"Can we help you find something?"

   The couple walked into the study, to find Klaus looking around in search of something, frustration and annoyance written across his face. Her turned to look at the pair, his eyes narrowing in on his older brother. "Yes, in fact, I believe you can." He said suspiciously. "I'm looking for a book, about yea big, filled with our mother's most powerful spells. It appears to have been misplaced." 

   Elijah shrugged as he sat at the desk. "How very mysterious."

   "Indeed." Klaus mused, his gaze remaining on Elijah carefully. Audrey glanced between the pair, tilting her head as she wondered how long it would take one of them to finally get to the point. "At first, I feared the witches had succeeded in their efforts to obtain it, but considering their last attempt ended with me relieving a rather large, tattooed gentleman of his hands, I began to wonder if the thief wasn't a bit closer to home." He notices Elijah nonchalantly scribbling in a notebook. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be, brother."

   "Well, admittedly, I did have a theory that your sudden interest in mother's grimoire was in someway related to whatever foolishness you've been conducting with the Crescent wolves." Elijah began, giving him a look. "Therefore, I took it upon myself to carefully place it where naughty little fingers could not pry."

   Audrey saw Klaus look at her, and she held up her hands. "I'm not involved in this." She stated.

   Klaus huffed. "And here I thought you, of all people, would understand. I am simply trying to help those wolves! Play Samaritan to the abused. Champion to the underdog, so to speak."

   "How splendidly noble of you." Elijah mused, sarcasm in his voice.

   "Have you ever considered that, like you two, I am trying to keep Hayley safe?" Klaus asked the pair. "Using our mother's magic to empower her people so they are capable of protecting her?"

   Elijah stands up and walks toward him. "Yes, unless, of course, they decide to seek retribution for decades held in exile, and Hayley will find herself in the middle of an uprising." He told him knowingly. "One that will only provoke further violence. You see, you risk turning New Orleans into a war zone, brother. I won't let that happen."

   "The drums of war were beating long before we returned. I suggest you use a little less of this--" He makes a talking gesture with his hand. "-- and a little more of these." He points to his ears, before sitting on the couch with a false smile.

   "What's the saying? Those who can't do teach?" Audrey hummed, earning an eye roll from the hybrid.

   "Quite so, my love." Elijah smirked as he took her hand. "Come, it appears we have an uprising to deal with." He said, before leading her out of the room.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   Making their way out to the bayou, it didn't take long for Elijah and Audrey to find Hayley, Jackson, and Oliver, the five moving into one of the shacks to talk privately. Knowing they why they were there, none of the three wolves were entirely impressed, determinedly to stick to the deal they'd been making with Klaus in secret. 

   "You're making a grave mistake." Elijah warned them. 

   "So, you're just worried about us?" Oliver asked skeptically. "Is that it?"

   Jackson crossed his arms as he looked at the Original. "Look, Elijah. We know all about your brother's reputation, but if there was even a chance that these rings can help us take control of our curse--"

   "--Our gift--" Oliver interrupts him off. 

   "--Then, honestly, we don't care what he's really after. Won't have to." Jackson finished.

   "Well, that's stupid." Audrey told the two men bluntly. "Because as much as Klaus is family, his schemes usually come with a price that will involve you, like it or not. You're putting yourselves in the middle of a fight that doesn't need to be started."

   Elijah nodded his head in agreement. "There are those in the Quarter who will consider this a great provocation."

   Oliver looked unfazed by this. "Apparently, most of them consider us breathing the same way."

   "You signed a pledge," Elijah focused his attention on Hayley, who leaned against the wall silently. "and you looked me in the eye as you did so."

   "We don't want a fight, guys." Hayley looked at the couple honestly. "We just want a better life."

   "Allegiance with my brother will guarantee you anything but that." 

   Before anymore could be said on it, the sound of motorbike engine reeving hit all of their ears, the sound growing closer. "What the hell?" Jackson said in confusion, making his way outside to find the source of the noise. 

   The rest of them followed behind him, all of them pausing as a motorbike pulls up into the middle of the encampments, the man riding it looking at them all blankly. "Which one of you is in charge?"

   Jackson stepped closer. "Who's asking?"

   The man says nothing, and Elijah looks at him, noticing something off about his demeanor. Suddenly, he rushes to tackle him, just as the motorcycle explodes. The blast sends everyone flying back, some screaming and other running to try and avoid the blaze that had erupted. All Audrey could hear was a ringing her ears, her fingers touching her forehead to see blood trickling down it, not feeling any pain at first. She pushed herself to sit up, looking around at the wreckage in a slight daze, before snapping out of it and getting to her feet. 

   "Audrey." Jackson's voice broke through the ringing, his hands gripping her shoulders. "Audrey, are you alright?" He asked, his eyes noticing the blood. Carefully, he pushed back her hair to reveal the cut on her forehead, before checking for any other injuries. "Audrey?"

   "I--I'm fine." She got out, swallowing hard at the state of everything around them. Taking a deep breath, she gave him an assuring look. "I'm fine." 

   "Jackson! Audrey!" The pairs eyes fell onto Hayley, who held a small boy in her arms, both her and the child looking unharmed. "Here." Hayley passed the child off to Jackson carefully, as Audrey bent down beside the injured werewolf the boy had been stood with. "Get him away from here." She instructed, then bent down next to Audrey when he walked away, looking at her. "You okay?"

   "Nothing I'm not used to." Audrey glanced at her. "Are you? The baby?"

   Hayley nodded. "We're both fine." She looked at the guy, who hissed in pain as he clutched his side, his shirt singed from the blast. "You're gonna be alright, we're going to help best we can."

   "Audrey." Elijah appeared at her side, looking relieved when he saw her. His eyes flickered to her cut, but she shook her head, giving him a look. Trusting her judgement, he nodded and looked at Hayley, who assured she was okay as he also tried to help the man. Lifting his shirt, it showed what looked like a chemical burn, and realization appeared on Elijah's face. "Wolfsbane."

   Hayley's face fell as it dawned on her. "It must have been in the gas tank." She said quietly, before pushing it to the back of her mind. "You're the fastest. Take him, anyone else who can't walk on their own."

   "I'll go see who I can help." Audrey said, Elijah looking at her in concern as he hoisted the man up. "Really, I'm okay." She assured softly. "Go, help them. They need you."  Reluctantly, he nodded and began to take the man inside, and Audrey went to look around for anyone else that might need help.

   Everyone who was injured was moved inside, anyone who was fine helping to look after them, and others trying to clean up the mess that had been caused. Noticing Hayley was nowhere to be seen, Elijah called to check on her, as Jackson and Audrey stood and waited to see what was going on. 

   "Is she okay?" Jackson asked when Elijah hung up the phone. 

   "Apparently, yes." Elijah nodded, slipping his phone into his pocket.

   Audrey raised a brow at him, and Elijah just nodded, assuring her it was fine. Audrey already had a good idea where Hayley had gone, having heard Oliver blaming vampires for the attack, and the it was very likely it was. So Hayley will have went to find who gave the order, and after what happened at the feast day party, there was also a very likely chance the order had came from Marcel.

   Jackson sighed, looking around at the wreckage of the encampments, and the wolves tending to themselves and each other. "It's a good thing that bomb went off where it did. Could've been a lot worse. We all could've got killed."

   "I guess you've got to see the bright side." Audrey mumbled, rubbing her face with her hands tiredly. "Or the alternative is rather depressing."

   "Exactly." Jackson replied, watching his pack at work. 

   "Unless..." Elijah trailed off in thought, as his eyes scanned the area carefully. He pauses, his eyes going wide when he notices something, and quickly begins to yell. "Get everyone out of here! Now!"

   There was no chance to move, as a series of explosions began to go off around the camp, each one even bigger than the last. Jackson was quick to go and help the newly injured, trying to get people to safety, the couple going to help as an explosion went off behind them. Without any hesitation, Elijah pulled Audrey into his chest as he got them out of the way, shielding her from the blast the very best that he could. 

*  *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

   The second attack left the wolves more devastated than the first, people injured or dead, their home in complete ruins. Eve had ended up being one of the many casualties that the bombings had caused, which devastated Jackson and Oliver, along with Hayley when she got back and learned what had happened. Elijah and Audrey stayed in the bayou for a long time, trying to help the wolves the best that they could, before they made their way back to the compound that evening. 

   The events of the day had given them a change of heart, Elijah especially, when it came to their opinion on Klaus's plan. So, while Elijah went to talk to his brother about it, Audrey made her way up to their bedroom. She showered and changed out of her ruined clothes, and cleaned up the cut on her forehead. Her arms crossed over her chest, she then made her way over to the study, leaning quietly in the doorway as she listened to them talk. 

   "First Marcel's massacre, now bombs in the bayou." Klaus said, sitting at the desk with a glum look on his face. He'd not had a better day himself, his attempts to try and help Cami with Father Kieran's hex ending his death. "I'll assume you're ready to give up this doomed treaty."

   Elijah stared out of the window for a moment, before walking and placing Esther's grimoire down in front of Klaus. "This alliance with the wolves, well... If it is to succeed, I believe you'll want this." He said simply, tapping it before moving toward the bottles of alcohol.

   Klaus glanced at him and Audrey in surprise, picking it up to read inside. "Seems I have Hayley to thank for your change in hearts." He mused to them. 

   Elijah poured them each a drink, passing one to Audrey as she walked further into the room, and handing one to Klaus.  "The rifts in this city run far deeper than I even imagined, Niklaus. These tribes, these factions-- they're families, families who choose to fight. Mayhem has descended upon our home, and if I'm to choose a side..." He holds his glass up in a toast. "To our victory, brother."

   Klaus looked surprised still, before he clinked his glass with Elijah's, a smirk forming as he took a drink. Audrey silently raised her glass to the pair, and brought it up to her lips for a drink, pulling a face as the smell of the alcohol hit her. A sickly feeling forming at the thought of even smelling it for much longer. Grimacing, she placed it down without taking a sip, and focused on the conversation again without a second thought. 

Three chapters left of season one!

I am so excited! The final three episodes of season one have always been my favorites of the season, so I'm looking forward to show what Audrey's part in them is going to be. I might try and update again today, but this next chapter might be slightly longer than this one, so I'm not sure yet. 

I hope you all enjoyed!