Audrey Gilbert has experienced a lot of pain in her life. She what the pain of dying was like, she knew the pain of losing a loved one, but this was different to all of that. In the nine months leading up to this moment, Audrey could only guess what giving birth would feel like, and it was a lot more agonizing then all the books had made it out to be. She laid on the bed in her and Elijah's old room in the compound, as a compelled doctor coached her through the process, breathing heavily as she gripped tightly onto Elijah's hand. He hadn't left her side for a moment, and he was trying hide to the pain he felt seeing her in pain like she was. Each contractions, he let her squeeze her hand as tightly as she needed to, not even flinching. He rubbed her arms and stroked her hair from her face, kissing her temple and constantly reminding her strong she was, how well she was doing through all of this. 

   Soon enough, the doctor announced it was time to push, and Audrey felt relieved and scared at the same time. Swallowing the down the lump in her throat, the second the latest contraction hit her, she started to push with all her might. "That's it, my love." Elijah whispered as stroked her hair from her face, kissing her temple. "You're doing great."

   "Mm." Audrey moaned as she stopped, slowly beginning to shake her head. "Elijah, I can't. I don't think I can do this."

   "You can." He spoke knowingly, tilting her chin so that their eyes met. "Yes, you can, Audrey. I know you can. You are the bravest woman I have ever met. There is no one more capable of bringing our child into this world."

   Audrey felt tears build up in her eyes. "I'm scared." She whispered. "Dahlia..."

   "We won't let that happen." He swore, resting his forehead against hers. "We will take care of it, I give you my word." Elijah promised with love and determination in her voice. "No one is going to take our child away from us, but you need to do this, my love. It's time."

   The Gilbert girl took a deep breath, some tears falling down her cheeks as she gazed at him, a mixture of emotions in her eyes. Despite the pain and everything else she was feeling in that moment, a small and weak smile twitched onto her lips. "I love you." 

   "I love you." He kissed her shortly, before giving her a nod.

   Taking a deep breath, Audrey began to push again, squeezing her eyes shut as she just focused on the task at hand. After what felt like a lifetime, a small cry filled the air, and Audrey let out a breath as she rested her head back against the pillow. The new parents watched as the doctor cleaned the crying baby up carefully, before wrapping them up and placing them into Audrey's hands. "Congratulations." She smiled at the couple. "You have a beautiful baby girl."

   Audrey felt more tears fall, as she looked down at the small baby in her arms, who fuzzed and cried slightly at all her new surroundings. "Oh, hi there." Her voice barely came out above a whisper, staring at her daughter in awe. "Hi, little one." She swayed her gently in her arms, her smiling growing as the little girl slowly began to calm down. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

   Elijah perched himself on the edge of the bed beside Audrey, and looked stunned. For a thousand years, he had come to terms with the fact he'd never be able to have this. Have a child and start a family, it just wasn't possible. Now his own flesh and blood laid in the arms of his love, and he didn't think he'd ever felt as happy as he did in this moment. "She's perfect." He said quietly, his eyes not once leaving their daughter. "Hi there, sweetheart." He said, his finger stroking the top of her little hand.

   At his touch, the little girl blinked open her eyes, squinting slightly as she got used to the light. She gazed up at her parents in awe and wonder, gurgling and cooing, making both their smiles grow more than they already had. Her little hand wrapped itself around his finger, before she contently closed her eyes again, making his heart fill an intense love he'd never felt before. Seeing the look on his face, Audrey kissed their daughters forehead before carefully passing her into Elijah's arms, who made no attempt to remove his finger from her grasp. 

   "She needs a name." Audrey finally spoke, keeping her voice gently as to not disturb her. Elijah glanced up to look at her, his face softening even more as he saw the way she gazed at their child. "But as I look at her, I don't even know where to start."

   Elijah looked from her back to their daughter, a thoughtful look appearing on his face. "Mira." He said after a moment, and instantly felt Audrey's eyes on him. "The nickname you told your father had for your mother." 

   "Mira." Audrey said, slowly nodding as she tested the name. "I love it." She agreed wholeheartedly. "Mira Mikaelson." 

   "Mira Rey Mikaelson." Elijah nodded softly, pressing a kiss on their daughters forehead as he spoke. "Welcome to the world, little one."

   Despite the threat that still loomed over their heads, Audrey and Elijah forgot about it as they just took in this moment. As despite what was going on, there was nothing that could ruin this moment for them, where everything felt content and complete.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

   Mira's arrival into the world had brought some light into their current darkness, but the bubble for the new family of three wasn't able to last forever, as Elijah had no choice but to leave with Freya to discuss the plan. He was rather reluctant to leave Audrey or Mira's side, but he knew the only way Mira would be truly safe was if they killed Dahlia. The mother and daughter didn't remain in the compound long, when Marcel arrived early that morning, escorting them and Rebekah across the river back to St. James Infirmary. 

   An act Rebekah was far from impressed about. "I won't stand for this chauvinism!" She protested in distaste, as Marcel had to drag her inside. 

   Marcel rolled his eyes, directing her toward the bar and into one of the empty seats. "It used to be called chivalry, and back then, you liked it just fine!" He shot back, as he moved behind the bar to grab a bottle of alcohol. 

   "Can you two keep it down? She's going to sleep." Audrey gave them a look, as she carefully lifted a fussing Mira out of her stroller. "It's okay, sweetheart." She whispered, kissing her forehead as she swayed her gently. 

   Rebekah sighed in guilt, moving from her seat and moving closer to them. "I'm sorry, baby." She told her niece gently, stroking her hand across her head affectionately. "Auntie Bex didn't mean to wake you." She spoke softly, before turning and giving Marcel a look, keeping her voice much lover this time. "Look, I am not sitting out this fight in some musty club."

   "This "musty club" is the only place in the city where magic can't hurt you." The Gerard man pointed out, pouring her a drink. "And, it has the best bourbon."

   The Mikaelson witch gave him a serious look. "Elijah needs me."

   "Elijah can't worry about you and keep Mira and Hope safe." He shoved the drink in front of her. "We discussed it."

   Rebekah's stubborn attitude didn't change, as she simply pushed the drink aside. "You'll have to kill me to keep me here."

   Audrey sighed as she started to walk away, and continued to focus on her daughter, who let out a small yawn as she rested her head against Audrey's shoulder. A smile twitched on her lips, kissing the top of her head and swayed her steadily as she began to dose off once again. "Hey!" Marcel quickly grabbed Rebekah's wrist and pulled her back toward him. "Thanks to Eva Sinclair, you are linked to eight teenage witches, remember?" He pointed out, earning a sigh of annoyance as Rebekah realized his point. "If you get hurt, so do they-- including Davina. I know you don't want that."

   The Mikaelson woman sighed in defeat and frustration. "I can't live like a porcelain doll, and I have no clue who to undo the damn spell."

   Suddenly, Vincent is dragged into the club by one of Marcel's vampires and is shoved toward the Gerard man when he tries to resist. "That's why he's here." Marcel told her.

   "Whoa!" Vincent stood straight, giving Marcel as look as he dismisses the vampire. "You could have just sent me a text."

   "Well, Marcel's in a very kidnap-y mood this morning." Rebekah mused bitterly as she walked toward him. "But, since you're here-- unlink me. I've got a thousand places I'd rather be."

   The Griffith witch gave her an overwhelmed expression. "Whoa. This kind of dark magic?" He pause and sighs as he leaned against the bar. "It's tricky, alright? I can reverse engineer Eva's work, but it's gonna take some time." He gave her a pointed look. "And you're gonna have to do your own magic."

   Marcel rolled his eyes. "She's not exactly a pro."

   "Well, she is exactly in the host body of the witch that's at the center of the link." He shot back and looked at them all firmly. "Besides, I've done my last bit of magic. Now, I wanna help the kids, but after that? I'm done. No more witch business."

   "Fine." Marcel smiled mockingly. "Get it done." He turned to Rebekah. "I'll touch base later." He nodded and then looked at Audrey. "Stay here until Elijah says otherwise, alright?"

   Audrey just nodded, as she carefully place Mira down in her stroller, making sure not to wake her. "We're not going anywhere." She promised.

   As Marcel turns to leave, Vincent raises his voice and calls after him as he goes. "And when we're done?" He gestures his hands between himself and Marcel. "We're all done! I'm not your witch for hire!" He emphasizes firmly, and Marcel just sent him a small smile before he turned and walked out of the club.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   As Vincent stood working out what was needed to break Rebekah's link to the teenage witches, Audrey kept herself busy looking after Mira, who was still sleeping peacefully in her stroller. Pulling a chain bracelet from her pocket, Audrey carefully wrapped it around Mira's wrist and fastened it, knowing it was best she wore it in case anything went wrong. Before they left for the bayou, Jackson had given Audrey one of the anti-magic bracelets Aiden had gotten Davina to make, so that they could cloak the baby from Dahlia when the birth happened. She knew now Mira was born, Audrey knew Dahlia would be able to sense her magic just like she did Hope's, and use it to track her when her deadline finally passed. 

   If the bracelet was a way to at least slow her down, the Gilbert girl was going to ensure Mira wore it. 

 Rebekah huffed out a bored sigh, smiling lovingly as she glanced at her niece, before she moved a box of records onto the bar. "What good's a jazz club without any bloody jazz?" She grumbled, sorting through them boredly. 

   Vincent dropped the pen in his hand in frustration and gestures to the open books in front of him. "Do you mind?" He snapped at her, causing both Rebekah and Audrey to look at him in surprise. "I'm trying to reverse a very complicated sacrifice spell, and you whining about jazz is not helping me!"

   "I'm afraid we have more pressing concerns." Elijah announced as he walked inside, placing a file box down on top of the bar. Cami followed in behind him, looking rather unhappy, but he paid her no attention as he kissed Audrey's forehead and glanced at the stroller. "How is she?"

   "Fine." She assured him. "She's just been sleeping."

   Rebekah rose a brow at the box, as Elijah pressed a light kiss on his daughter's forehead, being careful not to disturb her. "What's all this?"

   "Dark objects." Cami answered, crossing her arms over her chest. "Because apparently, now I'm a dispensary."

   "It appears Niklaus' distrust of Freya was not entirely misplaced." Elijah informed his sister. "Our sister wants to use Mira and Hope to lure Dahlia into a trap."

   Audrey's eyes widened in disbelief, before she scoffed angrily. "No way in hell!"

   "Too bloody right!" Rebekah agreed quickly, giving her brother an incredulous look. "I assume you told her she's out of her lunatic mind?"

   Elijah nodded, looking between the two calmly. "I have another idea. Mira and Hope are something of a beacon for this new terror." His eyes caught sight of the bracelet on Mira's wrist, looking relieved. "But, now they've been cloaked, perhaps we can use something else to ensnare Dahlia." Vincent gathers up his things and begins to leave as Elijah holds up the box of dark objects. "These enchanted objects should generate enough power to create a decoy of some kind." He noticed Vincent inching toward the exit and turned to him. "Mr. Griffith? Where do you think you're going?"

   "I agreed to help Rebekah break her bond wit them kids." He pointed to the Mikaelson witch. "You wanna get back to that?" He holds up his phone and waved it. "Text me."

   As he goes to leave once again, Elijah rushes and blocks his path, earning a nervous look and sigh of frustration from the Griffith man. "Right now, I need the best minds and the most formidable witches in this city. Mr. Griffith, do you have any idea the danger my daughter and niece now face?"

   "I wish them well. I really do." Vincent told him, exasperated. "But, I'm done with magic. This ain't my fight."

   "My love, could you--" He didn't need to finish, Audrey immediately turning Mira's stroller to face away from her father. "Thank you." He nodded before grabbing Vincent by the throat, lifting him and pinning him against the wall.

   "Elijah, it's not worth it!" Cami shouted worriedly as Vincent choked loudly. "I'll get Davina. I'm sure she'll be happy to help."

   Elijah glanced at her before reluctantly dropping Vincent to his feet. Clearing his throat and catching his breath, Vincent shakes his head and quickly hurried out of the bar, leaving Elijah to looked toward Rebekah and Cami. "Dahlia demanded Hope and Mira by nightfall. Time is of the essence."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   The rest of the day was spent putting a plan in place, as Dahlia's nightfall deadline got closer and closer. Davina, Rebekah, and Cami managed to find a way to create a decoy, with some surprising help from Vincent. All it was going to require was some of Hope and Mira's blood, a vial of which Hayley rather reluctantly handed over when Elijah tracked the Crescents down, trusting that their plan would work. It also came to light Klaus hadn't been the one to kill Aiden, and he'd lied about being the one to do it, for reasons they weren't entirely sure of. Though, knowing how angry he'd be, Elijah didn't want to risk pulling the dagger out of him until it was all over. 

   After settling Mira into Hope's nursery for the night, Audrey made her way through to where Rebekah and Elijah were in the study that evening, with two of Marcel's vampires stood on guard to ensure the baby was safe. 

   Audrey opened her mouth to say something, but Rebekah shook her head at her, nodding to Elijah's phone laid on the desk. She raised a brow as Elijah pressed something, and Hayley's voice began to play out. "Elijah..." The Marshall-Kenner woman began quietly. "I'm calling to say goodbye. Hope and I...we can't be apart of your family anymore. All Hope's life, her family has tried to destroy her. That can't be my little girl's story." All of three of their faces fell in devastation as they listened silently. "Family is supposed to love you. Even if she is free of Dahlia's first born curse, Hope would still be Klaus' daughter. She'd inherit a thousand years of enemies, all his anger and rage... I don't want Hope to be a Mikaelson, all the pain that comes with that name... She doesn't deserve that." She took a deep breath. "Audrey, when you hear this... I know you're going to make the best choice for you daughter, just like I'm doing for mine. While this may be right for us, I know you'll stay and I respect that. You and Elijah will do anything and everything to keep her safe, and make a good life for yourselves. Just like me and Jack are going to do for Hope. But I need you to know, even though is goodbye, you are always going to be my family. I didn't know what it was like to have a sister until I met you, and I was given the best one possible in you. Thank you, for everything you have ever done for me. I love you, Rey." Her voice cracked, and Audrey felt tears form in the corners of her eyes, Elijah gently pulling her into his arms. "Audrey, Elijah..." She sighs. "Goodbye."

   As the message came to an end, the three stood quietly for a moment, Audrey wiping her tears but made no attempt to move from Elijah's arms. Rebekah took a deep breath as she looked at the couple sadly. "She's right, Elijah."

    Unaware to the three of them, Klaus stood outside the door with furious tears in his eyes, letting out a low growl before he left the compound unseen. 

Welcome to the world Mira Rey Mikaelson.

Two chapters left...

I hope you all enjoyed!