Hayley Marshall screamed loudly and desperately, fighting to no avail as the witches lifted her on top of the alter, more agony in her voice as her labor progressed. On the ground by the front pew, Audrey Gilbert laid unconscious, a witch stood by her just in case. The remaining gathered around the alter, giving the pregnant werewolf no chance of escape, not that it was even possible in her current state.

   "Let go of me, you bitch!" Hayley snarled at them.

   Before anything could be said, the doors to the church slammed open, Klaus appeared in the doorway. Hayley stared at him in shock and relief, watching as he lunged and tore one of the witches head off, before stalking forward angrily. Running in front of the alter, Monique and Abigail link hands and lift him into the air with their magic, telekinetically pinning up against the wall above the sacristy. He screams as tries to fight himself free, but as soon as they were sure the spell was secure and he was stuck, the two Harvest girls moved back to helping Genevieve. 

   The soon-to-be parents watch fearfully as Genevieve lifts up a dagger, turning to look at Hayley who screamed in terror and agony. "You should know this brings me no joy." She said, looking between them both. "I promise I'll make it quick." Her eyes flickered to Audrey on the ground, as the witches spread a white sheet over Hayley's legs. "For all of them." She mumbled, before focusing back on the task at hand. "Let's begin, shall we?"

   "I will bring hell to your family!" Klaus yelled, unable to move from the wall, just watch what was happening.

   Genevieve coached Hayley calmly, glancing from underneath the sheet to her. "One last push!" She urged. "Push! The baby's almost here!"

   "I will bathe in your blood!" Klaus continued to yell murderously.

   "No!" Hayley panted in pain, tears in her eyes as the pain continued. "No!"

   "I can see the baby!" Monique let out as she moved to Genevieve's side.

   "Push!" Genevieve instructed, the pain leaving Hayley with no other choice but to comply. "Gently! Gently!"

   "You will die screaming!"

   Completely exhausted, Hayley fell back as the pain subsided, a small crying filling the air. "There!" The red headed witch let's out, causing both Hayley and Klaus to fall silent as they watch. Once the cord is cut, Genevieve carefully picks the baby up and wraps her in a blanket, holding her up for the parents to see. "You have a beautiful baby daughter." Neither of them could say anything, staring at their daughter in shock, awe filling their eyes. "We must start the sacrifice as soon as the moon sets with the morning sky--"

   "--Please." Hayley let out softly, cutting her off. "Please, can I hold her?"

   Glancing between the baby and Hayley, Genevieve slowly walks over places the baby in her arms, allowing Hayley to cradle her in her arms. Tears brimmed in the Marshall girl's eyes, staring at her daughter in total amazement. Slowly, she looks up at Klaus with a tearful smile, who stared at them both. Gently, she pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead, savoring each second. Suddenly, Monique steps up behind and grabs Hayley by the hair, pulling her head back and slitting her throat.

   Genevieve grabs the baby as Hayley gasps and chokes, before falling back on the alter, blood pooling from her neck as she died. "NOOOO!" Klaus yelled with agony in his eyes, tears falling down his face. 

   Monique nods to the witch stood by Audrey, who picked her up with ease, following as the rest began to leave with the baby. As Klaus begins to scream once again, Monique holds her hand up and twists her wrist, snapping his neck without even looking back. Klaus's body dropped to the ground, the doors of the church slamming shut as the witches left with the baby and Audrey.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   "AUDREY!"

   Flinging open the doors, Elijah stumbled weakly into the church, looking around for her frantically. He stops in his tracks, panting out of breath as he looks down the isle of pews, seeing his brother sat on the ground below the alter. He stares in confusion as his vision blurs, until her makes out Hayley's still figure in his arms, dried blood caked around her neck.

   Elijah walks toward them with a horrified look on his face, though his eyes still glanced around desperately for Audrey, who was nowhere to be seen. He falls to his knees beside his brother, mumbling in denial. "No, no, no, no...."

   "She's gone." Klaus said numbly, blinking as some tears fell. "They took Audrey..." He said quietly, causing Elijah's face to fall in pain, tears now falling from his own eyes.  "You've been bitten." He says, noticing the marks on his neck. "Here." He bit into his wrist, offering it out to his brother, who stared back at him, stunned.

   Once Elijah's bites were healed, he carefully lifted Hayley and laid her on the alter, Klaus remaining silently sat on the steps below. "How?" He asked, breaking the silence they'd fallen into. 

   "I was bested." The hybrid answered in a mumble.

   "You were bested." Elijah repeated quietly, his sad look morphing into one of anger. "You were BESTED!" He shouted, as he walked in front of his younger brother, Klaus staring in shock at his loss of temper. "My invincible brother!" He scoffed in exasperation.

   Klaus weakly pulled himself to his feet and looked Elijah in the eyes. "They took the baby. They took Audrey. But there's still time. We can save them both."

   Without any argument, the two brothers left the church and went to the cemetery, searching quickly and determinedly. They walked for what felt like an eternity, searching every single tomb that they passed, only to find no sign of the witches, the baby, or Audrey. 

   "The tombs are empty. The grounds are deserted." Elijah shook his head frantically.  "They're not here!"

   "This is the only place they can be." Klaus denied. "We'll keep searching."

   "They are NOT HERE, Niklaus!" Elijah snapped in frustration, causing him to stop and look back at him. "We're wasting time!"

   "The Harvest was here! The Reaping was here! They're about to perform a ritual that will feed their ancestors for centuries! Ancestors who are buried here!" Klaus argued back, emphasizing his words firmly, going silent as he looks up and notices a familiar angel statue on top of a tomb. "This statue-- we've passed by this three times, all whilst going in the same direction."

   Elijah stares at him a moment, before stroking his hand across the closest tomb, a thought coming to mind at his words. He looked back at Klaus, examining everything around him as he did so. "They've fabricated some kind of illusion."

   Klaus said nothing and rushed on top of one of the tombs, getting a better view of the cemetery from above. As he looks out, he sees nothing but a sea of tombs, the cemetery stretching out endlessly. His eyes widen in horror as he takes it in. "That's one word for it."

   The sky became light as the sun rose, the two still trying to navigate their way through the endless maze the witches had conjured. They used a stone as a piece of chalk, marking every tomb they passed in order to try and make it easier on themselves. 

   Klaus let out a sigh. "It's ingenious. I can see them, I can feel them, and yet they are not real." 

   Elijah continues to walk ahead, running his hand through his hair in distress. "There has to be a way. Even if we could just push through--"

   "What we need to do is focus." Klaus cut him off.

   "My focus is on that child and her safety, do you understand me?" Elijah finally loses his temper, glaring at him. "My focus is on finding Audrey before anything happens to her!" He glares at him furiously, as Klaus stares in shock at his outburst. "This-- all of this-- this is the world that you created, Niklaus." 

   "Brother--"

   But Elijah didn't let him finish, letting out everything he had been holding in. "All of your scheming, the enemies that you have made every single day of your miserable life-- what results did you expect? That your child would be born into a happy life? That the mother would be alive to know her daughter? That her human aunt, someone who is meant to be your family, would be safe and alive to see her grow up? That we could live and thrive as some- as some sort of family?"

   Klaus swallowed at his words. "That was your fantasy, brother, not mine!"

   "NO, brother!" Elijah yelled, enraged. "This was our hope! This was our family's hope!" He begins to hyperventilate and stops to try and catch his breath. "And now she is gone." His voice falls softer. "Do you understand? I let this person in. I let her in!" He tries and fails to hold back his tears.  "I didn't let people in, not until her! You knew this! You said this time would be different. And yet you've taken her from me! If she doesn't--" Elijah couldn't finish, his voice cracking in utter defeat. "I need her, and you've broken me." He moves and sits on the stoop of one of the tombs, holding his head in his hands silently. 

   Quietly, Klaus moves and sits down next to him, gripping his arm in comfort. "You and Audrey can tell your niece all about her mother when we save them." He looked at him with a mixture of guilt, sympathy, and determination in his eyes. "We will save them, brother. Both of them." Elijah just looks at him with his lip quivering as Klaus nodded encouragingly.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   Audrey was silent as she watched Genevieve, Monique, and Abigail. When she woke up, she found herself chained to the wall of a tomb, changed from her clothes into some white gown. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't pull the shackles loose, leaving her stuck. Her eyes were focused on the baby protectively, wanting nothing more than to do something to help her, but she had no way to. 

   Swaddling her in a white sheet, Genevieve lays the baby down in a basket, and looks up through the skylight. "The moon has almost faded from the morning sky." She grabs the dagger from the stone pedestal. "I need to prepare." She says, both Monique and Abigail watching as she leaves.

   "She'll go through with it." Abigail said when she was gone. "The ancestors promised her her life."

   "What about their promise to us?" Monique reminded her. "Four Harvest girls sacrificed, four girls returned. But her friends hijack it, and our friends have to stay dead?" She asks before shaking her head. "Cassie was our friend. I hope she doesn't go through with it. Then, you and I can do what the Ancestors want, and they'll give us Cassie! And drag Genevieve back to where she came from."

   Abigail nods in agreement, and grabs the end of Audrey's chains that attached her to the wall, as Monique picked up the baby basket. Giving each other a nod, they made their way outside to join Genevieve, Abigail pulling the chains so Audrey had no choice but to follow. Outside, Genevieve stood behind the alter set up on top of the lycee, two large torches lit up either side of it. 

   She watches as Monique and Abigail bring the baby and Audrey out, Monique setting the basket down on top of the alter, next to where the dagger had been laid. Abigail attached Audrey's chains to the metal fence off to the side, before both girls stood on Genevieve's left and right in preparation. 

   "It's time." Genevieve breathes out.

   The Gilbert girl yanked desperately at her chains, as they took the baby out of the basket, laying her down on the alter. "No, no." She pleaded. "You don't have to do this."

   All three of them ignored her, and began to chant their spell, Genevieve holding the blade above the baby as they did so. "Nouvelle vie, nouvelle âme, mélange avec nous." They recite in perfect unison. "Nouvelle vie, nouvelle âme, mélange avec nous."

   Just as Genevieve goes to bring the blade down, Hayley, Klaus, and Elijah appear from around the corner, relief and hope appearing in Audrey's eyes as she sees them. "NOO!" Hayley yelled, her eyes widened as she saw what was happening.

   Grabbing an urn from the ground, Elijah throws it directly at Genevieve, knocking the dagger from her hand and to the ground. As the three move toward them, Monique and Abigail move in front of the alter and join their hands, lifting up their free hands to throw all three of them back. 

   "La mère, le père, le frère, la sœur... La mère, le père, le frère, la sœur..."

   As they chant, a large crowd of dead witch spirits appear in front of the two girls, Abigail and the dead spirits chanting. "You fools!" Monique sneered at the three. "To come against us in our place of power in our strongest hour? You don't face three, you face us all!"

   As they split up to find another way, Audrey turned and looked at the fence she'd been chained to, and began to yank like she did inside. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the metal rod move the harder that she pulled, and began to do it with all her strength, until the rod pulled from the ground and hung loose. Not wasting any time, she unhooked the chain from the rod and turned in the direction of the Harvest girls, noticing Hayley fighting Genevieve just ahead of her. 

   Walking up behind Abigail, Audrey didn't hesitate and wrapped her chains around her neck, pulling tightly as she choked her. The blonde's eyes widened as she gasped for breath, just barely keeping her magic going as she fought against her. Monique glanced but didn't move, keeping her focus on the spell holding Elijah back. 

   "Audrey!" Klaus yelled as he came back into sight, a metal rod gripped in his hands.

   Realizing what he was about to do, Audrey nodded and dropped her hold on Abigail, jumping out of the way. Klaus threw the rod at full strength, the rod impaling Abigail in the stomach and pining her body to the tomb wall, completely breaking her connection she and Monique had formed to the ancestors. Half of the spirits disappear, leaving Monique staring in panic. 

   Dropping her part of the spell, all the spirits disappear as she runs to grab the blade, Audrey quickly lunging to stop her. Monique glares and twists her wrist at her, using her magic to pin her against the wall behind. Taking hold of the blade, she places a flame barrier between her the Mikaelson brothers, as she holds the blade up above the baby to finish the sacrifice.

   "NOO!" Hayley screamed, clutching her head in pain as Genevieve subdued her with her magic.

   Just as Monique goes to bring the blade down, something flies forward and impales in her stomach, causing hundreds of tiny cuts to appear on her body. The blade drops from her hands as she coughs up blood, before her body drops to the ground dead, causing the flames to disappear and Audrey to move again. As Audrey goes to grab her, Marcel appears and picks the baby up before she could, glancing over his shoulder at Klaus before rushing away with her. 

   Klaus rushes away after him, just as Hayley fights through the pain spell and forces to her feet, punching Genevieve across the face and to the ground. Elijah said nothing as he rushed in front of Audrey, tears in his eyes as he cupped her face.  "You're okay." He breathed out, closing his eyes in relief. "You're okay."

   "I'm okay." She repeated, her voice cracking before she flung her arms around him, holding into tightly as she buried her face in the crook his neck. Elijah held her just as tightly, almost scared she'd disappear if he let go, pressing a kiss to the top of her head affectionately.

   Moving Genevieve inside one of the tombs, Elijah chains her to the wall to restrain her, as Hayley and Audrey watched silently. Once she was secure, he moved out the way and took Audrey's hand in his tightly, as Hayley moved in front of the witch. "Why?" She demanded.

   Genevieve looks at them desperately. "The ancestors left me no choice."

   "You were willing to sacrifice for more power." Hayley snapped at her, appalled. 

   "No, not just power." Genevieve shook her head. "It was the Ancestors decree. It was her decree--"

   Elijah moved closer and gripped her chin tightly, roughly forcing her to look at him. "It was whose decree?" He asked her lowly.

   "I'm surprised you have to ask." She laughed darkly. "After all, you were the one who convinced your siblings to consecrate her on New Orleans soil." 

   Elijah lets go of her in disgust, as all three them quickly realize who she was talking about. "Esther." Audrey said quietly.

   "So, not even death can stop my mother from seeking the annihilation of her own flesh and blood." Elijah said as he moved away from Genevieve.

   "This isn't the end." Genevieve tells them anxiously. "As long as that child lives, the witches of New Orleans will never stop coming for it." She starts to cry. "Esther will never stop coming for it. It has been decreed-- your baby will be consecrated among her ancestors. She will not live." Her eyes fell onto Audrey and Elijah, focusing on the Gilbert girl. "And the same fate awaits your child when it is born. Both of them will be sacrificed to the ancestors."

   Audrey felt her heart drop as she stared at her, slowly shaking her head. "That's not...I'm not..."

   "Impossible." Elijah denied in disbelief.

   "Audrey Gilbert, the doppelganger that wasn't meant to be. The anomaly in nature, soulmates to an Original vampire." Genevieve chuckled dryly as she looked at them. "Soulmate magic is rare and strong, making it just as possible as it is for anyone else. Vampire or not." She told them and looked at Audrey. "Why do you think we needed you? You're pregnant, Audrey. I sensed the moment I touched, as did the ancestors. And the same sentence that lies on the baby's head, now also lies on the head of your child." All the couple could do was stare at her, her words slowly sinking in for them both. 

   And Audrey's hands fell to her stomach, looking down at it numbly. 

   She was pregnant.

   "They're coming for me." Genevieve said shakily, as she began to bleed from her eyes. "I can feel it. I failed them. Understand-- I just wanted to live." She cried. "Tell Klaus...I'm sorry." She says, before beginning to choke as she coughed up blood. 

   Hayley watches her for a moment before walking in front of her, stabbing the blade into her stomach and twisting it in, before pulling it up to cut open her abdomen. "I'm not." She whispered to her darkly, before turning and walking out of the tomb, no remorse on her face.

   Genevieve gasped in pain and choked on blood, before her body went limp, dying where she was restrained to the wall. Both Elijah and Audrey stared for a moment before looking at one another, both with a million things they wanted to say, and neither of them with any idea how to say them. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   It had been a long time since Audrey had thought about having children. In all the planning she and Caroline did when they were kids themselves, the topic of future babies had came up, and they laughed about how their kids might fall in love and get married one day. When Elijah came into her life, and thing between changed into what they were now, she'd not once thought about it. Vampires can't procreate, that was the rule, and then Klaus became the exception. Now, it appeared there was another exception in her and Elijah's case, and the thought of it had her head spinning. 

   She was pregnant. 

   The more she thought about it, the more it sunk in that Genevieve was telling the truth. It was the reason the smell of alcohol made her feel sick, the reason she'd started to grow sick on a morning. She'd hidden that from everyone, thinking it was just caused by something she ate and thought nothing else of it. It had to be the reason she'd been sent to the Other Side with Hayley, and like Genevieve said, it was why she was taken for the sacrifice. 

   She was pregnant. Neither she or Elijah had been able to talk about, focus having to stay on keeping the baby safe when they got back to the compound. The Guerrera wolves had blamed all the vampire deaths on gang violence, and weren't wasting any time in taking control of the Quarter, with Francesca Guerrera taking charge of all of it. Hayley and the baby a threat to her new power, given the status they held within the Crescent pack. And now Esther had control of the witches, leaving them stuck no matter if they stayed in the city or fled. The witches would never stop coming under her control, and she was a weapon any enemy of the Mikaelson could try to use against them. 

   So a decision was made, that until all the threats were dealt with, was the very best option for the baby. They'd fake her death, sending her away somewhere safe while they cleaned up the mess that had been caused. With help from Marcel, they were able to sell the illusion throughout the Quarter, creating a story neither the witches or the wolves could challenge them on. He even agreed to have his memories of the baby being alive compelled away, as long as Klaus give him vials of his blood to use against werewolf bites. Once they'd said their goodbyes, Klaus left to give the baby to the one person that he trusted, as Hayley sold her grief publicly at the memorial that had been set up in the Quarter. 

   The compound was silent after all of it was over, and Audrey sat on the bed in her and Elijah's room, her hands fiddling with the end of her shirt. The sound of footsteps made her look up, and she locked eyes with Elijah, who stood in the doorway watching her.

   "Are you alright?" He asked quietly, moving to sit beside her.

   "Yes." She nodded, before letting out a deep sigh. "No. Not really." She admitted. "My head hasn't stopped spinning with it all."

   "Yes, I know the feeling." He nodded, gently lacing their fingers together as he took her hand. Elijah stared at her for a long moment, his mind searching for the right words before he began to speak. "My love, I..." He trialed off, taking a deep breath. "Before I met you, my life was very different. It was dark, and I stopped allowing myself the chance to love, to stop myself or someone else from getting hurt. Then we met, and it changed. You brought a light into my life. You brought a light into the life of my family, and I love you more than I can ever put into words. I cannot see my life without you, and the thought earlier that you were taken from me broke me." He admitted to her wholeheartedly, kissing the top of her hand. "You weren't. You're still here, you're safe, and I'm beyond grateful for that. And now..." His gaze fell onto her stomach, letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding in. "Now, you're bringing another light into my life. A chance at something I thought I lost a thousand years ago."

   Tears formed in Audrey's eyes, as she looked at him softly. "Elijah..."

   "I'm scared too." He gently wiped her tears with his thumb. "But I give you my word, I will not let anything happen to you, or to our child." He cupped her face in his hands, resting his forehead against hers. "We will make it so they are born into a safe world, surrounded by all of their family, no threat on their shoulders. Nothing will take this chance away from us."

   "We'll do it together." Audrey spoke, nodding as her fear slowly disappeared, a small smile tugging at her lips. "We're going to have a baby." She whispered out. 

   Despite everything, Elijah gave a small smile too, his eyes flickering to her stomach again. He listened closely, and after a moment, he heard it. The small yet strong, fast, and steady heartbeat echoing inside her. A heartbeat that made everything all the more real than it was before. "We're going to have a baby." He repeated softly, before he leaning in and kissed her emotionally, holding her as close to him as possible. 

   Despite all the tragedy, they had a chance. A chance to make New Orleans safe again, so Hope could be brought home, and their child could be born into a safe life. And they'd fight to make that so, no matter what the cost.

And we are done with season one!

I have been waiting to share this all with you since Anomaly, and now it is finally out there. Audrey is pregnant! The idea of her and Elijah as parents warms my heart, and I'm excited to share this new part of their lives with you all. A lot of you have been guessing she was pregnant, and early on people were asking if it were possible to give them a child, and now it's confirmed and happening. 

We move onto act two of Absolution next, covering season two of The Originals, and I can't wait to show you all what else is to come. 

I hope you all enjoyed!