Both Elijah and Audrey stood in Klaus's study, listening to his words as he sat behind his desk. With Freya confirming the prophetic witch's visions to be true, they were trying to decipher who the prophecy was eluding to, so they could take care of the problem before it all came to pass. Which was leading to the brothers to dig up some old memories, mostly of Lucien, the very first person that Klaus ever turned. 

   "My memories of Lucien go back to a time our family was happy. Things were good... Or, as good as things could be as a vampire hiding in plain sight. Everyone in Marseilles was held in thrall of the Count's arrogant son Tristan and his sister, the Lady Aurora. In hindsight, I could have done more to prevent what was to follow. But then, even an endless life cannot be played in reverse." He mused thoughtfully, leaning forward in his seat. "And, given the circumstances, Lucien qualifies as both friend and foe, and according to Freya's prophecy--"

   "--You are to beware both friend and foe." Elijah cut him off with a nod. "But, let us not forget family, Niklaus."

   Klaus gave him a look at the insinuation, before merely shrugging it off. "Lucien's two out of three-- I say we put him down. Just like old times."

   "Just like old times?" Elijah repeated drolly. "Brother, I wonder who among our family do you suppose has the greatest predilection for betrayal?"

   "Brother, please." Klaus began in frustration.

   "Don't you think we should be absolutely sure and not just go with the best guess?" Audrey suggested, crossing her arms. "Given the consequences if we get this wrong, I'd rather we're certain."

   "As would I." Elijah nodded in agreement. "Now, before we murder Lucien, there are certain questions that need to be answered. Chiefly, what is he doing here?" Klaus didn't argue with that, looking toward his brother curiously. "And the wolf venom...Why would he lie to you, his sire? I'm afraid we may have to resort to something deliciously medieval here, brother."

   "We?" The Original hybrid smirked. "I take it you will lower yourself to associate yourself with your bastard brother?" He gets to his feet, as Elijah gave him an unreadable smile. "Have you finally forgiven me?"

   "I will consider it...." Elijah began, causing Klaus to smile until he sees the smile completely disappear from Elijah's face. "When Audrey forgives you, Gia rises from the dead, and hell freezes over. Oh, and there is a version of events where you didn't kidnap your niece and put her in the hands of our enemy. For now, however, let's just hope your little friendship with Lucien doesn't disrupt our mission."

   As Klaus gaped in shock at his words, Audrey withheld the strong urge to snicker, clearing her throat as she kept a straight face. "I'll go make sure Mira is settled with Freya before we go." She mused, leaving the two brothers alone in silence as she walked out of the room.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   Klaus, Elijah, and Audrey made their way to Lucien's apartment, none of them bothering to knock and making their way inside, Lucien nowhere to be seen as they entered the penthouse. "Lucien..." Klaus called out, looking around. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

   "I'm afraid you missed him." A female voice responded, a woman walking into the room with a sly smirk on her face.

   "Let me guess." Audrey raised a brow at her. "The prophetic witch?"

   "I prefer Alexis." The woman shot back.

   Klaus narrowed his eyes at Alexis suspiciously. "Where is he?"

   "At the police station." Alexis informed the three. "A detective, Kinney, had some questions for him."

   Elijah gave the witch a skeptical look at that. "And he allowed himself to be arrested?"

   Alexis nodded with a smug expression, giving a light shrug. "He has nothing to hide." 

   Audrey gave her a look, as Elijah took a seat on the couch, taking Audrey's hand and tugging her closer to him. She smiled and perched herself on his lap, lacing their fingers together as he spoke. "Lucien's occupied. Perhaps we should entertain ourselves right here?" He suggested.

   Klaus glanced at the couple knowingly, before he smiles over at Alexis, who looked amused by the three. "Oh. Well, I've never been one to turn down a snack." He smiled devilishly at the witch.

   Alexis looked at them all for a long moment, before she left the room, coming back with the things she needed for a spell. Before long, she had a symbol drawn on the table in salt, with a few candles lit and placed around it. The three of them watched her set everything up in interest, Klaus quickly becoming impatient.

   "How much longer is this going to take?" He asked her.

   "Elijah and I can begin now, but just us." Alexis informed them, looking directly at Klaus. "Sadly, I've already shown you what visions of yours I've managed to divine." She glanced at Audrey. "As his soulmate, I can show you too, as your paths are entwined. Your futures are the same."

   "The warning was for both of us-- friend, foe, and family." Klaus pointed out to her. "I'd like to see his, please."

   Alexis tilted her head at him curiously. "Since family is one of your concerns, and you two are brothers, are you so sure you want to see what I have to show you?" She asked, brushing the hair off her neck in a tempting manner.

   The two brothers exchanged amused smirks, as Audrey walked closer and took one of her wrists in preparation. "Oh, I could never resist a good spoiler." Elijah mused.

   Both of them moved closer to her, as Klaus grabbed her other wrist, both him and Audrey biting as Elijah bit into her neck. The second they began to feed, flashes of visions filled their minds, and they took each one in each one carefully. First, Elijah's portrait hung in the compound dashed with blood, then to Marcel on his knees in a unfamiliar room, wiping a cut on his face as someone stood over him. Then the police department appeared, showing Lucien stroking Cami's hand as they sat in an interrogation room together, a nervous look plastered across the blonde humans face.

   With a gasp, the three pulled away, Elijah carefully laying Alexis's limp body back on the table behind her.  "Well, at least your visions were specific." Klaus snarled in aggravation. "It seems Lucien has intentions for Camille."

   Elijah looked concerned, as he glanced between his brother and his love. "And what of Marcel--family and friend? Where do his loyalties lie?"

   "Find him and question him." The Original hybrid ordered, and walked toward the door.

   "And where are you going?" Audrey furrowed her brow at him.

   Klaus didn't bother to spare them a glance, as he walked out determinedly. "I'm going to eliminate an old friend before he gets his teeth into my therapist!"

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   After taking a trip to Marcel's loft, Audrey and Elijah found his vampires unconscious on the floor, Josh included in the mix. Marcel was nowhere to be seen, and they were quick to get the story from Josh. They'd been attacked by a woman, Aya, and Elijah recognized the name instantly. She was one of the first vampires he'd ever turned, and the Gilbert girl quickly caught onto the fact they'd been more than friends, but Elijah looked rather unfazed at the idea of her being in town. 

   Finding a location on a card left behind, the two made their way to the mansion, and came across Aya and Marcel. The stood in the same room they saw in the vision, talking as Marcel clapped his hands in mock applause. "Just one thing-- who's 'us'?"

   "The oldest society of vampires this world has ever known." Aya told him. "We are called The Strix."

   "Quite the prestigious organization." Elijah interrupted, as the couple walked into the room. "Responsible for countless wars, numerous plagues, assassinations..."

   Aya kept her back to them, frozen for a moment at just hearing his voice, letting out a boastful laugh. "You have to break a few rules if you want to build a new world." She defended, before she turned to them, scowling slightly at the sight of Elijah and Audrey's hands entwined together. But she was quick to hide it. "Hello, Elijah. It's been a while."

   Marcel looked at the two in confusion, before he rolled his eyes as he realized. "You two know each other."

   "Intimately." Elijah confirmed, before he rushed and dipped her back, shoving his hand into her chest and gripping her heart. Aya let out a cry of agony, as the suited Original looked at her, unimpressed. "Whatever you're doing here, I know you're not alone."

   "Let her go, Elijah." A new voice called, and all their eyes moved to the doorway, where a man stood with a dozen vampires behind him. "No need for this to become vulgar."

   Elijah rolled his eyes with a smirk, as Aya continued to gasp in pain. "And there he is." He began, earning an amused look from the man in question. "Tristan."

   Letting Aya go, Elijah moved to stand back beside Audrey and Marcel, who watched as the Strix vampires began to circle in around them. "You go center, Audrey go left, I go right?" Marcel mumbled to the two.

   Elijah merely sent the Gerard man a suspicious glance. "Why don't you stay where I can see you?"

   "Not now." Audrey gave him a look, as Marcel looked at him in disbelief.

   Tristan just looked at the three, bemused. "It's been ages since I've enjoyed a good scrap, but, uh... it's not why I'm here." Taking his pocket square, he hands it to his sire to clean the blood from his hands, before looking at all the vampires in the room. "Mr. Mikaelson and I require the room. Please leave us." As they all left the room, Tristan's eyes fell onto Audrey, smirking slightly as he took her hand and kissed the top of it. "Audrey Gilbert, Elijah's soulmate and wife-to-be. Not to mention, the mother of his daughter, Mira Rey Mikaelson. Pleasure."

   Elijah frowned, and Audrey pulled her hand away quickly, giving him a look. "I'd prefer it if you'd keep her name out of your mouth."

   Tristan looked amused, causing to glare slightly, as Elijah looked toward Marcel with a sigh. "Marcellus, please." He dismissed, and Marcel turned to leave in annoyance. "And you would do well to be selective about the company you keep in the future."

   Marcel paused at that, making no attempt to hide his annoyance anymore as he gave Elijah a look. "Maybe you should remember who your friends are. It looks like you're going to need them."

   Elijah waited until he was gone, before he moved toward the window and glanced out of it, silent for a moment before he began. " You waltz into my city unannounced with your flock of sycophants flaunting news of a threat. All the while, your little lapdog Aya is conspiring with none other than Marcel Gerard."

   Tristan rolled his eyes. "Conspiring." He repeated. "How grandiose. I thought I was the one with a flair for the dramatic."

   "Watch your tongue." Elijah warned him sharply, stepping in front of him. "I am not the patient, fun-loving social butterfly you might recall."

   "Your Marcel is potential recruit." Tristan admitted with a sigh. "He has nothing to do with the larger issue we face."

   "The larger issue?" Elijah asked skeptically.

   "You've no doubt heard about the war between the sirelines?" He asked, looking at his sire. "Well, as it happens, your line, thanks to my Strix, has wreaked all manor of havoc on Lucien and his assorted interests. As a result, he's desperate to exterminate the lot of us-- me, Aya, everyone you've sired." He explained to the couple. "Of course, the economical way to complete this task would be for him to kill you." He saw the skeptical and suspicious look on their faces, and looked unfazed. "You don't believe me. Perhaps you underestimate Lucien's ambition? While I doubt he'd have the gall to attack you directly, I believe he might try and find someone else to do it-- namely, Niklaus."

   Elijah narrowed his eyes. "What makes you so certain that Niklaus would select Lucien over his own family?"

   "From what I hear, he tortured his friend Marcel, cursed the mother of his child, killed your little protegee baby vampire, though not before he had her kill your soulmate in front of you and then kidnapped your daughter, all because he thought it the logical way to defeat his enemy." Tristan listed off, the pair both hiding their looks at the mention of everything that had happened. "With Lucien in his ear, how long before the logical thing is to get rid of you? Which, of course, would also be the end of you." He looked at Audrey. "You, my dear, are in a rather unique position in all of this. Niklaus's sireline, Elijah soulmate. Should anything happen to either of them, you go down."

   Elijah gritted his teeth slightly, as Audrey just gave Tristan a look. Both of them were very aware of the situation Audrey was in, but they hadn't worried about it. They'd do anything to stop something like that from happening. The pair would always fight for one another, and now, they would always fight for their daughter. Who needed both of them, not just one of them.

   "Well, how very fortunate, indeed, then-- Niklaus is on his way right now to put Lucien out of our collective misery." Elijah mused, turning the subject away from his love.

   The de Martel man looked alarmed. "You have to stop him."

   The Mikaelson scoffed. "And why would I do that?"

   "Lucien's seer believes there's an object capable of killing you." He told them.

   "We already know about that." The Gilbert girl waved him off.

   "Well, I don't have it." Tristan stated adamantly. "I'm quite certain my sister doesn't have it, either. Logically, then, one must assume that Lucien has it, or he knows where it is. If he dies, none of us will find it. Not until some other assassin attempts to use it against you. If you've any hope of finding that which can kill us all, Niklaus needs to be stopped."

I decided to end the chapter there, purely because it was getting very long, and there wasn't anything else that was really needed. Audrey's met Tristan and Aya now, and she isn't a fan of either of them, just like she isn't Lucien. So you can imagine how it will go when she eventually meets Aurora. 

Next chapter, we have the Strix ball, which is one of my favorite season three episodes. 

I hope you all enjoyed!