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༒ 𝐃𝐚𝐰𝐧༒

• 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 24; 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 •

"You need to go to the bayou without me." He said to his brother as they walked determinedly through the hallways of what once they called their home.

"Why?" The older asked with his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Take Hope. I'll be right behind you."

"What are you saying?" He asked sternly yet worriedly as they turned the corner, towards the entrance.

"My daughter nearly died. I have to make sure the threat to her is over." The hybrid blurted out shortly.

"Not without me." The suited one stopped dead in his tracks and declared.

"Brother, Marcel loathes you most of all. Freya will help me here." He said with a softer manner, his eyes pleading and desperate. "I need to know my child is safe. You and Cassie and Hayley can assure that."

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If there was one place that she actually was glad to see again, it was the bayou. The view, the atmosphere, and the scent of apple blossom brought sweeping memories to her mind, some heartwarming, some heart-wrenching. It reminded her of her time as an alpha; so much has changed since then. She was a grown woman, a mom, and ironically-- she was engaged again, just to the right person this time. She had lots of friends there, lots of cold evenings around a bonfire, many deep conversations, and even a few full-moon transitions.

It has been home, too, for a while.

"I do miss it out here," Hayley said with a sigh as they all walked in the field of flowers on the way to their next destination.

"You and me both," Cassie murmured lazily while looking around, reminiscing moments of her past there.

"Yeah, looks like you're not alone." Elijah added from behind the two girls, referring to the two kids walking, giggling, and picking flowers together.

"Theo, slow down or you'll trip and hurt yourself," Cassie called out loud enough for her energetic son to hear her with a roll of her eyes.

"It's okay, I'll catch up to them." The older Marshall said with a chuckle, picking up the pace of her walk in order to keep a close eye on the two children, while the pair follows behind.

"You know, the weather is spectacular in Corsica at this time of the year." He commented after a long pause of silence.

She scoffed and looked over her shoulder at him with a grin. "Noted. Quick question-- are you planning to pack all your suits for our relocation to an island between France and Italy?"

"Well, I was thinking jeans, shorts, and flip flops." He returned in sarcasm, successfully making her laugh before he continues. "I see you've done your research."

"Yes, yes I did." She nodded with a proud smile and slowed so they could walk side by side. "Listen to this: it's the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean, it lies 105 miles from southern France and 56 miles from northwestern Italy, the locals speak French and the cheese-making business there is fantastic! Oh, and did you know Napoleon Bonaparte was born there?"

Oak-brown eyes wide in amazement and awe, mouth gaping with the softest of smiles, Elijah let out a breathy chuckle. "No. I did not know that."

"Well, now you do." She shrugged and told while stopping in her place, causing him to turn to her with a questioning look. "I know I shouldn't do that, but I also know I've got my hopes up only for them to crush in front of me and break my heart before. So, I'm gonna ask you a question and I need you to be honest with me, okay?"

He was alarmed and confused, but nodded nonetheless.

"Do you really, really think this could work?" She whispered frustratedly. "Because.. It's not just me anymore. I have a son to consider now, and I can't have him disappointed, too."

He was thinking over her words and the possible answers for a long time. He was hesitant and concerned. He knew she yearned for reassurance, for she knows how much his word is worth to him. However, he was afraid some unexpected problem will appear on their way for happiness, and he won't be able to shield her from disappointment, and another heartbreak.

At last, he took a deep breath and a step forward, placed his warm hand on the back of her neck while his thumb grazes her jaw. And with a confident statement, he said, "30 Days. In 30 days we leave, no matter what happens, no matter what other duties we have."

The look in her eyes was of horror and skepticism. "But-"

"Family comes first. Our family-- you, Theo and myself-- comes first. Do you hear me?" He asked in a stern voice, one that she was almost sure she can hear desperation hiding in, making a smile crawl its way to her lips.

"Only if you won't embarrass me, walking around in a suit on a sunny day at the beach." She mocked playfully, and he sighed in relief before pressing his lips hard and loving against hers. As they pulled away, she smiled widely and he kept his eyes closed.

"Jean shorts it is."

"Grandma Mary!" The pair turned to look at the two kids, who chorused at the sight of the grey-haired woman walking out of her cabin.

"Well, hello, sweethearts," Mary told with a laugh as she looked between the two children, holding a bunch of flowers in their hands that they picked for her.

Elijah wondered why would Theo call her 'Grandma', but kept the question to himself.

"My darlings, why don't you run on inside? I need to talk to your mamas." Mary said as she ran her hands down the kids' hairs. The two obeyed instantly and stormed into the house to play together. Then, all of a sudden, the smile on her face vanished and a bitter scowl replaced it. "I didn't know you were bringing him."

"Mary." Cassie warned assertively with her brows raised while Elijah held the jacket of his suit over his shoulder.

"Vampires aren't welcome." The elder werewolf responded strictly and glanced at the older sister amongst the two. "You're the exception. Rules of the house."

Reluctantly, Elijah leaned closer to press a gentle kiss on her temple, and whispered. "I'll leave you three."

Before he could take even one step forward, she gripped his arm tightly and kept her glare fixed on Mary, who looked back at her with the same coldness.

"No. He goes, I go." Cassie spat firmly and turned to look at him calmly. "Give me a minute."

She walked past Mary and got into the house, only to walk out of it merely a minute later with Theo's bag and the boy himself holding her hand.

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With her eyes closed and her head resting on her beloved's lap, she embraced the warmth of the setting sun from above. His fingers ran through the short locks of her golden-brown hair, sending waves of comfort all through her body. They were sitting on the blanket she brought along with her when she left Mary's cabin, and sipped on lemonade that old Cassie probably would've spiked by now. Theo was plucking the petals of the flowers he had picked for Mary while answering some of a curious Elijah's questions, and she sucked in every bit of joy and tranquility from this moment she could.

"Mom's stories are much more interesting than the ones in Hope's books." He said with a shrug, and Elijah hurried to raise a brow in surprise.

"'Stories'?"

"Yes, about her past and childhood and our family.." Theo mumbled while plucking the last petal of one flower, then moving to do so with another.

"Oh, is that so?" Elijah asked in a mocking manner while looking down at Cassie, who opened her eyes and shielded them from the sun with her hand. "Mind sharing with me one of your interesting stories, Cassandra?"

"Yes, I do mind." She snorted and said with a shake of her head. "Nuh-uh."

"But, mom, you really do have the best stories!" Theo laughed and placed the flower down so he could shake his mother's shoulder in a plea.

"Theo."

"Mom."

"Theo." She insisted.

"Mom." He fired back.

"This is the most amusing dialogue I have witnessed in a long time." Elijah held back a laugh as he remarked quietly.

"Fine. Then I'll tell him." The green-eyed boy shrugged his shoulders and said, a sheepish smile forming on his lips as he turns to Elijah coyly. "But, um.. What do you want me to tell?"

"Tell me your favorite one," Elijah replied after a moment of thinking with his lips pursed and his fingers trailing over Cassie's cheek.

"Oh! I know which one to tell!" He perked up excitedly with a chortle. "So, a long long time ago, when mommy was about 7.."

"It wasn't that long ago, Theo. You make me sound like I'm a hag." The mother grunted in disapproval, while Elijah laughed through his nose and Theo paid no attention to them whatsoever.

"..And aunt Hayley was 11, they had a really big fight because Hayley thought mom stole her doll just to make her angry." Theo then lowered his voice to a whisper, as if he's telling a ghost story. "Mom told me the legend says no one knows where'd the doll go to this very day."

Elijah shook his head in disbelief as Cassie sent him a wink while Theo returned to his previous occupation, playing with the orange-colored flower. He reached down with his face, his mouth barely 5 inches away from her lips as he murmured, "Poor child has no idea what a deceptive little trickster he has as a mother."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She taunted with a smirk and laughed against his lips when he leaned down to kiss her softly and blissfully.

"Can I ask you a question now?" Theo wondered curiously as the pair separated and turned to look at him.

"Go ahead." Elijah encouraged easily.

"Was it love at first sight for you?"

Cassie choked on her sip of lemonade, eyes widening at her son as she wiped the drops from her chin with her sleeve. "And where did you even learn that phrase from, young man?"

"From 'How I Met Your Mother'." Theo shrugged casually, while Cassie's eyes doubled their size even more. "It was on TV when I turned it on the other day."

"We need to set boundaries, especially about TV time." She commented with a sigh, while glancing at a very amused-looking Elijah enjoying seeing her cheeks flushing shyly.

"But, was it?" Theo insisted, even more intrigued after his mother's response.

"Uh, I, well.." She trailed off in hesitation, feeling the pressure of Elijah's waiting eyes burning holes in her cheek. "I was, uh- We've met quite shortly after my friend Dylan passed away, and I was a bit sad and, um.. It took us a while to get to know each other, so.. I don't- I don't really believe in love at first sight. I think it's stupid and unrealistic."

"And for you?" Theo queried hopefully as his gaze shifted to Elijah, who didn't seem so surprised by Cassie's response, and only smiled softly at the answer he was about to give.

"I think I was in love with your mother before I even met her."

The mother and son looked at each other in confusion, then turned to send him a weird look.

"That makes no sense whatsoever," Cassie said with a shake of her head.

"How can you love someone you don't know?" Theo asked Elijah as he turned to sit directly in front of him, bringing his undivided attention to the man he was staring at in awe.

His lips parted as he was about to answer, but decided against it, and then came up with a proper answer. "I suppose I've been in love with the idea of love for as long as I can remember. I simply never met the right woman to give my heart to." He looked down at Cassie's shimmering eyes with a grin. "Until your mother came."

Cassie's heart was on the verge of an explosion.

"Whoa." Theo broke the silence with a loud exhale and a smile. "Can I be in love, too?"

Cassie jolted up with a frown as she turned to her son. "You'll be in love when you grow up. Right now, the only woman I allow you to love is me." She reached with her hands and picked him up to sit on her lap, while tickling him and leaving kiss after kiss on his shoulder and cheek. "Did you hear me? Mom only. No girls."

"Mommy, s- Stop!" He giggled tirelessly and squirmed between her arms in an attempt to escape her tingling hands.

Elijah merely looked from aside with a wide smile, cherishing a moment he never thought he'd get to see. Cassie and her son-- possibly, his son-to-be-- so delighted and so peaceful. They were so close to their happily ever after that it felt as though they can reach out their hands to grab it, but something in him told him that it's not over yet. He wanted it to be over, he wanted to put the past behind them and start with their future, yet it was so hard to believe they could have it so easily. Something bad was about to happen. As always.

"Alright, go play with your crossbow," Cassie spoke to Theo eventually and snapped Elijah out of his thoughts, leaving the kid to run free and towards his bag pack, where his little bow and arrow were waiting for him. "With caution, please."

Her gaze shifted back to Elijah when Theo found a nearby tree he decided to aim to, and laughter rolled out of her throat. Her amusement faltered when she saw his grim, crooked smile.

"What's wrong?" She whispered in worry and insecurity, "Was that- um, was it too much? Watching me and him, like, I don't kn-"

He kissed her before she could finish, and even when he pulled back, he remained as close as he can.

"It was engaging. I cannot wait to see the two of you like that each and every day of my life." He mumbled sincerely, hoping it will ease her concern.

"Huh." She bit the inside of her cheek and shrugged it off while laying down on his lap again. "Speaking of engagement.. Not to sound like a Bridezilla or anything-"

"Bridezilla?" He tilted his head to the side in pure oblivious.

She chuckled. "Right. I forgot you're a little old-fashioned with the 21st century's slang. Anyway, scratch that. What I mean is that I was just wondering about a few minor things related to the wedding."

"Do tell." Elijah returned as he glanced up at Theo for a moment, then back at her.

"Just, you know, where will it be, when will it be, who's invited, and how are we supposed to arrange that when neither of us knows anything about weddings planning?" She blew out a breath of stress she didn't know she was holding inside, which made him laugh and her frown. "What's funny about me freaking out over our unplanned wedding?"

"I do not know what about you, but for me, all that matters is that you, Theo and I will be there. Also a priest, and perhaps a cake." He shrugged effortlessly and responded. "Anything else is minor."

"I beg to differ." She shook her head firmly and told, making him raise his brows in surprise. "I want Hayley there. And I want Klaus and Hope and Freya there, and I want Rebekah and Kol to attend that too, and I want to wear a dress I actually like and put on shoes that I actually feel comfortable in. I want to do this right this time. Is that a lot to ask?"

He sighed dismally. "From me? Not at all. From the world?.." He trailed off for a moment. "Maybe."

She closed her eyes again and swallowed hard. "You know what, you're right, it doesn't matter. For all I care, we can marry at town hall."

"No, that's not what I meant-"

"But that's what the world means, isn't it?" She snapped as she opened her eyes swiftly, her gaze piercing through his eyes all the way into the depth of his soul. "Love at first sight isn't real. Happy endings aren't real. Hoping to have one of those is just.. Ridiculous and pathetic."

It hurt him to hear her like that-- so dreary and wistful as though she's already mourning the failure of their wedding. He wanted to give her what she wished their wedding to be like - with their family, with their finest clothes, and with their sheer joy, with no care in the world. He pondered over the thought of whether it's something achievable for him, or if it's something even he has no control over. After all, his brother was facing a threat he wouldn't tell him about, their worst enemy is still around and waiting impatiently for their leave, and his two siblings are out in the world, having no idea he was going to marry the love of his life soon.

It was a consuming swirl of thoughts, that nothing could pull him out of. Except for one thing.

"I can't do this!" Theo exclaimed in frustration as he threw the bow to the ground and stomped his feet angrily.

"Theo, calm down," Cassie asked with a sigh as she sat up and looked at him helplessly.

"I can't!" The kid clenched his jaw and fists in rage, tears of desperation pooling in his eyes and squeezing Elijah's heart to the point of actual physical pain.

He stood up and stepped towards the boy, getting down on one knee behind the boy and picking up the bow. Theo looked at him dubiously, not sure what he's doing.

"First, you need to correct your shooting stance. Stand straight, but keep your knees slightly bent. Now, you want to make sure you are not twisting your hips to face the target, but your chest, torso, and shoulders should all be facing straight forward." Elijah instructed as he placed his hands gently on each side of the boy's torso, fixing his position.

"What now?" Theo questioned aloud.

"We must nock the arrow properly, like this. And now holding the string. You don't want a firm grip on the bow, but you want to focus on creating a hook with your fingers and use them to help steady the arrow." He carried on, focusing on the lesson he teaches just as the student is focusing on the instructions.

"Like that?"

"Exactly. Keep your shoulders relaxed and use your arm to pull the bowstring towards the side of your face. Carefully and slowly.. Good. Lastly, we aim." Elijah paused and took a quick glimpse of Theo's narrowed eyes and adorable obedience. "Look right at where you want your arrow to hit. Concentrate, and clear your head from anything else. Your mum and I aren't here, it's only you and the crossbow."

"And now?" Theo whispered shakily.

"Now you shoot."

And so he did. The arrow, of course, made it to the spot he was aiming for.

"I did it! I hit the tree!" Theo squealed and jumped in excitement before turning to Cassie, "Mom, did you see it?!"

You would expect her to laugh or be amused, but instead, Cassie stared at them with a sad smile and watery eyes.

She has a family now. It's all she ever wanted.

"Yes, sweetie," She muttered and fought against the tears. "I see it."

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After returning to Mary's cabin with the determination to stay in the property, just not inside the house, Elijah accompanied Cassie and Theo on their way there. Theo was quick to rush into the house and play with his cousin and supposedly grandmother, while the couple rounded the house and found Hayley sitting by the dock and flipping through a notebook of some sort with a frown on her face.

"Hays?" Cassie laid her hand on her sister's shoulder once they stopped behind her. "What's this?"

"This journal belonged to Mary's husband. He filled it in the months before he died." The older sister told with a heavy sigh as she handed the notebook to the two standing behind her without even turning to face them. "Most of it is revolutionist garbage. Plots for an uprising But there's stuff about our parents in there."

"Our parents?" Cassie asked in surprise as she sat down on the chair by Hayley's side, while Elijah did the same opposite from her. "As in, the people who gave birth to us and was murdered mercilessly by the hands of said Mary's husband?"

"What does he say about them?" Elijah asked right after her rant, since he already recognized it as something she does when she's either confused, worried, or both of them.

"Ramblings about how they were traitors for dealing with vampires." Hayley glanced at her sister as she answered, while Cassie gave Elijah the notebook to take a look at the pages as well.

"You can see his writing deteriorate as his thoughts do." He commented while examining page after page of his sloppy scribbles and handwriting.

"In the end, he can't even form a coherent sentence." Hayley nodded and added before Elijah paused at one specific page at the end of the notebook.

"What is it?" Cassie asked him as she noticed the look on his face, and with a swift motion of her hand, she snatched the journal from his grip, and saw what made his face paler.

A drawing of a serpent eating its tail. The Hollow.

Hayley searched her sister's eyes, and once she found them and watched deeply into them, she spoke. "Cassie, I think the Hollow made Mary's husband kill our parents."

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"Growing up, we never belonged anywhere." Hayley broke the long-lasting silence as the two sisters sat side by side, gazing at the water in front of them, while the sounds of the kids laughing inside the house echoes through the woods all the way to their ears. "Not in school. Not in foster care. I always thought if I could find our parents, we'd finally belong somewhere. Because I know that's what you've always wanted."

Cassie realized quite quickly what was the meaning behind her words.

"You're not actually thinking me having a kid-- and soon, a husband-- means I'm leaving you behind, are you?" She scoffed and questioned as she turned to look at her, but she did not look at her back.

"It's natural, you know? Parents watching their kids spreading wings and flying on their own, at some point. And since we didn't have real parents, I take credit for raising you." Hayley said with a soft chuckle before she looked down at her hands sheepishly. "I just never thought this could happen, and that it would hurt so bad."

"Hey, hey, whoa, hold your horses Ms. mama bear." Cassie grabbed her sister's hands in her own, and squeezed them as hard as she can so her sister will look at her, which she did, eventually. "Hayley, I'm not going anywhere. Even if I won't be here physically, I'm with you all the time. Spiritually speaking, I mean."

"Since when you speak spiritually?" Hayley quirked a brow skeptically.

"Hang around Elijah as much as I do and then try to escape it. Impossible, trust me, I've tried." Cassie humored and succeeded in making her sister crack a smile, before turning serious again. "But I mean it, Hays. You're my family and I'm yours first and foremost. Before kids, before husbands, before anyone else-- it's you and me against the world, like it always was. Just now we have some people to have our backs."

Hayley's smile grew wider. "You really are spreading your wings, and they're beautiful, Cass."

"Oh, shut up." The little sister said with a huff and a roll of her eyes. "There's only so much corniness I can take in one day."

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Bringing a bottle of whiskey and two cups to the table, one for his brother and one for himself, Elijah was in the mood of drowning himself to numbness. After having to leave the Marshall sisters at the bayou to help Freya stop Marcel and Klaus from killing each other, he had to come back to the compound and soon, spend the night without his loved one there. She wasn't safe at the compound and neither was Theo, or Hayley, or Hope. And despite how much he craved holding her between his arms and listening to her quiet snorts of peacefulness for the entire night, he knew Mary wouldn't let him in, and so he had to retreat to the compound for the night.

Today was an emotional rollercoaster. It started with worry for his brother's safety when he was informed of some problem existing, only that Klaus didn't give him any other detail whatsoever. Then it moved to caressing and touching Cassie calmly under the warming sun in some sort of improvised picnic, while also realizing how hopeless she is deep inside and that there's a possibility that he has nothing to do about it, and bonding with Theo just a little in an attempt to build a relationship with him.

He wanted to be family for them, and so he'll do everything that he can to be the man they need him to be to keep them safe.

But in the meantime, whisket it is.

"I prefer my mind remain unaltered for the time being," Klaus told gloomily.

"Weird. I feel the exact opposite." Elijah replied tiredly and took a big swig of the alcohol, straight from the bottle.

"Rest easy, brother. My spells have Marcel bound and cloaked." Freya announced as she entered the room with a grin. "Even more, I can find no trace of the Hollow's magic in either of you."

Elijah's brows were knitted together. "So where has it gone?"

"It's a ghost. It could be anywhere, and since we know that it still wants to sacrifice someone powerful, we have to be prepared." She said and reached for the spelled dagger on the table, only that Klaus grabbed her hand before she could've done so.

"I think I'll hold on to it for now." He hissed as he eyed her.

"This wasn't a gift. Today proved Marcel's a threat, whether used as a sacrifice or possessed." She responded assertively.

"Regardless-"

"What good is having a weapon if you won't use it?" The eldest sister cut him off with a question.

"Niklaus, give it to her." Elijah stepped in quietly, the exhaustion heavy and clear in his voice. He wanted to go to fall asleep with her right there and then. If only he could.

Slowly and warily, Klaus handed over the dagger to his sister, but with a warning. "Having a monopoly of power makes you a target, sister. Remember that." While Freya stormed out of the room, Klaus leaned closer on the table and turned to his silent brother, searching for any sign of emotion in his look. "You think I spared Marcel out of some mawkish sentimentality. The Hollow wanted both of us dead. Killing him would have given it what it wanted. Mercy was necessary. That's all."

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A/N

Not a fan of how this chapter turned out but I'm all in for Theo and Elijah bonding over archery and mocking Cassie so..

JAZZY