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beannoss · 9 months ago

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So, as I'm writing more than I anticipated when I first dipped a toe into SxF fandom (!) I thought I'd collect the meta & fic links in one place! 💕 (not spoiler-free :)

META

Endo describes Twilight as 'matter of fact' rather than 'kind': there's a profound philosophy embedded in that sentiment.

… that matter-of-factness manifests in ways that are, almost unerringly, kind. Twilight values consent, he values empowerment for those around him (...), he privately espouses and practices other values that align with progressive ideologies, like feminism and the rights of the child. Obviously he's 100% antifa and anti-war. One could argue (and perhaps this is what Endo means) that Twilight makes those decisions because they often result in the path of least resistance, making his job easier. Except...

Anya isn’t needed for Strix. Twilight decides to adopt her anyway.

Twilight decides it — “I’m going to rework the mission so it doesn’t involve a child because that’s too dangerous” and he’s 100% right! Donovan Desmond is canonically a far right warmonger with fascistic authoritarian aims... Also it turns out Anya’s a person which is frankly unacceptable — Twilight had needed and anticipated an automaton, ideally of himself in miniature form... So having entertained this change, why go back when his reasoning is indisputable?

Let's get deep into analysing the meaning behind the choice of the word Forger for our family's last name

[Create (a relationship or new conditions)] can be taken as a whole within the Forger household, after all Twilight did create the Forgers. But more importantly to me, this meaning applies particularly by way of what Anya and Yor are doing within the family, their choices and aims, and how they’re influencing and shaping the Forgers. And then, of course, Twilight’s choices in return...

What moment(s) cinched it for Twilight to start developing feelings for Yor?

I think this is the moment for Twilight. He's already been trusting her bit by bit, as he says above, intuitively. I'd suggest that maybe even more than that though, Yor taps into something Twilight deeply wants: backup. Someone and somewhere safe. Maybe we could describe a person fulfilling that role in an adult relationship as a partner...?

What about a Twilight x Yor romance, pre-reveal, in canon? (Ask response)

Twilight’s arc involves finding and forging a new pack, a new family. Somewhere safe and loving... A big part of this safety and love for Twilight is about being accepted, warts and all... Yor’s arc is also around finding love and security, but centred less around acceptance (although that obviously also explicitly features!) and more around self-worth and understanding her value.

Yor: "you take such good care of me"/"I wanted to be able to take care of you"

I don’t really have my thoughts together on this, but something about trust, and vulnerability, and that being taken care of also leads to a yearning to caretake in turn...

I'm going to come back to this one eventually to expand it out 😤

Post Ch 114 thoughts: how the Briar siblings' backstory has largely been through Yuri's eyes so far & how Yor's arc may progress

I've been thinking a lot recently what it means as a deliberate narrative choice for Yor, an obfuscation of the devastation truth of Yor's backstory. I think we all already know it's going to be heartbreaking and harrowing, but through Yuri's eyes, Yor was cheerful and constant for him throughout. But through Yor's? In Yor's own words? From Yor's perspective?

FIC (all fic is Yor x Twilight unless otherwise stated :)

It's only me, what have you got to lose? (M, WIP, on hiatus as I write it as part of the WIP Big Bang)

“Who are you?” Loid met her gaze. Yor wondered what her face was doing, that he was taking so long to answer. “To you, I am Loid Forger.” Why did that hurt more than if he’d struck her? “And to Anya,” he said, some gentleness finally coming into his voice, “I am Loid Forger. Her father. And you are her mother.” Yor stared at him, now certain her devastation was plain on her face. When Yor learns of a plot to kidnap Anya, she returns home to find Loid handling a gun with expert skill, and Anya already taken. After that earth shattering day, in rallying around Anya, Yor and Twilight face a time of uncertainty where choices are made, long-kept secrets are shared, and precarious trust becomes unassailable intimacy.

Relationship & family study. Began with me wanting to explore Yor finding out about Twilight, and has, um, expanded. Identity reveals, angst and fluff, hurt/comfort (emotional and physical), touch starvation, lots of feelings, intimacy, some humour (ah, eventually), mutual pining, eventual smut.

the soft animal of your body (M, WIP)

Affection didn’t come naturally to Twilight. He could perform the usual (or unusual, if that was called for) on honeypot missions, of course. Those encounters were the nearest to affection he’d experienced in years. Decades. He did not count them. However, as affection was something he neither wanted nor needed, it wasn’t something he thought about. The ways affection becomes new again, known again, for Twilight over the course of his mission — and for the rest of the Forgers, too.

Character study. Touch-starvation, emotional hurt/comfort, family feels, cuddling & snuggling, first love, sexual content (tbc on how spicy things will get but tagging in advance), sensuality, There Was Only One Bed, other tags to be added/tags may change. Sick Character (for one chapter). Written for my wonderful SxF person briefhottubcoffee 💞!

Let's start living dangerously (T, Complete)

The real reason Twilight was in the park drilling Bond unnecessarily and covertly training Franky very necessarily, was that Twilight was enacting what he'd called The Avoidance Protocol. And was consequently avoiding his wife. In which Twilight kisses Yor and absolutely does not panic about it.

Character study. Post-reveal, humour, fluff, mutual pining, romance, and lots of thinking and lots of feelings. Also flirts with 'idiots in love', I'll have to add that tag...!

heartlines (T, one-shot complete)

Hello? Appeared on the soft part of the back of his hand, between his thumb and forefinger. He shouldn't have seen it except that something scorching had torn, had burnt, his glove away and he only just noticed that, the way the fabric had curled and crisped and as he stared, as his heart rate went higher and higher — What did that? Could I have lost my hand?! — more words appeared. I could really — this was crossed out— if — crossed out, but then again — if you're — this was then crossed out as well, but the scribbles didn't disappear, just words on his hand with frantic, messy lines through them until one remained unsullied — can we talk? Soulmark: Anything you write or draw on your own skin appears in the same place on your soulmate.

Based on a prompt from this list of soulmate prompts, canon divergence if there existed soulmarks in the SxF world. Pre-relationship, sort of epistolary until it very suddenly isn't 😊

our melodies overlapped (T, WIP, currently on hiatus)

Twilight prided himself on accepting situational changes swiftly and with equanimity. Said swiftness was presently three minutes overdue, and equanimity hadn’t reported for duty. Four times it was for the mission + one time it was for The Mission + one time it was for —

Twilight character study basically! Family-orientated, some Twilight x Yor. On hiatus in part because it's actually led me to disagreeing with myself 😂 and I'll probably need to rework it.

Twilight journaling short fic/headcanon (T, complete)

After Strix, when the Forgers are well established, no secrets between them, Twilight starts journaling. Obviously this is a security risk, so he creates an elaborate cipher. He tests it on Franky. He tests it on the cipher-breakers at WISE. He even feeds some to the SSS. None break it. Satisfied, he starts to journal.

shock to your soft side (T, complete)

Twilight blew out a long breath. “Yor, you're Ostania’s best assassin and you can't stop telling me that this hurts.” “But it does hurt,” Yor said, as though this were explanation enough. She glanced at him over her shoulder. “What do you do when something hurts?” Twilight and Yor have... differing... philosophies when it comes to dealing with their own pain and injury.

Minor character & relationship study. Post-reveals, some hurt/comfort, some emotional hurt/comfort, grief/mourning and cuddles.

with you, all in tangles (T, complete)

Three times Yor blows kisses to Twilight and one time Twilight blows a kiss to Yor

About building trust, being flirty, and the secret languages that develop between people who love one another.

(used to be) afraid of love and what it might do (E, complete)

Filling the glass once more, Yor went into the main room. “Oh,” she breathed, swaying to a stop, “My…” Twilight had mussed his hair out of the strict, slicked-back he'd worn for cover, shaken his fringe out into his preferred looser style. Yor liked it best too, but that wasn't what had stopped her — that wasn't what tightened her stomach. He'd taken off his jacket, leaving his emerald vest over his shirtsleeves, rolled up to his elbows, forearms displayed, crossed over his chest. He'd removed his watch. Loosened his tie. Undone the top buttons of his shirt, collars spread to show the hollow of his throat. After Yor does the unexpected while on a joint-mission, an emotional Twilight suggests they do something new in bed, and thrilled, Yor agrees.

Relationship study. Mind the tags: Service Top Twilight, edging, blindfolds, light bondage, makeup sex, trust kink, praise kink, sensual play, enthusiastic consent, caretaking, emotional hurt/comfort, cuddling/snuggling, porn with feelings.

Birthday Party FUBAR: Fu**ed Up Beyond All Recognition (G, complete)

Yor set her jaw and met Twilight's eyes again. “Do you think you can do all new food in the next two hours?” Of course he could. He was Twilight. But the problem was, “The whole house needs to be cleaned, Yor. I'm not going to shirk —” “You aren't shirking!” Yor said, stepping right up to him. “This is Anya's birthday.” She put her hand on her chest solemnly. “I will do the cleaning.” Then she put her other hand on his chest and declared, “And you will do the cooking!” Four horrors things that happened at Anya's 6th 7th birthday, and one tradition that started at Anya's 8th 7th birthday

Family fic! Family feels & fluff, fluff & humour, food, time skips (just a little one!) 5+1 Things (but actually it's 4+1) Tooth-rotting fluff. Written for the very charming smolhours 💕!

#spy x family #spy x family meta #spy x family fic #spy family #twiyor #agent twilight #yor forger #here fandom take this!#sxf manga spoilers #this post is starting to get long and i'm not entirely sure what to do about that...#lmao last time i updated this i noted it was getting long and it's only getting longer still 🤧#maybe pull some highlights to the top and put the rest under a cut? shall ponder

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connoisseursdecomfort · 1 year ago

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The thin line between Waku Waku and danger - what awaits Anya after ch.94?

[Manga spoiler alert]

Anya. The baby of the story. The star of the show. The leader of the Twiyor ship (she even created the slogan "Chichi to haha icha icha".) The telepath. The gremlin. The peanut. The heh.

In SxF, we saw how she forged the Forgers, how she fortified her friendship with Becky and Damian, as well as Emile and Ewen, and how she improved academically. It all started because she found it to be waku waku to have Twilight to be her father.

Same reason for choosing Yor to be her mother:

Of course, I love her for doing that. But there is no denying that she's drawn to danger. She likes it to be exciting. She wants to be the hero. And we all do. We, like Anya, like things to be waku waku.

It is good for the audience. But is it good for Anya?

Not really. Slowly but surely, Endo is revealing to us how it would affect Anya.

She thinks it is waku waku to have a spy and an assassin as parents because she is obsessed with Spy Wars. It is totally understandable for people to be want to imitate the cool characters on TV, and it is mentioned once again in Ch.94.

But it's something more than that. Loid being the top spy and Yor being the top assassin gives us a feeling that no matter what they will save her, and more importantly, they will be able to save her.

In the first chapter, her desire to make the spy work more waku waku has got her into trouble. Twilight rescues her, all ends well. In Chapter 7 she gets into trouble again, and Yor rescues her.

We have a sense of security that the Forger parents will do anything to get their baby back. And while that's VERY true (that's not up for debate - sorry), it also gives Anya the sense of security that she could maybe play with fire a bit more. So in Short Mission 1 we see her deliberately holding onto the bad guy's clothes, trying to get Yor to help. And Yor saves her and kicks the bad guy's ass.

Nonetheless, I should specify that Anya doesn't only want waku waku only for the sake of it although she does gloat over her successes. She understands that she needs to be careful, both in the doggy crisis arc and the cruise arc. But she still runs towards danger because she wants to help.

We already know she would do anything to keep the family together because of her love for her parents and also her abandonment issue especially when it comes to Operation Strix. That includes running towards a building that is going to explode in the doggy crisis arc and heading to the front deck where Yor is fighting with other assassins in the cruise arc. She has a good reason wanting to get involved, and she always succeeds too.

But that isn't all. She actually sees how her parents work towards their goals tirelessly.

That, of course, has something to do with what Endo chooses to focus on when it comes to the jobs of spies and assassins. He doesn't actually focus on the waku waku part that much (which has been one of the most common complaints). Literally in the first chapter, Endo has already shown us what the nature of spy work is - It can be freaking boring.

Same with the assassins' work.

One could even argue that Endo is deconstructing the images of spies and assassins in popular culture. While it is still waku waku for us and for Anya to see them working as spies and assassins, most of the time it is just a job for Loid and Yor. That means we AND Anya also see how tired they are after they've finished their jobs.

But why? If their jobs are ruthless and even thankless, why did they do it? The answers have been given in the cruise arc and ch.62. And for Anya who has been with them for quite some time now, she is inspired by their goals.

Anya wants to do good. Just like her papa and mama. And I think this is probably a good time to revisit the bus arc, particularly this moment:

Other children are thinking how their parents would come and save them. When Anya thinks about her parents, what would she think about?

Is it her parents' goal(s) - to make the world a better place?

Or is it the fact that she has always been the one actively doing something in order to save people, just like how she saves her parents and keeps her family together?

Even in the movie trailer, we see Anya desperately trying to help despite being all tied up.

The bus arc is also when the adults starts to scold her for being reckless.

It is not really the first time they've seen her being reckless. In the doggy crisis arc, Anya is told not to wander off.

Twice.

And even the childcare lady told her the same thing in the cruise arc:

But before it can be brushed off as kids having a tendency to wander off. But it is becoming more and more clear to the Forger parents that it seems to be something even more serious.

Endo is definitely dropping hints here, no?

It reminds me of what Loid told Bond:

This applies to everyone in the Forger family. Yor in the cruise arc. Loid in the mole arc. And Anya in the bus arc.

Anya has learned so many things in the process. Her grades have improved. She has learnt to read the clock. She has to try to write something that is readable so she can eat the gifts from Damian. But it seems she hasn't learned the most important thing yet.

PS Meanwhile, Bond went from not knowing how to play in the dog park

to suggesting an alternative game to Anya in Ch.94

Bond is best boi \o/

#spy x family #sxf #spyxfamily #loid forger #anya forger #yor forger #spy family #agent twilight #spy x family manga #bond forger

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assassinnumber9 · 2 years ago

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Franky Franklin Appreciation Post

I'm here to spread appreciation for a certain curly haired honorary uncle, because without him literally none of Spy x Family would have happened (and he deserves to be recognized...and have a girlfriend...and money).

Before y'all go "Well, duh, Twilight would have never gotten his information if not for Franky" or "Twilight could easily do everything by himself," I want to clarify that Twilight would not even be a spy if not for Franky.

Twilight would likely either still be known as Roland Spoofy or dead if he hadn’t stopped himself from shooting Franky.

Why?

Because Twilight only found his friends because of the injuries he sustained when the Ostanians caught up to him and Franky. He was put on cooking duty, because he was taken off the front lines.

And if he hadn't reunited with his friends, Military Intelligence would have never found out his true name and that he faked his age to join the army. The spy we saw in ch 62 would have never approached him, because he would have thought that "Roland" was your average soldier. Twilight would have never gotten blackmailed into joining WISE.

Franky is literally the reason why all of these events even occurred - not to mention that he was also the one that made [Redacted] begin questioning everything.

Most of Operation Strix comes from Twilight's work rather than Franky's, but it would have never even started if not for him.

And sometimes, I wonder if Twilight ever realizes/will realize that.

Twilight only ever really admits that Franky is useful and has never outwardly called him a friend (I don't think anyway) but relies on him heavily, even drinks with him when Franky is having a bad time (even though he disguises it as him wanting a drink too and meeting him was just a coincidence. King of Denial, Twilight is).

Twilight has Franky to thank for his life pretty much, and it's likely that the other way around is true too, even though it may be a lot less obvious or severe.

These two were just destined to be friends apparently. And, that’s great.

So in conclusion, Franky changed everything so we could meet Anya and Twilight/Loid could meet his (likely to be beloved) wife, Yor.

Seriously. If TwiYor have any biological children, the reason for their existence would be Franky.

...Also, Franky is also kind of the reason TwiYor exists, because he was the one to tell Twilight that Anya didn't look like the daughter of an affluent family from the way she was dressed.

Every path leads to Franky.

Thank you for reading my rambling on this pathetic man.

#spy x family #character appreciation #franky franklin #loid forger #spyxfamily #yor forger #twilight #twiyor #loid x yor #loiyor #anya forger #yeah I simp for a pathetic uncle

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eternal-echoes · 2 years ago

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Handler telling Nightall to stop pursuing Twilight because she knows that he's in love with his wife.

I'm not sure if Twilight ever talks about Yor to Handler when discussing Operation Strix. There is that Plan C: the Mommy Friendship scheme but so far Yor hasn't been shown to have any meetings with Melinda since Ch. 66. Maybe when Twilight relayed to Handler that Yor has bumped into Melinda, Twilight's eyes may have lit up when talking about his wife that Handler picked up on. Since Handler was married and had a daughter before, I like to think that she has honed her woman’s intuition in regards to people’s feelings to other people. So she may have noticed the twinkle in Twilight's eyes whenever the subject of his family comes up even if he never says a word about his feelings for Yor. That's why she can tell that Nightfall has feelings for Twilight.

#spy x family #spy x family manga spoilers

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digitaltohru · 1 year ago

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The Man in the Uniform ch6 is up!

Summary:

After their chaotic intervention at the Forger’s, Chloe pours her heart and gives Yuri a piece of her mind. In order to fix whatever they’ve gotten into, Yuri must find out why does he keep coming back to her. Taking his heart on her hands, their encounter makes them reminisce the events of a year before, when Ostania’s downfall began.

Additional world building notes for the Down the Wall series ‼️・→

Ch. 6 overlaps with TDYWB -Twiyor beginning to brew (which means there’s hints and spoilers of them in the MITU)

The Mitt incident sparks the events mentioned in Ch. 3 of DTW

Timeline wise, the actual time of this story is around 1969, which means the Mitt incident happens in February of 1968

In this timeline, three years have passed since the beginning of operation Strix and most of the events of DTW haven’t happened yet (so there’s a few spoilers and details about Yuri’s character that make more sense when following this story)

DTW has multiple timelines but MAIN one takes place in 1974

"You can relax, we're not on a date or anything." She spoke. Yuri opened one of his eyes and closed them again. "You're not my type anyway."

"What are you talking about?" He puffed. The loudspeaker announced the next station and they started to walk towards the doors of the train. “You’ve been pretty stiff and you haven’t even looked at me once. Afraid we'll run into your sister again?" Silence. "Yeah, that's what I thought." The doors opened and they began to blend into the flow of the crowd.

A few stairs ahead, they ascended to the exit, now joining the bustling life of Berlint-Mitt, their city center, the main attraction for any visitor interested in Ostanian culture and history. Many of the most important buildings were there, still standing despite having been the target of many attacks during the wars. A lot of money had gone into rebuilding these buildings, and it wasn't hard to imagine how many people were involved in their preservation. Chloe blended in with ease, her dignified face matching the beauty of these structures while showing her ability to adapt and represent a modern era. At that moment, he noticed that she was fighting the cold just to keep up with her fashion choices. In other words, she was wearing her best clothes, but she was freezing just to look the part. A sudden sneeze stopped them both and he sighed in disbelief at what he was about to do. Better to be careful than to risk compromising their mission.

"Here. Put this on." It was Yuri's gray jacket that he had draped over her shoulders. "You look like a popsicle." He added. Startled by his sudden kindness, she just nodded and slipped her arms through the sleeves. It was warm. "Yeah, thanks Lieutenant."

#sxf fanfic #yuri sxf #chloe sxf #yuri x chloe #yurichloe #yurikuro #spy x family fanfiction #sxf spoilers #yuri briar #dtw universe #the mitu #chloe sss #sxf chloe

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mystical-flute · 2 years ago

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I Am The Ghost That Hides in The Night Ch. 3: Caught Stuck Here With Your Enemies

Also on AO3

The air in the room once again stilled when Bond… barked? Honestly, Twilight still wasn’t sure what the noise Bond made was even supposed to be , because it certainly wasn’t a normal bark. He knew what dogs were supposed to sound like, and that wasn’t it. Was it something that he’d been given during Project Apple, or something that had been done to him? Either way, people never seemed confused by it - to his face, anyway, which was a relief. He supposed to normal people, Bond was just a unique dog.

Well, they certainly had that right.

“Borf,” Bond blinked at them, then began to whine as he looked in the direction of Anya’s room.

Yor was on her feet immediately. “Is there something wrong with Anya?”

Bond’s ears perked, like she’d asked the right question. “Borf!”

“MAMAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Yor bolted down the hallway with a speed Twilight had never seen her use and he followed with Bond on his heels.

“Anya! Anya, it’s okay, I’m here,” Yor said as she took a seat on Anya’s bed, pulling her into her arms. “I’m here…”

Twilight clicked on the desk lamp to chase any of the ghosts in Anya’s mind away. “We’re both here, Anya. What happened?”

Anya, though, had simply pressed her face against Yor’s stomach, babbling incoherently and holding Yor so tightly, Twilight was worried she would leave marks on Yor or cause harm to her own hands.

“I can’t help but wonder if she saw the news broadcast of the warehouse explosion…” he thought. “It was probably breaking news. Maybe Franky had another channel on before Spy Wars started. Maybe it triggered something… but then, how would she have known the warehouse contained what it did? There’s no way the news would have had that information at that time. I doubt even the SSS had known.”

He heard more incoherent mumbles from Anya, but for once, felt no need to correct her or ask her to repeat herself. His child had just woken up screaming, and while it wasn’t the first time she’d had a difficult dream since she’d been in his care, it was the first time her scream had sounded so painful, so terrified like that, that he hadn’t wanted to give her any grief tonight.

It had also been the first time one of her nightmares had caused Twilight’s stomach to plummet out of concern.

Twilight scrubbed a hand down his face and looked down at Bond, who was sitting next to him. Putting his hand on Bond’s head, Twilight smiled. “Good job, boy. Thank you for coming to get Yor and I.”

Still… how could Bond have known Anya was about to wake up from a nightmare? Was it something he could sense as a dog? Or did it have something to do with whatever he’d gone through at Project Apple? Dammit, he really needed to talk to Handler about what else they’d learned about Project Apple lately.

“Are the bad guys gone?” he finally heard Anya say, though she hadn’t lifted her head away from Yor. “They’re not gonna come back?”

Even though she was a child, she somehow sounded and looked even younger, the way she was latched onto Yor and how her wide, terrified eyes flickered back and forth between the two of them.

He felt so tired as he looked at her. All of a sudden, everything he’d worked for for over a decade crashed into him. Using a child as part of Operation Strix had once felt wrong to him - and some days, like when Eden’s busses had been hijacked, it still did - but as he’d managed to give Anya a relatively happy home away from that horrible, run-down orphanage, he’d felt more at peace with it, and Anya had been a driving force in his quest to create a world where children never had to cry.

But here she was, crying.

“The bad guys are gone,” Yor confirmed softly, her hand rubbing circles in Anya’s hair. “They will never hurt you again.”

Twilight had no idea if Anya knew he and Yor were at the warehouse, but for now he would act like she wasn’t aware of it, until they figured out how to actually tell her what they’d discovered, and where their family would go from there.

“Your mother’s right, Anya. No one will ever be able to hurt you, not so long as we’re here,” he chose to say. “Try to go back to sleep, okay?”

“Can Mama stay with me?”

He noticed Yor hold Anya just a bit tighter. “Of course I will.”

This all felt so foreign to him, two parents comforting their terrified child after a nightmare. Even before the war, his father had been someone who would tell him to suppress his fear, and especially his bad dreams, despite his mother’s attempts to do otherwise. But this… this had to be what was normal, right?

“It’s fine, Anya,” Twilight said with a smile when he noticed she was looking at him with worried eyes. “You had a nightmare, and so we need to make you comfortable. That’s our job as your parents.”

For once in his career, he meant it.

Next to him, he saw Bond’s ears perk again, his head twisting in the direction of the front door.

“What’s wrong, Bond? Is there a bad guy outside?” Anya whimpered.

Bond’s eyes dropped, and he looked almost sad. “Borf?”

Twilight had to resist the urge to sigh. “I’ll go check, Anya. You stay here with Yor. Bond, why don’t you come with me?”

His tail wagged. “Borf!”

They stepped out of the room as Yor began to speak softly, soothingly to Anya again. He kept the door open just a crack so Anya could see the light of the hallway and know she was safe (wait, hadn’t his mother done the same thing once…?). Bond went straight to the front door, having caught the scent of something in the hallway. His tail was wagging though, so surely that meant it was someone familiar, and no one he needed to worry about.

Still, Twilight couldn’t help but feel tense as he peeked through the peephole. For a moment, he didn’t see anyone in the hall, until a familiar form hurtled himself around the corner, his red eyes wide and looking strangely scuffed up.

Yuri Briar.

Twilight had to hold back a groan as he pulled open the door before Yuri could ring the bell. He had no idea if the noise would freak Anya out even more, and did not want to risk it.

Yuri lurched back in surprise, and while it wasn’t unusual for him to recoil away from Twilight, doing it before he even registered who was at the door was unusual. “Loidy! What are you doing here?”

It took everything in him not to bite out a sarcastic response. Instead, Loid Forger, beloved psychologist and fine, upstanding citizen of Berlint, gave Yuri a warm smile. “Sorry if I startled you, Yuri. I think Bond could sense you were coming and wanted me to get ahead of you.”

Yuri frowned. “What? Get ahead of me? Why? What did you do to Yor?”

“Nothing,” Twilight ground out, before he replaced himself once again with the worried, doting father and husband. “Anya had a nightmare and woke up screaming for Yor. I didn’t want the doorbell to scare her further.”

Yuri’s red eyes seemed to soften just a little at that, and Twilight felt the tension in his shoulders ease a little in return. “Oh. I’m sorry. If this is a bad time - ”

“Not at all, I’m sure Yor will be happy to see you, and Anya will be happy to know it’s you and not someone scary. Just… please keep your voice down. Are you okay? You’ve got dirt on your clothes and your cheek - ”

“I’m fine. Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

Twilight didn’t doubt that, but still, what would Yuri have been doing (had the SSS already been given clearance to investigate the warehouse? Surely not, right?) that caused him to be injured? “Alright, come in. Do you want tea or anything?”

“I’ll wait for sis to finish with Chihuahua Girl before I have some.”

Chihuahua Girl? Was that seriously what Yuri called Anya?

“Loid?” he heard Yor call softly. “Is everything okay out there?”

Bond immediately rushed back toward Anya’s room, and Twilight gestured for Yuri to follow him as he followed Bond. “Everything’s fine, Yor. Yuri just decided to stop by for a visit.”

When he glanced back into Anya’s room, he saw her fighting to stay awake in Yor’s arms, worry still clear in her eyes.

Yor’s body slumped in relief when she saw Yuri, just as he’d said. “Oh, Yuri! What a pleasant surprise this is! See Anya, Loid was right, it wasn’t a bad guy at all! It’s just Uncle Yuri!”

Well, perhaps ‘not a bad guy’ wasn’t quite true given who Yuri worked for, but if it was between Yuri visiting or one of the scientists making it out alive, he would rather see Yuri at the door.

Yuri gave an awkward wave. “Er, hi Anya. Yeah, it's just me, so get some rest, okay? Or I’ll have to start reading from one of your science textbooks.”

“Unkie…” Anya mumbled with a small smile and giggle, before she finally allowed her eyes to close completely, her body visibly relaxing in Yor’s grasp.

Yor began to sing a lullaby under her breath, one Twilight recognized immediately as he closed the door again, leading Yuri back into the living room.

“Sis used to sing that to me all the time. She learned it from our mom,” Yuri said softly, slumping into a chair and not noticing the way Twilight shuffled the files away.

“My mother used to sing it to me too,” Twilight admitted with a small smile. “I never felt safer than when she was singing that song to me.”

“Yeah. I felt the same way.”

“I mean, it’s a good song. Talking about being safe and sound in someone’s arms. I bet Anya needed it.”

“It seems like you two are finally bonding over - oh! Yuri, what happened to you?!” Yor gasped when she stepped into the room. “Oh my goodness, you’re hurt !”

“It’s just some scratches and bumps sis, nothing to get alarmed over,” Yuri said with a smile. “Anyway, Dominic said you were working late tonight. City Hall didn’t have to send you near that explosion, did they?”

Yor frowned. “What? Of course they didn’t. Why do you ask?”

“Good. I was just making sure. When I heard about it on the news I was worried going there was part of your overtime, that’s all. I got so worried I rushed here as soon as I could, and ended up tripping and falling on the sidewalk. Pretty lame, huh?”

Yor laughed softly. “Oh Yuri, you’re so silly. As you can see, I’m totally fine. Neither Loid nor I were anywhere near that explosion.”

Twilight had a feeling Yuri wouldn’t have cared if Loid had been caught up in the explosion. If anything, he probably would have relished in him being one of the mangled bodies that were being pulled out of it. “Why don’t we get you something for your wounds, Yuri? A pain killer and some bandages?”

“I told you, I’m fine.”

Yor didn’t seem as convinced. “Yuri, please let Loid and I help you.”

“You can. I don’t need his help.”

Twilight plastered a fake smile on his face. “That’s fine, Yuri. I’ll make us some tea and some food instead. We all look like we need it.”

“Thank you, Loid,” Yor said, fast enough so Yuri couldn’t argue about that too. “I’ll grab the first aid kit and a cloth to clean Yuri’s wounds.”

Twilight smiled and rose to his feet, going into the kitchen to prepare something quick. Now that his nerves were relatively calm, he felt like he could come up with something good for them to eat. Let's see… there was salmon and vegetables. That didn’t take long, especially if he wrapped the pieces in foil first. He had no idea if Yor had managed to eat anything before she left for the warehouse, and wanted to make sure she got a good meal.

And Yuri. For Yor’s sake.

“Hey, Loidy.”

He looked up from the counter, where he was quickly dicing up a garlic clove, then mixed it in with some olive oil. “What is it, Yuri?”

“That actually… smells really good.” Despite the kind words, Yuri looked annoyed at himself for saying it. “Where’d you learn to cook?”

Twilight cleared his throat, choosing his words carefully as he wrapped the vegetables and salmon in the foil. “Well, when you’re a war orphan, it’s pretty sink or swim, isn’t it? I didn’t really have a choice if I wanted to stay alive. One of my esteemed colleagues from the hospital taught me how to make this when we were in the midst of the war. Quick and filling, made with whatever I had on hand and able to be cooked on an open fire.”

Yuri winced and nearly flinched back as Yor dabbed antiseptic on one of his wounds. “Yeah. Guess so. You sure got that fish in the oven quickly.”

Twilight blinked in surprise, then mentally cursed himself, because of course a member of the SSS would pick up on that. Okay. Calm down Twilight, Figure something out to say…

One of Loid Forger’s light, nervous laughs escaped him, and he reached to scratch the back of his head bashfully. “I guess I still have my single father instincts to get everything done quickly. Anya’s such a precocious kid you know. I never feel like I can take my eyes off her, so I guess I learned how to get food in the oven before she had time hurt herself, or someone else. I’m so grateful to have Yor here now, but still… instincts never really go away.”

Yor just laughed lightly as she wrapped one of Yuri’s deeper wounds. “It’s a wonder he managed to get anything done at all while he was on his own.”

“Ha, I knew there was something you were bad at! You don’t know how to care for a kid on your own!” Yuri cheered, pointing at Twilight like he’d just uncovered his secret identity.

“Yuri!” Yor snapped, putting salve on another cut and leaving the antiseptic pad there longer than Twilight thought she needed to, given the way Yuri flinched in pain. “Don’t be so rude to Loid after all of the kind things he’s done for us.”

Twilight shook his head in amusement, giving the siblings a small smile. “It’s okay Yor, really. I’m only human. There’s always going to be something I’m bad at, right? At least we have each other now.”

Yuri’s eyebrow twitched, and Twilight couldn’t help but feel a little smug. If Yuri was going to act like a child, Twilight was not going to treat him like one by tiptoeing over how he felt about Yor. They’d tried that the first time Yuri had visited, and it had ended in literal bloodshed.

At least now he understood how Yor had the superhuman strength to slap Yuri across the room that night.

“At any rate, it’s nice to see how much Anya has improved since Yor joined our family. And she really loves spending time with you too, Yuri,” Twilight said. “I can’t tell you how glad I am for that. Her grades at school have gone up after you’ve started tutoring her!”

Once again, Yuri looked annoyed, which was a face Twilight was rapidly getting used to seeing. “I’m… glad to hear about her grades. That kid deserves to be happy. All kids do.”

“Indeed they do.”

Well, at least there was something he and Yuri could agree on. It was just a shame he was on the wrong side of things.

“Oh, Loid, can you get me a glass from the cabinet so I can give Yuri his pain medication?” Yor asked with a smile as she snapped the first aid kit shut.

Twilight swore he saw Yuri’s eyebrow twitch the moment Yor turned away from him. Perhaps he was just fussy about taking medication? Though he thought children grew out of that behavior (at least, that’s what the books he’d read when he first adopted Anya had said), Yuri, on the other hand, still behaved like a child when it came to Yor, so perhaps Twilight was overthinking things again as he handed her a glass of water and the bottle of pain medication from their cabinet.

“The tea is ready too,” he said. “And dinner shouldn’t be too far behind.”

Yor smiled. “Oh, perfect timing. We might as well move this conversation to the table then.”

Twilight watched Yuri rise to his feet, shoulders slumped like he was a child about to eat a vegetable he absolutely hated as Yor moved into the kitchen to grab the tray he’d set up, bringing it to the table and handing Yuri a steaming hot mug.

“Here, Yuri, this should help you feel better too,” Yor said with a smile. “This is my new favorite tea. Octavia Blackbell introduced me to the blend.”

Yuri frowned. “Blackbell? You mean like the military manufacturer?”

“Yes. Her daughter and Anya are best friends, so we see each other when we have mother-daughter days.”

“It sounds like you’re getting more comfortable around the Eden elites. I hope that means Loidy isn’t making your life difficult.”

“I don’t know if either of us will ever fully adjust to being among the elites of Ostania, Yuri,” Yor said. “We just got lucky that Anya was accepted, and that we have each other to rely on when things get overwhelming at Eden.”

Yet again, Yuri’s eyebrow twitched, and Twilight couldn’t tell if Yor was actually oblivious to his frustration or if she was getting some sort of enjoyment out of annoying him. That happened sometimes, right? Siblings liked to tease each other?

“Like I said, Anya’s grades have been improving,” Twilight said. “It isn’t just Yor and I. You’ve been a big part in helping Eden get easier for us too, Yuri.”

“That’s true. I think she’d rather study with you than Loid sometimes,” Yor agreed with a giggle before bringing her mug to her lips and taking a slow sip.

“Well, obviously she’d prefer me. Why wouldn’t she?”

Twilight had to resist the urge to roll his eyes as he took the salmon out of the oven and brought it to the table. Yor helped plate it, and they worked in tandem with each other, hands brushing against the other with no reaction from either of them, unlike the first time Yuri had been here.

“Didn’t you eat already, Loidy? It’s pretty late for a full meal,” Yuri asked with a frown.

“Me? Ah, I was working overtime too. Unfortunately, one of my patients took a bad turn and needed to be stabilized,” Twilight explained. “I figured Yor and I could eat together once we were both home since Anya’s babysitter fed her.”

Yuri’s eyes narrowed slightly, which was expected. Despite having a cover as a doctor, it seemed Yuri Briar just couldn’t believe anything that came out of Loid Forger’s mouth.

He was mostly correct in that assumption, but Twilight needed him to play along.

“So Yuri, any trips planned to Hungaria? I’m sure the foreign ministry is keeping you busy!” Loid asked. If Yuri was going to be here, maybe he could try to get some intel out of him.

“Huh? No, nothing planned. I’m hoping to get something soon. I’m supposed to be up for a raise and I want to make a good impression on my boss. I’m hoping a trip would be just what I need.”

Ah, and how many people would need to be interrogated or tortured for that to happen?

Yor gasped and pressed her hands together in delight. “Oh that’s great, Yuri! I’m sure you’ll get it.”

Yuri smiled. “Yeah? Well, thanks, sis. I’ll do my best to get it, for you.”

“Aw, you don’t have to do that. I’m proud of you either way,” Yor said.

Twilight couldn’t help but wonder how proud of him she would be if she knew what her precious brother actually did for work, and even when Yuri left later that night, he felt the temptation to tell her creeping up on him.

But, he supposed, as he glanced into Anya’s room to check she was still comfortably asleep, he should let sleeping dogs lie, at least, for now.

#spy x family #spy x family fanfiction #fanfiction #loid forger #yor forger #anya forger #yuri briar

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saiilorstars · 2 years ago

Text

Ch.8: All About Us

Current Story Masterlist // Previous story // Maleny’s Masterlist

Pairings: Klaus x OFC || Elijah x Cami

Pronunciation of OC’s name: Ma-leh-nee

Taglist: @ocappreciationtag @arrthurpendragon @anotherunreadblog @transformerfan97 @stareyedplanet @foxesandmagic

If you’d like to be a part of this OC’s work/edits, let me know!

Author's Note: So because now we have Nicolas Mikaelson in the game, it's time for a visual reference. I see Nicolas looking like the actor Polo Morín with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes.

Vincent stood inside an altar at the cemetery, lit with several candles despite it being day out. He had finished taken over as Regent just last night, and was ready (or so he thought) to keep the fight against the vampires. When he heard clicking heels coming in, he sighed and prepared.

"Cami?" he was rather surprised to find the blonde standing across him, her hands inside her black coat's pockets.

"You're Regent now," Cami said, like she hadn't known it - or like she hadn't had a hand in making it happen.

"Yes, I am," Vincent nodded. "And I suppose now I'll have the honor to meet the Lord Tristan de Martel? Cos I'd like a word with him - he's had the Strix vampires watching me, tailing me, listening to me. I do hope they know I'm not an easy target."

"Vincent-" Cami began but Vincent had entered a state of hostility against her, or more specific the Strix. He knew she wasn't a traitor, but it was still mighty difficult to see her with the enemy.

"I'm sick and tired of good people falling victim to the trash that the Originals bring to town. Now, normal people can't enforce justice on vampires, but I will. I can, and I will. So... You guys keep watching me, but know for sure I'm watching you, too."

"Vincent," Cami said again, sharper, "please." She suddenly went soft as she pulled out a familiar blue talisman from her pocket. Vincent's eyes widened in horror, taking several steps back. "They're coming," Cami said quietly, "and if you don't help them activate the Serratura...they will use the talisman to bring back Finn. Please," she pleaded, "We'll find a way to stop them, but...do this."

Clearly conflicted, and immensely afraid, Vincent took a while to decide his limited options. Cami sympathetically awaited the answer she knew she would get from her friend.

~ 0 ~

The soothing hand Maleny felt stroking her arm was pleasing, but also a sneaky way of waking her up - and she wasn't ready to leave the bed yet.

"Let me sleep," she commanded in a raspy voice, trying to shake off Klaus' hand in a weak manner. But when she felt the kisses pressed on her bare back, she opened her eyes, 'resigning herself' to the wakening. She shifted and turned on her other side to meet Klaus' smirking look with a sarcastic smile. "I'm not going to sleep anymore, am I?"

Klaus was resting on his side, a hand running down Maleny's arm. "You're a clever woman…"

"I'm still kind of...tired," Maleny admitted, her face brightening up with pink tinges. The comment however, seemed to provoke Klaus into a smug state. "Shut up," Maleny quickly warned before he even opened his mouth. "Say a word and I kill you - and you know what'll happen next when you come back."

Klaus feigned thought but then laughed and proceeded to kiss her anyways. Maleny hummed as she wrapped her arm around his neck, forgetting what she had been threatening in the first place. By the time Klaus pulled away, Maleny was in a dazy state.

"Good morning, love," Klaus innocently greeted her. "Sleep well?"

"Comfortably," she replied back with a light laugh before sobering completely and turning serious. "I missed you."

"As did I," Klaus admitted, a hint of guilt traceable in his voice. He let his hand trace her face and down to her neck, taking his last look at his human girl and unable to help the feeling transgress onto his face.

"You're going to miss it, aren't you?" Maleny quietly asked, reaching for his hand and placing it over her heart. "The live, beating heart you're so used to..."

"You know the reason why I refused before," Klaus sighed, letting Maleny think to his confession earlier in the night. "In a couple of hours, this heart will be dead. It will have stopped...because of me."

"No," Maleny outright refused to let that thought sit around in his mind. "On the contrary, because of you, this heart will continue to beat for an eternity...at your side. Is that not better than having it beating for a couple of more years before it stops from a heart attack?" the unamused look sent her way made her remark, "Let's be honest, I'm not the healthiest eater out there."

Klaus smiled, taking her sarcasm as momentary relief from the bigger picture. "My consolation is that I no longer have to fear losing you. You're right, it is better, so much better."

Triumphantly, Maleny smiled and propped herself up on her elbows, letting her messy hair fall back over her shoulders. "Then let's forget the depressing side and focus on the much more exciting parts…" she smirked. "Care to give me a preview?" she leaned forwards as much as possible to place a very small, and yet teasing, kiss on his bottom lip.

The look on Klaus' face said it all. He brought her by the neck to his lips again, roughly kissing her till he let her fall to the bed again. But minutes later they heard a loud knock on the door.

"Mum! Dad!" called Marlenie, still knocking afterwards. "I know you can hear me! You have to come out already! There's a big surprise in the living room. If you don't come out in the next ten minutes I will come in there, even if it's with my eyes closed. Ten minutes!"

When Klaus heard her footsteps distancing as she walked away, he groaned and rolled off Maleny. "Your daughter has impeccable timing…"

Maleny chuckled, sitting upright with the sheets hugging her body. "So she's my daughter when she irritates you, but she's your daughter when she wins a training fight?"

Klaus smirked to himself. "Her skills are clearly from her father."

"Show off," Maleny rolled her eyes. "C'mon, she wants us out there, clearly."

Although sighing, Klaus did sit back up, intending on getting ready. Before he did so, however, he reached for Maleny. She yelped when she was abruptly pulled forwards for a passionate kiss.

"W-wow," Maleny breathed in after it ended.

With a mighty smirk, Klaus declared. "Now we can go."

~ 0 ~

Now joined by Tristan and a second witch, Cami stood across from where Vincent was finishing up the spell meant to activate the Serratura. Vincent placed down a bowl of blood on an altar, mumbling needed words of all spell.

Impatient with the entire sight, Tristan called out, "I trust this won't take much longer? I'm on a schedule."

Vincent glanced over his shoulder, glaring. "Look, man, if you want me to activate your big, bad Serratura, you're gonna have to back up. Give me some space."

Tristan seemed mildly amused. "Or, I could always have my witch put Finn back inside of you. Have him complete the deed." To remind Vincent of his situation, he raised Freya's talisman. "I'm sure he'd be quite pleased to aid in his brothers' downfall."

Vincent sighed. "I do this for you, I get that pendant."

"Of course. That was the deal."

With that, Vincent returned to the spell. He dipped his hands into the blood bowl, finally casting the spell for the Serratura. As he raised them back up, he let the droplets of blood fall over the medallion beside it. He then flicked his fingers outwards, making all the candles in the room blow out.

Afterwards, he picked up the medallion and made way for Tristan. "You wanted it, you got it. Give me the pendant."

Tristan took the medallion from him, briefly inspected it, then gave the calm order to, "Hold him here." The guards he brought along did the task and forced Vincent away from him. "We may have use for him yet."

As Vincent was dragged away, he shouted angrily. "You really want to mess with a Tremé witch?"

Tristan ignored him and glanced at the witch beside him. "If he acts up, place my old friend Finn back inside him."

The witch nodded and took the pendant, leaving to go after the guards with Vincent.

Cami loudly sighed and gave a look at Tristan. "That's going to cost us down the road. What's your plan now?"

"Worry will be the death of you, Camille," Tristian, for some reason, chuckled and left the room. "The rest of our plan is already in play," he called.

Cami, concerned, whipped her phone out and dialed.

~ 0 ~

In the living room upstairs, there was quite a cheery gathering of Mikaelsons, all except Rebekah and Hayley. Even young Hope was squealing happily in the middle of the room.

"What the hell were you doing there in the first place?" Marlenie was asking her older twin, wearing a mixture of laughter and confusion.

Nicolas, who sat beside her on the couch, was flushed with embarrassment. "I wanted to know what a drink tasted like. So I snuck in and—"

"I'm going to ground you," Freya disapprovingly shook her head at her nephew.

"He'd probably come up with some excuse on why he did nothing wrong," Elijah remarked beside her as he took a drink from his glass, adding afterwards with a smirk, "That's what his father does to this day."

"Maleny is no stranger to the fake innocent acts as well," Freya laughed. "She can just get away with it more often because of the fact she has an innocent looking face."

"Which I intend to keep using," Maleny called mere seconds before she and Klaus came into the room. "Why are we discussing my face now?" Her eyes looked from one person to the next suspiciously until they landed on the new visitor. Immediately she gasped and stepped back, bumping into Klaus.

He too saw the young man that had certainly not been there last night. Nicolas nervously rose from his seat, eyes scanning every thing he could from his parents...because those were his parents right? He recognized his mother instantly, but his father was a complete stranger to him.

"Y-you…" Maleny slowly started for Nicolas, her eyes shining the closer she got.

Nicolas shuddered a breath when she put a warm hand on his cheek. He forgot what it was like to have a tender, mother touch. He never had one with her real hand.

Marlenie shakily chuckled. "I forgot how beautiful your eyes are." She quickly glanced back at Klaus. "Look, they're yours!" She quickly returned her gaze to her son, her tears beginning to spill. "You're back, you're back my baby boy," she hugged him tight.

Nicolas gasped and urgently hugged her back. He rested his head on her shoulder, ignoring her smaller statute. He wanted - no, he needed - to hug his mother after centuries of being away from her. It didn't even feel like it was real for the first couple of seconds. It was like the first moment when he had arrived in France to find the Collins' current descendants. Once proving he was who he said he was, the Collins revealed - and confirmed his suspicions - that his mother had woken in her true body almost a year ago and had gone back to his father in New Orleans. It had taken Nicolas a couple of hours to adjust to the fact that his mother was alive and in her body, and much more that she had found Klaus already.

Maleny pulled away with the biggest smile on her face, her hands once again cupping his face. "You have grown so much. You look like..." As she turned around, Nicolas looked to Klaus who had remained rather frozen in place. "I told you you'd find him one day," Maleny softly said.

Nicolas moved around his mother to walk up to Klaus. Without warning, Nicolas encased him in a hug. The look on Klaus' face was indescribable. Nicolas was holding onto him like his life depended on it, and the instinct told Klaus to do the same. It was disbelief, and yet awe. He had a son...and with Maleny. The plans he and Maleny once made as humans were finally complete. They had a family - with a twist - but it was all theirs.

Nicolas pulled away and excitedly, yet awfully nervous as well, studied Klaus from head to toe. Klaus wasn't sure what to expect from his son, but when Nicolas spoke up he felt far more comfortable.

"I can see where I get my good looks now," Nicolas declared, making Klaus widely smirk...and the others groan.

"Oh my God, I never thought I'd see the day someone had a bigger ego than Klaus," Maleny sighed.

"Don't scold the boy for his honesty, Mal," Klaus said, still studying Nicolas, "Clearly, his charms are inherited from me."

"My boy doesn't have charms," Maleny frowned. "He doesn't need to! He's six!"

"Mother," Nicolas wearily sighed, though his heart pinged happily hearing this conversation.

"He's not six anymore, Maleny," Klaus put an arm around Nicolas' shoulders, turning them both for the blonde. "He's a proper man now - he's developed charms."

Marlenie exchanged a look with Freya, both smirking as Marlenie moved to her mother's side. "Oh well, you know I have my own charms too," she declared, and instantly saw the fall of Klaus' approval. "I use them all the time."

"No you do not," Klaus corrected her.

Maleny laughed. "That's my girl!"

"Mal!"

"What?" Maleny then played dumb. "Marlenie's a proper woman now - has been for centuries. She's surely developed some charms."

"This is surely a sight to see," remarked Elijah to Freya as he went to sit down beside her. "A new generation of Mikaelsons and they're both cocky."

"Hey!" went the twins.

"Elijah, leave my kids alone," Maleny felt a shiver run up her spine after saying that. She loved the new feeling, seeing her twins, her twins together and alive. She put her arm around Marlenie's shoulders and gestured with her other for Nicolas to come. The older twin came by and wrapped an arm around Maleny's waist. "We are a complete family now," she sighed with so much relief. "Everything's good now."

"We love you Mum," Marlenie said happily and kissed Maleny's cheek, Nicolas soon following. Even Klaus came by seconds later to join the hug he thought he'd never, ever get from anyone.

Maleny chuckled, locking eyes with Klaus. "I love you."

Elijah's phone going off cut into the nice moment. He took it out from his pocket and answered fast. "Hello, Camille…" he got up from the couch and walked out of the room.

"When did those two get back on speaking terms?" Maleny curiously asked as her twins left to go dote on their younger sister.

Freya smirked as she finished up Elijah's drink. "I may have done a thing last night."

"Well, it appears everyone had fun last night," Klaus mused, winding an arm around Maleny's waist. Maleny giggled when he pulled her closer to him.

"No doubt about that," Marlenie mumbled under her breath, receiving an elbow on her side by Nicolas.

And suddenly, Elijah reappeared by the entrance of the room, with a grin look on his face. "Niklaus, can I have a word with you?"

The low voice cut through everyone's mood and added to the eyes on the Original. Slowly, Klaus released Maleny and went after Elijah.

Maleny watched the brothers with suspicion, calmly calling for Marlenie's assistance. "Marls, could you listen into that?"

Marlenie picked up Hope and settled her onto her lap. "Of course - but I won't." She provoked a scolding glare from her mother. "It's a private conversation, mother."

"Spare me the excuses," Maleny rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

"Oh, c'mon, mother. Nick is back, shouldn't we just focus on that?"

The mention of her newly returned son made Maleny turn around, her face softening the moment she looked at Nicolas. "I suppose I can do that…"

Nicolas seemed more nervous about whatever was being talked about outside. "We could always focus on that…"

"Nope," Maleny walked over to the couch and sat beside him. "I want to learn about you. I...I don't know who you are…"

Nicolas faltered and looked down, appearing shameful. "Mother, when you last saw me I was six and innocent. Now, I am centuries old and nowhere near pure."

"That was Dhalia's fault," Freya interjected coldly. "She is the cause of whatever darkness we now hold inside of us, Nick."

Maleny took Nicolas' head into her hands. "Your aunt is right. You did what you did to survive. It's exactly what I did, what Marlenie did, what everyone in this family has had to do. Tell me the things you did, the things that made you laugh despite it all. I want to know all about you."

Nicolas chuckled, flushed with the attention. "Wow, um...I don't...I don't know where to begin…"

"Tell me what you like to do," Maleny quickly resolved the issue, excitedly awaiting. "Do you still do your wooden crafts?"

As Nicolas began to answer Maleny's questions, Freya silently slipped out of the room. While Marlenie didn't intend on listening in to the conversation going on in the corridor, Freya did.

"Can't she take it herself, then?" Klaus was in then middle of asking, near shouting, Elijah. "She is right there after all!"

"It's not that simple," Elijah shook his head, but Klaus didn't seem to understand.

"What bloody use is she infiltrating the Strix if she can't do something as simple as steal the talisman back?"

Freya's eyes widened, horrified to learn of her necklace's location. "The Strix took it?" she walked up to her brothers. "They have my talisman!?"

Elijah sighed but made no attempt to hide the issue. "Apparently, they're using it as a blackmail on Vincent. They've activated the Serratura and are keeping Vincent locked away in some part of the cemetery."

"Cami informed you of this?"

"Yes. She also warned us that Tristan is already enacting some other plan against us."

Freya straightened up then, looking between both brothers sternly. "Then we have to be one step ahead. First thing's first: I want my talisman back. Have Cami get it for me."

Elijah rubbed his temple at the fifth repeated request. Klaus agreed with Freya and began to voice it in. "It's simple, brother, Cami can do it. She's done worse things!"

"No, no—" Elijah mumbled, though he visibly was growing agitated neither sibling listened to him.

"Elijah, it is imperative that I have my talisman again," Freya crossed her arms.

"She can't, she really-"

"She can't take back a bloody necklace?" Klaus almost sneered. "Ask her to take it and—"

"No, stop it…"

"Then she can stay here if—"

"I said no!" Elijah finally snapped and glared at the two. "I will not have have Camille expose herself so stupidly for something one of us can do without tipping Tristan off. Now both of you quit demanding so childishly." He straightened his jacket, his hard stare still going strong. "You are so quick to forget that I happen to care for this woman and that I prefer to minimize the danger she is in."

As he walked away from the two, he heard Klaus mutter to Freya, "It's amusing he still can't say the big bad four letter word."

Freya snickered and elbowed him on the side. Klaus waited until Elijah was fully gone before speaking to Freya again, much more earnestly this time. "I would appreciate if none of this got to Maleny - at least for today."

Freya nodded. "I won't say anything but it'll be fairly hard for her not to realize there's something wrong when word of the Serratura's state reaches her."

"I just...not today," Klaus insisted. "Today is her day with her son. She deserves this and no one is taking it from her."

"And what about you?" Freya tilted her head. "Are you not allowed to have the same?"

"Not right now, unfortunately." And Klaus did his best not to show the disappointment he actually felt.

Fortunately for him, his sister was no fool. Freya rolled her eyes and motioned him to the living room. "Go and be with your children," she said before chuckling as she added, "and your 'almost wife.'"

"But—"

Freya was already pushing him towards the living room. "For a couple of hours, Niklaus. Just go get to know your son. I should warm you, he's quite mischievous so watch out."

Klaus didn't, surprisingly, insist more and soon walked back on his own to the living room, where apparently there was a good story being told by Nicolas.

~ 0 ~

Cami berated herself for ever thinking Vincent could stay in a good behavior with the guards Tristan had placed on him. As soon as she heard the shrill screams of the Opie witch who guarded the talisman with Finn's spirit inside, Cami rushed to see what trouble was brewing.

It was quite a spectacle to see if she admitted. Vincent had the witch on her knees with her face drenched in blood. One of the vampire guards had been crushed with am angel statue. The second had a fence pike through his chest and thus unconscious.

"Are you kidding me!?" the blonde exclaimed, wanting to pull her hair out at the moment. "One hour, one hour is all I asked of you." With a sigh, she sped across him to where the impaled vampire was getting up. She pulled his heart right out from his chest and killed him on the spot.

Vincent ignored her in favor of the talisman now lying on the ground. But before he made even two steps for it, Elijah appeared out of nowhere and snatched it up.

"Vincent! We should chat," he flashed a broad smile.

~ 0 ~

"I'm going to have to thank Freya all over again for looking after you," Maleny said after hearing Nicolas' story of his time with Dahlia. Freya had made it her life's mission to always make sure she was there for Nicolas when he needed her.

"It's because of aunt Freya that I got to escape from Dahlia," Nicolas admitted, sounding rather guilty. "She attacked Dahlia, feigning like she was tired of Dahlia's constant magic barriers. While she attacked, I ran off. I don't think I ever ran as fast as I did than that night."

Marlenie sympathized with her brother. Sitting on the couch chair, legs crossed, she entered a sort of distancing state. "I hear you," she spoke quietly, but captivated her family's attention, "I did the same thing to the Dawsons. I ran so fast..."

Maleny and Klaus shared looks of equal shame and guilt. Their children had to survive on their own, making dangerous plans in order to see another day in peace.

"You don't have to be guilty," Nicolas' voice drew them both back to the present. It seemed he had inherited Maleny's ability to perfectly to read their faces. "You weren't there because you couldn't be. Marls and I did fine in the end, didn't we?"

"Yeah," Marlenie smiled honestly. "We know that if you had knowledge of us, you would have searched the seas until you found us."

"While neither of us are happy that you had to spend so much time alone..." Maleny sighed, "...I suppose that I am grateful you both found family for a while."

"I am quite proud you decided to hide yourself in plain sight, Marlenie," Klaus admitted with a natural smirk. Marlenie matched it within the second. "You know, there were rumors that some noble lady had taken control of the Velden's business."

"Noble lady?" Nicolas eyed her sister in pure disbelief.

Marlenie loved the different looks and laughed. "What? Well, I had to make myself useful in that family of idiots. I sought to learn the business and make it my own. Though it was rather easy to do once I learned compulsion."

"How did you turn?" Nicolas suddenly asked but almost regretted it the next minute when everything went quiet. By the looks of his parents, he assumed Marlenie had not yet shared the details of her turn to vampirism.

"You said Lucien..." Maleny whispered, finding it incredibly hard to believe that she hadn't asked her daughter that question. She had thought of it but she was afraid that she would overstep with Marlenie considering they didn't fully know each other yet.

"Yes," Marlenie answered rather boredly, apparently the matter was not as serious as her family thought. After a thousand years, it was difficult to find emotion over an event that changed her life for the better. "I suppose I have you to thank, Dad," she gestured languidly at Klaus who took it was surprise. "I mean, since Lucien was under the compulsion that made him believe he was you. So then, I guess, it's technically uncle Elijah I should be thanking. Lucien was never a good vampire in the beginning and so when he saw a young, homeless girl in the woods...he thought it was dinner."

"He drank from you...?" Klaus balled a hand into a fist.

"He had no control nor knowledge of how to make sure he finished the job," Marlenie continued to explain. Her calm face was truly a sight to see for her brother. She looked positively untroubled by her story. "He had his dinner and he left, probably to go meet up with Aurora and Tristan, and so while I was 'dying'" — she did air quotation marks — "I remembered what the Dawson witches said about vampires. They learned it from you, Mum."

"Me?" Maleny frowned. "Learned what?"

"That if you die with vampire blood in your body, you will return as a vampire. So I gambled and took Lucien's blood that had dropped to my skin while I foolishly tried fighting against him and I drank it."

"And you became a vampire," Klaus had to admit that it was a rather clever plan of Marlenie.

"I was your second sire, Dad," Marlenie smirked. "So Nick, what's your liberation story?"

"What?" Nicolas blinked.

"How'd you get to China? I mean, I stopped at England in the end. But China? That one never crossed my mind."

"It was simple," Nicolas shrugged. "I needed to put a literal ocean between me and Dahlia. Aunt Freya said to get away so I got away. China seemed like the logical way to go."

"Those are some very good stories you two," Maleny believed she would never get used to the oddness of their family. "Hopefully, you will never have new ones to tell because you're staying with us...right?"

"Right," went both twins instantly.

~ 0 ~

Vincent still sat on the ground of the cemetery, against a tomb wall, as he explained to Elijah and Cami the situation on the Serratura. "Look. I don't know what to tell you, man. You want your big, bad Serratura, you're gonna have to go after Tristan because he took it with him after he forced me to activate it."

"Tristan's long gone," Cami looked at Elijah before he got any ideas.

"Deactivate it, then," Elijah ordered Vincent, but received a shake of head.

"I couldn't even if I wanted to," Vincent said, eyeing the talisman Elijah still held in his hand, "And just for the record, I'm all done with vampire demands for the day. Push me and see what happens."

"Vincent," Cami's sharp tone made the man look her way.

Elijah didn't take the threat lightly and warned back, "You don't want to see what happens. My family's in jeopardy, you're responsible."

"That's on you, man!" Vincent snapped. "If Tristan didn't have the pendant, then he wouldn't have any leverage over me."

Elijah raised the pendant as if to remind him who now held the leverage. Cami used her speed to snatch the pendant from him and returned to her spot. "We are not threatening him with something like this," she warned him. "We'll find another way to get the Serratura."

After much thought, Elijah, Cami and Vincent returned to the compound, sadly still having nothing in regards to the Serratura. They only made it halfway down the courtyard when Elijah heard the whisper-shouts from Freya. The blonde appeared from the dining room and quickly made a motion for all of them to come in.

"Freya, what's the matter?" Elijah asked, puzzled with her secretive and yet terrified face.

Freya walked to the table where a small, cream-colored box rested on. She picked up a piece of parchment beside it and held it to Elijah. "A messenger came by. It was some compelled tourist and he left this."

Elijah walked over and took the letter from her and raised the lid of the chest, horrified to see a bloody heart inside. "Who?" Elijah swallowed hard, shutting the lid fast.

"Jackson," Freya sighed, meeting the looks of Cami and Vincent.

"I swear...I didn't…" Cami began, looking far too terrified to be a fake act. She never imagined Tristan had planned this after Vincent. It made her sick to know the kind of people she entangled herself with.

Elijah opened the letter and read it out loud for the others.

'Dearest friends, please find enclosed the heart of Jackson. Hayley's will follow unless you meet me at Coltrane's Autoshop, 1268 Adderly in the ninth. Kind regards, Tristan.'

"So, unless we meet their demands, Hayley will be next," he rubbed his face in frustration.

"I haven't told Niklaus nor Maleny," Freya admitted. "They just...they looked so happy with Nicolas and...I couldn't interrupt."

"We're gonna have to," Elijah regretted the decision but knew there was nothing else to do.

And so...they did. It was quite the damper in the family atmosphere they had created but knowing their friend, and practically family member, was in danger made it worthwhile.

"We have to get Hayley back," Maleny said, to the point of raging for such a foul fate Jackson received. "And someone needs to die."

"Agreed," Marlenie had a face on, her arms crossed. She'd quite liked Jackson and thought him to be an excellent step-father for her younger sister, not to mention he knew how to fight really well.

"Two Original vampires, two regular vampires - one who's still a practical baby—"

"Watch it," Cami sent a glare towards Klaus who went on like she hadn't even spoken.

"And three powerful witches against an army of miscreants? I'm rather looking forward to this."

"We can get it to four witches," Freya said meekly as if it were a step up, "If we can get Amarrah here."

"Keep in mind that I'm mortal, and, as much as I want these guys out of my city, I like breathing," Vincent cut in with a sharp edge in his voice. "So, let me go to the covens. I can propose an alliance. They hate you guys, but if I explain what's going on…"

"There's no time," Elijah shook his head.

"There never is," Maleny sighed. "But I do feel the need to remind you," she met eyes with the three Mikaelson siblings, "that Tristan may be the very foe to lead you to your doom. Isn't this exactly what the prophecy foretold? Rebekah's on the run. We will not lose anyone else."

Freya and Marlenie exchanged discreet glances, both still majorly uncomfortable with their secret.

"I have no intention of being outmaneuvered by Tristan de Martel, of all people," Klaus scoffed, though he was fresh out of ideas.

"Intention's got nothing to do with it. As long as Tristan de Martel has the Serratura and your baby's mama, the advantage is all his," Vincent reminded bitterly.

"Then we snatch it from him," Nicolas spoke up for the first time, fairly lost on what exactly they were dealing with but he had enough knowledge to know about battles. "Everyone has a weakness - what's this guy's?"

The answer was clear between everyone in the room save him.

"Aurora," Maleny bitterly said, rolling her eyes. "Boy would I love to see her again for a round 2…"

"I can find Aurora, easy," Freya volunteered, "I'll just need something from her."

"And that'll be enough to get the guy's attention?" Nicolas had doubt etched across his face.

"More than enough," Klaus smirked.

"And we can trade her in for Hayley and the Serratura," Elijah added.

"Wait a minute," Maleny blinked as if she had just made a realization, "Why just trade and leave when we can trade and capture at the same time?"

"Mum, what are you thinking of?" Marlenie raised an eyebrow.

"You said the Serratura needed to be used in order to be destroyed right?" Maleny asked Elijah to be sure.

"Yes…"

"Then we have a way to seal Tristan away forever," Maleny glanced at Klaus, sharing a knowing look.

"No..." Klaus shook his head once he realized where she was headed for.

"Klaus, we don't have a choice. I'm going to die, might as well have some fun with it."

"What?" went the rest of the group in the room, no one knowing of the gift Klaus had given Maleny the previous night.

~ 0 ~

"It's settled, they've gone out to retrieve Amarrah, and Freya's doing the locator spell," Klaus said as he closed the bedroom door, sighing deeply once they were alone.

"It's okay," Maleny settled her hands on his face. "We discussed this—"

"No," he corrected, "You shared the idea and because of no other options yours won. I don't like it."

"Fair enough," Maleny agreed. "But look, it's been settled now. Everyone has a job, and I finally get to have one too."

"It's dying," Klaus felt the need to remind.

"I was going to do that anyways," Maleny shrugged, trying to act nonchalant but it was so easily betrayed with her nervous eyes. She walked to the vanity desk where the vial of Klaus' blood had been placed in the mean time. "And you know what? It gives me so much satisfaction that the first thing I'll be able to do is take down a De Martel." She turned around with the uncapped vial in her hand and returned to the weary Klaus.

"You don't...you don't have…" Klaus raised a hand to her cheek.

"It'll be easy, right?" Maleny tried to keep her smile on but it was growing harder by the second. "I drink, you snap my neck, and bam! I'm dead."

"Well, yeah, but…" Klaus sighed, "It's just...you deserved better."

"It'll be fine," Maleny put her hand on his arm. "This is what I wanted in the end, so no more sadness or anything bad...though, I do have to confess I am a smidge...scared," she nervously laughed as she raised the vial in a toast-like manner before drinking it completely.

Klaus then remembered the way in which he had turned, or had been forced to turn, and was grateful that at least she wouldn't go through anything like that. He took the vial from her and threw it to the side. He cupped her face and smiled. "Just a second and then we'll have eternity." He pushed away his own fear and focused on her instead. Yes, he was scared, but this wasn't about him anymore. She needed him and he would be there.

Maleny bit her lip and nodded. "I know…"

Klaus smiled at her then leaned in to press a gentle kiss to her lips. Her hands gripped his arms, and her heartbeat only raced quicker, but when they pulled away, she was smiling at him too.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he said, tracing her cheek with a thumb. He stared at her a another minute before finally doing it. He snapped her neck and her body fell limp into his arms. He held her tightly, the wave of emotions taking him over. "Eternity, eternity, eternity..." he recited to himself to remember that she would wake up again.

~ 0 ~

In the backseat of a Strix car laid Aurora, who continued to be sedated by her brother's men. When she felt slightly conscious, she lifted her head and finally realized where she was. Before she could ask either Strix members where it was they were going, the one beside her injected her with a new round of sedative. She groaned as the new effects took place and soon fell unconscious again.

The driver noticed a figure in the distance, standing with arms open - it looked like he was casting a spell.

"Run him down," the Strix member beside Aurora ordered.

The driver nodded and pressed the pedal to go even faster. This didn't appear to faze Vincent as he stayed right where he was in the middle of the road. Instead, he snapped his fingers and caused the car to lose control and flip over. After a series of tumbles, the ruined car came to a stop. Of course, the vampires survived and made way for Vincent. They made two steps towards him when Elijah and Marlenie appeared behind to stake them in the hearts.

"Nice timing," Vincent remarked, but Marlenie was already going for the car.

She found Aurora in the middle of the car accident and yanked her out violently. The redhead was still dazed and groggy with the sedative given to her, but seeing Marlenie she groaned.

"Not you again…"

Marlenie rolled her eyes and controlled herself to only snap her neck.

~ 0 ~

"I can't believe you're actually here," Amarrah was still gaping at Nicolas, despite knowing who he was already.

"Yes," Nicolas sheepishly rubbed his neck. He wondered if these were these type of remarks and attention Marlenie had when she first arrived to the Quarter.

"Maleny must be so happy," Amarrah chuckled. "So, what's this plan you're talking about? Because if it truly does involve finally taking down some enemies these sign me up."

"It does," Nicolas nodded, "and it's a good one too. But we're gonna need some witches. Mum said you were a good one."

"I like to think I am," Amarrah got up from her couch and went for her things into the hallway, her loud voice echoing through. "So, I imagine Maleny is reluctant about playing the part herself?"

"Umm…" Nicolas raised his eyebrows, "My mother's going to be playing a different part…."

"What is it?" Amarrah re-emerged with her bag slung over her shoulder.

"The neither dead nor alive part…"

Amarrah's face fell, as did her bag.

Nicolas stood up and lightly smiled. "Mum's going to be in transition very soon."

~ 0 ~

Some time later, Tristan, Aya and Cami arrived to the site of the car crash where only the two staked vampires remained. When Tristan heard his phone ringing and saw Elijah's name he angrily answered.

"If you touch a hair on her head-"

"I have no intention on touching her," Elijah's smooth, calm voice interrupted. "However, I cannot say the same of my niece. She seems to have inherited my brother's temper."

Tristan scowled and resigned. "State your terms."

"You'll meet us at Patrick's Dock, the warehouse. We exchange Aurora for Hayley and the Serratura. Oh, Tristan? I would make it snappy. I have the feeling Marlenie wants to begin her torturing lessons...that's if Niklaus doesn't get to it first."

Tristan was raging when the line cut off. He turned to the two women beside him. "Go retrieve that filthy cur. Double the dosage of wolfsbane. Make certain she suffers."

"Maybe we should think the worrisome through," Cami interjected, ignoring Aya's steady glare.

"I already have," Tristan snapped back coldly. "The Mikaelsons want to make a deal, so I'll give them exactly what they want. And, once I know Aurora is safe, I'll order the Strix to descend on them until we seal them away for all time."

Cami gulped inwardly and said no more. She really hoped this plan would work, otherwise they would all be done for.

~ 0 ~

In the old cathedral where Freya once hid stood the witch herself, Nicolas, Vincent and Amarrah. They were surrounded by lit assorted candles. On the table between them was a stone cauldron of blood with several animal bones scattered around it. Freya held a large burlap poppet that had a strand of familiar blonde hair pinned to its top.

"You think this is gonna work?" Vincent wearily asked.

Freya nodded and looked at them all. "We're all powerful in our ways. This should be a piece of cake."

"Right," Amarrah coughed awkwardly, "Show off hands who actually believes that."

Everyone shared meek smiles, of course there was that nagging doubt in their heads that something could go wrong. The minimal options they had scared them, but they had to push through.

~ 0 ~

At a large dock, the exchange of a vampire for a hybrid was just beginning. At least half a dozen Strix vampires had sped into the room in a strategic way so that the three Mikaelsons were surrounded. Tristan, Aya and Cami appeared in the middle, just across them.

"Gentlemen," Tristan gave a cold courtesy to Klaus and Elijah, then glanced at Marlenie, "Ma'am," Marlenie rolled her eyes, "I wish I could say it was a pleasure."

"Let's get on with this, shall we?" Klaus asked, impatient to see things through.

Tristan glanced over to a blonde vampire, nodding for her to leave. The blonde, along with a man, left for a couple seconds and re-emerged with a shackled Hayley in custody. The hybrid looked awful, her face and clothes covered in blood. When she was let go, she fell to the floor, unable to muster strength due from the wolfsbane injected into her.

"Hayley Marshall-Kenner, only slightly worse for wear," Tristan gestured, barely attempting to hide his satisfaction, "You'll have to forgive her if she seems a bit off. There's enough wolfsbane in her system to kill an entire pack. However, here she is, as requested. Now, where's my sister?"

"She lives, unfortunately," Marlenie crossed her arms.

"Marlenie and I wanted to flay her and hang her skin as a flag," Klaus shared with arms wide smirk on his face. "You can thank Elijah for that not happening. Anyway, enough chit-chat. Let's conclude this tedious business, shall we?"

"My sister first," Tristan narrowed his eyes. "And, if you're tempted to argue, consider the numbers."

The idea amused Klaus to no end. He walked up to Tristan, staring him dead in the eyes to show he was not the least bit intimidated. When Tristan showed a slight fear, Klaus felt like he proved his point and headed for a large, green shipping container at the end of the room. He opened it up and revealed Aurora sitting inside, bound to a chair with a black hood over her head.

"If they try anything, attack," Tristan said to Aya before speeding inside the container. He pulled the hood off her and while she appeared to be still sedated from the drugs earlier she was alright. He looked back to Aya, nodding them to complete the deal.

Aya motioned to the two vampires guarding Hayley to allow her to be taken. Tristan ripped the binding around Aurora's wrists and woke her up.

"Oh, brother, you came for me," she weakly smiled.

"Always," Tristan helped her stand and hugged her. "Come on. Come on."

In the middle of their hug, Aurora reached into Tristan's pants pocket and pulled out the Serratura. With a smirk, she pushed him away.

"Rory...? What are you doing?" Tristan cautiously reached to take the Serratura back.

She scoffed and slammed the medallion against the wall, instantly activating it. There was a violent shake only inside the container. Tristan was baffled and horrified, seeing the medallion now stuck to the wall...and forever.

"No... Aurora... What have you done to us!?"

Aurora pretended to pout. "Oh no, not to 'us'." She straightened up and walked right past him, out the shipping container, and came to a stop beside Klaus and Marlenie. "I did that to you."

There was a brief minute where she was covered in a magical haze. When it faded away, Maleny stood in her place.

Tristan's eyes widened in fury. "What is this!?"

"I call it the beginning of sweet revenge," Maleny clapped her hands together, a wide smirk across her face.

"How is this possible!?" Tristan shouted.

"The Serratura creates an impenetrable boundary. Nothing living or dead can pass through. And surprise, at the moment, I am neither nor!"

Tristan was truly terrified when it sunk in he was actually trapped inside. "No. No. NO!"

Klaus wound an arm around Maleny, murmuring in her ear. "Stay close to me, okay?"

It had been only an hour since she woke up, but the effects of transition were already becoming visible. Her face was pale, and her heartbeat slower than what it needed to be. Still, she dimly smiled to him and nodded her head.

"What are you waiting for? Take them! Now!" Tristan's raging shouts rang through the room.

The Strix members moved forwards to obey but Elijah stepped in. "Before you rush headlong toward almost certain death...as your sire, I would like you to employ just a little bit of common sense."

Aya scoffed. "We are ancient vampires, Elijah — each of us almost as strong as you."

"You might almost be successful in subduing us, but at what price? Most of you will die in the process, and for what? To avenge a fool marching you headlong toward your very extinction in the name of a witch's prophecy? You do realize he engineered absolutely all of this purely to satisfy some petty grievance against my family? Tristan doesn't care for any of you."

Tristan furiously pounced on the invisible barrier. "Stop listening to him!"

"The only danger here is the choice that you must make," Elijah smoothly smiled at the other vampires. "You see, I am not your enemy. It's true, I delivered you into this existence. I can just as easily pluck you out of it. The choice is yours to make."

Aya glared his way, apparently still considering the idea of fighting him. Cami took control and moved in front of her. "It's done, Aya. I don't think any of us should die because Tristan wasn't smart enough. No more waste."

Aya was surprised by the sharp edge in Cami's voice, but seeing their odds out she gave in. "Stand down," she ordered their rest.

"You will not abandon me!" Tristan exlcaimed, feeling helpless in his situation.

Aya gave him a piteous look. "It's a shame it has to end like this."

"Aya, this isn't over!"

Aya in return put a hand over her heart in a salute form. "May the ghosts of our fallen keep you company," she coldly said before taking leave with the other Strix.

"Aya. Aya! AYA!"

But despite his screams of outrage, the Strix left the warehouse without even glancing back. Marlenie decided to take Maleny back home in order to get some human blood in her system and finish the transition already. Before leaving, Maleny had to see Hayley.

"Are you okay?" the blonde was, comically, attempting to help Hayley stay on her feet.

"You had to die to get me back, and you're asking me how I'm doing?" Hayley shot her a dim smile.

"You just lost a husband," Maleny responded back more serious, "Of course I'm going to be asking if you're okay." There mere mention of Jackson pushed Hayley's smile off her face. Maleny sighed and hugged her tight. "I'm so sorry, Hayley. Jackson was a very good man."

Hayley stifled a sob as she pulled away from Maleny, no words coming to mind. Marlenie quietly approached the two. "Mum...we should get going…" Maleny turned to her daughter, feeling rather guilty for leaving. Marlenie just smiled and took her hand. "The hunger is going to get stronger, and your strength is going to be weakened if we don't hurry."

"Go," Hayley urged the blonde. "We wouldn't want you going blood crazy."

Maleny sighed but gave in. She did have this nagging at her stomach that told her she needed and wanted the blood. It was such a strange feeling honestly. To actually want to drink someone's blood.

"C'mon, Mum," Marlenie gently tugged Maleny to walk.

"Be careful with her, Marls," Klaus stopped them just by the doorway. "She's a special one right now," he kissed Maleny's temple.

Marlenie playfully rolled her eyes. "I get it, Dad."

"You just don't want me to lose control and feed off the first person I see, huh?" Maleny raised an eyebrow at him.

"You wouldn't," Klaus surprised her by sounding incredibly sure of himself.

"Oh? And why would you say that?"

"Because you barely made it after fighting of Esther's pack of wolves, remember?"

Maleny shifted and looked away, of course remembering that day. Curious of the memory they were talking about, Marlenie spoke up. "Why do you mean she barely made it fighting off wolves?"

"Let's just say, your mother is going to make a very interesting vampire," Klaus smirked rather proudly, bringing Maleny closer to him. The blonde rolled her eyes but said nothing. That memory was just one she didn't ever want to talk about.

"Whatever," Marlenie reached out for Maleny's arm, "We have to go, Mum."

"Yeah, fine," Maleny used a similar tone like her daughter, causing Klaus much amusement. She wiggled out of his grip and turned to him. "I'm glad we took one down. I can't wait to do the same with her."

Klaus took a little pride in her dangerous tone. She looked completely ready to take on the fight - he could only imagine what she would be like when she became a full vampire.

"Mum!" Marlenie hissed, feeling nauseous at the sight of her parents so...in their moment. She really wished they would just get a room already and leave their moments in there.

Maleny chuckled and finally listened to her daughter. Her stomach was hurting now with the hunger she wasn't pleasing.

~ 0 ~

"And you actually went with this plan?" Gia gaped at her blonde friend sitting across her, both of them having some drinks.

"What choice did I have?" Cami leaned against her couch. "It was either that or let them use the Serratura on Elijah and Klaus. I couldn't let that happen."

Gia gave her a look, and one that made Cami shift uncomfortably. "Cami, this is getting dangerous. You joined that stupid club for the Mikaelsons' sake, and now you're double crossing them...for the Mikaelsons! What happened to staying out of their problems?"

"I can't do that when my life is sired to Elijah's," Cami said matter-of-factly.

"Well, my life's sired to Klaus' but you don't see me putting my life on the line for his ass," Gia rolled her eyes. "I'll help, sure, but not when it involves me - a baby vamp - going up against ancient vampires."

Cami finished up her drink and set it on the coffee table between them. "Is this why you came over? To scold me like my mother would?"

"I'm just here to snap some sense into you," Gia shrugged, crossing one leg over the other. "You're letting your feelings for Elijah cloud your logical mind."

"This isn't about my feelings," Cami shook her head. "This is about survival."

"I can understand the survival part," Gia said, raising her hands in a neutral manner. "I get that it's survival for all of us vampires, but I just don't want you getting hurt."

Cami softly smiled at her friend. "I promise I will be careful."

Gia thanked her with a nod, but she was still overly concerned with the trouble Cami was getting into on behalf of Elijah and his family. There was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her something bad would happen because of it.

~ 0 ~

"How can Aurora be gone!?" Klaus fumed after Freya in the downstairs living room of the compound. Behind him was Nicolas, who was annoyed himself over the loss of the redhead.

"Apologies," Freya turned around, bumping into Klaus, "We left your lunatic ex unattended. See, we were busy casting the spell that saved the day. The effort left us a little taxed."

"She was drugged into a stupor and confined by your spell!"

"Clearly she had some help from a witch or at the very least someone with access to dark objects," Nicolas said, causing a quick realization in both older Mikaelsons.

"Lucien," Klaus gritted his teeth. "He's that furious with us—"

"You," Freya made sure to correct. "You're the one that took Maleny from him - in his eyes anyways."

"Should I even bother to ask?" Nicolas curiously looked between both.

"No," was his answer from a sudden grim father.

Nicolas made no further questions. He would just ask Marlenie later.

~ 0 ~

"I'm fine, Marls," Maleny sighed after her daughter repeated her question of 'do you need anything else?'. She would much rather continue watching and listening from the balcony to whatever the street had to offer.

Marlenie was expecting this type of behavior due to her previous experience with other people she'd turned in the past. She walked back into the bedroom to collect the empty blood bags when Klaus walked in.

"How is she?" he quietly asked, forgetting that Maleny now had supernatural hearing just like he did.

"She" — Maleny called from the balcony without looking back — "is just fine!"

Marlenie gestured to her mother, playfully rolling her eyes. "She's all yours." She picked up the rest of the empty blood bags and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

When Klaus walked out to the balcony, he was a bit cautious. Maleny was still looking out the city with such focus. He wasn't quite sure what to say to her right now, but he did revel in the fact she looked peaceful.

"It's so amazing," she began in a quiet voice, "I can hear the jazz music playing on the next block...and I can hear the clinking of beer bottles...people laughing...all these things that I never once paid attention to are buzzing in my ears."

"That will order itself out with the hours," Klaus said, thinking she was perhaps uncomfortable with all the new heightened senses.

Maleny chuckled and turned around, leaning her back against the banister. "You think I'm upset? Klaus, I'm fascinated! It's all so...surreal. It's nothing compared to when I was put in Yamilet's body and became like Hayley."

"Well, I'm glad to see you had control…"

But Maleny's face made Klaus rethink his words. "You, um…" she coughed awkwardly, "...you may want to go restock on blood…" she made a dash for the room.

"M-Maleny!" Klaus blinked and went after her.

"Are you mad?" she turned around, looking actually nervous. "I swear I didn't mean to, but...when I took my first taste the, the blood it…" she made a made a gesture with her hand, "...it was delicious. And then my eyes did this funny thing, and...and my fangs! Oh! I have fangs now!" she covered her mouth as if she's just learned of the new feature for the first time. "They came out as soon as the blood went down my throat! And it felt so good - I couldn't help myself…" Klaus had been overly entertained with Maleny's predictable antics. He walked up to her and put an arm around her. "Are you mad with me?" she meekly asked again, running her hands over his arms.

"Not in the slightest," Klaus shook his head, a wide smile breaking across his face. "You didn't kill anyone - that's what I was aiming for."

Maleny chuckled and pressed a kiss to his lips, but a simple peck turned out not to be enough for her. She leaned on him, an arm draping over his shoulder which she used to pull him closer. In a split second, Klaus sped her up against the door, realizing there was no point in being 'careful' anymore. The idea fascinated him on some level that there would be a new way of doing things.

Having thought of the same things, Maleny surprised Klaus by turning them around with her new strength, now having him against the door. "I can get used to that," she whispered, her finger tracing along his jawline. "In fact, I'd like to get used to it now…"

"Eager to comply," Klaus replied with a devilish smile. He took the hand she had on him and kissed it. He sped them to the bed, but before he could lay her down, she switched again and pushed him down instead.

Maleny loved his stunned face in return. She was going to enjoy this new life, that was for sure.

#ocappreciation #ochub #fd: the originals #the originals #klaus mikaelson #klaus mikaelson fics #klaus mikaelson imagines #the originals fics #the originals imagines #klaus mikaelson x oc #tvd universe #tvd fics #tvd imagines #oc: maleny rowan #fic: under the same stars

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