Rebekah had given Audrey some hope. More worry came with it, but it was there. She'd managed to find out what Marcel had done with Elijah, along with discover what his secret weapon was. It was a witch, one who was only a teenager, who held an amount of power she had never seen before. Enough to take away Rebekah's memory of where she and Elijah where. If the witch was that powerful, it was clear Marcel had placed Elijah with her for a reason, which is what scared the Gilbert girl. She didn't want anything to happen to him before they were able to find, which Klaus had finally agreed to help do. Knowing they were discussing a plan, Audrey made her way toward the study, pausing when she found Hayley. She was sat crossed legged on the floor, a leather bound journal open in front of her, reading through the pages curiously. 

   Audrey recognized the handwriting instantly. "What's that?"

   Hayley looked up at her. "Oh, it's a journal Elijah wrote." She answered. "I found when I was looking around. I thought it might explain things a bit more." She made a face. "It kind of just covers what I already know."

   Audrey grabbed the journal, closing it instead of reading for herself. She knew how Elijah felt about keeping these types of things private. "Come on." She nodded, placing the journal away on a shelf. "I don't know about you, but I want to know what plan the others came up with." 

   Hayley didn't argue, and the two girls made their way to the study, where they found Klaus and Rebekah bickering. The blonde Mikaelson pouted at her brother. "I cannot believe you disposed of those vampires without me. You know how I love to set things on fire!"

   Klaus smirked. "Was I supposed to leave them in the front yard to rot? Besides, they were my responsibility. They attacked the helpless pregnant girl who's carrying my child."

   Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Oh, I am so moved by your new-found sense of fatherly duties towards the werewolf carrying your hybrid bun in her oven."

   "The werewolf would like to know what the plan is." Hayley piped up, making the pair glance at the two girls. 

    "Yeah, as would I." Audrey said seriously. 

   Klaus smirked once again, wrapping an arm around Audrey's shoulder to pull her close. The Gilbert girl frowned, pushing his arm off her in distaste. He withheld the urge to sigh, and kept up his smirk. "Well, that depends what plan you mean, love-- my plan for global domination, or Rebekah's plan to find love in a cruel, cruel world?"

   Rebekah grabbed a pencil from the pot beside her, throwing it at her brother. Klaus looked amused, catching it with ease before it could hurt him. "The plan to rescue Elijah." Audrey gave him a flat look, snatching the pencil from his hands. "You know, your brother. The man I love who you stabbed in the back?"

   "And then placed in possession of your mortal enemy." Hayley added on. 

   "In the front, if we're being specific." He corrected in amusement.

   Both Hayley and Rebekah looked at Audrey at that, who was quickly made the smirk disappear from his face, as she stabbed the pencil into his arm. Klaus groaned, glaring at her as he yanked it out, ignoring the snickers coming from his sister. "You told Rebekah you would help us get him back, Klaus. That is the only reason I'm even talking to you right now." She snapped, not in the mood for games. "So is there a plan or not?" 

   He simply held his hands up. "Okay. Well, firstly, Marcel is not my mortal enemy-- he's my friend. Albeit one who is unaware that I'm trying to sabotage his hold over the supernatural community of the French Quarter, but a friend nonetheless." He corrected Hayley, who just gave him a blank look in return. "And secondly, I daggered Elijah in order to gain Marcel's trust. If I had known he would place my brother in the hands of a particularly nasty teenage witch, I certainly would have weighed my options a bit differently. And thirdly--" He turns to Rebekah and gestures for her to speak. "-- Sister, please."

   "And thirdly, the plan, as you have demanded, is for Niklaus to simply ask Marcel for Elijah back." Rebekah told them. 

   Hayley looked at them in disbelief. "That's...that's not the whole plan, is it?"

   Audrey shook her head knowingly, noticing the looks Klaus and Rebekah exchanged. "Oh, no, it's not." She told her.

   Rebekah gave Audrey a grin, scoffing at Hayley's skepticism. "Please! Klaus may be a miserable excuse for a sibling, but there is none more diabolical."

   Klaus nodded, taking that as a compliment. "That's only plan A, love. There's always a plan B."

   Hayley raised a brow at them. "And what's plan B?"

   "War."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   Of course, asking Marcel for Elijah back got the answer Klaus expected no. So, the group were moving on to plan B, which involved getting Sophie Deveraux to help them. Rebekah had managed to find them their way in, after discovering the witch who sold Hayley the wolfsbane, was in fact in love with one of Marcel's key daywalkers. But Sophie instantly refused when they told her the plan, after Rebekah forced her back to the plantation to talk. 

   "Are you out of your mind?" She looked at the two Originals and Audrey. "No way."

   "It's very simple." Rebekah told her. "We need you to perform a teeny, tiny locator spell to help us find our brother."

   "Witches who practice magic in this town get caught, then they get killed." The Deveraux witch scoffed, shaking her head. 

   Klaus hummed at that. "Yes, about that. It seems you left out a crucial detail when we made our deal-- Marcel's secret weapon, the way he knows when a witch is using magic..."

   "Girl about yea high, cute as button, anger issues?" Rebekah described, making Sophie look at her in disbelief.

   "Davina?" She asked quickly, a hint of hope in her eyes. "Where have you seen her?"

   "I don't the know." Rebekah answers, gesturing with her hands. "The little brat erased my memory right after she threw me out a window with her bloody mind."

   "Let me cut to the chase." Klaus cut in, taking a seat in an arm chair opposite the witch. "Davina has Elijah. You witches, I assume, want to get Davina away from Marcel. We don't know where she is. Ergo, we need magic."

   "Davina would sense it." Sophie pointed out.

   Rebekah nodded, but wasn't worried about this information. "Unless, of course, another witch—- say, a traitor to the cause, Katie for example—- was to perform much more powerful magic at the same time. That would create a smokescreen, concealing your very small spell from Davina."

   Sophie slowly shook her head, frowning. "Katie doesn't deserve to die."

   "And Elijah doesn't deserve to be held hostage by a volatile teenage witch either." Audrey shot back. "But here we are."

   Annoyed, Klaus slams his hands down on the coffee table, moving to sit directly in front of Sophie. "Sophie Deveraux! You're in no position to be so principled. You can't win a war without a few strategic losses, no matter how regrettable they may be. How many times have the vampires been one step ahead, known something they shouldn't? Your sister, executed in the public square for practicing magic-- who knew she'd be caught? Did she even attempt to flee?"

   A look realization fills Sophie's face, stunned as the information hits her. "...She was caught hiding in a cargo hold of a freighter before it set sail down the Mississippi."

   "And who, pray tell," Klaus pressed. "Of Marcel's valued inner circle--manages his business at the doc?"

   Sophie sighed as she looked down. "Katie's boyfriend, Thierry."

   Audrey just raised a brow at her. "So, about that locator spell?"

  Sophie was silent as she just nodded, before getting up to leave, leaving the three smiling victoriously. And in that moment, Audrey's hope grew, because they were that one step closer to getting Elijah back. The closest she'd been in four months. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   The night, Audrey stood in the cemetery with Sophie, the witch preparing for the locator spell as they waited for Rebekah. The plan was fully in motion, after Klaus ensured danger that Katie would want nothing more than to save Thierry from. Despite made at the young witch, now she knew the part she played in Jane-Anne getting caught, it was clear she still against getting one of her own killed. Laying a map outside one of the mausoleums, Sophie pushed to her feet and turned to look at Audrey, grasping a knife in her hand.

   "I need your blood." She stated, making Audrey raise a brow at her warily. The Deveraux witch rolled her eyes. "Look, you don't have to trust me, but I'm doing the spell. You're Elijah's soulmate, right? That makes you a direct link to him, just like Klaus and Rebekah. I can use your blood for the locator spell. With a strong link like that, it'll hopefully ensure it'll work in the time limit I'll have to get the spell done."

   With that information, Audrey no longer held any hesitation, holding her hand out to her. Sophie dragged the blade across her palm, making the Gilbert hiss slightly in pain. "What the bloody hell is going on?" Rebekah demanded, her eyes widening as she walked over to them.

   "It's fine." Audrey assured her. "It's to help the spell."

   "No it's not fine." Rebekah scoffed, as Sophie took the small bowl of Audrey's blood over to the map. "If you have even the smallest of scratch on you when Elijah gets back, hell will break loose." The blonde said knowingly, biting into her wrist and holding into Audrey's mouth, giving her no choice but to drink. "He's already going to be furious with Niklaus for snapping your neck. Let's not add anything else to the list." She narrowed her eyes on Sophie. "And if that blood is used for anything but this spel--"

   "Look." Sophie poured the blood directly onto the map, holding her hands up as formed into a small pool on the page. "That's it."

   Rebekah hummed in approval, pulling her wrist away once she saw the cut on Audrey was healed. "You're doing the right thing." She told Sophie. "It's the only way to find Elijah."

   "I'm doing I have to do." Sophie said, kneeling down in front of the map and closing her eyes, beginning to chant the incantation. 

   After a few moments, they see the blood beginning to move slowly in a line across the map, showing that the spell was working. "Hurry." Rebekah told her anxiously, knowing they didn't have long. 

   The blood continues to move across the map, until it stops, Sophie freezing as a look forms on her face. "Why are you stopping?" Audrey asked in disbelief. "Is it done?" 

   "No." The witch mumbled, shaking her head. "Something's wrong. Katie's magic stopped." She told the pair behind her. "I can keep going."

   "You can't." Rebekah reminded her. "She'll sense it."

   This information didn't seem to bother Sophie, as she closed her eyes to continue the spell. "No. I can find Davina. I just need another moment."

   And Audrey's hope faded, because she knew Sophie couldn't continue. They were so close, and something had gone wrong. "Sophie, you can't." She said quietly, trying yet failing to hide her disappointment.

   "Yes I can!" Sophie insisted. "Just give me a minute."

   Quickly moving forward, Rebekah ripped the map away from her, throwing it to the ground as she looked at her firmly. "You may be willing to die to get your witch back, but Hayley and the baby will die with you." Rebekah snapped at her. "Elijah will never forgive us. It's over. We failed." Taking a deep breath, Audrey stormed away toward the exit of the cemetery, kicking the crumpled map as she left. "Rey!" Rebekah rushed after her. "Rey, wait!" 

   "We had a plan!" She let out in frustration. "We had a good plan! It should have worked!"

   "I know." Rebekah sighed, grabbing hands gently to stop her moving. "I know. I'm just as upset as you are. We'll figure something else out, I promise." She let out a deep sigh. "But running of angry isn't going to solve anything." Audrey just sighed, nodding silently. "Come on, let's just go home. I think we could both do with a drink." 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

    When Rebekah and Audrey got back to the house, they both sat in the living room, Rebekah pressing random notes on the piano. Audrey sat on top if it, her fingers fidgeting with the charm of her necklace as she listened, neither of them in the mood to talk. The pair glance to the front door as it opens, watching as Klaus came into the join them, placing down his masquerade mask on the mantle.

   "Well, tonight was an epic failure." Rebekah sat up. 

   "On the contrary, sister." Klaus shook his head, a smirk twitching at his lips. "Tonight was a masterpiece." 

   Audrey gave him a flat look. "I think we have very definitions of the word masterpiece."

   Rebekah nodded as she pushed to her feet. "Audrey's right. Are you mad?" She scoffed. "Katie died before Sophie could complete the spell."

   "Oh, I'm well aware." Klaus nodded, unsurprised at the information. "I killed Katie."

   Audrey's head snapped up to look at him, the look on her face falling further than it already had. "You what?"

   "There's no way our little suicide witch wasn't gonna try and take out Marcel with her." He told them, shaking his head as he poured them each a drink. "I saved his life, and in doing so, I now have him exactly where I want him."

   Rebekah stared at her brother, appalled. "Sophie trusted you. I trusted you. Audrey trusted you. All against our better instincts."

   Klaus looked between them in offense. "Wake up, girls." He urged them. "The witches are on no one's side but their own. This girl, Davina? That's all they want, and when they have her, what do you think happens then, a truce? Of course not. They will use Davina's power against all of us."

   Rebekah crossed her arms against her chest. "Even if you're right, the plan was to find Elijah, and you've failed us."

   Klaus just gave her a cold look. "You always did lack faith." He told her. "By protecting Marcel, I've cemented his trust, so much so that he's agreed to return Elijah to us. And when the time is right, when he has told me everything I need to know about Davina, I will have her for myself."

   "That wasn't the damn plan!" Audrey snapped angrily, losing her temper with him. "The plan was just to rescue Elijah. We were so close, and you ruined it after promising to fix what you did." She shook her head, pushing herself off the piano and to her feet. "But now we're no closer to that than when we started. What, Klaus? You think Marcel is just going to keep his word?" She asked. "The whole reason Elijah is in this mess, is because Marcel wasn't happy about two Originals being in town. He won't just let Elijah go so there are three roaming his city." She looked down. "Rebekah's right, we shouldn't have trust you." She muttered, before walking out of the room. 

   "Audre--"

   "Don't bother, Nik." Rebekah cut him off, shaking her head. "She has every right to be angry with you. You know, she went against her own flesh and blood for this family. She's had faith in you when you've made me and Elijah want to give up, and all you've done is let her down instead of showing her it was worth it." She took a step closer to her brother. "I have all the faith in the world that you'll get what you want, Nik. You always do, no matter what is costs the rest of us. You disgust me." Taking a sip of her drink, she slammed it down on top of the piano, before storming out herself.

Klaus really isn't making things between him and Audrey better. He's going to have to do a lot to rebuild the trust he's broken with her, because Audrey isn't going to just forgive him for this. I'm enjoying the Audrey and Rebekah moments I'm writing, their friendship is always fun to write, and this is just bringing them closer together. 

Next chapter, we have the incident with the bayou baby doctor. I should have that posted later today or tomorrow, though tomorrow is looking more likely right now. 

I hope you all enjoyed!