaelson witch told in exhaustion as she leaned against the table and sighed.

The Lycan eyed her mate in concern as he took the athame and used it to slice open his palm so he could bleed into a bronze bowl on the table, which laid on top of the map.

"Forget Niklaus." He murmured solemnly and sent a tiny smile in Cassie's direction when she offered him a handkerchief, before he took it, cleaned up his hands, and turned to his sister again. "You will find her."

"Now, you sure you got enough ju-ju for a world-wide locator spell?" Marcel asked nervously, worried for the Mikaelson sister he dearly fonded's safety.

"She's my family. I won't lose her." Freya declared in determination, yet her breathes seemed rather shaking and startled. She took a deep breath before she put her hands around the rim of the bowl of blood and began to chant the spell. She poured the bowl's blood onto the map where Africa is situated, expecting to find her sister somewhere near the land.

She handed the bowl to Elijah and focused all of her energy on concentrating on Rebekah, but the blood only spread out until it was covering the entire map. "Damnit!"

Hayley and her sister exchanged an alarmed look, realizing the situation is probably worse than they believed it is. "Well, so much for witch-GPS."

"I assumed they'd cloaked her. I didn't expect a spell this strong." Freya panted while keeping her eyes targeted toward the map and the blood.

"No doubt conjured by the very witch who lured Rebekah into this trap," Elijah stated confidently.

"Don't just give up so easily. I'm sure Freya can-"

"You should all go." The witch cut off Cassie's attempt to comfort. "I have my work cut out for me."

"The Strix trust me." The dark-skinned's gaze drifted to the original as he spoke. "If they know where Rebekah is, I can find her."

"There's no time. You need to stop Davina from activating Lucien and Tristan's weapon." Elijah returned frantically while circling the table and standing tall in front of Marcel.

"We need to find Rebekah!"

"Marcel, I will not rest until my sister is found."

Marcel paused to consider Elijah's suggestion - which sounded more like a demand, in reality - before sighing reluctantly. "All right. I'll handle Davina."

"Well, in the meantime, please tell me that we're gonna kill someone?" Hayley deadpanned hopefully.

"Oh, we're going to kill many someones." Elijah hurried to respond, anger drooling through his voice. "But first - if we are to start a war, let us determine where allegiances lie."

Cassie let out a heavy exhale, already having a bad feeling about this day swirling in the pit of her stomach.

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Elijah and Cassie walked side by side all the way from the attic in the what-used-to-be St. Anne's church, letting the silence fall between them with ease. They haven't seen each other since last night's passionate conversation they had, given how she was already asleep - in her own bed - by the time he returned home. It was the kind of silence that begged to be broken, both of them waiting for the other to start, yet both being completely ignorant as to how - as if forgot how to speak.

"Have you.." He was the one to find the courage to open the topic, with a quick glance at her. "Have you spoken to Niklaus yet, about.."

"I, uh," She paused to clear her throat and clench her fists in stress, "Well, I wanted to, but he was pretty busy when I got here."

They entered the gates to the courtyard and looked around at the dark and silent area, where there were no signs of life. He knitted his brows together and looked at her questioningly. "How so?"

Instead of answering his question, she sniffed to take it the already familiar somewhat obnoxious smell of vampires' presence that she was sure wasn't coming from just Elijah, and chuckled bitterly in disbelief. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

He didn't understand what was she talking about entirely, but he followed her request and called out after his brother. "Niklaus!"

As expected, Klaus appeared on the balcony on the second floor, observing the pair with amusement. "You shout loud enough to wake the dead."

"Can't pick up your phone? Your sister is missing." Elijah stated in disappointment.

Before the hybrid could reply, a specific redhead came out onto the balcony in his button-down shirt and joined their conversation. Klaus immediately sighed in embarrassment as Aurora addresses Elijah cheerfully.

"Well.. She's not exactly missing. And, as long as everyone behaves themselves, you can trust me to tell you where she is." Aurora smiled sweetly and leaned on the rail.

With her jaw clench and her fingers wrapped around his forearm, Cassie leaned toward Elijah's ear. "See what was I talking about, now?"

"Hello, Elijah." Aurora's once fake-nice tone of voice disappeared and was replaced by a more sarcastic one. "Hello, Cassie. I am pleased to see you again."

"Well, that makes one of us," Cassie snarled as she clenched her fists in fury, recalling last night when she saw her and Klaus together, sharing a bed.

"Give me my sister. Or perhaps I can pay a little visit to your brother, Tristan." Elijah glared at her furiously as he directed.

"Elijah, please. Aurora and I have come to an agreement." Klaus returned defensively and exasperatedly while placing one hand on the redhead's back.

It was clear he was only faking his caring and affection for Aurora. Sure, she was the love of his life once, but now - she's nothing but a pawn in his plan to get the weapon she and her brother holds against his family. It would be a lie to say he didn't enjoy the reaction of rage his proximity to Aurora has drawn from Cassie, especially as she stood tall so close to his brother, something that boiled his blood in jealousy. But that, he would never admit aloud.

The older brother continued to gape at them in horror as Aurora linked her arm with Klaus' free one and gave Elijah a territorial glare. Klaus gave Cassie a satisfied grin, while she only scowled at him.

"Yes, Nik and I find now that your vile act of compulsion has been revealed, there's really no reason why we can't pick up where we left off a thousand years ago." Aurora smiled in gratification before she sent the blue-eyed original a somewhat playful grin.

"Oh, did you, Nik?" Cassie narrowed her eyes at Klaus and mumbled quietly, ignoring Aurora's devilish smirk.

Klaus' smile fell into what seemed like a sheepish and apologetic look. It was a swift wave of regret that washed over him, yet he reminded himself it was all a part of a plan he must focus on right now. Thus, he sighed and carried on with the act as he pulled Aurora closer to him so that their faces are only inches apart. "Go on, love. I need to have a word with my brother."

Aurora smiles and nuzzled her nose in his neck before she left, which brought a disgusted look to Cassie's features. Suddenly, she couldn't care less about Klaus' feelings when he would find out he and Elijah are back together. He seems to move on with Aurora, right? Why would she not? Therefore, she took a step forward and turned to face Elijah with a sigh.

"I'll leave you two alone." She reluctantly said and shifted closer toward him so that her forearms were leaning against his chest. He was caught off guard and his gaze instantly drifted to his brother's wide eyes that watched from above in shock, yet very quickly complied to her decision and put a comforting hand on her hip with a nod.

"And where will you go?" He asked in curiosity while running his fingers through the hair that fell on her cheek.

"To see Hayley." She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Haven't been much of a great sister lately. I figured I better start making up for it."

He nodded silently, and she added in a softer voice. "Keep me updated, alright? I hate being left out."

"Of course." His lips twitched into the smallest of smiles before she caught them with hers, leaning in for a lingering, faint kiss while both of them could hear - and ignore - the racing pace of Klaus' heartbeat from the balcony above.

Once they pulled away, she inhaled his captivating fragrance before she sent a grimace at Klaus' glare and left the courtyard.

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"Am I to assume that you've gone completely mad?" Elijah scolded as he paced in anger when the two of them reached the study room.

"You see madness, I see method!" Klaus shrugged as he walked over to his brother and handed him one of the glasses of whiskey he held in his hands.

"And that method would be what, Niklaus? To fornicate with the she-devil who took our sister?" The older brother rolled his eyes in contempt.

"To be clear, The Strix took our sister. Aurora simply hijacked her. I will get Rebekah back. Trust me. Keeping Aurora close garners the goodwill we need." Klaus muttered the end of the sentence as if for himself before sipping the alcoholic drink.

"Well, it is a bold - if lecherous - plan." Elijah swiftly turned around to face his brother, who leaned next to the fireplace. "Will you employ the same tactic when it comes time to retrieve the medallion from Lucien and Tristan?"

"They're not really my type." He ridiculed.

Elijah, thoroughly exasperated by his younger brother's behavior, sighed deeply and closed his eyes for a long moment until Klaus, understanding Elijah's fear, sighs as well. "There must be another way."

"Aurora will always protect Tristan.. And, given that he and Lucien are aligned, the three of them together have a distinct advantage on us.." Elijah trailed off as he brainstormed, intriguing Klaus instantly, "..Unless we break that advantage."

"Now there's a strategy I wholeheartedly endorse! What do you have in mind?" The younger brother approached him with his head tilted in question.

"It's Thanksgiving. Let's invite them for a friendly meal, systematically turn them against one another, and then devastate their pitiful alliance." Elijah suggested in hatred, which made Klaus grin devilishly. But, of course, no calm conversation between the Mikaelsons lasts long.

"Tell me," Klaus mused with a blank face and a manner of bitterness. "Would Cassie be on the guest list?"

Elijah saw it coming before, so he only chuckled with a roll of his eyes. "What are you trying to imply, brother?"

"Nothing. I just wasn't informed of your epic comeback." Klaus sarcastically replied and threw his hands in the air as a shrug.

"And I did not know you must be informed in every change of my personal life's decisions." Elijah hissed back, squinting his eyes in challenge.

Klaus glared with his jaw clenched. "You know this matter is different."

"You were the one to involve himself."

"I-"

"The attempt to keep Cassandra out of this dinner would be pointless, she is too persistent to comply. Hence, yes, to your question, Niklaus - she will attend dinner tonight." Elijah answered coldly and quickly before finishing with a statement he knew would hurt. "After all, if you're to bring your lovely date, why wouldn't I?"

Klaus' glare fell as well, leaving him only with a devastated and desperate gloomy expression that Elijah ignored when he raised his glass to salute. "I can feel the holiday spirit already!"

It felt good for Elijah to finally feel like he's winning this contest.

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Standing in front of the big window in her apartment and observing the Turkey Trot marathon that was going strong on the streets of the French Quarter, Hayley Marshall stood thoughtful.

She was getting tired and used to the idea of always being prepared for the next attack. First, the witches who killed her and tried to kill her daughter. Then, the wonderful auntie Dahlia. Now, the De Martels and worldwide enemies that wanted to end the Mikaelons' lives along with a prophecy of their downfall?

She was on the verge of breaking down.

Thankfully, she had a baby to remind her how much her life matters, and a husband to support her along the way. And above all of that, she had her sister. Her very complex, messy, loving sister.

Said sister walked into the room from the nursery and stopped dead in her track once noticing her older sister is clearly troubled. She sighed deeply and started to approach Hayley before stopping to stand behind her and glance at the crowd cheering on the streets.

"So, you're thinking of starting to jog marathons now?" Cassie humored quietly and drew a laugh through the nose from Hayley, who remained to gaze at the view. "Hope's napping so we're in the clear."

"She's a baby, not a fugitive," Hayley remarked dryly, making her sister chuckle ever-so-slightly.

"Anyway.." Cassie drawled and cleared her throat to sign her to spin on her heel and talk to her properly. "..What's up with the gloomy face?"

"What gloomy face?" Hayley responded monotonically and with her face remaining blank.

"This gloomy face." The emerald green-eyed pointed at her with a small smile.

It took Hayley a very long moment to recollect her thoughts and put them into words that she could voice in front of her sister, but once she did, she answered. "Jack and I had an argument."

"What? Why?" Cassie cocked a brow in sympathy.

"He's mad that I'm getting myself involved with Aurora and Tristan instead of letting Elijah and Klaus take care of it." She replied with a deep sigh.

"Well, I don't blame him."

"Hey! You're supposed to be on my side here!" Hayley complained with her brows furrowed.

"I'm on the objective side, hon." Cassie raised her hands in surrender before elaborating. "I just think that he's your husband and he doesn't want you to risk yourself."

"You are going to this dinner." Hayley pointed out with her arms folded on her chest.

"I don't have a daughter and a husband." She returned before murmuring, "Thank god."

"It's just that Rebekah kept Hope safe for months. She's my friend, and she's Hope's family. I'm not gonna look my daughter in the eye one day and explain to her that I sat back and did nothing while those people just kidnapped her aunt." Hayley insisted to explain her perspective in frustration.

"I get that, but right now your husband wants you to prove you're there for him, and I'm going anyway so I'll just keep you updated over the phone, okay?" Cassie tried again calmly. "C'mon, sis. Be rational and think about Jackson too. It's Thanksgiving, after all. A family holiday and you and Hope are his family."

Hayley huffed in defeat while rolling her eyes. "Okay, fine. You've made your point. Now go find what google has to say about turkey recipes while I'll see what can I find in the kitchen."

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A formal dinner table has been set up in the courtyard, and the bar that Klaus and Elijah destroyed in their last fight has been replaced and filled with fancy decanters full of various forms of alcohol, along with plates of grapes, cheese, and bread.

Pouring himself a glass of bourbon, Lucien castle stood suited and prepared for the meal with the Mikaelsons while a new figure approached from behind him with a bouquet of flowers in a large pot in his hand.

"Aw, flowers for me? You shouldn't have!" Lucien joked cheerfully with a glance toward the man who rolled his eyes at him as he laid the pot of flowers on the other end of the bar.

"They're for the lady of the house. The well-mannered bring a gift when invited to dinner. I assume you brought nothing?" Tristan commented as he rested his elbow on the counter and looked at his friend as he sat on a stool.

"Nothing but my deepest respect for you." He responded snarkily.

Meanwhile, from one of the rooms on the upper floor came out the newly-reunited couple, both dressed formally in a tux and a black dress that wrapped around her torso way too tight for her liking. While his steps were quick and determined, hers were slow and wary, and only when they were just about to reach the staircase, he noticed it and turned to stand in front of her.

He looked at her fascinating eyes that now seemed to block him away from reading her feelings and thoughts as he usually could do, and sighed. "Cassandra, if you wish to change your mind and st-"

"I'm not changing my mind." She shook her head and cut him off with a weak smile. "It's just.. I never had a real Thanksgiving dinner and now, for the first time that I actually feel belong to a family, it's gonna be a disastrous dinner."

He took a step closer and caressed her small cheek in his hand with a soft smile that instantly eased her distress. "I give you my word now that we will have plenty of holiday meals to celebrate together in the future, just us, the family."

"You mean those that aren't daggered and/or abroad to travel in the family?" She chuckled and raised her brows, receiving a low laugh from him.

"I mean you and myself. The rest are a bonus." He smiled softly and let his thumb hover and tickle her bottom lip.

"It sounds nice." She whispered in a daze with her eyes shut and her cheek leaning against his palm.

They stayed like this for another long moment, before they were forced to pull away at the sound of a loud and enthusiastic voice coming into the courtyard from the entrance.

"Lovely. We're all getting along!"

They looked at one another and intertwined their fingers together, preparing themselves for the long meal ahead of them. "Remember. If at any point you feel uncomfortable-"

"You're being overprotective and underestimating me again. Do it one more time and I'll murder you myself." Cassie grumbled in sarcasm.

"Wonderful, then, I see we have the 'One by family' part all covered." He humored under his breath and with that, the two of them went down the stairs together.

"Mmm, like a fuse and a match," Lucien replied to Klaus' arrival before the pair's appearance from the stairs caught his attention. "Ah! Elijah, and.. Ms. Marshall?"

"In the flesh." She shrugged with a smug smirk as they approached the bar.

"Fancy seeing you here." He grinned and raised the bottle in her direction, "Bourbon?"

"No, thanks." She returned lowly before her gaze shifted to Klaus, who looked at her and Elijah with an offended grimace. There was something in his eyes that she couldn't figure out exactly what was. Anger? Pain? Both? Nevertheless, she pushed the concern for him aside with a heavy swallow.

"I take it Aurora is on her way?" Klaus' gaze returned to Tristan as he asked, deep inside knowing it has to have some effect on Cassie's feelings. He knew it did. It had to.

At the sound of her name, Aurora waltzed into the room in a vintage, dark-purple velvet dress with large, puffy sleeves and smiled widely at those in the room. "I'm sorry I'm late. Just freshening up. I did want to look pretty."

"Then you should've taken more time." Cassie mumbled in annoyance under her breath, causing Elijah to squeeze her palm in warning while he holds back a laugh.

Klaus smiled at the redhead in amusement, though his smile fell when she walked straight toward Lucien, who seemed to have been momentarily stricken speechless by the sight of her. "Well, well. If it isn't my old friend Lucien."

"Hello, Aurora," Lucien responded with an excited smile. "It's been ages. You lool-"

"-You look ravishing." Klaus, seemingly jealous of this interaction, quickly walked toward Aurora and took her hand in his own to plant a gentle kiss on the back of it, an act that made both Lucien and Tristan uncomfortable.

"And here we meet again, Cassie." Aurora shifted her attention to the short brunette and sent her a clearly fake smile.

"How lovely." Cassie played along while the corners of her mouth peeked upwards yet her eyes remained stony, and Elijah could feel her skin shivering in disgust and hatred.

The reaction from Cassie to this interaction between his brother and Aurora has worried Elijah. He suspected something uncertain was going on in either her mind or heart when they first walked into the courtyard and faced the pair earlier this day, but now he was truly alarmed. He wanted, with all his heart, to put this 'triangle saga' behind them and move on with her, but could he really, if she still holds some feelings for his brother?

"Welcome to our home." Elijah cleared his throat and pushed the thoughts to the back of his head as he greeted everyone. "I do wish it was under better circumstances. We all face a common threat - a prophecy warning that my siblings and I would all fall within a year. I fear my sister already has."

"Only as a precautionary measure, I assure you." Tristan answered simply, getting the disapproving look from Lucian and an unimpressed one from the older original.

"Interesting. You see, I would have called it an entirely unnecessary measure. We need to unite to prevent the prophecy from coming to pass. And, since any alliance is impossible without honesty.." Elijah released his hold onto Cassie's hand as he backed away slightly in order to stand tall and assertive beside his brother. "Let us begin this evening's proceedings by formally acknowledging your clandestine alliance."

Cassie watched both Lucien and Tristan exchanging a nervous and worried glance, something that brought up a smug smirk to her lips. If there was something she admired and loved in Elijah, it was his confidence and ability to intimidate whoever dared to threaten his loved ones. His standing and the stability in his tone when he spoke like that was a big, big turn-on for her, something she assumed will be used later on tonight.

"Now gentlemen, before-"

"Shh, shh, shh, shh. Lucien, please. Let's not ruin the dinner before it begins." Elijah rushed to (patronizingly and boldly, better add) cut the younger vampire off before he could finish his sentence.

"And, do try to bear in mind, we expect an honest and productive negotiation this evening!" Klaus went along with a proud smile.

"Mm-hmm." Tristan nodded warily in agreement.

"Shall we begin?" Elijah grinned at them and when they complied and started to make their way toward the long table, he offered his hand to his girlfriend. "My lady."

"My gentleman." She nodded with a cheeky smile as she put her palm in his hand, utterly oblivious to the pair of blue eyes that stared at them from the table, brokenhearted.

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Elijah and Klaus were sitting at both ends of the table while Tristan and Aurora sit side-by-side on the right side, leaving Lucien to sit alone on the left and Cassie at Elijah's right side, next to Lucien and across from Tristan. The table was loaded with all manner of Thanksgiving foods, including a turkey, stuffing, brown gravy, cranberry sauce, and salads. Compelled humans that served them as waiters tonight has placed plates and glasses of wine for each one of them, when they all remained in complete silence.

"It's a bit odd, isn't it? Celebrating an American holiday?" Lucien commented as-a-matter-of-factly to dissolve the tension from the air.

"Well, you know, Lucien, I rather enjoy Thanksgiving. The turkey, the cranberry sauce.. The lies, the deceit, the betrayal.." Elijah hissed with his teeth gritted.

"'Lijah.." Cassie apprehensively tried to calm with a hand on his thigh, which brought waves of tranquility through him.

He sighed and took a deep breath. "Perhaps we should begin this evening's proceedings with a little confession? And do help yourselves."

"So, this entire dinner is meant to be some boorish inquisition? How rude." Aurora pouted and asked impatiently.

"Nonsense, love. My brother merely wishes to make certain we're all on the same page." Klaus leaned on the table with his lips pursed. "So, who would like to begin?"

"Cassie," Aurora voiced with a high-pitched voice and cast a glance at the said girl, who only frowned at her in confusion. "Why won't you start, dear? I'm sure you have much to confess."

Cassie looked at Elijah's questioning gaze before glancing at all the staring eyes around her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't you?" The malicious redhead, that has put a target on Cassie's head ever since she found the portrait Klaus has drew of her and realized the relationship between her beloved with the Lycan, started to explain herself. "Let me remind you, then. Precious Cassie here has told me of her dilemma she's facing of which man does she loves more. And I think we all can conclude who's the said pair of men.."

Cassie's cheeks flushed red, and she shrunk in her seat. She could almost physically feel Elijah's eyes and Klaus' ones burning holes in each side of her face, and it made her nauseous. She dared to raise her glance to Elijah's blank face, and softened the muscles of the hand that still rested on his leg. Eventually, she recovered and cleared her throat while straightening her back. "Klaus, what about you, hmm? Any secret you'd like to share?"

Klaus' head snapped toward her in alarm, just as the others'. She clicked her tongue and crossed her arms before sassing back. "Let me be more precise. I'm talking about this little scheme you have to use sweet Aurora's pathetic crush on you to find Rebekah's location, and draw some information, when necessary."

The table went silent, and she looked at Klaus with wide, challenging eyes. "Huh? Doesn't ring a bell?"

Aurora couldn't hold back the burst of anger she was holding in. "Liar! Nik, tell her she's a liar!"

While the other three men watched carefully, Cassie cocked a brow at him, waiting for an answer that will ensure if he chooses her, or Aurora. She knew she was making a huge mistake by unveiling the plan that was supposed to serve all the family, including her. But Cassie, as she always is, was impulsive enough to risk the plan in order to defend herself from the awkward situation Aurora put her in, with a comment of her own that showed she can fight back just as much.

"Of course she's lying, love." Klaus murmured to the mad redhead yet his eyes locked on the emerald green irises that stared at him in exasperation. He was satisfied to get the confirmation he needed for his hopes that Cassie is possibly jealous of Aurora, but he couldn't lose the advantage he has whilst having Aurora wrapped around his little finger either.

"Hmm. Sure." Cassie rolled her eyes and leaned back on her seat before looking over at Elijah, attempting to read his face and find out what was he thinking at this moment. But there were too many emotions flickering in his eyes all at once that she couldn't identify a specific one.

"Ladies, please. No need to be upset. It is a holiday we're celebrating, after all!" Lucien tried to light up the intense storm of anger and emotions around the table.

"Well, Lucien and I have always loathed each other." Tristan started to change the topic with a 'confession' of his own, "Had we arrived as allies with a bleak future, you would have doubted us. We sought to remove suspicion by maintaining appearances."

"Oh, my dear. These pathetic lies promise to be as difficult to swallow as your stuffing this year, Niklaus." Elijah rolled his eyes and remarked sarcastically before sighing dramatically and lowering his voice. "Walnuts, honestly."

Klaus laughed loudly before Lucien jumped into the discussion. "The bottom line is, we came to protect you ourselves. We have never wavered on this point."

"And the bodies on my streets - is that your protection as well?" Klaus asked with his eyebrows raised.

"It's business as usual for The Strix." He replied with a shrug and a sip of his wine.

"An old tactic, used often and to great success. Jack the Ripper, Son of Sam.. A frightened human populace is that much easier to control. If tourism should decline, and the local vampires are deprived of fresh blood? Well, you saw how quickly Marcel joined our ranks." Tristan replied, making Cassie shift in her seat uncomfortably at the sound of the Strix' murders of innocent humans.

"Pedestrian. I would've expected more from such gaudy theatrics." Klaus rolled his eyes and commented.

"Well, if one wanted to obtain a certain item in, say, a private collection, but one was not invited into the home where said private collection was located, a police investigation could come in handy to remove those items as evidence," Lucien explained and winked in mischievous.

"I take it you are referring to the medallion?" Elijah, unamused, asked calmly as he leaned his back and grabbed his glass of wine.

Tristan and Lucien seemed alarmed that the Mikaelsons are aware of their plans for the Serratura, but they waved the look off with a faint smile. "I suppose it was my sister who shared that bit of information?"

"Don't blame Aurora - you two are hardly conspiratorial geniuses." Klaus mocked with a grin.

"Or rather, don't blame Aurora - she's an excellent secret-teller in bed." Cassie remarked in a mumble, yet it was obvious everyone heard it with their heightened hearing.

"Funny story - it turns out, all along, that the medallion was in the hands of Nik's friend Camille, the bartender-slash-therapist. Had to get her arrested in order to search her goodies, so to speak. But, I would never allow any harm to come to her, knowing the great caring you all have for her." Lucien knew what he was doing, and he succeeded. He managed to get Aurora antsy and worried more than she already was, given the way Klaus kept looking at the Marshall girl with yearning and awe.

"A medallion that could lock us away hardly seems like a wise strategy for those come to protect us." Klaus took this conversation to a serious turn. "Hand it over"

"And release Rebekah." The older brother ordered coldly.

"Uh, just a tick - Aurora has Rebekah, hmm?" Lucien looked at the diners in confusion, and the redhead only shrugged.

"No reason why I shouldn't be trusted with my sire's safety."

"Of course.. Unless you were to have one of your episodes." Lucien noted cheekily.

"Easy, Lucien. My sister sought leverage to protect herself. Who among us would do otherwise?" The older De Martel interrupted to defend his sister.

"Uh, any rational person who doesn't kidnap people?" Cassie pointed out with a scoff.

"Niklaus, will you politely remind me why we shouldn't just compel them all to give us what we want?" Elijah began to lose his patience with this meal and conversation.

Aurora burst into loud, hysterical laughter at this remark, and Klaus smiled tightly at her, also beginning to dislike their conversation. "I'm sorry, did Elijah say something amusing?"

"We lost a century to compulsion, my love." Aurora turned to glare at Elijah, "And some of us lost a great deal more. Surely you can't believe we'd allow ourselves to come here vulnerable?"

"My dearest Aurora, compulsion is not my only party trick." Elijah deadpanned.

"I do not like these threats." The redhead's smile quickly turned into a scowl.

"Awww, too bad we don't give a f-"

"Elijah, is she restrainable?" Lucien asked with a playful grin on his lips, something that only irritated Cassie even more. She was about to respond and snap at him, but Elijah's warm palm on her exposed knee somehow silenced her and eased her temper.

"Our continued existence depends on the Mikaelsons." Tristan mediated and carried on with his diplomatic attitude, "We've known that since Finn and Kol died. Unfortunately, so does every other vampire in the world. Given that the sirelines have declared war against one another, you can imagine how many young upstarts have come to the same conclusion - kill an original, wipe out an entire line of rivals. Heavy burden, isn't it? The lives of thousands of sired vampires resting on your shoulders? In a perfect world, you'd allow us to seal you away forever, thus eliminating the threat."

"Fortunately, the world is far from perfect." Klaus returned with a cold stare, clearly not appreciating the implications of what he's suggesting.

"With all the nauseating dinner theater we've endured throughout the centuries, these performances are, by far, the worst." Elijah snidely commented before sipping his drink.

"Told you we should've made a reservation at a restaurant instead." Cassie huffed and muttered with a sip of her own glass of wine.

Both Tristan and Aurora rolled their eyes and threw their heads back in identical expressions of exasperation before Elijah eventually added. "Aurora, my sister-"

"Aurora is quite aware of our desire to see Rebekah home," Klaus interrupted with his voice firm and bitter, "And I'm sure she'll do everything in her power to oblige."

Footsteps coming from the gates announced on a new person present in the courtyard, who eventually was revealed to be none other than Freya Mikaelson, who walked in with an appalled face at the sight of her brothers' guests. "We're welcoming our enemies to the dinner table now? Convenient, given she's the one who has the answers I want."

"Oh, for heaven's sake! Now I have to deal with the long-lost sister?" Aurora complained offended by the accusation while scoffing loudly and rising to her feet. "Nik, please spare me your family's rage and paranoia. It is exactly this kind of lunacy which led me to steal Rebekah in the first place."

"Yes, Nik. Please." Cassie teased with her eyes narrowed at the hybrid.

"What did you do with Rebekah?" Freya lowered her voice and asked with all seriousness.

"Oh, I'm sorry, love, but this prophecy has you all acting as fools. And I've no intention of risking my life to foolishness." Everyone in the room stared at the redhead, as none of them knew the true reason why Aurora took Rebekah in the first place except for Tristan, who merely looked embarrassed by her behavior. Now, I can't trust Rebekah with any of you. And I certainly can't trust the silly dear to endure on her own, so I decided to put her someplace safe. Imagine a spot where no harm could come to her. Where, in fact, no one could possibly even track her down. Yes, rest assured, Rebekah is perfectly fine.. At the bottom of the ocean."

Never have Cassie ever saw Elijah jumps and widen his eyes so swiftly. The fingers that brushed on the smooth skin of her thigh were now gripping her leg tightly to the point she had to bite on her lip in order not to sound any sign of pain in such an intense moment. She put a hand over his in an attempt to get his attention, but to no avail. "Elijah."

He didn't even blink, and kept a death stare locked on the woman who kidnapped his sister. She leaned closer toward his ear and whispered, "Elijah, you're hurting me."

It was what he had to hear in order to get back to reality and snap out of the daze of thoughts he drowned only moments ago. His gaze jumped to the shining, green eyes of his girlfriend, suddenly feeling his throat getting dry and his forehead sweaty. "Forgi-"

She dismissed his try to ask for forgiveness with a shake of her head that reassured him that it's okay, and that she's fine. Once Elijah's grip on her was no longer a distraction, Cassie looked at Aurora's smug smirk and she could sense her eyes glowing neon green, and her claws fighting the urge the emerge from the tip of her fingers.

"You're bluffing." Klaus squinted his eyes at the redhead with a low grumble, but she simply shook her head as though she's playing dumb, and he became even more overwhelmed with anger. "Tell me you're bluffing!"

"Oh, you should all be thanking me. Rebekah's never been safer! She has plenty of company down there. There's all the little crabs, and octopus, and.." Aurora made accompanying hand gestures to communicate the crabs and octopi just as Klaus angrily slammed his hands on the table and stood to his feet. Before he could react further, however, Tristan vamp-sped over to Freya and held the point of a knife to her throat.

"Harm my sister, and I'll be forced to return the favor." He hissed threateningly.

Elijah, not to be outdone, vamp-sped over to Tristan and yanked him away from Freya, pinning him face-first against one of the support beams of the balcony. While Cassie rose to her feet as an instinct of when she felt Elijah no longer close to her, Lucien smirked at this development and awkwardly sipped his drink before making his snarky reply. "Oh, this all escalated very quickly.."

"Shut up, Lucien, or I'll tear your tongue from your head." The hybrid pointed at him irritably with a shout.

"Be careful with your threats, Nik. Anything should happen to me, I won't be able to protect Cami." Lucien warned yet remained calmer than the rest of them.

"Okay, that is the second time I've heard her name! Just who is this Cami?" Aurora asked with a flash of jealousy and anger in her eyes.

"You have bigger problems." The witch growled mutinously and said.

"Well, then, let me get rid of one." With a heavy grunt coming through her plump lips, Aurora sped over to stand behind Cassie's back and didn't hesitate before thrusting her fangs into her neck, which made a shriek of pain echo through the compound.

"CASSIE!" Elijah was the first to scream and instantly released his grip on Tristan, who used the opportunity to lunge at him before he made it to Cassie and Aurora. While Elijah forced himself to fight back and get the upper hand on Tristan by holding him in a choke-hold again, Freya rushed to take care of it herself as she outstretched her hand in front of Aurora and flicked her wrist, telekinetically snapping her neck and causing her to collapse onto the floor in a heap.

Cassie gasped and panted as she stumbled on her feet and thanks to Freya's help, didn't collapse down in exhaustion. The blonde helped her up and sent a worried Klaus and a frightened Elijah a calming nod to reassure she's got this.

Impatient and furious, Elijah he dragged Tristan back to the table by the back of his neck and shoving him down onto his seat. "Niklaus.. Which of these two vulgar parasites would you first like to torture?"

"Well, it's half a dozen of one and six of the other, isn't it?" Klaus walked over to Lucien in mock affection before smiling devilishly at Elijah. "Why don't you take the stable boy? Tristan and I are long overdue for a good catch-up."

Elijah finally let himself speed over to Cassie and wrapped his sturdy arms around her waist to replace Freya's supporting hands, and the green-eyed smiled weakly with a sarcastic whisper. "Did I told her 'bite me' in this dinner?"

Elijah would've laughed at the joke if he weren't so concerned and now relieved to be able to bite his own wrist and bring it to her lips, to accelerate the healing process. In mere seconds, she no longer had to lean against him and even managed to regulate her breathing with a smile of gratitude toward him.

═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══

"No doubt you're angry.. Rightfully so." Lucien mused as he poured himself a drink at Klaus' art room, while knowing Klaus and Freya are holding the De Martels in different rooms as he speaks. "For what it's worth, I was horrified by Aurora's thoughtless actions. But, I assure you, Cami will be fine, provided I'm allowed to leave here with my head intact."

"Give me Camille and the medallion, and then we may consider the future of your head." Elijah stated assertively.

"Elijah, I have always been consistent. I only wanted to stop the prophecy to thereby save myself." Lucien, worried for his fate, tried to talk Elijah down as he offered him a glass of scotch that, to no surprise, Elijah refuses to take.

"And how do I know that you're not the author of this very prophecy? Alexis was your little fortune teller, and anything that may have come to pass could be the result of your own duplicitous little games." The original pointed out.

Well, you give me far too much credit for being clever. Instead, consider the rift between Niklaus and yourself - it all started with your loved one, Cassie, correct?" Lucien paused for a response that never came. "And now, made worse, thanks to Aurora. One shall fall by family. That does not bode well for you."

"Whatever differences we have, and however smitten my brother may be.. I am certain Niklaus will always put family first." Elijah replied assertively.

He scoffed. "Really? Aurora drops your sister in the bottom of the ocean, yet Klaus does not seem particularly inclined to make her suffer for it. You express how you loathe him for his affection for Cassie and he still had his eyes on her the entire meal." Elijah stiffened before Lucien continued. "Now, today you've made a great mistake."

The original, now intrigued, cocked a brow in question to sign Lucien to explain. "It's simple. We all had our assumption of Cassie being your weak spot yet we had no confirmation. Until today. You've proven to get distracted and choose Cassie when Aurora tried to harm her."

Elijah kept his brows knitted together in confusion, utterly clueless. And so, Lucien sighed and put it into clearer words. "She's your weakness, Elijah. And now, with this prophecy, rest assured whoever will try to kill you, will come for her before."

"No one will lay a finger on her." Elijah hissed with his fists clenched so hard his nails almost dug into the skin of his palm.

Lucien had no response to that, so he shrugged. "I hope, for your sake, mate."

Meanwhile, Downstairs in the ballroom, Freya was pacing back and forth with a lit sage smudge-stick, allowing the smoke to waft around the room. Aurora's body has been moved and propped up against the nearby wall with the help of Cassie, who waited for the redhead she-devil to wake up so she could revenge her for the bite and Rebekah's kidnap. After a moment, Aurora's eyelids began to twitch, and she took a deep breath as she started to return to consciousness. When she finally opened her eyes, she hummed as she started to remember what happened.

"Took you long enough." Freya said in a low, cold voice.

Aurora took notice of the smudge-stick in Freya's hand and smiled coyly. "Oh, are we to play a fun game?"

"Actually, yes." Freya said and held up the burning sage in her hand, "And now that my spell has made it so that no one can hear what happens.."

"..We're gonna have a lot of fun." Cassie rose from her position on the couch and revealed her presence in front of Aurora, who only smirked to show how she's not fearing the short girl the least bit.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, love, but I must inform you your runt and petite figure makes it hard to take seriously, even under your threats." Aurora sassed back, causing Cassie to clench her fists furiously. "So, then what, pray tell, are we doing here?"

"You're gonna tell us where to find Rebekah, or we're going to kill you." Cassie replied simply as she and the blonde witch exchanged a small playful smile.

Not 2 minutes later and the vampire and the Lycan began to fight each other, throwing punches and kicks so hard that the impact caused them to spin away from one another.

"I'm losing my patience here, Aurora. Where. Is. Rebekah?" Cassie emphasized her question as she growled beastly with heavy breaths.

Aurora, whose nose was bleeding, wiped the blood off her lips before she gave the brunette an impressed look. "You're quite strong.. For an infant."

Freya, annoyed, thrust her hand in front of her and cast a powerful pain infliction spell on the redhead, which made her scream in pain and clutch her head. "AHHH!"

She mustered up all the might she has and fought through the pain to vamp-speed toward Freya and shove her into the nearby wall, which distracted her enough to stop the spell. Aurora then lunged for Cassie and backhanded her across the face, angering the Lycan so much that she started to fight back again, showing she's no pushover. Aurora blocked her punches and twisted Cassie's arm back before kicking her in the stomach.

While Cassie was recovering, the redhead shoved her backward into the wall opposite of Freya, and laughed triumphantly. When she lunged for Cassie again, the witch jumped forward and cast yet another spell, this one even more powerful than the previous one. Aurora clutched her head and groaned in pain, nearly falling to her knees from the force of it.

After a moment, Freya released her from the spell, and she panted loudly as she recovers before giggling cheekily. "Woo! Hahaha! That actually hurt. Haha! Oh, I have't felt pain since the 1700s! Kind of tickles! And for that, I'm gonna make you suffer."

Just as Aurora lunged for them, Cassie grabbed her by her bright-red hair and yanked her head back. "How about a werewolf bite, you psychotic little bitch?"

"I thought you weren't a werewolf." Aurora laughed with exhilarated laughter.

"Once a wolf, always a wolf," Cassie whispered firmly in her ear as she pulled her hair even stronger.

"By all means! If only I can laugh in your face when Nik heals me."

Cassie angrily kneed Aurora in the stomach before shoving her at her Lycan's strength across the room, where she's thrown against the far wall.

"Maybe Klaus would heal you, but I doubt he would heal your brother." Freya smirked and turned to the brunette, "Maybe you should bite him instead?"

"Ooh. Sounds like fun." Cassie folded her arms and commented boldly.

"No one should dare harm my brother.." The redhead's smile fell and she turned serious. "Seeing as you're all going to need him if you want your precious Rebekah back."

"Explain yourself," Cassie demanded in suspicion, not entirely impressed or trusting.

"You see, while I did ensure that Rebekah was dropped in the ocean, I don't know precisely where. I had some old friends do it for me.. And then I killed them." Aurora began to explain smugly as she circled around the girls in a menacing fashion. "I have procured the exact location of Rebekah's watery grave in two sealed envelopes. Mine contained the latitude.. And Tristan got the longitude. Thus, each of us has one half of the coordinates you need to find Rebekah. X marks the spot!"

"So, tell me, girls - who has the advantage now?" Aurora added at the scowls of the Mikaelson and the Marshall, grinning in amusement.

═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══

"Longitude and latitude. Lovely." Lucien mused as he paced exasperatedly around the courtyard before sitting down next to a very unhappy Freya at the table as Tristan looked over at Aurora with a satisfied smile.

"Well, despite our differences, I believe great strides were made today." He held up his glass toward his sister, who lifted her own and tapped it against his in cheers for their victory in the first battle.

However, Elijah looked at Klaus, who seemed very displeased and was pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. His hands rested on the backrest of the seat where Cassie sat, at the head table, with his fingers briefly touching her shoulders.

"Tristan, I can't murder you at this very moment, but I could just as easily tear those eyeballs from your skull and feed them to your sister." Elijah hissed with his eyes narrowed, and quickly received a "Shh" from Cassie to ease his anger, with one of her hands reaching to grab his softly.

Surprisingly, Klaus quickly joined the conversation in order to mediate, though he was still visibly mad at the De Martels, and annoyed at the couple. "Elijah! These are our guests."

"Nik, it's so sweet of you to defend us." Aurora commented with a loving smile toward him.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna throw up and it's not just the stuffing," Cassie murmured under her breath, and Elijah hurried to squeeze her palm gently.

"You know, I doubted my brother's wisdom in bringing us all together today, but he was right. We must confront the harsh realities we all face and make difficult choices to ensure our collective survival." Klaus stood to his feet and spoke while lifting his glass in a toast, and the De Martels both echo the gesture happily. However, Freya, Lucien, Cassie, and Elijah all look irritated and annoyed by Klaus' performance, and only raised their glasses out of politeness and the fact that they're way too tired to argue with him. "And I have every confidence that my choice.. Will be the right one."

Klaus approached his brother and stood by his side, on the other side of Cassie's chair.

"Oh, fuck me, not again." Cassie buried her head in her palms as she grumbled, getting sick of constantly being in a position between the two brothers, whether it's theoretically or literally.

Klaus smiled at Tristan for a moment, getting him so distracted by the fact that he believes Klaus to be on his side that he was unable to react when Klaus vamp-sped toward him and grabbed him by the chin before snapping his neck. Aurora, appalled by Klaus' actions, stood to her feet with a gasp and glared at him, clearly feeling furious and betrayed. However, Klaus just scowled at her in response. "Were you anyone else, the servants would already be mopping your blood from the floor. If you do not bring my sister home, Tristan will die slowly, and in tremendous pain."

"You betray me after all your promises of love?" Aurora spat in sadness.

"I warned ya." Cassie smiled in victory as she raised her hands in surrender and let herself melt into Elijah's side when he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I meant to keep those promises! It was you who shattered them when you took Rebekah!" The hybrid shouted furiously as he ignored the comment of the Lycan, as if didn't hear it at all, and only lunged for his former lover, stopping just inches away from her face and sneering at her murderously. "Now I have your brother - a sibling for a sibling. I want Rebekah back."

[Aurora sneers back at him and leans closer to his face to whisper in his ear]

"You will regret this." Aurora whispered in agitation before she turned and stormed away, shoving the dinner table to the side as she does so.

"And I thought I have anger issues." Cassie mumbled toward her boyfriend, who only cast her a small smile.

"After everything today, you just let her go?" Freya scolded her brother in disbelief.

"Aurora should be easy enough to control. We have Tristan now." Elijah explained, siding with his brother for once.

Klaus, clenching his jaw and lowering his voice, spoke. "Lucien, you will take me to Camille, and you will surrender the medallion, or you will meet an end so cruel, the devil will weep."

═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══

Walking into Elijah's room with an exhausted sigh, Cassie was quick to analyze what she was seeing and conclude something bothers him as he sits on the edge of his bed with his blank face gazing at the stars and the moon that decorated the dark sky. She started to make quiet steps closer, thankful for the fact she was already barefoot and in her pajamas. She climbed the bed and crawled to sit behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her chin on his shoulder.

"What's going on?" She asked lowly in sympathy.

He didn't answer for a long moment of hesitation, before he broke the silence with a monotonic question. "Was Aurora lying? Earlier, when she told of your so-called dilemma?"

She let out a heavy exhale of frustration before lifting her head to look at the sky as well. "I did say to Cami something about the predicament I'm in while she was there, but she twisted the truth completely, I promise you."

He didn't respond, and she turned to look at his profile with a sad look. "Elijah, listen. We've been through so much and I really want us to make things right, and start again."

"I'm afraid it is not a possibility, if you're to have feelings towards my brother."

"But I don't, okay? I thought maybe I had but, 'Lijah.. Klaus doesn't love me." She said in all honesty and for the first time, his stare snapped to her emerald-green eyes in confusion. "He loves the idea of me. Of having someone who cares about him and sees him as who he is - Not Klaus the hybrid, not Klaus the bastard.. just Klaus. And I can't blame him, he's been rejected many times before. But no, he doesn't love me, and neither do I."

He looked deeply into her eyes again, and he believed her. Even if he didn't want to, and even if he shouldn't, he loved her too much to not believe her. She was so beautiful under the illumination of the moon and the nightlight on his bedside table. He was hypnotized, really, and he knew at that moment that this girl has captivated his heart so deeply that he would do anything for her.

"I want this, 'Lijah. I want us. Do you?" She asked hopefully and desperately.

"Of course I do, Cassandra." He shook his head, shocked she even asked that. "There's nothing I would want more."

"Then here you have me. I'm all yours. Just take it." She smiled and started to caress his chest slowly.

He decided to remain silent and only grabbed her wrists to pull her so that she sat on his lap, one leg at each side of him, and tugged her closer to his torso. He looked up at her perfect face in awe, cupping one of her cheeks before leaning closer to collide their lips together.

Jealousy is often an expression of insecurity and thus its fixing requires internal reflection and addressing matters of self-esteem. It is much easier to develop rather than set free. It takes time and devotion and faith and love to eliminate, values that not many souls could find.

For only the bravest of hearts can let go of the envy, and free themselves from constant anxiety from betrayal.

═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══

A/N

Holy shit that was the longest one I've written so far but umm CELIJAH IS BACK AND THEY'RE HERE TO STAY!

Although, as you know me, I can't make things easy with my characters lol

I'm trying to do my best to update as soon as I can, so stay patient and remember that your mental health should be your top priority!

Love,

JAZZY