In the newly reclaimed Mikaelson compound, Audrey sat on the small balcony attached to her bedroom, her phone pressed against her ear. After her breakup with Elijah, Audrey had been lucky in not having to stay at the plantation with him, Klaus forcing her and Hayley to join him in the Quarter. He'd exiled Elijah and Rebekah to the plantation, mad at both of them for different reasons, but didn't give the two girls a choice in where they'd remain. The Gilbert girl was surprised he'd made her join him, but from the look on his face, she quickly realized he must of heard what happened with Elijah. The moment he saw her sat with Hayley on the porch, her eyes red from crying, any fight between them was instantly tabled. 

   She wasn't sure if it was because he cared, or he felt guilty in the role he played in it, but she was grateful for the chance to escape. She didn't talk to him and Hayley that evening, locking herself away in her room the second she was given one, wanting time alone with her thoughts. If she was honest, she wasn't exactly sure what she was feeling anymore. All her feelings had morphed into a numb sensation, but it didn't stop the tears that had been falling on and off. 

   "Seriously?!" Caroline's angered voice snapped, after hearing what had happened. When Audrey woke up the next morning, she made her way out onto the balcony to call Caroline, feeling the need to talk to her more than ever. "I swear, I will come down there and kick his ass. I don't that he's an original."

   The Gilbert girl sighed, rubbing her face tiredly. She'd barely slept that night, despite how much she felt the need to. "I doubt it would do any good." She muttered. "He won't change his mind. Trust me, I tried."

   "Do you need me to come down there?" The Forbes girl asked. "I will. I don't mind missing a couple days of classes. Or you can come here."

   "No, it's okay." She assured her. "I don't want you to fall behind for me, Care. And I don't think me coming there will help much. As much as I love you, I can't handle dealing with everyone else. Especially now."

   "Well, you wouldn't have to." Caroline mused. "We could get you enrolled in Whitmore, I could compel us our own dorm. You wouldn't have to deal with anyone if you don't want to. I happen to make a very good buffer." 

   "Really, I'll be fine." Audrey told her, leaning her head back against the railing. "I'll figure out what I'm going to do. I think Klaus and Rebekah will pitch a fit if I try to leave, breakup or no breakup."

   "Alright." The blonde gave in, a reluctant tone to her voice. "But if you change your mind, you know the offer is always open. Just say the word." Things went silent between them for a moment. "Hey, do you remember the pact we made when we were thirteen? When I was mad at Peter Black for breaking up with me?"

   For the first time since the breakup, a small smile twitched onto Audrey's lips. "Which one?" She asked with a small laugh. "The one were you had me promise to help kill him if he started dating anyone else too soon?" 

   "No." Caroline giggled, and Audrey could imagine the grin on her face. "The other one. That if boys continued to be what they are, unbelievably dumb, we'd just marry each other when we were old enough?"

   Audrey chuckled at the memory. They were only in eighth grade when it happened, when Caroline was dumped by her first semi-serious boyfriend. She'd get over it eventually, but when it happened, Audrey spent the whole day at her side. She consoled her the best she could, and convinced her mom to let Caroline stay over that night, which led to the pact being made while they watched a movie. If boys continued to be unbelievably dumb, and kept breaking their hearts, they'd just marry each other when they were old enough. In the moment, they were very serious about the idea, and began to plan this imaginary future. From the jobs they'd have, to the house they'd live in, to what pets they'd want. Caroline even started discussing the names of the children they'd adopt, which made Audrey giggle. Now they were older, whenever they were upset over a guy, they'd remind each other of the pact to make it easy. 

   Up until now, Audrey had been the one using it to comfort Caroline, and was surprised how much it always seemed to help her. Now she understood, as in that moment, the numb feeling disappeared. "Depends." She teased. "Have you changed your mind about getting a cat over a dog?"

   "Fine." Caroline huffed playfully. "Only if you give in to giving me full control of the home decor." 

   "Deal." Audrey gave a small smile, biting her lip. "Thank you." She said softly.

   "I'm always here for you." Caroline told her wholeheartedly. "I need to get to class, but call if you need anything, okay?"

   "I promise." Audrey said, muttering a goodbye before she hung up. 

   Slipping her phone into her pocket, Audrey made no move to go back inside, and sat looking out at the busy street below. With the conversation fresh in her mind, the numb feeling stayed away for a while, at least. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   Downstairs, Hayley quietly makes her way through the courtyard toward the side door, in an attempt to sneak out into the Quarter. Pausing in her tracks, looks around to make sure no one was watching her, Diego appearing in front of her as she tries to go ahead. 

   The vampire looked at her, unimpressed as he raised a brow. "Going somewhere?"

   Before she can say anything, Elijah appeared behind him, throwing Diego into a wall and breaking his neck. The Marshall girl breathed out in relief, though looked at the Original with a slight glare. She had tried to convince Audrey to sneak out with her, knowing if she knew the wolf situation Klaus had caused, Audrey would more than likely be willing to help. But despite her efforts, she was unable to coax the Gilbert girl out of her bedroom. It hurt to see Audrey in the state she was in, knowing there wasn't much that she could do to make it better. 

   Hayley crossed her arms over her chest, biting her tongue to not snap at him like she wanted to. "Elijah, you shouldn't be here. Klaus has his guys watching me."

   Elijah simply shrugged, his eyes glancing behind like he was looking for someone else, disappointment appearing when it became clear she was alone. "I wouldn't worry about them." Rebekah appears at that moment, snapping the necks of two vampires hidden around the corner, before walking toward them. "Come, we mustn't linger. We'll get you someplace safe." He paused a moment, debating if to ask or not. "Where is Audrey? She is coming too."

   Hayley clenched her jaw slightly at his mention of Audrey, an action that didn't go unnoticed by him or Rebekah. But once again, Hayley bit her tongue. "No, you don't have to worry about us. We're fine. We've been deemed under the protection of the almighty Klaus." She rolled her eyes, before shaking her head. "It's the wolves who need help. He ordered a wolf hunt as some jacked-up peace offering to Marcel's crew. You have to help them."

   Rebekah gave her an incredulous look. "Out in the bayou? Do we look like a bloody vampire rescue squad?" She scoffed. "I think you should be grateful we came to save you! Now, where the bloody hell is Rey so we can leave?"

   Hayley ignored the question, giving her a pleading look. "Listen. Rebekah. All my life, I've wanted to know who my real family was, and just as I find out that they're out there in the Bayou, Klaus orders them killed. You wanna help me? Help my people. Please." 

   Rebekah huffed in annoyance, seeing the look Elijah's face, knowing this meant they didn't have a choice in helping. The oldest of the two siblings looked at Hayley, raising a brow. "How is she?" 

   "How do you think?" She shot back. "She's miserable. I can't get her to come out of her room, and neither can Klaus."

   Rebekah made a face, looking between the pair in confusion. "Am I missing something?"

   "You don't know?" Hayley looked at her. "Elijah broke up with Audrey yesterday."

   Rebekah's eyes widen in disbelief, turning to her older brother, who quickly avoids her eyes. "You did what?" She demands. "No wonder she willing left with Nik! What the hell were you thinking, Elijah?" She shook her head. "No, never mind. Clearly, you weren't."

   "Hayley, can you t--"

   "I'm not telling her anything." Hayley quickly shook her head, cutting Elijah off. "You need to talk to her and fix this yourself. Do before there is nothing left to fix." With that, the Marshall wolf turned on her heel and walked back into the compound, leaving Rebekah glaring at her brother. 

   "Well, let's go save Hayley's litter mates." Rebekah crossed her arms over chest, giving him a look as he finally looked at her. "We can discuss your poor decision making as we do so." She walks ahead, and Elijah sighs and glances around the compound a moment, before he follows her out. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   Audrey eventually ventured out of her room later in the day, knowing that she needed to eat something, despite how appealing it sounded to curl up in bed. Making her way along the walkway, she paused as she found herself outside the living, leaning in the doorway when she saw Hayley approaching Klaus. After hearing about the wolf hunt he ordered, she knew their interactions were going to be far from pleasant, and someone needed to stop things from possibly getting out of hand. 

   "Those werewolves you ordered killed, that's my family." Hayley pointed out to him. 

   "Not for long, love. I mean, this so called family of yours, they haven't done you much good, have they?" Hayley avoids his gaze. "You said it yourself-- they abandoned you and left you on your own. Now it's simply your turn to do the same."

   "Maybe they had their reasons." She shot back.

   Klaus closes the book in his hands angrily, rising to his feet. "Yes, well, I have reason too, little wolf. If the werewolves are dead, then the vampires have less desire to kill you. I am trying to keep you safe. Not that you appreciate the effort."

   "And as soon as I have this baby, what happens to me then?" She asks, and Klaus avoids her gaze this time, a look of guilt on his face. The silence makes his answer clear, causing her to nod, swallowing with an anxious look. "Right... Well, lucky for me, I have a little while before I find out." She smirks bitterly. "And, in the meantime, I will find a way to pay you back for this. As long as I'm in the family, you can't do a damn thing about it."

   Turning around, Hayley walked out, barely able to give Audrey a forced smile as she left. Klaus watched her go silently, locking eyes with Audrey. "If you're about to give me a lecture o--"

   "I don't have a lecture in me." Audrey cut him off, moving from the doorway to the couch where he was sat. "If you were expecting a lecture, you already know what you did wrong. Which means you know how to fix it."

   Sitting back down beside her, Klaus frowned. "I expected to be scolded."

   "Yeah, well..." She shrugged. "Expect the unexpected, I guess."

   His frown got deeper as he looked at her, and sighed. "Are you ready to talk about what happened?"

   "There's nothing to talk about." Audrey shrugged once more, her eyes focused on the sleeve of her shirt, her fingers picking at a loose thread. "He broke up with me because he thinks it's for the best."

   "But what brought him to that concl--"

   "Celeste."

   Klaus went silent at that, unable to hide the look of guilt that formed on his face. "Oh." Was all he managed. 

   "Celeste, plus the amount of times I've died already..." She trailed off with a sigh. "He gave up." Her voice cracked slightly, but Audrey very quickly wiped at her eyes, stopping the tears before they could fall. "Caroline suggested I go join her at Whitmore." 

   "Are you going to?" He raised a brow.

   "No." The Gilbert girl shook her head. "I don't think so, at least. I don't really know what my place here is anymore, but I know I won't find a place there."

   "You're family." The Original hybrid told her firmly, giving her a look as their eyes met. "Your place is here, with all of us." Reaching out, he placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly. "Elijah will come around, I'm sure of it. But you belong with us still just as much as you did before." He bit his lip. "Audrey, I am sorry. For snapping your neck, for taking him away from you like I did. It was...it was wrong of me. I need you to know, as much of a backstabbing wanker as I can be," He began, and she was unable to form a small smile at his words, remembering hearing Rebekah yell that at him. "I'd never truly do anything that would risk taking you away from this family, from Elijah. I do care about you."

   Audrey nodded, her smile not fading. For the first time since the summer began, she didn't feel mad at him for what he did. "I know." She nodded. "And I forgive you, Nik. It's just going to take time for me trust you again, alright?" As he nodded, she took this as her turn to offer an apology. "About what was said in the bayou, the accusations about the baby, about what Tyler said about using me...he was wrong. We were wrong to even consider what he said to be true. I know your intentions are pure."

   "Thank you." He said softly. After a moment, he squeezed her shoulder once more, before getting to his feet. "There's something I have to do. Eat, look around. Just don't hide away in your room again." He told her. "I think the little wolf was coming close to kicking the door in."

   "I'll bare that in mind." She hummed as he left. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   "Haven't you had your fill of telling me all the ways I've disappointed you, Elijah?"

   Klaus paused in his tracks as he went to go upstairs that evening, glancing at where he spotted his brother lingering. Elijah walked closer. "Well, there is something important we neglected to discuss. I accused you of having ulterior motives regarding the child and Audrey. I was wrong. I'm sorry."

   Klaus nodded as he took that in. "I imagine that must have been hard for you to say."

   The eldest of the pair sighed. "You don't make it easy to love you, brother."

   "And yet, you're obstinate in your desire to do so. When you're ready, should you be so inclined, both you and Rebekah are welcome to join me here. It is, after all, our family home." He went to continue upstairs, but paused again, looking at his brother. "Her room is next door to Hayley's. Talk to her, Elijah. Whatever happened, put it right." He encouraged, giving him an honest look. "She isn't Celeste." Was all he said, before he left him alone to consider those words. 

   And with those words lingering in his mind, Elijah made his way upstairs, heading in the direction of Audrey's room. He paused as a figure appeared, coming out of Hayley's room, and they paused when they saw him. Audrey and Elijah looked at one another, both with a million things they wanted to say, but neither of them making a move to say any of them. Taking his silence as a sign nothing had changed, Audrey just nodded and looked down, going into her room and locking the door behind her. 

   Closing his eyes with a deep sigh, Elijah moved in front of the door, debating if to knock or not. For a moment, he simply rested the palm of his hand flat against the wood, before he left like he was never there to begin with. Completely unaware that while time, Audrey hand her pressed flat against her side of the wooden door, her other hand lingering over the lock as she suffered the same debate inside that he did. 

Yeah...I hate putting them through pain.

Right now, Elijah is just doing his best to keep her safe, and they're failing at communicating what they actually want. It's a mess. I have began to mend things between Klaus and Audrey, their conversation a step in the right direction. She deserved a genuine apology, which now she has, that trust can be built back up. 

Also, to apologize for the pain I caused last chapter, Caroline had an appearance! It was just a phone call, but after that, Audrey needed her best friend. Even living in completely different places, those two are always going to be there for one another. 

If I get it finished, I may update again today. But next chapter is the Casket Girls, and I'm not sure yet how long that will end up being. So no promises, but if it isn't up today, expect it later tomorrow, Thursday at the latest. 

I hope you all enjoyed!