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chapter eight ━ pipe dream

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❝ you're so naive ❞

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twenty votes and twenty comments for the next chapter!

SEEING ELIJAH IN such a state was painful to watch. Athena had tried to heal him with her blood, to only fail. Letting Thomas try wasn't even an option at that point because he and Athena were the same species despite her being a vampire. Her anger towards Hayley simmered a bit but she was still just as upset. Klaus had left, and probably wasn't going to return anytime soon. She didn't blame him. Both Elijah and Hayley thought that he would use his own child. Even Thomas knew that what they were thinking was wrong. Athena didn't blame her brother for lashing out. He just could've gone about it a different way.

But this didn't stop her from trying to make Elijah comfortable and occupied. He wouldn't die. However, there would still be hallucinations she was not ready for. Athena couldn't ever remember having to deal with a werewolf bite before, let alone a Hybrid one. While she tended to Elijah, Hayley sat outside reading a book she found about her family, and Thomas stood outside the front door, keeping watch.

Athena offered him the glass of water, pressing a hand on his forehead. "Here. Thomas got you some cold water." Elijah drank from it but then instantly started to gag and couch. She winced, seeing his pale complexion and the sweat that clung to his skin. He was absolutely miserable and she knew it. She only wished that her blood could've healed him.

"I'm sorry, sister," he whispered, grabbing onto her hand that lied on his side. She had been sitting beside him for the longest time, refusing to leave him alone.

She shook her head, letting her hair hit her shoulders. "You don't need to apologize. Just please do remind me to give Nik and piece of my mind once you're better."

He shifted on the bed, clutching her hand tighter. "Yes, remind me to remind you to get in line." Athena laughed quietly. She hadn't gotten the chance to talk to her older brother as of late and she regretted not doing it sooner. With everything going on with Klaus, the miracle baby, and Thomas, her life had done a complete three-sixty. It was almost like she forgot just how lucky she was to have her siblings back.

"Then do remind me to cut the line." Her smile made him smile back. Elijah started coughing again and she brushed his hair back out of his eyes. "I'm really sorry for being distant lately. With Thomas and—"

"You do not need to apologize. I understand how important he is to you." He coughed again, gasping for air. "Athena, please. This fever will make me unstable. And once the hallucinations begin, I'll start to see things. You must leave me here and take Hayley back home."

Athena gave him a look. "I'm not leaving you." Outside, Thomas caught the scent of a werewolf that was unfamiliar to him. He stood up from the chair he sat in and walked to the edge of the porch, staring out. Someone was out there and yet he didn't know where they were. The door opened and the female hybrid stepped out, seeing his state. She went over and gently put a hand on his shoulder, momentarily startling him. "Hey. You okay?"

Leaning closer to her, Thomas nodded. "Yeah." He moved towards her ear to make it look like he was placing an innocent kiss to her ear when in reality he was talking to her. "Someone's watching us." She moved away and looked out to see if she could catch the culprit. "How's Elijah?"

Turning back to him, she let her hand fall, making him pout slightly at the loss of contact. "The best he can be right now. He's getting closer to the hallucination part so we'll have to keep a close eye. Hayley's watching him right now." He nodded and looked away. Athena pursed her lip before saying, "You know, the only person who can give me my memories back is the witch who took them away. And that was Esther. She's very dead so my memories are lost."

"Why would you say that?" he asked, looking angry as his knuckles whitened from his grip on the porch pillar. "I know you'll never remember me. Don't need to bring it up."

Frowning, Athena explained, "Because I want you to understand why I'm so hesitant. I believe that we knew each other and I know we were close. It's just that I'm used to my siblings being there for me while everyone runs screaming. You being in my life now makes me think that you'll leave eventually, just like everyone else." She sighed, biting her lip. "That's why I'm careful around you. It's hard to believe that someone could care about me the way you do."

He felt guilty for ever getting angry. Taking a step toward her, his expression softened. "I'm sorry." Thomas reached out to her and took her hand, putting it against his chest. "Athena, look at me." She did so. "I'm sorry, okay? It's tough for me too. We had so many good memories together. So what if they're gone? We can make new ones. Just know that I do care about you and that I'll never leave." He bit back saying the three words she had probably only heard from her family. She wasn't ready for that yet. She didn't feel the same.

Athena nodded, hesitantly shuffling forward to be close to him. He watched her with a slightly sad smile, deciding to take the step for her. Thomas wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her. Setting his head on the top of her's, he looked out towards the trees to see a flicker of blonde hair. Just when the brunette relaxed, she felt him stiffen. Removing her head from his chest, she looked up at him through her dark lashes with a concerned expression. He was looking off in the distance.

"Thomas?" She followed his gaze to see the blonde female hiding in the woods, watching them. Athena let him go and stepped forward off the porch. "Hey!" The werewolf jumped up and ran off. "Hey!" Right before she was about to follow her, Thomas held her back. 

Hayley opened the door with her eyes full of worry. "What's going on?"

"I think we just met a werewolf." Turning back, she looked at the pregnant wolf. "Go back to Elijah, watch him. We'll see if she comes back." Hayley nodded in defeat, knowing that the Nyx was still pissed at her.

The redheaded werewolf met her down at the lawn. "Who do you think she was?"

Athena sighed lowly. "I'm guessing that she's the one who put the Bible on the doorstep. What I don't understand is why she's watching us." When she turned, he was giving her an odd look she'd never seen before. "What?"

He smiled at her. "Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you back." Thomas thought back to when they would spend their time together, walking around in the woods, talking and laughing. Occasionally he would stop and pick her up, giving her a piggyback ride the rest of the way until they came to a stop. Moments like those he didn't want to ever forget.

In response, she ducked her head shyly. "I am sorry, you know? If there was any way I could remember you, I'd do it in a heartbeat." He went over to her, placing a hand on her cheek fondly. She smiled slightly at the contact, moving her head into his hand. "Thomas—"

"Niklaus! I'll kill you, you bastard."

Elijah's voice rang loudly through the cabin and the two split apart, instantly rushing inside. Hayley was being pinned to the wall, the noble brother choking her. Athena flashed to him and snapped his neck. The werewolf gasped for air, not moving from the wall. Suddenly, someone came rushing into the cabin with them. It was the wolf.

Thomas moved towards the girls in a protective manner. His Nyx eyes glowed. "Who are you? Why are you watching us?"

"Why don't we talk outside?" she offered, gesturing to the door that led to the porch. Before they followed after her, Athena gave Thomas a wary look. Her violet eyes flashed back at his electric blue ones as they exited the cabin to follow after the wolf.

They all sat down in chairs they gathered. Thomas had set up a campfire before sitting next to his mate. Hayley shifted in her seat as they watched the unknown female werewolf sit near them. She smiled comfortingly at them. "I'm sure you got questions."

"Only a thousand of them," Hayley replied. "Like who are you? Why are you following us? Where the hell is everyone? And, if the people in this book really are my family, what happened to them?"

Athena breathed in the smell of the burning wood. It reminded her of the fires that were set during the celebrations back in her village. Those were the simple days. Often she thought about what things might have been if Esther hadn't ruined them. Would she have stayed a future witch? Would she have activated her curse? But then she wouldn't have ever met Thomas. That would've been a huge shame.

"I'm Eve. I'm following you because you brought an Original to Werewolf Country, which is pretty much the same reason why everybody else skedaddled. But also because the Queen and King of the werewolves are in our midst." She looked at the said two and bowed her head down. "It is truly an honor to meet the two of you." They both just nodded, not really knowing what to say. Eve switched her attention back to Hayley. "If you wanna know what happened to the people in that family tree, I'll sum it up nice and quick: Marcel happened."

Thomas scoffed, leaning back in his chair. "Well, that is certainly surprising. Did he kill them?"

Eve nodded. "Most of them. Later, the descendants of the ones who dodged death, he strong-armed a witch into putting a curse on them."

Hayley and Athena looked horrified. Thomas's eyebrows furrowed. He had already known this. "Yeah, Marcel told me actually. Thought he was just lying to piss me off. " It was the truth. Anything the so-called king said, he ignored. After all, all he wanted was to rule the city without anyone lashing out. With him being there, Marcel was worried that the wolves would get cocky and would kill his guys because the king of werewolves had arrived. Marcel wanted to make sure that didn't happen. He didn't give a damn about Thomas.

"What kind of curse?" Athena asked curious, leaning forward like a child listening to a bedtime story.

Eve looked down with a sad look. "Swap nature around, inside out. Made it so their natural state is wolves. They only turn back human on the full moon. We're hunted by the marks we carry." She looked back up and pointed at Hayley's shoulder. "That crescent moon birthmark — that's why I got rid of mine. I didn't wanna get found up."

Athena smiled sympathetically. "That was brave of you."

The wolf smiled back at her and footsteps approached. Elijah walked up to them, seeing the scene before him. "Good evening." Always so polite. Hayley's lips twitched at the corners while Athena smiled wide.

"You okay, 'Lijah?" his sister questioned, standing up.

Elijah nodded. "Yes. The wound is healed, the fever is broken, but for some strange reason, I have this sharp and lingering sensation in my neck." She gave him a look, shoving him playfully while her smile stayed in place. Man, she really did miss being around him. It was the moments like this that she cherished. Elijah being funny was not usual but was humorous to witness.

Hayley turned to Eve. "We have to get him home. But I'll be back, okay? I need to know more."

"Keep that mark covered up," Eve told her. She looked back at the two rulers, bowing her head down again before walking off into the woods again. They watched her leave and both Hayley and Thomas stood up.

The noble brother looked at them questioningly. "What happened?"

"Hayley just met a part of her family," Thomas replied.

———

Why wasn't she surprised to walk into the mansion to see Klaus and Rebekah arguing? Hayley had stayed outside on the front porch steps along with Thomas while Athena and Elijah went inside to talk to their two siblings. It was pretty heated from the looks of it. But then again, most of the disagreements held by their family were. She hadn't been too sure what they were yelling at each other for. However, part of her confusion was answered when Rebekah saw them and said, "Elijah's home along with our dear sweet sister. There's only one dagger. Which one of us will you be punishing today?"

"I contemplated a game of eenie-meenie-miney-moe," Klaus responded, looking rather angry and upset. Athena still was confused because she hadn't a clue what was happening and neither did Elijah. "You betrayed me. My own sister!"

Elijah stepped forward in an attempt to ease the chaos. "Niklaus, don't you dare!"

Klaus turned the dagger on him next, pointing it fiercely. "Perhaps it should be you, brother! Stealing my child away with every fawning moment of tenderness you show to Hayley!" He pointed it at Athena. "Or maybe it should be you, sister. Because you have fallen just like Elijah has. You hang on Thomas's every word like a dog."

She couldn't help but scoff. "Really? I was the one who stuck up for you, Nik. And besides, what does Hayley or Thomas have to do with any of this?"

"It has everything to do with them!" They all went quiet as they listened to him. Tears reached his eyes. "Hayley has adored Elijah since she arrived." He looked at him. "And now my child, my blood, will grow up to call you father!" He looked back at Athena. "And you. I searched for you for a thousand years. Back in Mystic Falls, you stayed with me no matter what. Now you have found someone so you don't need me anymore."

Rebekah finally said something after her silence. "Is that what it is? You are once again worried that you will be left behind? Has history taught you nothing? We don't abandon you, Nik, you drive us away!"

Athena didn't like any of this. She knew he had a point though. The moment she laid eyes on Thomas, she clung to him because she was so worried he'd vanish into thin air much like any shred of happiness she had. And because of it, she had betrayed her own blood. Her guilt ran strong through her veins.

"Is that so?" Klaus mocked. "What have I done lately, other than cooperate? I bow down to you, brother, to make up for daggering you. For the greater good of our plan to reclaim our home. Looked the other way, sister, while you repeat the same cycle with Marcel. Falling again for a man you shouldn't be with, while he controls the empire that we built! That he took! Let you go make your own choices, Athena as you find your soulmate. Now, I make no excuses for past sins. But in the one moment when you two could have chosen to stand by me — to believe in me, to believe my intentions for my own child were pure — you chose to stand against me, to side with my enemies. Yes, Athena, you believed me. But you still went behind my back."

They all frowned, now understanding his point of view. They had hurt him and they knew it. Klaus continued on, drawing in a sigh. "I wanted our home back. Now I have it. So, I'm going to live there. And the three of you... you can stay here together and rot."

He passed by the, shoving the dagger angrily into Elijah's hand. Klaus left and they all stood there guiltily. They vaguely heard Hayley leaving with the hybrid, the voice of Thomas reminding him that Athena was on Klaus's side and she believed him. And then he added that all the girl wanted was to be happy. They all did. But Klaus denied him out of his own anger and left.

Athena looked at her siblings with regret pooling in her eyes. "Well we've definitely done it, haven't we?" She didn't even give them the time to answer before she stormed out of the room. Why was she so stupid? How could she do this to Klaus? And to think that just maybe when all of this with Marcel blew over that she could finally be happy. What a pipe dream.

———

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