#which like. idk. would be disappointing and a little inconvenient but is their choice i guess

[local-magpie]

oops! you just disagreed with one of my firmest held stances due to just how many of my philosophical, moral, and polical beliefs separately led me to this exact conclusion on the topic! each argument you try to make will trigger an additional cutscene. good luck!

[notbecauseofvictories]

Now, your “Saw Gerrera has three terabytes of messages and back-and-forth arguments from Mon Mothma on the hard drive of his ship, how else is he supposed to explain that?)” post has started me thinking on saw x mon and idk what to make of it?? Help

She is already Mon Mothma when they meet, but he is not yet Saw Gerrera. Or at least, not Saw Gerrera as he will be, as he will become—a name invoked like a prayer by desperate peoples, a revolutionary. When they meet, he is only a man dressed in Imperial grey, sitting at her kitchen table and calmly cleaning his blaster. There are battered parts scattered across her clean table, and he doesn’t look up when she enters. Just goes on humming and polishing the cell-casing.

Mon wishes she could say she were surprised, but she’s not.

“You don’t look like Black Squad,” Mon says calmly, setting down her bag beside the door. “And they usually keep their blasters in one piece; they’re sticklers that way.”

“You took longer than I expected,” the man in grey answers cheerfully. He has a strange voice, raspy and deep; it sends unexpected shivers along her skin. “Had to do something to keep myself busy.”

Mon sighs, ignoring the way her pulse has started ticking at her throat. “I do apologize for the delay. The hover-rail was experiencing some technical difficulties, we stalled out at Dufar Station. Would you like tea?”

The man in grey looks up at that, and smiles. It would be a lie to say he has a kind face, but it is not cruel either. Mostly, Mon thinks, he looks tired. 

“Please, if it’s not an inconvenience.”

“Of course,” she says, crossing from the door to the stove. Her apartments on Chandrila are sparse and small—the same rooms she let as a poor university student, little more than a place to sleep and store her things. She has a much more impressive suite on Coruscant, fit for receiving important visitors and hosting gatherings of her fellow senators, but she supposes she will have to give that up. One does not condemn the Emperor before the whole of the Galactic Senate and continue to keep rooms in Coruscant’s most prestigious starscraper.

(Of course, if she is killed on Chandrila, in her familiar, worn-down apartment, it will not matter what happens on Coruscant.)

She takes out the thermaheater, filling it with water and setting it to boil. “I hope you do not mind Mandalorian Green, it’s the only kind I have.”

“Hm. That’s fine,” the man in grey says, though he sounds ambivalent about it. “Do you know why I’m here?”

“I imagine Sheev has dispatched you to kill me,” Mon offers dryly, leaning against the plasticine counter. “Even as a senator, he didn’t have much of an appetite for criticism. I can’t imagine power has taught him greater appreciation for it…”

The man in grey studies her, his head cocked, a faint smile playing on his lips. “I liked what you said, in your address to the Senate. ‘Revolutions are the only events which confront us directly and inevitably with the problem of beginning. Our moment demands revolution.’ That was very good, it made me think of the Naberrie Papers. Did you read them?”

Mon could feel her eyebrows rising toward her hairline. “I did,” she said faintly. “Though I am surprised a Black Squad soldier would be permitted. They were decidedly radical when they were published—some even called them Separatist.”

“I thought I did not look like Black Squad,” the man in grey laughs, a rasping, strange laugh—and he doesn’t, not like that. (He looks, she thinks, something approaching kind. Like a man.) Mon swallows.

“I’ve long known not to judge a man by his face,” she says. “Are you here to kill me?”

The man in grey sighs. “Not to disappoint, but I am here to save you, Senator Mon Mothma. If I’d known you’d be so wary, I would have brought my friends—they look even less the part of Black Squad than I do. Perhaps they might have convinced you.”

“You come to save me?” Mon laughs, startled by the admission. “Who are you, that you would challenge the Empire—”

“My name is Saw Gerrera,” Saw Gerrera says, his eyes blazing. He rises to his feet, and Mon startles away, suddenly away of how much taller he is, how he stands—like the stormtroopers and their Jedi commanders, the ones she’s questioned on the Senate floor. Like a soldier. “I am here to save you or turn you into a martyr, such that you cannot be whisked away to a secret base and forgotten.”

“Forgotten—”

“Yes. You know the Emperor of old, you know how he operates. So martyrdom or rescue, those are your only choices. So choose.”

She swallows. She’d known—she’d known since the moment she decided, when she’d dismissed her staff so that they might be spared the fallout, when she sat at her desk and began to write—she’d known that she would die. But it was her or Bail, and Bail had a wife, a daughter. Bail had people to live for. She had no one, just two apartments and a blinding fury that meant she could not even hear Sheev’s name any longer without wanting to bloody her nails.

So she had savaged him, with the full knowledge that she would pay for it with her life. (Bail had embraced her beforehand, held her tenderly and said, You do not have to do this, and Mon had replied, Yes. Yes I do.)

“How do I know…?” she asks Saw Gerrera breathlessly, meaning you are in earnest, meaning this is real, you are real. How she can trust this stranger, standing in her poorly-lit kitchen and looking at her like she is an answer to a violent and necessary question. She had expected an assassin, to find this instead is unfair. It is cruel, a personal affront.

He is too beautiful, not to be her death.

“We cannot know anything with certainty in this life, Choose.”

A half-hour later, Mon is holding a hastily-packed satchel and walking up the gangway to Saw Gerrera’s ship. The crew are a motley bunch—some xenos, a dirty bunch of humans, too many scars and tattoos between them and all of them surveying her warily. “You were right,” Mon says absently. Her knuckles are white where she clutches the satchel. “I would have trusted you more if you came with your company. You are definitely not Black Squad.”

And Saw Gerrera laughs.

(When the actual Black Squad arrives at Senator Mon Mothma’s rooms on Chandrila, they find them abandoned, two cups of Mandalorian green tea cooling on the kitchen table.)

.

She has nowhere else to go—a citizen of the galaxy whom the galaxy no longer recognizes—so Mon stays aboard the Miracle, an adjacent part of an already admixed crew. Saw insists on calling her ‘Senator’ and half-smirking at her, like she’s the butt of a joke she doesn’t understand. She allows it, graciously, thinking that a life-debt excuses such matters. 

After three weeks, though, she is to the point where she might actually murder a sentient lifeform for a working sanisteam, and something that even resembles a vegetable. She starts calling him a zealot, extremist, radical, and hates that he seems to enjoy it. 

(Afterwards, his people call themselves the Partisans, and Mon learns not to blush, hearing it. She thinks he might have got it from her.)

.

She fights her first battle beside him, the blaster still hot where it’s cradled in her palms. She tries not to think about how many sentients she killed. She tries not to think about how many of them died screaming. She tries—

Mon startles at the touch of Saw’s hand, warm and broad where it cups her face. His thumb strokes her cheekbone. “Do not grieve,” Saw says, and she’s take aback by the earnestness shining in his eyes. “Ours is a just war, Senator. We fight it in a name greater than our own.”

“Which is?” she asks dryly. She can’t reach for anything but that, just now, the sarcasm. She is safe there.

“Liberty,” Saw Gerrera says. “We fight for revolution.”

(She still tastes blood and blaster-discharge, when she kisses him.)

[doyoungbunnyagenda]

Atlantis

Mermaid!Reader X Sailor!Jongdae

Genre: A mix of fluff and angst,but with a happy ending.

Length: 7.9k+ (Wow)

Warnings: Mentions of death

A/N: how long has it been since I last posted a fic? Idk anymore but this is finally here! Inspired by The Little Mermaid so get ready for Disney level fluff and angst. Also I’m on mobile so I couldn’t put read more. Once I figure out how I will. Hope you enjoy and sorry for the inconvenience.

All he could see was black, as he floated to the bottom of the ocean. He tried to breathe but it was to no avail. He tried to open his eyes but that was in vain as well. His world had shattered right before his eyes and was about to end as well. His body stopped the fight to try and stay conscious. He fell asleep for what he thought was going to be eternity. This was the end for him. Or so he thought...

You heard the ship crash. You heard the panic, screams and tears. The debris sinking down to the bottom, with the ship that once stood proudly on the seas. Then you saw him. He looked helpless. Shirt ripped and tattered. Blood coated his hands and face. His body descending into the depths of the ocean. You couldn’t leave him like this. Even if you were going against your strict father’s wishes, you wanted to help. Carefully, you gathered him in your arms and swam up to the surface, your purple tail slightly poking out. You laid him on the hot sands and waited for him to wake up. You thought it was maybe too late and he had already kicked the bucket. You had no knowledge on how to revive humans so you just stared at him. His blonde hair damp and all over the place. His eyes shut tight. After sometime, he started to regain his consciousness and awaken. The first thing he saw was your orbs boring deep in his soul, tracing his frame.

“The ship.” He murmured, looking at the sand, “ Where am I?”

He looked at your and saw your tail.

“What are you?!” He said, “Get away from me!” He tried to get up, but staggered down to the sand in pain.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. I’m here to help you, even.” You said in a soft reassuring tone. You gave him a small smile hoping that would calm him as well.

“You’re a mermaid?” He asked, cocking his head to the side slightly.

“ Yes, I am.” You replied

“I still can’t believe it. I’ve met a mermaid.” He said loudly, showing of his bright pearly white smile in the process. You swear that smile could kill a person. It was that infectious.

“I’ve heard bad things about your kind. Like how you are all manipulative cheats and how you are all good for nothing. But you don’t seem to bad.” He explained.

“Same on my side.” You said, “ They say humans are evil and all they want to do to is kill our kind. I’m actually disobeying my father by talking to you. In the mer world any contact with humans is forbidden.” You laughed a bit at your similar situations.

“Jongdae.” He said reaching his hand out.

“Y/N. Nice to meet you Jongdae.” You returned his hand shake.

You enjoyed Jongdae company, finding his loud and quirky personality appealing. Every time he laughed, you ended up laughing. He had this positive energy radiate off of him, you had never felt another mer-person have. You felt with him like you could faced anything. You felt complete with him. You guys just clicked. It was shame when your conversation was interrupted. Someone walked on to the beach and looked in your direction. You quickly hide behind a rock, trying not to be seen.

“Jongdae!” The man shouted, “Look at the state of you! We better get you to a hospital.” He had a sympathetic look expression as he lifted Jongdae up and supported him while walking. Jongdae turned his head round, to see you. He mouthed a silent thank you and walked away from the beach. “Until we meet again.” You hear him quietly say. The sky was now an light orange with the sun slowly sinking down below the sea. You also decided it was getting late to head back home. Diving your head back into the water, you swam back home. On your way someone called your name.

“Y/N, where have you been?” It was your friend Kibum . “I was waiting for you all day.”

He complained. Kibum then saw the smile on your face and knew that something had happened.

“Why are you smiling like that?” He questioned, “What happened?”

You decided to open up to your best friend as you knew you could trust him. He would keep your secret safe for sure.

“I.. Umm saved a human from drowning.” You said wearily.

“Y/N.” He sighed,”Why? You know how much trouble you would be in.”

“But I had to! He was going die if I didn’t!” You tried to argue.

“I just don’t want you to get into trouble. I’ve seen how bad your dad gets when he’s angry.” Kibum voiced his concern. He was always worried for you, which you could always appreciate.

“I know, but he doesn’t have to know.” You said with a hint of mischief.

“Are you implying what I think?”

“ Just please don’t tell anyone,Kibum, please, just for me?” You tried to convince him.

“Fine, you know I can’t resist.” He finally gives in. “ But you have been warned.” He said and swam away. You didn’t see what was so wrong with humans. You saw one up close and he was fine, nice even. You swam back home only to meet your father outside the cave door.

“Would you look at the time.” Your father said sarcastically,”What were you doing, that made you stay out so late?” He knew something was different about your demeanour, you were being skittish and hesitant. “Answer my question!” He demanded. Kibum wasn’t lying when he said your father gets angry quickly. He can go from 1 to 100 in a second, always scaring you. “I’ll give you 5 seconds to answer, if you don’t answer things will become serious.” He threatened you.

“1...... 2.....3......4-“

“ I was with a human, okay!” You said as you tensed up. You thought there was no point trying to hide it anymore, it was better to get it done and over with. Maybe he would understand this time.

“A HUMAN!” Your father shirked, “Out of all the things to do you decide to be with a human!”

“He was going to die, I had no choice!” You retorted.

“Not only did you engage contact with a human but also saving one as well?” Your father said, “Y/N you are such a disappointment, I have done nothing but raise you the best I can and then you go and bring shame to me!”

“No wonder mum left you, she must have felt trapped! Suffocated. You give me no space to breathe. Maybe that’s how she felt as well!” You said in the heat of the moment,with tears pricking your eyes and clouding your vision, not fully processing what would happen next. You mum has rarely been mentioned as she left when you were small. Your dad had never mentioned her, maybe because it hurt to much.

“How dare you disrespect me like that. That’s it go to your room. You’ll be lucky if you ever see the light of day again.” He said coldly, pointing to the door of your room. You knew you had gone to far, but he called you a disappointment. A disappointment, he was crossing the line to. You just silently obeyed his order with a scowl on your face. You swam to your room, once there you finally allowed yourself to cry. You felt as this was injustice, he didn’t even give you chance to explain that Jongdae was a nice person, who meant no harm. Humans weren’t as bad as he thought. Mer-people were no different to humans in your eyes. You wondered if you were the only mermaid to have this point of view. Everyone else around you seemed to despise man kind. You just couldn’t wrap your head around everything. Eventually, you drifted to sleep dreaming of Jongdae, the cute sailor boy you had meet earlier that day and how you yearned to see him again.

Weeks you spent cooped up in your house, no matter how hard you pleased your dad he refused to let you go out. It was miserable. All you could do was stretch your fins and swim around your room. Staying inside also didn’t help your feelings for Jongdae. You hadn’t seen him in days but you fell harder and harder for him. *That smile. That damm smile.* You know it sounds cliché, but you couldn’t help it. He was perfect to you, an absolute angel. You knew your feelings could only lead to bad things, as your father was fuming at you just for taking to him. However, no matter what you’re brain tells you, you will always follow your heart. Your heart wanted Jongdae. Interrupting your reverie, your heard bang on your window, breaking the lock preventing it from opening. You looked outside, only to see Kibum , splashing his yellow tail around.

“What the heck do you think you’re doing!?” You shouted in a low voice as it was late.

“Trying to get you out of that cave,” he replied sarcastically.

“What happened to *you must listen to your father *.” You rolled your eyes.

“Forget about that.”Kibum said,”Anyway I have much more important news to tell you, but you need to be down here for that.”

“Ugh, fine.” You carefully opened the window and left the room you’ve been locked in for weeks. You swam down to the sea bed where Kibum.

“So what did you want to tell me?” You asked in a whisper.

“I know how you can turn human.” He said. “WHAT!” You shouted but quickly covered your mouth soon after. “Turns out it’s not that hard, it’s simple even.”Kibum said. “What do I have to do then.” You said a lot quieter this time. “Turns out all you need to do is walk on land.” He replied. “That really is simple, how did you find out?” You questioned. You were always told that if mer-people stepped on the sand of the other world you would die. Your soul too pure to handle the filth of the human world. “I’m pretty sure you don’t want to know, I went to some pretty sketchy places to find out that, perhaps a little bribery as well.” He said slyly. If what Kibum is saying is true, why would they make up this lie. Are they trying to hide something? Is this something we are even supposed to know? Some deep truth locked behind the walls of secrecy for millennia? Of course Kibum was the only one who could get this kind of information. You rolled your eyes and sighed at your friends antics. “Let’s not waste any time and go the surface to try it out.” You said.

The both of you swam up to the shore, feeling the sun’s rays beat down on you. The scorching hot sand against your fingers tips was quite a contrast with the slight chill of the ocean. “The only thing you may have to worry about is the heat. As it human summertime, You’ll have to take more water breaks than usual, but apart from that you’ll be fine.” Kibum explained. “Wait you’re not coming with me?.” You said. “Nah, I rather stay here where it’s cooler, I don’t wanna to deal with heatstroke.” Kibum remarked. “So you are saying that we could die of heatstroke, but still sending me up here!” You exclaimed. “Y/N,honey, I’m doing you a favour here! I saw those *doe* eyes you had after you came back from saving him.” He snapped back,imitating the look on your face. He* did *have a point. You chuckled slightly then looked around the beach. Your eyes found the figure of a man. You looked harder and found it to be Jongdae. He looked much healthier now, his cheeks fuller and blood-free. Scars now replaced the once massive cuts and wounds that adorned his cheek bones and callloused hands. His expression looked lifeless though as he stared out to the seeming never ending ocean. “Kibum, look over there, that’s Jongdae.” You pointed to him, sitting on a rock not that far away from you. “Ooooh, he’s cute, but looks a bit lost, maybe you can cheer him up.” He patted you on the back and signaled you to lie on the sand. You followed his instructions and lifted yourself upon the sand, waiting in anticipation of what might happen. You felt a weird tingling sensation in your tail and you shut your eyes tight, hoping for the best. When you opened them again your shimmering purple tail transformed into a pair of legs. You gasped as you looked down at them, you did still see a few purple scales but you didn’t care. You were now wearing a purple skirt instead. After a few attempts, you managed to stand up and walk.

“Wow, girl you look amazing!” Kibum screamed,” Now go get your man, I’ll be waiting for you when the suns down!” You waved him off, watching him disappear in the aqua sea. It was time to see what these legs could do as you walked over to Jongdae, tripping on the way. You lightly tapped his shoulder, making him turn around and look at you.

“Y/-N...” He stuttered, with a look of pure confusion on his face. “It’s me.” You confirmed with a smile. His expression then turned to once of happiness and bliss as he engulfed you into a hug. “What happened to your tail?” Jongdae said, with his lips curving up in a genuine smile. “I found out how to turn myself human.” You answered. “Why, I liked your tail,” he smirked. “Because I wanted to see you again.” You looked down the ground to try and hide the evident embarrassment on your face. “Don’t look down, your cute when your shy,” He said laughing a bit. That didn’t do anything but worsen your flustered state. Jongdae laughed a bit louder this time and used his hand to lift up your chin so your now facing him. “Are all mermaids this cute?” He gushed and booped your nose. “Hey don’t do that.” you said while covering your nose. He whined and pouted at your defiance. “Why don’t you let me take you around the city? Don’t worry it will be fun.” Jongdae offered.

You accepted quickly and grabbed on to his hand as he lead the both of you out of the beach. Your heart was racing and a shot of adrenaline rushed through you. You knew your dad would kill you but you didn’t care what he had to say any more. You were happy and safe with Jongdae. Even in the short time you had known him in, you know he could never hurt you. If he was really out for you he would have killed you by now, right? But you trusted him and he trusted you. While walking he turned back and looked into your eyes. “Everything all right, you’ve been really quiet back there.” He said concerned. “I’m fine, I’m just excited.” You said with a reassuring smile. “Oh good, I’ll take to a place I know you’ll like.” He replied.

Those eyes that held the galaxy. That stare that caught your attention every time. That smirk that could make anyone feel weak to their knees. That laugh that lights up the earth. You were getting addicted to everything about him. He was the breath of fresh air you needed. A chance to show how adventurous you could be ,without your father’s restrictions. You could finally have fun with your life. Jongdae was the perfect person to let out that side of you to. He was fun and explosive, the type anyone would warn you, to stay away from as they might seem like a bad influence. But Jongdae has this aura that surrounds you and suffocats you in the best way possible. You were intoxicated with Jongdae’s appearance and personality and you couldn’t get enough. You would take any chance to get to know him better and this was your time. But you didn’t get ahead of yourself, knowing he definitely won’t feel the same, or did he?

In the hot midday sun, you and Jongdae walked, hand in hand, down the pavement leading off of the high street. You were to busy looking around in curiosity to notice that you had stopped in front of a store, until Jongdae nudged your shoulder.

“Come inside, i know you’ll love it!” He exclaimed. You were a bit apprehensive about it but you trusted Jongdae and you knew he could never hurt you. He could never have it in him. The man led you into a vast shop filled with shelves upon shelves of books.

“A library!,” you shouted. Jongdae was quick to cover your mouth with his hand and put his fingers on his plush lips, signalling that you should be quiet. You mumbled a quick a sorry in embarrassment. “We have these as well.” You said whisper shouting this time.

You’ve always wanted to learn about the human history and customs but,of course, anything to do with humans is strictly forbidden. You still wondered how Kibum got that book.

“See I knew you’d love this place!” Jongdae said with his smile beaming as bright as sun rays and eyes crinkling into moon crescents.”I guess you’d want to go into the history section. You know to read up about stuff?” He scratched his head. “ Or would you like to read some fiction, I have some good recommendations?”

“History,” you said and let him lead you through the seemingly endless isles of texts and stories. Jongdae gestured his hand towards a certain line of book, saying you should choose some. You stared in awe at the selection of things to read. In the end you decided to reach your hand out and pick a book on the bottom right side. You swiped of the dust on the worn spine and carefully flipped so you could see the front cover. It said “History of the Myth of Sirens”

“What are Sirens?” You questioned Jongdae. “Ahh them....” he looked a bit troubled and hesitant to answer you. “ What are they Jongdae.” You asked a bit more firm this time. He noticeably took a deep breath and continued, “Remember when I told you about how bad the human world think mermaids are. How they are liars and manipulators?”

“Yeah,” You replied,recalling the conversation when you first met Jongdae. “That’s basically what a siren is. It is said that their voice are so beautiful that they can hypnotise even the strongest willed person. Once they have them under their spell, it said that the sirens lure them to their inevitable deaths.” You gasped. “Don’t worry, not many people believe of there existence anymore, anyway you’re living proof that the myth is false.” He tried to reassure you.

“It all sounds so familiar...” you said deep in thought trying to recall the memory. “ I remember, when I was young seeing an older mermaid swim up to the surface. Because I was young and naive I followed her. The girl started to sing to a boat near the shore. A ma-n. He fell out...” your voice fell quiet as the story got harder and harder to tell without bursting into tears. Jongdae quickly came by your side, tugging you into a comforting embrace. You sighed trying to regulate your breathing. “ He-e swam-m towards us.” You felt your tears, as salty as the ocean you came from, trickle down the apples of your cheeks and landing on Jongdae’s shirt. “You don’t have to continue if it’s too hard Y/N. I won’t force you to do anything.” He said softly, his words light like air.

You shook your head building up all the strength you had in your heart to continue. “The girl dragged the man into the water.....” you breathed in,” The next thing I saw was b-blood in the water...” You allowed more of the salty substance to fall down your cheeks. You saw a wet patch on Jongdae’s shirt where all your tears had landed. You rested your head on his chest seeing if his heartbeat could calm you. He soothing rubbed your back as if you were a child. “ When she saw me, she told me not tell anyone, not a single soul.” You said as you looked up at Jongdae. “If she could do that to someone, she could do the same to me or anyone else I know. I was so scared.” You whispered. “Hush now.” He replied, continuing to rub your back. “It’s okay now, I’m here.” “Was I the first person you told that too?” He asked voice still soft.

You nodded your head. “I could never trust that information with someone else. My best friend has a kinda big mouth, he could reveal the secret.” Your expression lightened at the thought of Kibum while you chuckled a bit. Jongdae’s feature’s lifted immediately after He saw you laugh. “And my dad is well my dad, he doesn’t take well to these type of things.” You started to lighten up again and a small smile finally returned to your face. “That’s what I like to see.” Jongdae gushed,” You’re really cute when you smile.” You quickly looked down at your feet in pure embarrassment. It looked like he felt the same way about you but you didn’t want to test your luck. Your heart rate rapidly increased and you soon felt tongue tied. He must have said this to so many other people you thought trying to convince yourself you weren’t special in his eyes.

“I have another story to tell y’know,” you said trying to change the subject. “Okay shoot.” He replied. “We were always told a story about a group of mermen and mermaids who went on the shore and met a human. They never returned.” You continued,” Something about that story always seemed fake to me. It was branded like a fairy tale instead of the fact it was claiming to be. Like a myth.” “Maybe both of our worlds are lying about something to us.” Jongdae added. “We are more similar than we think, only if the people back home think about you and your kind the way I do.“ You remarked.

“Yeah,” He answered his voice a bit rough , a contrast to his normally soft tone, as started into the other direction. His grip tightened your waist as his gaze was fixated in the other direction. You look to your left and saw a man ,who looked a bit older than Jongdae, with dark brown hair and glasses at the end of his nose, scowl at you and walk out of the library. “Who was that?” You pointed at the door he walked out from. “No one special,” he spit coldly. You were taking aback at his sudden chance in demeanour. The once sparkle in his eyes had changed to a look of what seemed like pure spite. “Just hang close to me okay. I don’t what you near people like that. When I talked to him about you, you wouldn’t want to hear what he said.” You nodded, walking out of the store with him.

You were now back outside, walking in the scorching sun. It was at times like this you dearly missed the ocean. How the water felt against your skin and scales. The refreshing salty air and how it felt cool it felt on a hot day like this. Even if you talk bad about it a lot, it’s your home. You were getting tied of walking on land with legs. It could never compare to the thrill of swimming in the ocean. There you were free but here you were... For a lack of better words lost, letting the man you trust so dearly lead you around. You tightly held on to his hand, making sure to try and keep up with his fast pace. But after going through shop after shop you started to feel weak. Your lips were getting dryer and a faint headache you had earlier was becoming almost unbearable. It was getting harder and harder to keep your body up straight. Jongdae saw your face getting paler by the second and decided to sit you down for a rest.

“Y/N, what’s wrong,” he said worry evident on his face. As he got nothing but a few whimpers from you in response, he got more scared. “Are you hungry,sick,tired.?” He pressed. Somehow you managed to feel all of those at once, creating the most horrible feeling you had ever felt. “Thir-“ was all your lips were able to make out before Jongdae quickly completed your sentence. “Thirsty, you’re thirsty!” He exclaimed.”How was I so dumb to not notice.” He put himself down. “Hang in there, okay Y/N.” Like you were glass, he carefully picked your frail body up and made you lay ,face up, in his arms. You could barely remember what happened in the span of time when Jongdae and what’s and and you were in the water. Everything else was just a mindless blur. All you could remember was Jongdae occasionally looking down at you telling you he was sorry and it would be okay, as your body struggled with the fight of consciousness.

You don’t know how long he was running for, but when your legs and face were finally submerged in water again, you felt alive. A familiar tingling was felt in your lower half and your legs were turning back into your beautiful purple tail. You felt strong enough to finally sit up and face the man who saved you. “I’m so so sorry.” He apologised,” Do you feel better now? Do you need anything? I should have noticed the symptom-“ He was about to start a tangent before you cut him off. “Don’t be sorry, I should be the one saying sorry for putting you through that mess. Anyway I’m fine now and if it wasn’t for you who knows what would’ve happened.” You praised him. He smiled sweetly feeling his cheeks getting warmer because of your compliment. “Thanks Y/N. If you are feeling better, would you like to see the fireworks with me today? It’s okay if you want to go home now, but I think it would be really nice to watch as the sun goes down.“ He asked a bit timidly. “Yeah that would be amazing.” You answered, equally as quiet.

“Okay then let’s get a good spot people will start to gather soon.” He said his words full of joy. You noticed the sky was turning an orange colour, with the sun slowly making it’s descent under the sea. Kibum said you should be back by sun down. You decided to make an exception just this time. He wouldn’t mind. You felt the sand between your feet again, as your tail morphed into legs. Jongdae grabbed your hand again, leading up towards the venue above the beach. You guys sat on a table close to the middle giving you the perfect view of the shore line and the aqua waves rolling through.

Waiting for the firework show to start, you guys made small talk going deeper into your lives and up bringing. Even if it had only been less than two days, you guys acted as if you had known each other for years. You and him clicked almost immediately when you first met. You had a chemistry with him that you had never felt with anyone else. Every time he looked at you ,your heart would do flips and your stomach would be filled with butterflies. When you were with him you felt complete, like a he was your missing piece. Were you in love? No, you tried to convince yourself. It was to early, you can’t fall in love in two days. Anyway he was a human, you were a mermaid, you could never be in love. Wasn’t he supposed to kill you by now? You’re head was hurting as everything you ever learnt about him and his kind started not to make sense anymore. It all was so wrong but so right. He completed you in ways no one ever had but he couldn’t be yours. The universe would never allow that. Mum if only you were here to tell me what to do you thought to yourself.

”It’s starting!!” Jongdae squealed excitedly, interrupting your reverie. You looked ahead at the now charcoal-black night sky. Bright orange and red sparks flew into the air, bursting as if they were dying stars. The colours dotted the sky like a constellation. Nothing as breathtaking as this was possible in the ocean. In awe you stared at the display, concentrated on the rise and fall of every firework as it fizzled out into the night sky. Jongdae ,on the other hand, had his gaze fixated on you. The way your eyes lit up when you heard the boom of each explosion. The way your smile shined brighter than any of the fireworks out there. Maybe it was just the light from the show, but he thought you looked stunning. You always looked amazing to him, but today there was something different. He noticed how much he cared for you when you cried earlier today, how protective he was over you. How terrified he was when you almost fainted in his arms. How scared he was to lose you.

He liked you.

It all made sense now. When he didn’t see you for a while after you both first met, something felt empty. He felt cold, maybe it was just him feeling weird after the shipwreck but he felt lifeless. At the time he didn’t realise what he felt, but he does now. He loved you. It had only been a day or two but he had never been so sure about something in all his years of living. But how would he tell you. You were this ethereal goddess to him, while he was just a normal sailor. You deserved the whole universe,he couldn’t offer that. He had nothing while you had everything to offer. You could never love him back or so he thought.

“Y/N,” He said in the softest tone you had ever heard. You looked at his face he looked a bit distraught. “Yes, is anything wrong Jongdae.” You replied worriedly. “Nothing. I’m fine. I mean-“ He deeply inhaled and exhaled before continuing. “When we first met, how did you find me? Did I wash up on shore or did you save me?” “The latter. You reminded me of that man, I couldn’t let the same thing that happened happen again. I was older so I could do something this time. I didn’t know your exact condition but I think you blacked out.” You finally told him. “You saved my life...” he whispered looking deeply into your orbs and taking your chin into his calloused hands. You felt your cheeks get warmer at the closeness. His eyes were boring deep into yours, as if they were searching for answer of some sort. “And you saved mine.” You murmured, with all the air left in your lugs.

Without even doing anything Jongdae made you feel breatheless. It was as if time passed slower the longer you stared at him. Your breathing became heavier and more irregular as he started to close the distance between your two faces. “So I returned the favour.” He mumbled into your ear while finally pressing his lips on yours in a sweet kiss. Fireworks flew up in the sky as you kissed back. The moment was magic. What any girl dreams of. You felt as if you were in a fairytale. All of this too good to be true. You felt as if you would soon wake up and face your old reality. But this was your new reality, your new life. You don’t know how you lived before you met him, but now you can’t go on without him.

He slowly pulled away and giggled like a child. “Thanks for everything today.” “I should be saying that, this has truly been one of the best days of my life.” You replied a bit sadly knowing you’d have to go soon. You left poor Kibum waiting a few hours to long. “Someone’s waiting for me back down there, I have to get going,” “It’s alright, may you have the sweetest of dreams.” You smiled at his cheesiness and started to walk back down to the ocean. “Till we meet again my love,” he spoke softly but still loud enough for you to hear as you walked away from him. You divided into the ocean and swam back to the place you last met Kibum. The hole in your heart now filled by the sailor but who had truly won you over.

“Hey Y/N!” Kibum shouted from the sea floor below. “I was getting worried I had sent you to your death up there.” But when he took a look at your face, his tone and demeanour changed from serious to light hearted. “Wait something good happened up there, really good. You have that love sick smile. Tell me~” he whined begging you to explain. “He kissed me Kibum! Kissed me.” You cried happily, helplessly in love. “That’s why you took so long.” He laughed heartily. Everything in that moment felt so perfect, until you remembered your father. You had been gone for a few hours, you sunk out. What if he found out about what you were doing? What would he make of you or Jongdae? A look of horror appeared on your face. “Everything alright?” Kibum asked,a bit taken aback. “My father what about him,does he know about where I’ve been? Did you tell him? What if he found ou-.“ Kibum put a finger on your lips hushing you. “I would never tell him what really happened, do you think I want to die as well?” He stated,”He just thinks you went for a sleepover at mine, he trusts me. Definitely more than he trusts you.” Both of you laughed at the situation, in front of you. “Let’s go to mine where you can tell me everything that happened.” Kibum said and you nodded excitedly, impatient to tell your best friend everything that happened that day.

You spent the rest of the night, talking and acting out your time with Jongdae, how he was so sweet and kind when he talk to you. How he saved your life. Kibum occasionally put in this own thoughts and comments but for the most part stayed quiet, too enraptured in the story to say anything. The night was filled with laughter and gasps of shock. After what felt like hours of messing around, both of you decided to call it a night and let the land of sleep take over your bodies. Jongdae’s words from earlier that day rung in your ears as you drifted into a deep slumber. May you have the sweetest of dreams. And that you did.

Everyday after that one felt as if you started anew. Turned over a new leaf. You couldn’t remember that last time you felt this amount of happiness and contentment. It all felt like a dream. With him was just pure bliss. This was the man you wanted to spent the rest of your days with and with every passing month and changing season, you became more sure of that. Life was perfect. he was perfect. You would change nothing about him. Jongdae complimented your personality so perfectly it was a miracle you even found him in the first place. You were on cloud nine,your heart soaring like a dolphin jumping out of water.

But in your bubble of bliss, you didn’t notice your behaviour changing. Unknown to you, your father noticed your change in mood. You went from just fine to extremely happy. Every time he tried ask what was making you so happy, you became cold and didn’t give a clear answer. At first he wasn’t complaining, he loved to see his little girl so happy. But as you spent more and more time away from home, not returning for weeks at a time, he became extremely worried. Your father wasn’t putting up with Kibum’s subpar excuses anymore. The boy thought he was being slick telling him you had gone to an extra long sleepover with one of your other friends. Yeah right. He Kibum would never give him a decent answer so he decided to find out for himself.

One day when you told him you were leaving, he waited for you to leave the house and then follow you. It quickly became obvious you weren’t going to a friends place. One part of him wanted to call you back down, right this instant but he wanted to see what you would normally do. He was terrified when he saw you swim up to the surface and swim to dry land. He felt as if though he had failed as a father. Everything he had taught went out of your ear, appearing as if though you never listened to him at all. When he saw you run into the arms of a human boy that was what made his blood surge through him. He clenched his fists out of pure anger. How could you deceive him like this. Make him look like a fool, every time you went outside not telling him that you were going to meet the once race he despised the most. His stomach churned when he looked at both of you so content tangled in each other’s arms. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be and he needed to show the both of you that.

“Y/N, what on earth do you think your doing !” He shouted from the water, startling you and Jongdae,turning to face where you father is. When you heard his voice a look of pure horror appeared on your face. All your worst nightmares came true right before your eyes. In your head you cursed Kibum for not trying to hold him off, for at least one more day. “Dad.” You said your voice barely above a whisper, terrified of what he would do to you or Jongdae. “So is that your friend you’ve been seeing for all these months?” He questioned, pointing his finger at Jongdae. Both of stayed quiet, scared to say anything in case you might anger the beast anymore than you already have. “But it’s obviously more than a friendship. I can’t believe you fell for one of those monsters. Out of everyone you just had to pick him ,didn’t you.” He spit enraged. “He will eat you alive, share you with all his friends. He will kill you Y/N. I could never live knowing my only daughter, child at that, would die at the hands of a human. It would kill me.” You finally decided to speak up and say,” I know how you feel dad, that human’s are all evil and trouble. But believe me when I tell you that Jongdae’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met mer or human. He could never hurt me and I’m sure of that.” You saw Jongdae smile at all the sweet things you just said about him but it soon faded when your father started to speak again.

“Y/N do you hear yourself speaking? You don’t realise the amount of shame you have brought on to my name. Don’t you know how bad it sounds to say my daughter’s with a human, we would get ridiculed, outcasted. You’re mother would never have been proud of this.” Your father coldly spit, slowly cutting through your heart with the last sentence. You couldn’t believe he had the nerve to say that about you or her. Your mother always promised to love you no matter what, even when she disappeared. You always remembered her words and kept them close to your heart. Jongdae couldn’t stand to see you be brought down like this so he stood up for you. “Who are you to say. The only wish from any mother is their child happiness. Y/N’s happy with me. If she was a good mother, that should be enough for her.”

“Silence boy.” Your father fumed at Jongdae’s speech. “Y/N I am never to see you near the shore or this monster again. Do I make myself clear?” A few tears escaped from your eyes as you stayed quiet. “I said do I make myself clear?!” He repeated even louder than before. A sorrowful yes came out of your lips before you burst into tears. “I’ll give you to a moment but don’t even think of running off, you don’t know what I’m capable of.” He spat as he disappeared into the ocean.

A waterfall of tears cascaded down your face as you wept away your never ending sadness. Jongdae look distraught having his happiness, his light being torn away from him. “Love, look at me.” He said all colour washed away in his voice. “Nothing is going to stop me being away from you okay.” “Jongdae you don’t get it, I care for your safety,you don’t know what he is capable of. I can’t live knowing you are hurt. It’s best if I stay away.” You sadly told him the truth. “I should’ve known from the beginning,” he stated,”Some as beautiful and as god-like as you couldn’t be mine for a long period of time.” He put himself down. “Don’t say that, you are gorgeous, no matter what you think. I wish it didn’t have to be this way.” You tried to reassure him.

“I love you.” He said pulling you into a deeper embrace. You returned the hug saying how much you loved him as well. How you’ll miss this. He quickly pecked your lips in a short but loving kiss. “I’ll miss you Y/N.” He told you meaning every word. “I’ll miss you even more.” You replied,”One day I’ll be back from Atlantis, my love.” ”And I’ll be waiting until the I day die, for your return.” He gave you one last peck on the check and watched as you disappeared into the azure ocean for the last time in god knows how long. Jongdae felt a pang in his chest, knowing that you would probably move on and forget all about him and what you had. But he was sure you’ll be happier without him. What your father said to him started to make sense now. Your love was forbidden. He was foolish for falling in love with you. Nothing good could come out of it. But every kiss. Every hug. Each one of those whispered sweet nothings, late into the night. They all felt so right. His head was a mess. Maybe getting away from you would do him more good than he thinks. But no matter how many times he tried to tell himself that, the more he realised how much he needed you in his life.

You weren’t doing much better, if not worse. Your father forbid you from ever going outside, unless he told you could. You felt like a prisoner in your own home. A person taken hostage. All your rights were revoked. When you tried to question your father about his treatment of you, he just stated that this was the why for you to learn a lesson. So you’ll never disobey again. Heck, you weren’t even allowed to see Kibum anymore, your father claiming that he had lost his trust. None of this helped the constant pain in your chest, from your bleeding broken heart. Jongdae had been your rock during times like this,keeping you sane and making sure you always end up with a smile on your face. You missed him so dearly. Everything you looked at reminded you of him in one way or another. It was complete torture, the only man you could think of is the only man you couldn’t see. The once permanent smile on your face was now replaced with a frown coupled with red and puffy eyes, from crying all night.

It was hard and painful to live without your love and your dad was just starting realise that. All these months your father stayed adamant that all Jongdae would bring was trouble and it was best for you not to be together. However when he started to bring back your privileges, of going outside and meeting up with friends, you declined. When he asked if you wanted to eat dinner, you always replied with a no and locked yourself up in your room. It broke his heart to hear you cry yourself to sleep every night. His once happy go-lucky girl had turned into something he didn’t recognise . He finally noticed how happy and complete Jongdae made you feel.

After days of thought he decided to sit you down to talk.“Y/N I’ve seen how you’ve been acting these past few months and it hurts me to see you this way. All I wanted to do from the beginning is protect you. Now I���ve noticed I’ve done more to harm you than good. I’m sorry I let my pride and beliefs come before your happiness.” He looked and sounded completely sincere, sorry for his actions. You weren’t ready to forgive him just yet but you were willing to make a start. “Even if I don’t completely trust him, I will allow to start seeing Jongdae again.” He stated. You couldn’t believe your ears. You tried pinching yourself but you didn’t awake. Even if you’ve hoped and prayed for this day to come. It sounded surreal hearing the words come from his mouth. “Are you serious?” When he nodded his head, you enveloped him into a bear hug. “Thank you,Thank you so much.” You cried, a single tear of joy managed to escape your eye.

For the first time in months, you arose from the seabed, your head poking above the water. As you got closer to the shoreline, a figure could been seen sitting on a rock. You instantly knew who it was.

“Jongdae! You screamed running towards his form. As soon as he caught wind of what was happening, he turned and met you at the middle of the beach, not hesitating to lift you up in the air with his hands around your waist. Your lips met as you shared a passionate kiss full of happiness and love.”You’re back, I can’t believe it.” He laughed. “I told you I’ll be back.” “Turns out your really good at keeping promises,love” hugged you tighter. This is the time you realised all the pain you went through was all worth it if you got to see him and his beautiful smile again. He was all you needed and you couldn’t wish for anything else. You had finally been reunited with your light on the darkest of days, your sunshine but most importantly your soulmate.

[austennerdita2533]

Summary: Bad blood and violence seem to pop up for the Mikaelsons everywhere, but this time it shows up in the form of unhinged!amnesiac Elijah. Caroline tries to hold him off while Hayley disbands of Greta, and Klaus ushers Hope to safety. Madness ensues in the fight to keep the Nazi vampires from procuring who, and what, they desire.

Can Caroline keep a morally-corrupted Original at bay? Will Klaus be able to protect everyone he cares about? What will they gain; what may they lose? (TO 5x06 AU + Amnesiac!Villain Elijah vs. Klaroline + Angst)

**WARNING: Hayley still dies. Threats. Mild Violence**

A/N:  Tagging @arrenemris​ and @childoftimeandmagic​, because you lovelies were interested in a part 2. Here is the whole 5.2k word (edited) enchilada if you want to read it. (No pressure!)

Honestly, idk what I’ve created here...

Enjoy!

(A03) (FFnet)

xx Ashlee Bree

Everybody Bursts Into Mad Flames Sometimes

Before her stands a stranger—a stranger she once knew.

Dark hair, shaved chin. Aviator sunglasses tucked into a scooped white collar. Rugged blue jeans. Terse lips curled in impatient distaste. Two whittled fence posts peeking out from underneath too-long sleeves. A leather jacket - simple, black, no designer or brand name anything. It hangs loose from his shoulders to offset two cold, umber eyes which used to pierce the world with such sagacity, with such innate sophistication and reasonability, but now appraise everything around him with something worse than hate, or scorn, or disapproval too marked to miss: apathy.

It’s the last thing Caroline expects to see right now; he, the last person. (Especially in freaking jeans, are you kidding?) And she barely chokes down her surprise fast enough to block his path to the house which perches on a small hill behind them.

“Can I help you?” she says in half-chirp. Tilting her head to the side, she side-steps in front of him, warning him back with a sharp smile. “You look a little lost and I’m a concerned citizen willing to turn you back around.”

“Move,” the man growls.

“Now, now,” she raises her hands half in defense, half in taunting, “I know your memory’s been swiped, Elijah, (along with your entire history of familial and platonic feeling), but I thought you of all people would still bother with civilities in any diseased incarnation of yourself? There aren’t any dangling on your lips now, though, huh? Shame. A true shame.”

“I said move!”

“Wow, really? No Miss Forbes? No ‘it’s nice to see you again,’ Caroline?” She wags her finger and tuts, still shuffling her feet; still refusing to let him pass. Determined to give them more time to escape to safety. “I know my face jars something in you, faint and faded though the recollection may be given the circumstances.”

“You talk too much.”

“Hey! That’s rude,” she says tartly and pouts. “I’ve always considered you to be the only Mikaelson with any manners, but man, oh man! What a disappointment you are today, I’ve got to say.”

“Stop. Tell me where he is, where he’s taken them,” Elijah says while his knuckles whiten and his jaw ticks. His fingers curl into fists around one of the stakes, itching to strike. Stab. Silence. And he’d do it, too - oh, he wants to do it - to know how her fire and sugared spice will bubble against his teeth after a fatal bite - but he resists because she holds the missing pieces. She’s the only one here who knows how to procure what he and Antoinette still need.

“Pfft, yeah, like I’d tell you anything in your state.” Caroline laughs like the idea is preposterous. Insane. Like it’s the funniest joke in the history of the world. “I mean, I deserve at least a please for that kind of information, don’t you think? For old time’s sake and everything.”

“I’ve had enough of these idle games, Little Miss Sunshine. Where is he?” Elijah snarls again. This time with patience fraying into vein-pulsed rage and fangs descending. “WHERE!?”

Caroline’s shoulders straighten here, and her eyes burn so hot they almost hiss at him when she digs her heels into the grass to offer him a pert quirk of her mouth in opposition; her voice swapping out joviality for severity in the smoothest of transitions.

“As I said already, Señor Impolite,” she says with a click of her tongue, “I won’t reveal a single damn thing to you about your brother’s next location. Not here, not when you’re like this. Nor will I won’t inconvenience the other people you still love somewhere in that thick, muddled skull of yours by making this mission easy for you. Whatever it is. So put that on a discarded daylight ring and smoke it!” she adds with a huff and a cock of the hip.  

“Fine.” A stake loosens from his sleeve. He brandishes it in his hand; twirls it like a baton on his palm. The movement is slow and practiced because whether or not he’s aware of his Original history, he’s wielded weapons like this one for centuries. “If that’s how you wish to play it.”

“Likewise.”

Elijah pauses to scratch a thumb across his jaw. Then he sniffs before he raises harsh lashes to her face,

“Take it from a man who’s wasted centuries: you will not triumph,” he says. “That man - my so-called brother - will bleed you of any goodness you possess; he’ll stifle any happiness you find, so do yourself a favor and free yourself from his tyranny now. He is not worth an ounce of your time or protection. And he never will be.”

“You’re wrong. You don’t truly believe that,” she shakes her head and sighs. “You’re so wrong I just—I don’t know how you’ll recover from all the regret and guilt that’s bound to follow once you regain your old attachments again.”

He remains impassive. Unmoved.

“Let me by, Caroline. He must pay for his crimes.”

“I said -” her teeth clench; her features darken, “- no!” A blur against the sky, she vamps across the yard to block each and every one of his advances. She shoves against his chest, swipes at his athletic kicks with her boot heels, and snaps out with her fangs like a guard dog to keep him back. Away.

“His worth is mine, and mine alone, to decide. You got that, E?” she says in an obnoxious way that mocks his new nickname pointedly, unapologetically; her veins rippling across her cheekbones for extra measure. “It’d be best for you not to forget it. You know - like, ever.”

“Well, then—” He takes a step back, his forehead pinched in mounting irritation. “I guess we have nothing further to discuss, do we?”

“Nope.”

After a shrug and a look of pity, “I’m afraid this pretty little blonde of yours has left me no choice here, Hybrid,” he announces in a loud, reverberating voice.

Elijah speaks to the air, to the clouds forming shapes over their heads, but his eyes sweep across the property. His ears prick as if they wait for his brother’s howled outcry to sound on the wind in the seething, murderous way he’d once been so accustomed to hearing, and also to preventing. There is no movement anywhere except where the sun crests over the hill, however. All the purples and oranges dancing with shadows to tint the land like a bruise. There’s no sound besides the screeching tires of a Camaro on the highway ten miles distant. There’s nothing else around besides a dirt road, a decrepit house, and a stubborn, sassy girl poised between them.

Thirty more seconds pass before Elijah’s gaze settles back over on Caroline. It’s another thirty-five seconds after that before he’s rife enough with detached predation, hunger, and resolve to act.

He levels his chin once he decides. And as he charges forward with a stake positioned for the spot where two rings dangle against her chest, above her heart, the next words to leave his throat burst forth in grave monotone,

“Time to die,” he says.

Bad blood and violence follow Klaus everywhere.

It’s a foul shadow chomping at the base of his achilles heel hoping to munch its way through to destroy all he cherishes because he’s a man forged from sin, dark magic, and bones of adaptability. A combination which shouldn’t be allowed to exist in this world unless it’s broken - purged - from the outside in with all the dominion he possesses slit from his tendons by his foes in fury. Greed. Fear. Hate. Or envy. It’s a javelined spear which spills his loved ones’ blood onto cobblestone paths or fried country grasses in red river rain because he somehow arrives too late to keep the bolt from striking, the lightning.

His worst fears flood the land as a result. Thunder rumbles overhead to plunge everyone’s lives into peril at once, pellets of hail dropping like canons. Erupting the earth to widen the crossable distance between them. The sky is a jaw full of teeth which drools something about abominations, or about purity that must crunch all twisty tornados dead in their tracks.

A storm of hell descends while he’s distracted and struggling against his enemies’ vengeance, limbs extended in four different directions; his arms flying while eyes hybridize with focus, anger, so that someone who matters is always left exposed. Vulnerable. Like a flapping thread which spools from the corner of a whirlpool.

It’s simple math for him, truth be told. It’s even simpler science. There are too many holes, and Klaus cannot defend them all on his own. It doesn’t matter how hard he tries because somebody always slips over a ledge and falls flat into physics’ grasp. Gravity claiming what he’s dropped, who he’s lost. And it’s all his fault.

His fault, his fault, his fault.

The rising tide of everyone’s screams and taken or deflected blows creates a wave of horror Klaus cannot climb over with blood-drenched hands, with slippery soles, and it makes it impossible for him to catch every person he cares for before they sink, before they drown to the bottom of a gorge he’ll never be able to breach with one arm extended. He needs more time, more time, more time. He needs more bloody time! Please.

But what happens if there isn’t any? What comes after the world fissures open with the intent to swallow up the good in everything? What then, what does one do next?

Klaus clamors, he claws his way over to them.

He packs his unconscious daughter into a car seat next to Roman and Marcel then watches the SUV disappear down the lane, its wheels screeching as it ushers two people he loves toward home and security. He turns back to the house afterwards to collect the two women he’s left idling on the estate five miles away, who each scan for more threats in his absence as they wait, only for the back door to splinter wider the closer he roams. It chips next. Before, finally, it busts open with a loud crack to shoot wood and body parts loose.

Debris launches forward with such force that his arms shield his head in reflex while he rolls to the left to avoid a collision with an airborne Hayley. A fate Klaus escapes, but barely.

He pushes up onto his elbows. When he does, the heat from her near-miss manages to singe some hairs on the back of his neck, chafing them down to stubs of red. A hammer thuds loud in his ears as he blinks in the nightmare which unfolds before him: the mother of his child sailing through the backyard tangled in rods of fire. And Greta. And a self-sacrifice too awful to believe.

It’s bloody horrifying to behold, truly.

The sunlight pours over Hayley’s skin like gasoline, and she’s suddenly a molting phoenix: red fades to orange, and orange dwindles to gray which then darkens to black. All of her life’s color draining in seconds until she’s gone. Dust. Dead.

And there Klaus is left to witness it all.

There, on a frayed patch of yard, beneath the stark midday sun, Klaus lies agape in the filth of his own making yet again. A Father of Cinders. An Usher of Ruin. The smell of Hayley's charred flesh quickly becoming another orange stink he must learn how to breathe in and out of his nostrils like flame, like ash—the crispest of all things he’s failed to save for his family’s sake.

Sure, why not add another disaster to the ever-multiplying list, he thinks? Why not shoulder all the responsibility for a tragedy from which Hope will never recover? Elijah, either, if he returns to himself someday. How can he not assume the blame for this?

His fault, his fault, his fault.

The temptation to remain crumpled on his knees right now is as potent as the bourbon Klaus needs to slick his throat, to numb the ache in his head, but a faint voice gusts into the clearing at that moment which is equal parts sonorous and soft when it chokes out defiance, strength, and fortitude into the air; and the sound causes him to scrabble to his feet with the speed of a cheetah to pursue the last hope here he knows he can’t bear to lose. Let alone whom.

Fifty paces hence takes mere seconds, but they feel like decades.

Her still-ticking pulse becomes the drumbeat each of his strides produces as he dashes to the front of the house in a blur of alarm. It’s what keeps him breathing. She’s what keeps him moving when his panic thumps so strong he grinds the enamel on his molars off clean.

The world collapses and narrows until her loudening voice is all Klaus hears, until her golden head snaps in his direction again because she’s the only thing he wants to see. She’s the balm to all his monstrosity, to his debilities, and he needs her. He needs her alive more than anything.

Still, a roar from the wolf deep in his chest is not enough to convey all the emotion he feels. There’s no lid to quiet the pain. There’s no coffin to smother it…all of that rage.

Caroline will not be torn from him, too. No, no, no. Never. Not today she won’t, not in a hundred million more lifetimes if he can prevent it. And he bloody will—

Even if it’s the last thing in this life he’s meant to do.

Dust and blood coat her slacks after some minutes of vampire vs. vampire tousling. Prone on her back with gravel stuck in her hair, Caroline fends off her attacker with another boot kick to the groin followed by a swift clonk to the jaw.

“You know, I should be pissed about how many of you asshole Mikaelsons have tried to kill me over the years, but do you know what? I’m no damsel,” she says, tumbling into a squat. “I’m not too dainty to fight back. So go on—” Her words are clipped, her breath heavy with exertion. “Go on and hit me with your best shot, you Wrangler-wearing amnesiac!”

“Interesting choice of last words.”

A stake gripped firmly in each of his fists, Elijah swings down with the right one. It rips off a small patch of her skin with her black sleeve. Since she evaded the more direct hit by wheeling to the right, however, the wound heals quickly.

Caroline laughs. It’s a taunting, corrosive sound.

“You wish those were my last words, buddy.”

“Chatter all you want, girl. But know this,” he says in a tone as equally dispassionate as it is menacing,“I’ll still kill you to help my family dispose of the Mikaelsons’ mixed blood. We will rid the world of their plague one way or another.”

“God, will you listen to yourself right now!?”

Using her shoulders as leverage, Caroline pushes up to slug him across the face for a second time. Elijah spits blood from the corner of his mouth after the blow knocks him backwards. Still standing, however, his jaw taut, he looms forward again in seconds.

“Those people are not your family,” she says. “You’re freaking brainwashed!”

“No. What I am is free.”

“Great. So you’re deluded, too, apparently. That’s freaking fantastic,” Caroline grumbles. Scooting upwards onto her elbows, she strikes out at his ankle with her heel but misses it by inches.

“Luckily for me, your family’s long range psychosis (your real family, I mean) is well-worn and likely to flare every now and again, so I’m used to this kind of thing. I’m stronger because of it. Smarter, too,” she adds as her fingers coil beneath her. Looking up, her lips twitch before she hurls a handful of gravel into Elijah’s face without warning.

Even though he blocks most of it with his forearms, some of the rubble stings his eyes long enough for her to lurch for one of his weapons, which she promptly deposits into his gut. The action drops him to his knees in momentary agony, cursing.

“That may be so,” he grunts, his tongue licking over his mouth roughly, “but I’m afraid even with all that expertise, and despite all of your self-proclaimed Mikaelson experience—”

Elijah’s quicker to recover than Caroline anticipates. He grabs her by the hair before she can flash away, throwing her against the porch railing with a loud smash.

“You’ll never be able to beat me.” It’s whispered almost like a caress. “You can’t win this fight,” he says.

“Then I suppose I’ll have to die trying, won’t I?” Caroline fires back.

“Die?” Elijah snickers. Blood - his blood - drips from the spike he’s dislodged from his ribs. He angles it at her chest again. “Oh, die you will.”

With him towering above her once more, his fangs out, sharpened with fatal purpose, he sneers as Caroline crab walks backward to the first step, which she then uses as a ledge to erect herself back onto her feet with fluid grace.

“Pardon the intrusion,” a voice cuts in at that moment with a low growl, not sorry at all, “but I wouldn’t underestimate that one if I were you. She’s made of the sweetest flames."

“And I’ll roast you for one false move, pal,” Caroline pipes in with a huff.

Squinting, Elijah regards her like she’s a cockroach.

“Death would suit you rather nicely, I think. Yes,” he hisses, “imagine the silence I’ll achieve with it soon.”

She raises her chin to fix him with a look of incredulity at this. It’s a look that, for all its azure ferocity and resistance, would impale his eyeballs to the nearest fence post if it could; but also would like to bludgeon open his head with the plume of a feather to reinstate all his emotional memories first.

“Enough!” the intruder exclaims. He grabs the Original by the shoulder at the same time Caroline rips a spoke free of the railing. “Threatening her life would be ill-advised for anyone under normal circumstances, but this…why - this is—are you bloody insane?"

“Come, come, why not watch while I suck the last visage of light from her veins? A few slurps is all it’d take to silence her forever,” Elijah says in the voice of a stranger, in the voice of an adversary. His lips curl in sinister delight. “What a lovely thought that is.”

“I said enough!” the trespasser growls again. Louder this time. Zooming closer, he’s a ball of temper and anxiety as he clutches the other man by the leather lapels.

“There are limits to the wrath I am able to contain even for you…” he draws out the last bit for emphasis, the vein in his forehead throbbing as Caroline tucks the weapon into her jacket, “brother.”

“Does this girl mean so much to you, Hybrid?” Elijah says.

In answer, Klaus hurls him like a dart at the barn doors across the yard, “Do. Not. Test. Me,” he howls.

Dropping over top of him in a flurry of color, and darkness, and fury that’s hardened his eyes into an inferno of hybrid gold, he kicks through the wreckage until he reaches Elijah’s prone  form beneath a heap of crumpled lumber. He lifts him up by the throat. Then he slams his head hard against a lone standing beam, thrusting a finger into his face.

“There has been enough blood spilt here today, Elijah. Too much.”

“Tell me,” he answers with a strangled cough and a blink, “am I supposed to care?”  

“Klaus, stop, you can’t talk to him. He’s wily and unhinged like this. A morally skewed prick. Just look at his dragging hems, for crying out loud!” Caroline says as she approaches from behind. “That’s proof enough he’s been mentally and magically corrupted by them.”

“Our family has been fractured beyond repair,” Klaus continues without hearing her. He looks a little crazed as he shakes his brother in place like it’ll somehow refasten those loose screws in his brain. “Hayley’s gone - the mother of my child, the woman you loved…is dead. Dead! You let her fall straight into our enemy’s lap!”

“But so help me, I will wring your wretched neck—“ His voice grows thick; heavy, and it hurts to swallow, “I will chain you inside a box (which is something I swore I’d never do to someone in this family again) before I allow you to take Caroline away, too.”

It’s in that moment, just as the sun eclipses behind a cloud to dim the atmosphere like an omen, the wind punting flower petals through the air like knives which sting when they kiss a piece of exposed skin, that Elijah’s features contort into something worse than inscrutable. They refashion, instead, into something aggressive and deranged.

“Her shrieks will sound so much more delicious to me when you fail to save her now, Hybrid,” he says. “I admit I can hardly wait for the symphony.”

“Screw you!” Caroline shouts back.

That’s when he lurches forward to grab Klaus by the elbow. With unimaginable force, he yanks. Fracturing it with a violent twist.

The action frees his two legs, which had been dangling in the air where he was tacked only seconds ago, so that he’s able to kick out at his foe’s knees. Unbalancing him enough to bite his shoulder and push backwards against his chest. Elijah nearly shirks the arm which is swinging back at him in retaliation, but not quite.

Hybrid claws catch his face even though he ducks. Like hooks, they dig and pry into his skin because he’s still within range and Klaus is livid, monstrous beyond legend; leaving cursive track marks from Elijah’s eyebrow all the way down through the white of his collarbone.

Still, the other man’s wide-arced punches leave Elijah with an advantage in the end. One carries too far to the left and exposes his side. Before Klaus can stop him, therefore, and before he can recover in time to parry the attack, he upends him with a knee that breaks his nose and reduces his vision to black dots and sprouting stars. It gives him ample time and opportunity to pin him to the ground with the loose barn beam at his feet. Piercing it through his kidney.

That’s how Elijah leaves him, too: sprawled, writhing, raging, helpless.

It’s why he turns his attentions back to Caroline with keener insight. There’s a patient but exacting grin on his lips as he lays chase again because it’s her vs. him for a moment, and there’s a fierceness blooming across her face that says ‘you’ll pay for that dearly, jerk face.’ It feeds his muscles with adrenaline; it plies his mind with rigor. He craves the rush like heroin.

For it’s here, after everything, that he truly understands Caroline won’t leave Klaus under any circumstances. For, no matter how damning the danger grows, and no matter how stacked-against the odds are in her favor, he sees she’ll leap straight into hell itself if it’ll offer her the slightest chance to reach him again.

How could he have missed this? How could he not have noticed the jewel she’s concealed behind her incessant prattle?

His worth is mine to decide, she’d said to him earlier. Mine.

Her words reverberate with too strong a connotation to demarcate their connection into anything less significant than lovers. Lovers. It makes Elijah feel like an imperceptive fool.

That’s why it doesn’t matter how her death happens now, he’s decided.

He’s realized it’s not important whether he skewers her pink flesh into shoelace peels with his teeth, or detaches her bouncing blonde head from her shoulders with the branch of a tree. It matters not if he cuts through her innards, roasts her in the sun, sucks out her sweet flames through her carotid artery, or wraps her wagging tongue around a heart that no longer beats. All that’s necessary is for her life to end here. Today. All that’s required is for Klaus to be parked in a front row seat, powerless and wretched because he’s piked through the torso, watching—

Watching as Elijah wrenches this girl away from him irrevocably.

The thought makes the elder Original smile.

What is better retribution, after all? What could be better justice for the man who’s already tried to snuff out the love which exists between he and Antoinette? The selfish, sabotaging man. How much easier will it be to extract what they need from him afterwards? Once she’s dead.

Ah, the glory of it! The honor! Punishment for both the Hybrid’s meddling and his impurity will be much more satisfactory to achieve now that he knows the best way to inflict it—personally.

“Listen for the crescendo, will you? I believe it’s my favorite cadence of killing,” he says, glancing at Klaus over his shoulder to add drolly, “brother.”

“No more of this! No more of this, damn you!” he replies as his fingernails bruise the land where he’s still impaled.

“Klaus! Listen to me, please!”

Like a whip, Caroline’s voice cracks at the same moment gray rain begins to spit on top of them from stratus mouths. The wind gusts so hard it vibrates with staffs of yellow and blue and shatters all the remaining windows in the house. The space around them transforms into a whistling hellmouth of tension and grief, of anger and estrangement, and of terror too palpable to bear, in seconds.

And what’s worse, is that the worst of it all feels tragically possible now because Elijah’s all coup de force with shards of wood flying everywhere as his skewed morality and loyalty to the wrong family helps to move his feet like a rabid beast’s. Meanwhile, Caroline’s zooming forward through a fang-bared maze and cycloning storm with eyes that scream out, then pour into the beam stuck in Klaus’ back almost in elegy.

The inflamed blue of her eyes drenches his soul in any number of ways, because what if he can’t shatter this obstacle soon? What if he doesn’t…what if she…how can he not save her? How?

Leaping over Klaus’ arms at that moment, she flashes away with Elijah on her haunches. Then, without breaking stride, she reaches into her jacket pocket before she glances back at the prone Original long enough to demand for him to understand. Pleading for him to place faith and trust in what her words mean, “The jeans, Klaus! The freaking jeans!” she yells as she jets in front of him one last time.

“So wasteful,” Elijah says as he nearly hooks an arm around her neck in victory, “since those truly will be your last words this—”

Trip

Stab

Snap

He’s unconscious and face-first on the ground in seconds. A railing spoke from the porch jabbed between his two shoulder blades.

“I think not as much as you’ll regret being brought down by your own poor fashion choices. Compel yourself a tailor next time. I mean, really,” Caroline says over his body with a triumphant hum, cuffing up his baggy pant legs. She pops up from a crouch to take Klaus’ offered hand with a weak smile afterwards.

“That was inspired thinking on your part,” he says.

“Nah, not really. Legally Blonde obsession simply served me well today is all.”

“Elle Woods has nothing on you, love. Believe me.”

“Yeah, well, no way was your brother getting away with saying I talk too much. No man would. Besides,” she continues with a snort, “you did warn him not to underestimate me.”

“That I did.”

After they tie Elijah to a tree out of sight with the vervain chains in her trunk, intent on keeping him subdued until their non-Hollow’d reinforcements arrived to take him away, they amble back toward the house.

“Thanks for the tripping assist, by the way,” Caroline says.

Shrugging, Klaus slinks an arm around her waist like it belongs there, “It was the least I could do.”

“Come on, teamwork suits us. Don’t deny it,” she says with a bump of her hip.

“I’m not.”

“What’s wrong?” she asks suspiciously, her heightened senses on red alert again because of his abstract demeanor. “Is there another—”

“No,” he cuts in, his thumb hooking more firmly into her belt loop, “it’s nothing.”

Caroline rolls her eyes at his flat, disgruntled tone, at the way he sighs before disappearing into the enigmatic labyrinth of his mind where she can’t follow, so she stops them on a seared patch of sidewalk. Then crosses her arms.

“Look, I know me being the one to stab him wasn’t ideal,” she says, feeling his growing intensity, “but with the beam already starting to splinter in your back like that, I knew if I ran him close enough you’d be able to topple him so I could—”

Klaus shuts her up with a kiss.

The timing of it is bad. (Couldn’t be worse, really.) It’s totally inappropriate considering how fraught the past twenty minutes have been with the threat of magic and wolf-binding, with a rescue of innocents that’s succeeded but still reeks of flesh and bloodshed, of muck, and of family wreckage that will never be able to be repaired because it’s been ripped off the hinges. It’s burnt to shreds with a house and a barn that’s no longer standing upright.

There’s so much to discuss, too. There are so many decisions to be made about what to do next…

Hayley? Hope? Elijah? New Orleans?

Do they collect the girl’s ashes before they leave; and if so, in what? How will Hope react once she awakes? What all did Roman know about this? Can they find a witch/Marcel team to fix Elijah’s mind, or is it hopeless to try now that so much of him has been magically reconditioned? Should she call Bonnie, or would that cross some kind of line? And, like, could the sky stop weeping blood already because - Mikaelson curse or not - who the hell needs all this staining and stickiness on their designer clothes?

…And on and on and on the questions flow!

The biggest problem now, though, is that Klaus’ kiss is so hot and crushing with feeling that it’s halted the million-and-a-half thoughts buzzing through Caroline’s head which still need solving. She’s too distracted, too lost to the sweet but scraping taste of his tongue in her mouth.

He makes love to her lips in a way no one but an artist knows how. There’s an array of color, meticulousness, delicacy, and swooping claim to be laid down on her wherever she allows him to paint with his kisses. And before she knows it, before she can locate her sense of rationality long enough to steady her pulse again and stop this, her fingers are burying themselves into the curls at the nape of his neck to draw him closer, and closer; the giant butterfly flip in her stomach telling her only one thing:

Screw it. Let the questions wait for awhile.

So she does.

They do.