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#the only one i wouldn't agree with is marcel especially the one part about feeling guilty
mrs-kmikaelson · 1 year
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05| The Tribrid
Pairing: Klaus Mikaelson x daughter!reader Summary: As you settle back into the Quarter, you juggle your personal and new professional life—but with the Mikaelsons, it was almost as if there was no difference between the two. Warnings: none Words: 5.6K
Masterlist | Part 6
a/n: i see this series getting long, guys; just letting you know. btw, i'm pretty much unoccupied, so u can expect new posts for this series and possibly other imagines like every 2-3 days. and tysm for all the support! anyway, i'll let you get to reading now.
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I walked into the Abattoir with a façade of confidence. I was now completely sober, facing the repercussions of my drunken actions. It'd been about a week since my agreement with Elijah and he'd only just called me in to speak with him yesterday.
I was currently cursing my drunk self, but at least Marcel was now allowed back into the Quarter without any fuss. Of course, he wasn't allowed back into the slaughterhouse, but he did compel himself a nice little townhouse a few minutes of human-walking away from my place.
In New Orleans, it was always better to live in the Quarter than anywhere else. This was the heart of the city's supernatural happenings. You were both safest here and also at most danger. But I guess, if you had enemies, you wanted to be in the Quarter because, if you had a crew to roll with, then nobody would really try you.
That's how it used to be at one point in time, and that's what the factions were trying to achieve now.
I was immediately greeted after making it past the gates. "Y/N," Elijah said, walking towards me, hands held out. He wrapped an arm around me, walking me to the couches in the middle of the courtyard. I tried not to show any discomfort at the physical touch. "It's lovely to see you."
I chuckled a little. "Feeling's mutual," I replied, causing the nobleman to let out a little laugh himself. I sat down on one of the couches while he sat on the other. "So, what have we got today?"
He sighed, "The withes are unhappy because of- all due respect, Marcellus' actions."
Right. Marcel forbade anyone to do magic. While I understand his reasoning, trying to protect a little witch by the name of Davina Claire, it was cruel. To ask a witch to go without magic was like asking a human not to breathe; it was damn near impossible.
Even though I get what he was trying to do, I still didn't agree with it—but that didn't mean that I agreed with what the New Orleans witches were doing either.
"So I've heard. But I'm sure you're aware of why he did what he did." He was; otherwise, I wouldn't have brought it up. I wouldn't do anything to endanger Davina; she'd become like a family to me. I knew that the Mikaelsons knew all about Davina, the harvest, and whatnot.
"Yes, of course. To protect Davina, I understand. She is special, without a doubt." Elijah's voice with filled with nothing other than conviction; I'd expect nothing less when people were speaking about Davina.
I smiled thinking about her. "Yes, she is."
"However, it still hasn't done us any favours on a community-wide scale." Elijah ran a hand through his hair. "The witches' spokesperson, Genevieve, is just about furious with the treatment they've received." A look suddenly appeared on his face. "And considering the... interactions my family has had with her, I wouldn't want to anger her further, especially since Hayley is with child."
This was the first time my heart didn't stop at the mention of Klaus' unborn baby. Instead, I was too focused on the witch Elijah named: Genevieve. Now, this was a name Marcel had somehow neglected to inform me about, but I was well aware of who she was.
From my understanding, Rebekah Mikaelson killed her the same year the Mikaelsons fled New Orleans, sometime in the early 1900s. Marcel spilled the whole story to me one night when he was drunk.
Genevieve died. Yet, according to Elijah (and I know this is not a coincidence) she's alive leading the NOLA coven.
Great.
I responded after a beat, bringing my hands together. "Okayyy, so what are we doing?"
"Making the witches happy, love."
Now my heart stopped.
I turned my head to see Klaus just finishing walking down the stairs. "Elijah tells me you're our new... fixer." He shrugged, making his way to the minibar. "So fix it."
"Niklaus."
"Get a grip, Elijah. I don't think I'm offending the young woman," he said before turning to face me. "Am I offending you, love?"
I skipped the whole processing bit of this situation and dived straight into my persona. "Not at all."
Klaus made a gesture to me with his hand, turning back to his brother. "See, Elijah. Marcel's right hand has tough skin." Elijah responded with a much more exhausted sigh than before, rubbing his hand on his face. Klaus ignored this, turning back to me with a bottle of bourbon in his hand. "Want me to pour you a glass, Y/N?"
"It is ten o'clock in the morning, Niklaus."
"All the more reason," he quipped back. "Y/N?"
I tried to loosen up, but my smile probably came out a little more tense than I originally intended. "I'm good; thank you."
Klaus looked at me for a few seconds before shrugging and pouring his own glass. Elijah took this opportunity to continue, but not before letting out another sigh. "As I was saying before my brother so tersely interrupted us, Genevieve has agreed to meet with us after I told her that you—Marcel's right hand, as Niklaus put it—were going to be representing us."
I tried to focus all my attention on the task at hand instead of my absent father who kept looking over at me periodically. I remembered what this was like when I did it for Cellie; I just had to get back in the game. "So, if you are looking to make an agreement of some sort, what are you willing to negotiate—give up, even?"
Just as Elijah was about to answer, Klaus briskly cut him off. "Oh, that's all on you, love." I narrowed my eyes slightly and he elaborated. "You decide then and there what you think is fair." He shrugged again, and although he looked carefree, he also had a smug look on his face that I doubt he was even trying to hide. "Ball's in your court." This was a test.
I didn't ponder on that for too long, nodding to him. "I can do that."
Klaus nodded back. He looked like he wanted to say something, but a quick look from Elijah seemed to make him want to hold his tongue. Thank God.
While I seemed like I was coming a long way, just the mere idea of holding a conversation with this man was terrifying. There were so many things I was holding my tongue about. It was just lucky that I so happened to be 500 years old. A few, quick conversations with my dad who had no idea I was his illegitimate child would not break me. Maybe it fucked with my head, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.
I'm here after all, aren't I?
Elijah cleared his throat. "Well, it seems to me that we've discussed everything we needed to discuss for today." He stood up and I followed suit. "Again, it was lovely seeing you, Y/N."
"Likewise." I shook the hand he held out, once again ignoring the weird original rush I felt. "I'll see myself out." Couldn't get out faster.
I walked toward the exit before Elijah could say something gentlemanly about escorting me out and before Klaus could say something that'd boggle my mind even further. I assumed he'd text me the details about the meeting later.
I took a deep breath immediately once I was far enough from the compound that I was sure they wouldn't hear me. I had no idea how I was going to get used to any of this, but it was too late to go back now.
In the meantime, I decided to take my mind off the Mikaelsons for a bit by visiting someone who I've yet to see.
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I walked into the old church with caution. It wasn't like I had a problem with Kieran; I just felt awkward whenever I talked to him, so I'd rather avoid him. I've had enough awkward situations in these past few weeks to last me a lifetime.
To my luck, he was absent and so I just walked straight upstairs, dodging cobwebs as I went until I made it to the attic's ajar door. A girl sat on a stool in front of an easel, painting a landscape. She was so focused she didn't even notice me push the door the rest of the way open.
I smiled, leaning on the door as I looked around the room that'd changed since I last saw it, now more decorated and screaming it'd been touched by a teenage girl. "So Marcel's still got you holed up in here, huh?"
She instantly spun around with her jaw dropped. "Y/N?!" She ran toward me, engulfing me in a tight hug that I'm sure would've broken some bones if I was human.
I chuckled, "Hi, Davina. I've missed you, too."
She pulled back, looking over me with disbelief visible on her face. "Oh, my God- when did you get back?"
"A little while ago. I'm sorry I couldn't come see you sooner, but I've been absolutely swamped. I promise, though—going into the future, I'll make time to see you." Davina smiled, pulling me back in for another hug. Her happiness spread to me and I started smiling so hard that my cheeks hurt. I think this might be the first time I've been this happy since I got back to New Orleans.
Davina was an amazing kid. I was supposed to meet up with Marcel the night of the harvest when he saved her, and so I ended up meeting her a few months before I left. She just so happened to be one of the few people who know my secret. She was incredibly gifted and reminded me so much of my younger self. I felt like I owed it to her, to myself, to be there for her. In the short time I've known her, she's become something like a little sister to me, if not a daughter.
When we broke from the hug, we both ended up sitting on the bed. I let her catch me up on what's been happening, even though I already more or less knew it from Marcel's summaries. "Okay, so if the witches aren't trying to hunt you down anymore, why are you still hiding away in this attic?"
"Well, I'm not hiding away anymore," she replied. "Marcel just figured it'd be safer for me to stay here instead of with them. He still doesn't trust them and, honestly, neither do I. They've been acting kind of weird since the witches were resurrected, but I just deal with it and go there everyday to practice."
I hummed. I understood Marcel's reasoning; keeping Davina at the church was actually pretty smart. I wouldn't trust her with a bunch of vengeful witches, either, especially after they tried to kill her once. But this attic was far too small for a little girl to spend her days in.
I looked around the cluttered room, thinking before I said screw it and decided to propose my idea to Davina. "What if you didn't have to stay here?" I asked, looking back at her.
She furrowed her brows. "What do you mean? It's not like there's anywhere else I could go, besides with the witches."
"Not necessarily true." I sat up straighter. "I mean, my townhouse has three rooms, and only one of those rooms isn't empty." I shrugged, gesturing around the room. "It's bigger than this place, so all your stuff would fit."
She sat up too. "Wait, are you being serious?"
"Hell yeah, I am. And the protections on my place are a lot better than this church's, trust me."
"You want me to move in with you?"
"Yeah, Davina, that's what I've been sayi-" I was cut off when she threw her arms around me in the tightest hug she'd given me since I entered the attic, and that was saying something.
"Oh, my gosh! Yes, of course!" 
I giggled at her enthusiasm, hugging her back before pulling away to pull my phone out of my back pocket. "Okay, I'll drop you off at the apartment now and I'll text some people to come pick up your stuff and bring it to you." I glanced back up at her for confirmation, looking back at my phone when she giddily nodded. "You can just make yourself at home and get settled in. I'll be home a bit later; I just have a business meeting first."
"Yeah, sure." Davina then stood up, looking around and clapping her hands. "I'll start packing!"
I laughed for what felt like the umpteenth time since I've seen her, standing up too. "Alright, D. I'll see you later," I said, but she was already far too engrossed in packing her things, giving me a distracted goodbye. I shook my head, the corners of my lips going up even higher as I left the room.
Thank God I wouldn't have to come back to this creepy ass church anymore. I really hadn't even thought of asking Davina move in with me; it was such a spur of the moment kind of thing, but I had no doubts then and no doubts now. She'd be safer with me than here, with the witches, or even Marcel.
At the though of my friend, I went to text him about this new development, coming across a message from Elijah along the way.
Elijah M. We'll be meeting the witches at 7:00 PM at the compound.
You OK, I'll be there.
I stuffed my phone back into my pocket after responding to Elijah and texting Marcel about Davina. Seven was two hours away, so I had time to go home and freshen up before the meeting.
I wasn't nervous; I'd already been here before, already done it all, but I did feel a weird pressure to do this well. Something in me said Klaus was counting on me to fail, so it was my job to prove him wrong.
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I walked right into the compound later without standing out front for ten minutes like I did this morning. I was gonna have to get used to this all eventually and I'd prefer that'd happen sooner rather than later. 
I was apparently earlier than everyone else because there wasn't a Mikaelson or red-haired witch in sight. I checked my watch: 6:30, it read. Earlier than I expected, but that was fine with me. I wiped the imaginary dust off my outfit: slacks and a tight white dress shirt that I'd unbuttoned just enough to not look like a female Elijah. Resemblance to the Mikaelsons was not what I needed right now.
I was just about to pull out my phone to keep myself busy when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around, my eyes meeting the mother of Klaus' kid. "Oh, hi," she greeted, a surprised look on her face. "What are you- oh, right, Elijah told me you guys were meeting with the witches tonight."
"Yeah- it, uh, appears that I'm a bit early." I chuckled, making small talk even though I really didn't want to have any unnecessary conversations with anyone that lived in this building.
"No, it's a good quality. Elijah's like that," she told me. I nodded, ignoring my thoughts which were questioning her relationship with Elijah. Something told me it was a lot more complicated than it seemed. "I wanted to thank you, by the way."
My brows furrowed. "Hm? For what?"
"For covering me that day with Elijah- and for saving me from that vampire that day, too," she expressed with an almost bashful look on her face. "I realize I was pretty rude to you, but I was really just having a bad day, and-"
"And I'm a vampire, so you were just being careful." She let a small, embarrassed smile form on her lips which I reciprocated. "It's fine, I get it. I'd do the same if I were in your shoes."
"Thank you for understanding; I really appreciate it." I told her it was no problem, resisting the urge to be nosy and ask why she didn't wanna tell Elijah what happened; I didn't want to risk her growing suspicious of me.
Before Hayley and I could fall into an uncomfortable silence, Klaus and Elijah strolled in through the gates into the courtyard. Klaus' eyes narrowed between me and Hayley, probably in a protective manner, while Elijah greeted me. 
"Y/N, sorry to have kept you waiting-"
"Oh, no, it was no biggie." I gestured to Hayley. "I had good company, anyways." Hayley smiled, excusing herself after wishing us luck with the witches, but I doubted I'd need it.
I was good and I knew it. Half a millennium alone in the world taught you how to negotiate, how to get your way when you had no one else on your side. Really, I was less worried about the witches and more worried about being in Klaus' presence.
Speak of the devil.
"The witches should arrive soon," Klaus announced, glancing down at his watch then up at me, a smirk arising on his face. "And then you'll be able to play your hand."
I stopped myself from narrowing my eyes or doing anything that showed I felt the shade he was so obviously throwing my way. Clearly, without even having really spoken to me, dear old dad has decided he doesn't like me, much less trust me. I don't know why that hurt because I don't even want to be talking to him period. I guess there's just a part of me that disagrees with that.
Like this morning, Klaus didn't waste a second before walking over to the bar. "Can I interest you in a drink whilst we wait, love?" He poured himself a glass. "Some... liquid courage, if you will."
He's being a jackass on purpose.
I declined, "No thanks." I shook my head. "I don't need it." And I also don't need to be under the influence around the Originals.
Klaus chuckled in an almost sardonic manner. Like the night I met him, he had a dark air around him that he barely cared to conceal. Klaus wanted people to notice that about him; he wanted people to be scared. And I was, but for entirely different reasons.
However, I'd sooner die before letting him know that. If he wanted to play hard ball, then I'd be the best damn batter he's ever seen.
Klaus turned around, tipping his glass to me. "You're quite confident."
"Well, I can back it up," I quipped back. In response, he sarcastically smiled, taking a sip of the brown liquid in his hand. From the corner of my eye, I saw Elijah glancing in between us watchfully.
"So I've heard- and you know, it got me thinking, what exactly is it about you that makes you so special?" This-
I was given time to pause by Elijah's interjection. "Niklaus."
He held his hands out in the air. "What, Elijah? I'm just curious," he reasoned.
I cut Elijah off before he could say something more in order to respond. "No, it's alright, Elijah; I understand the skepticism." I looked back to Klaus whose eyes just so imperceptibly narrowed. "The reason why people are more inclined to listen to me is because I don't operate with a desire to instill fear in others, just respect." I maintained eye contact with Klaus, hoping he was picking up what I was putting down. I knew he got the message when I saw his jaw clench.
He looked like he was going to say something else, but before he could, the gates to the compound opened. All three of us looked toward the entrance to see Genevieve and two other witches walking beside her, like a little entourage.
Elijah seemed to let out a sigh of relief at the intrusion. "Genevieve," he greeted, walking toward them. "Thank you for agreeing to this meeting. Please, take a seat. Can we interest you in any beverages?"
While Elijah was clearly doing his best to mediate, Klaus didn't say a word, only burning a hole into the side of Genevieve's head with a hard glare while he drank his scotch.
The three of them sat down on one couch as Elijah and I sat on the one parallel to it. "No, that'll be alright," she said, crossing her legs. "I know you appreciate verity, Elijah, so I'm gonna be honest: I wouldn't have agreed to this meeting if it weren't for the woman sitting next to you."
Elijah nodded. "Yes, I'm completely aware. Y/N is here to make sure that we both get what we want and to ensure that the future of the Quarter, and everyone in it, is prosperous."
I smiled, holding my hand out. "Hello, it's lovely to meet you. I've heard many good things about you." That was a lie.
Shaking my hand, she responded, "Likewise. The elders of the coven are practically smitten with you. I've never seen witches so eager to deal with a vampire."
"Well, I hope that, after our discussion, you will also be more eager to work with the Mikaelsons."
Genevieve almost scoffed at what I said. In my peripheral, I saw Klaus roll his eyes—at me or her, I'm unsure. "Please, Y/N—I'm sure you're aware of who exactly these people are and what they've done. Even though you're a vampire, you have to admit it's outrageous." Her voice was incredulous.
I really don't understand what she was making a big fuss about. From the way the story was told, Genevieve used to have a huge crush on Klaus back in the day—ew—but I wasn't gonna actually use that against her. I didn't want her to resent me; I actually needed her to like me for this to work.
"I understand where you're coming from," I told her, managing to muster up a sympathetic expression. "But we all want the same thing: peace. That is the final destination; there are so many stops along the way to get there, so if peace is where we truly want to be, then we need to be willing to put aside our differences."
The redhead sighed. "I hear what you're saying, but how can we expect peace while working with these people? How do you expect us to trust them?" Now, Klaus scoffed, causing both Genevieve and Elijah to look over at him, Elijah with a more stern look in his eyes. I, on the other hand, ignored him altogether, focusing completely on the witch in front of me.
I said her name to get her attention back onto me, thus causing Elijah to look away from his brother, too. "I am, in no way, asking you to trust blindly. We're willing to negotiate; just state your terms." I knew this was dangerous, giving her the opportunity to ask for whatever she wanted, but the witches had been recently oppressed; giving them the chance to ask for what they wanted was like an apology of sorts, one that I felt they'd appreciate.
Genevieve looked hesitant, glancing at both of her associates, to Elijah, Klaus, and then back to me. Even without looking at him, I could feel Klaus staring at me, probably questionably. None of them were expecting that move. 
See, because I was representing the Mikaelsons, Genevieve expected me to state their terms first then negotiate since they were more powerful. So, of course she was surprised.
After a beat of silence, she finally spoke up. "We want to practice freely."
"Done."
"And we want to celebrate our festivals without a hassle."
"Of course."
"And we want to reclaim witch territory for ourselves and ourselves alone, like the Lafayette cemetery." 
"Reasonable," I noted, waiting for her to say something else. When she didn't, I asked, "Is there anything else we can give you? You don't have to answer right now; we'll take some time then I'll get a contract drafted-"
"Esther Mikaelson's grimoire." At her interjection, the room went silent. I didn't even wanna know what Klaus looked like right now, but Genevieve sure as hell seemed to have regained her confidence. "We want Esther Mikaelson's grimoire." That was one ballsy request.
"Are you out of your mind?" For the first time since the witches walked into the compound, Klaus spoke. I looked over at him to see a look of shock adorning his face as if the redhead just tried to kill him—and, I mean, was he that far off?
You don't ask for the Original Witch's spell book without wanting to kill or at least having the ability to kill if you so need it.
Elijah seemed to recover from a shock of his own, trying to calm his brother down. "Niklaus-"
"I am not giving you my mother's grimoire." Klaus had set his drink down, walking toward where we were all sitting. Smoke might as well have been coming out of his ears. I knew that, if I were one of the three witches sitting across from me, I'd be shitting myself. "After what you tried to do to my family, you expect me to hand over-"
"Niklaus." Elijah cut him off, but more firmly and this time Klaus actually listened, turning to look over at Elijah with hard eyes. His eyes flickered to me for a split second before looking back at Genevieve—or glaring, rather.
While Genevieve looked slightly startled, I saw the dead-set expression on her face. It'd be hard to try and convince her that Esther's grimoire wasn't what the witches wanted, but it was possible.
Gears turned in my head as I thought it over until a quick idea popped into my head. At that moment, I began, "I'm sorry, Genevieve. We can do everything else you mentioned, put it in writing, but Esther Mikaelson's grimoire is a no-go." I saw her shaking her head before I even finished.
"Then no deal-"
Elijah cut in, "Genevieve, please-"
"I can give you the next best thing." I caught Genevieve's attention easily, along with everyone else's in the room. In seconds, I had come up with a quick fix; it was a gamble, but if you aren't willing to go big, then go the fuck home. "I currently have a Bennett grimoire in my possession." I paused, gauging her reaction. Clearly, this night was full of surprises. 
I suppressed the urge to glance over at my relatives; I had a feeling that I already knew what their faces looked like.
Genevieve struggled to compose herself, so I continued, "It's yours, so long as you accept." I understood what was happening here: the witches or the spirits or whatever were already decided, and they wanted the Mikaelson grimoire, but how could they be upset with what I was offering? A Bennett spell book was a damn good replacement if I ever saw one, and if anyone knew that, it was Esther's children themselves.
I knew the history—I've spent my life learning it. Ayana taught Esther everything she knew; the Bennett bloodline was one of the strongest, maybe even stronger than the Mikaelsons. And although I doubt Genevieve knew the lengthy Bennett history, she quickly got her bearings and responded, "I- we accept-"
I cut her off, smiling, "Great. Now our turn." I clasped my hands together. "You guys can keep your sanctuaries, the cemetery and whatnot, but in shared areas like the rest of the Quarter, we ask that you remain peaceful and avoid altercations with other factions. We're asking the same of the other factions, as well. Similarly, the Mikaelsons don't want conflicts, so we'd also like to avoid altercations in that area." 
It seemed pretty simple because it was. It was like what Elijah said to me that night in Rousseau's: everybody wants power, and the witches were no different. They didn't agree to this meeting for peace; they agreed because they wanted power, and the Mikaelsons struck this deal for the same exact reason, even if that's not how the nobleman would've phrased it.
While I didn't provide the witches with the same prepared list of terms, what I was asking for would have the same effect. The Originals were already on top, so what more did they really need to ask for?
Genevieve, once again, looked over at the two girls sitting next to her who both nodded at the silent question she was asking. When she turned back to me, the smallest of smiles was on her lips. "You have yourself a deal."
I reciprocated her expression as we both stood up. I shook her hand. "Pleasure doing business with you. I'll work on getting that contract drafted in more detail, so please, come to us with any other requests you may have."
Genevieve nodded, letting go of my hand, and Elijah took the pleasantries from there, walking them out of the compound. This left Klaus and I alone momentarily.
I looked over at him to see that he was already staring at me. I felt a chill go down my spine from how intently he was looking at me, my mini adrenaline rush dying down. It looked almost like he was picking me apart with his gaze.
I didn't want him to think I had something to hide, so I held his stare. We were both silent until Elijah walked back. This time, he didn't seem to sense the tension in the room—that, or he just chose to ignore it. 
"Thank you, Y/N," he said. I looked away from Klaus to smile in response, but the second I did, he broke his vow of silence.
"How do you have a Bennett grimoire in your possession?" Klaus' voice was cold and accusatory, just as his eyes were. Elijah just might have frozen had he not been a thousand-years-old; hell, I probably would have, too, but I'd already been crafting an explanation as soon as the idea popped into my head.
Not the real explanation, but one that made more sense.
I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "I met one a few hundred years ago. She died after she was in the wrong place, wrong time, but she left that book to me."
Klaus didn't look sold. "A Bennett witch left her grimoire with you, a vampire? Not with her family?"
"Well, to be fair, she wasn't in touch with her family at that time," I retorted. "And I was human at the time so, yes, she left it to me because she knew it could come of use one day."
Klaus didn't reply to me, instead choosing to continue staring me down. However, his glare was now lessened, so I knew he sort of believed me, even though he had doubts.
In the time that Klaus wasn't saying anything, Elijah cleared his throat, bringing the attention back to him. When I looked over, he smiled and tried to further de-escalate the situation. "Thank you, again, Y/N."
That was my cue to leave. "No problem. Are you okay with meeting up tomorrow to discuss the contract?"
He nodded. "Of course. Lunch?"
"Sounds great," I said, grabbing my bag that I'd left on the armchair next to me. "I'll see you tomorrow then."
Elijah bid me farewell while Klaus remained mute, but I still felt him staring at me, even as I was walking out; only when I'd walked two minutes away from the compound did I finally let go of that feeling
I didn't speed all the way home this time like I had been doing recently after exiting the Abattoir. Instead, I decided to take this time to think since I really haven't gotten a moment alone all day.
The excuse I gave Klaus wasn't too far from the truth—I only warped it slightly. I didn't know who he knew or how well he knew my mother before he slept with her, but I knew that if I gave him the real story, there was a possibility that he'd find out who I was.
The real story was that my mother was best friends with a Bennett. Almost like history repeating itself if you thought about it; Amelia Bennett was to my family what Ayana was to the Mikaelsons. She was both a mentor to my mother and me.
In reality, we were a lot closer than I made it sound. She was a lot closer to my mother than she was with the rest of her family. We were in Salem; the witch trials were just beginning, so any witch in the area was either preparing to leave or to die. She was anticipating the latter, so before she died, she made sure to leave the assets she had to my mother. 
The other Bennetts didn't dispute this, fleeing west. The rest of the story, I try not to think about. I needed to be strong, for Davina, for Marcel, for Amelia, for my mother, and for myself; otherwise, everything I've sacrificed would've been for nothing.
With that thought, I had a new resolution.
This, what I was doing here in New Orleans, could not fail. I have not lived the life I've lived just to fail. So from this moment forward, I decided to be better, to be stronger. No more quivering at the mention of my father or his baby, no more getting shaken up by conversations with the Mikaelsons.
Walking toward my apartment, I made myself a promise.
This city will not break me, no matter what.
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andreal831 · 9 months
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If I’m not mistaken, you’ve argued that Elijah gets very out of character during season 3 and season 4. Could you elaborate on why?
I’ve always seen Elijah as more of an anti-hero than anything else. Throughout the series, we see him kill people without a second thought to protect the people he loves. Elijah’s entire goal was to reunite/redeem his family and keep them safe, so to me, sacrificing Davina and killing Marcel was completely in character to me. He did what he thought he had to do to save the people he loved. The same goes for season 4. Forcing Vincent to do the harvest was not morally right, but the hollow was more dangerous than anything they had ever countered before. So, he was did what he thought had to be done in order to save his family. The only thing that seemed out of character to me was erasing his memories, because I don’t think he’d leave his family behind especially in the 21st century where there is so many ways to communicate outside of face to face. (And honestly I think that was more of a writers error than anything else because the point of him erasing his memories was to not run back to his family the second something went wrong, but they had his family try to convince him to go back without his memories anyway so what was the point?)
The only people I think were truly ever safe from him outside of blood relations were Hayley and (maybe) Cami, and that’s because he already considered them a part of his family.
Apologies if I get anything wrong and sorry for the long question.
You definitely don't need to apologize for anything! But it will be a long response.
So yes, I do think Elijah in the later seasons gets out of character. But it's not that I don't think he wouldn't necessarily do everything he ends up doing. It's more that I don't think he would do it how it happens in the show.
To me, Elijah was the pragmatic brother. As Klaus says, Elijah is the one you meet with when discussions are open and Klaus is the one you meet with after they've closed. Elijah always had a game plan and was supposed to be the more practical brother while Kol and Klaus would often rely on emotions and fly off the rails. Sure Klaus was known as being a strategist, but honestly he was mostly operating on vibes.
I agree, Elijah is definitely an anti-hero. He has a moral compass but isn't afraid to throw it out the window for his family. Killing people doesn't bother him if it fits in his self-regulated code or if it is to protect his family.
So while I don't like that Davina was sacrificed, I do understand it. But I do want to back up and say what I think is out of character of Elijah is that he lets Klaus go off with Hayley as backup to retrieve Rebekah while Lucien is on the loose. I love Hayley, but she was not the backup Klaus needed. And sure Elijah respects people's decisions, but Elijah was not about to let the three most important people to him (excluding Hope) be in danger when he couldn't do anything to help Davina anyway, he's not a witch. He stayed behind for no reason. I know Freya channels him, but Kol was there. He was weakened sure, but give him blood. He'll be fine.
Moving on, Freya and Elijah state there is no other way and Elijah is calling Klaus and not able to get through to him or Hayley. I don't think this act is out of character, although I do love when the show just conveniently says there is no other way when there had always been another way. Elijah and Kol's relationship is hardly ever discussed, but if he views Cami as family because of Klaus' feelings, he should view Davian the same. I also wish they would have allowed his relationship with Davina or Marcel to develop more so maybe he would hesitate. Elijah hesitated to sacrifice Davina in season 1 when Klaus and the witches were ready to do it, but at the end of the day, everyone agreed because it was Davina or New Orleans. This was the same logic he used in season 3. This tracks with his logical way of thinking.
However, when it comes to Marcel, it is not logical. Yes, he's seen the prophecy and he sees it unfolding. But Elijah acted irrationally and harmed his family. People can have different opinions, but Elijah viewed Marcel as family, especially after season 3. Elijah helped Marcel gain the power of the Strix so their family would have power. He trained with Marcel for most of season 3 and helped him create the vampire community. He was there while Klaus "raised" Marcel. I don't see him discarding Marcel's life so easily. Plus, he acted based on pure emotion which is out of character for Elijah. He didn't think about the long-term impacts. He didn't think about how it would impact Klaus, which is out of character. He acted against Marcel quicker than he acted against any of their enemies, not even trying to reason with him or let Klaus talk him down. Marcel was practically calming down when Elijah acted. Marcel was only a danger if he had the serum. If he had taken it, killing him was dumb. And if he didn't, he wasn't a threat. Elijah found out about the serum from Freya, why wouldn't he have brought a witch as backup to take him down and take the serum?
It's the same thing with the Harvest in season 4. It's so rushed and he doesn't even have the correct information. He has access to a powerful witch but doesn't even consult with Freya before killing four teenagers. Elijah has historically been more hesitant to kill young people. He views it differently. Sure he would eventually kill them if it was necessary, but again, the way he did it was so messy and unorganized.
In TVD and Season 1 and 2, Elijah understood the importance of allies and community. Yes, it was family above all, but he constantly counseled his family to be practical. Elijah was always trying to build bridges with the factions because he understood the importance, but in the later seasons, he is constantly destroying them. Even in the beginning of Season 4, he seeks to make Vincent an ally but then does everything to make an enemy out of him.
Even when the Hollow is channeling the children and Elijah acts like he is going to kill them to break it, he doesn't think it through. He doesn't consider any other option but murder first and deal with the consequences later.
I can justify a lot of this by saying after the red door Elijah was essentially experiencing a mental breakdown where he kept slipping further in further into paranoia. But again, this was always Klaus' specialty.
So when I say Elijah was out of character in the last couple of seasons, I mainly mean, the writers traded out Klaus' worst traits for Elijah's best and vice versa. Klaus all of a sudden becomes the practical one and is counseling people to show restraint and Elijah is throwing their enemy's corpses off of the balcony at a party. Elijah was creating problems for his family rather than fixing them.
I definitely agree about erasing the memories. It was completely out of character. The show made it as if he didn't trust himself to stay away. But if it would put his family in danger he would. He did in the 1900s. Again, he is also logical to understand that erasing his memories could put himself and his family in jeopardy. Also, Marcel and Vincent not thinking it through that erasing an Original vampire's memory completely would be a bad idea?
In Season 5, when Elijah gets his memories back he is ready to skip town again because of guilt. I love Hayley and Elijah, but Elijah's main state of being is guilt and it had never made him abandon his family before. The Hollow was still in Hope and he wasn't even thinking about her. If anything, his guilt should make him focus on Hope. But I do think the episode with Hope and Elijah was very in character.
And in no way is Elijah giving up Klaus' life that easily. It's hardly a week and he's ready to plunge a stake into Klaus' heart and leave Hope an orphan. Elijah may have been suicidal, but he always fought for Klaus. He would have either taken the Hollow himself and died by himself or found another way.
Finally, the thing that I think is most missing in Elijah's character in the last half of season 3 to 5 is Elijah's connection to his family. Sure, he isn't the best brother in the world, but we see he cares deeply for them, especially Klaus and Rebekah. The show nearly sets this aside completely. We have brief moments of connection but overall Elijah is just not there for anyone like he was before. Klaus is struggling after being tortured and Rebekah is struggling with her pain over Marcel, and Elijah hardly interacts with any of them. It even lacks moments with Hayley after she is almost killed or when she finds out about her family and instead the show focuses on Hayley's bond with the other Mikaelsons. We get some cute scenes early on, but for the most part, the only time he interacts with anyone is to cause problems or be reprimanded.
In Season 4 and 5, Elijah is given the role as the villain and stripped of nearly all of his positive attributes that made the terrible things he did tolerable. A lot of this can be attributed to the writers rushing and wanting shock value. He is put into these positions and then makes the worst possible decision over and over again.
Who knows, maybe I just have rose-colored glasses on with Elijah, but to me, he was a lot better at playing the long game and worrying about consequences in the earlier seasons. He was also a lot better at weighing his options before acting. A lot of his later-season behavior reminds me more of Klaus than Elijah, which bugs me. Elijah was always my favorite because of his twisted code of honor and his compassion. Klaus wasn't because he had no honor and lacked basic empathy. So switching these roles was a terrible decision to me. The show writers forget that you can grow one character without destroying another.
I hope this made sense and wasn't just an incoherent mess of my ramblings!
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georgiaheartsdilfs · 2 years
Text
→ only you elijah m x f!reader
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my masterlist ↪M A S T E R L I S T
prompt ↪ Elijah and You are soulmates, you did everything together depsite you being human. It's been years since you've seen him due to the fact that he and his siblings had parts of the hollow in them to save Hope, Marcel had compelled him to forget everything a start new. You thought you'd never see him again until Klaus needs your help to save him.
"he can only remember you, only you"
warnings / other notes ↪gray line means change of scenery
y/n? is this still your number
yes klaus, it is, why would i need to
change it
i need your help with elijah. i thought he doesn't know who we are he doesn't, but every time i mention your name his face, he's still in there
klaus it's been years since he's seen me what makes you think seeing me would help?
i just have a feeling, meet me at the airport, we're going to france, now. terminal 5.
France, I had always wanted to go there. Especially with Elijah, he had promised we'd go there together one time obviously before the hollow had happened.
Walking into the airport it was busy, crowded. I felt out of place, everyone here was alive and sure I was too quite literally but I felt dead. Everything in my life has changed, especially after the Mikaelsons left my life.
Klaus's message had slightly surprised me, I didn't expect him to message me ever but a small part of me wanted him to message me on updates of his brother, hence why i kept it.
I asked around for terminal 5 it took a while before someone agreed to help me, the kind man lead me straight to the terminal and there he stood in all his glory.
Gripping my bags tightly "y/n" he nods "klaus" I say clearing my throat as he hands my ticket "you left your passport at my house the last time you were here" he says handing it to me.
"given that i got that for you bunch i doubted that i'd need it again" I mumble and I check in, the flight was in an hour or two so I sat down.
"what's your plan, what do i do huh?" I ask Klaus who stood in front of me "for him to see your face" Klaus says "and?" I say waiting for him to carry on with some long yet somehow convincing plan.
"it's that simple" he shrugs, I stand up "you expect me to walk to wherever he is and say hi and then he'll remember me, Marcel's compulsion is stronger than yours, I just broke out of yours, Elijah is strong but... he doesn't even know he's elijah" I say sitting back down.
"besides its been seven years and you haven't aged" I say "you have" he says "thanks" I roll my eyes burying my face into my hands.
"you think it'll work" I ask looking up through my fingers "you wouldn't be here if I didn't think it would work" he says "what about kol and rebekah?" I ask him.
"i know where they are, I can easily talk to them it's just elijah he doesn't remember any of us" Klaus sighs looking down shaking his head "not even you?" I ask and he nods.
"well this won't work" I say and he sits down next to me "when have my plans failed" he asks turning his head to look at me "never" I mumble "so why doubt this one, trust me y/n" he says placing a hand on my shoulder.
"i know you're anxious, as am i but i trust this will work just as much as any other plan" he says and I nod.
An hour passes and we board the flight, Klaus was sat next to me in first class "how have you been?" he asks and I shrug "i've been me without elijah, boring, dull and its been tedious" I mumble and he nods "and you? have you called hope?" I ask and he nods.
"well no actually, Hayley calls me I've been busy on a world tour" he smiles looking down "the missing bodies around the world" I presume it was him, not that anybody would snitch on him because he knows everything.
He nods "but i'm ok now, Caroline uh talked to me" he says and I smirk "Caroline?" I say and he nods "Yeah uh she interrupted a little visit of mine to the royalty of De Rue" he says "oh?" I say and he nods.
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Walking out of the airport I look around "it's so beautiful, i'm glad he chose to run away here" I smile sweetly, the scenery was beautiful and I had only been here for a few minutes.
"do you know where he is?" I ask turning my head to look at Klaus who was already walking, I run up to him "yes i do know, i've been watching him for the past seven years" Klaus says hurrying me along shoving me into a car before turning it on.
"what makes you think he would remember me?" I ask him for the millionth time, I really wasn't able to wrap my head around the fact I was seeing him again.
Was I prepared? Certainly not. Was I excited? Of course I was.
It's just I was afraid that if I did see him, he wouldn't remember me, remember the promises he made not only to me but to Hope of his return, of the recovery of his memory.
"you're nervous aren't you?" he mumbled gripping the steering wheel "don't be, I have complete faith in this plan" he says turning a corner "you have faith." I scoff looking out the window "yes I do" he says.
"hypothetically if he didn't remember" I pause "what would happen then, I was just a means to an end, to get Elijah back so?" I question him "I wouldn't ditch you, y/n. I made you a promise and I plan on keeping it, for the time being you can help me" he says and I nod reluctantly.
Klaus pulls over in front of a bar, a bar wasn't Elijah's scene unless it were Rousseaus with his family. I suppose it made even more sense since he wasn't Elijah "he doesn't know his name" Klaus says getting out as do i.
"he doesn't know anything about himself except he can play piano" I say walking into the bar, welcomed by the sweet melodies on the piano.
There he was, playing the piano. His fingers pressing on each key majestically, the sound just as magical as his movements. I admire him walking over to the bar ordering a drink.
"come on" Klaus grabs my hand "I need a drink" I mumble looking away from Elijah as the bartender hands a glass, I place my hand over my forehead from the forthcoming headache.
The man I had loved my whole miserable life, was sat less than four meters away playing an instrument that was once the key to my heart.
Klaus lets go of my hand sitting next to me, it was all going to fast. A little preparation would have been fine, but no. Klaus messages me, we go on a plane and here we are.
I drink the rest of the drink before taking a quick glance at Elijah whose sight still hasn't left the sheet music as he read it with ease, fingers continuing to replicate the sheet music on the piano.
Hopping out of my seat I jump up and down, everyone in the bar giving me weird looks except for Klaus who wasn't phased with this side of me.
"if it goes wrong" I whisper "it will be okay" I mumble straightening up my hair, my clothes down to my socks and readjusting my jewellery before grabbing Klaus, dragging him along with me.
We sit at the empty table next to Elijah and I tap him gently on the shoulder clearing my throat sticking my hand out "Hi, I'm Y/n" I smile and Klaus gives me a weird face, Elijah turns to me. My heart beats rapidly, Would he remember me?
"Hi Y/n, Uh I am E" he smiles shaking my hand, everything around us turning to blood, the flowers dead "I'll be outside" Klaus clears his throat and I nod "Yeah" I mumble dropping my handbag on the floor.
Elijah removes his hand from mine "How long have you been playing here?" I ask him politely folding one leg over the other to prevent the anxious shaking.
"for a long as i can remember" he chuckles lightly taking a break from the piano and I nod "oh nice" I smile sweetly staring into his eyes, remembering every sweet moment that happened less than a decade ago.
The man I knew was in there, just not talking to me.
"you're first time in France?" he asks and I look around clicking my tongue, the roses slowly coming back to life meaning Klaus had disappeared "uh yeah actually, I had planned to move here with an old boyfriend his name, his nickname actually was Sentimental Fool" I chuckle and he smiles looking down "do you have anyone?" I ask him
and he points to the lady at the bar.
"Actually, Antoinette over there is my fiancé" my heart shattered, in the time it took for him to get engaged I had gotten nowhere in life.
"How sweet" I clear my throat and he waves to her as she waves back "what's it like here?" I ask him, my finger begins to gently tap on the table impatiently.
It had now just hit me, he didn't remember me. Decades of memories were wiped with a few simple words, yet my face wasn't able to bring him back.
"it's amazing, you can never get sick of the night sky" he nods "what did you say your name was?" he asks, a moment of hope flew straight into my body to my heart.
"Y/n" I smile "Oh I knew someone with that name" shattered, my heart fell on the floor into a billion pieces yet again. All hope was lost, if he didn't remember me, I don't even know who I am.
"What was she like?" I ask him "I don't remember much, she must've been a good person if I remember her name" he chuckles lightly "obviously not good enough if she can't make you remember her" I whisper.
"I uh better get going" I smile gently once more taking him in before grabbing my bag and getting up, pulling my phone out to message Klaus.
he didn't remember me let's go
read 4:14
I looked over to the lucky woman who he calls fiancé smiling at her as she walks into the backroom, the door handle twisting the lock shut.
Walking towards the exit I smile to Elijah "Bye E" I smile "Bye y/n" He says slowly and I turn around grabbing the door handle, taking a deep breath in before twisting the door handle accepting that I was no longer apart of his life.
"wait" Elijah says running over grabbing my arm, he spins me around placing his hands on my cheek "you're getting married what are you doing?" I ask "Sentimental Fool, you never called me that in your long life" he chuckled softly "I did with Klaus" I mumble, slowly realising the words that had just come out of his mouth.
Before he said anything else I kissed him, the relief in my body had sunk in and all the broken pieces restored.
His thumb running along my cheek as the door swings open to reveal Klaus standing there "so he doesn't remember you and he still kisses you" he says confused and Elijah steps back wiping his lip laughing.
He looks at his brother, a smile creeping on his face as he opens his arms widely pulling Klaus in for a hug as Klaus stands there awkwardly taking it in.
"You didn't creep anything in his drink did you?" Klaus asks, Antoinette still not out of the backroom.
Elijah pulls away from his younger brother looking between he and I, "Who is she?" Klaus asks pointing at me "the love of my long, long life." he smile staring at me "and him?" I ask pointing at Klaus.
"Niklaus" he says "So she gets a great nickname after seven years, you've seen me every month and all I get is Niklaus" Klaus pouts, Antoinette walking out to Elijah who stares at her awkwardly "You know your Fiancé" I ask he and she nods.
"Is not him?" I say and she looks at me "This is E" she smiles patting his chest "Lijah, Elijah" I mumble pointing at him "No it's not" she smiles innocently.
"I know you" Klaus says pointing at her "I can't quite remember when" he says and Elijah looks at me awkwardly and then down at her "Fiancé, meet wife" Elijah says introducing Antoinette to me.
"make it awkward" Klaus says walking out, Antoinette steps back "Wife?" she says offended, she seemed like a lovely woman. A vampire woman but a lovely one nonetheless, I wouldn't be surprised if she was using Elijah as revenge on Klaus.
"Was gonna be" I mumble tapping my foot on the ground, this conversation was definitely awkward now.
It took a while for Elijah and I to explain it to Antoinette but after a while I gave up and walked out waiting for Elijah to explain the rest. Klaus was leaning against the wall smirking at me and I sigh rolling my eyes at the fact this plan actually worked, like many of his other plans. "what did I say, y/n?" he asks "that he can remember me, only me" I mumble in defeat.
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