•

____________________

Last night I gave a message to a star
To carry to the moon, however far
To deliver to the sun whose rays can turn
The rocks to golden emblems as they burn.

- Rumi, Message To A Star

__________•__________

August 1863
Fleureau Manor | New Orleans

"Sharel!" Klaus barged into the Fleureau manor and entered the parlour only to find the elderly witch sipping her morning tea.

"Nik, it's six in the morning. Do regress," Adelia reprimanded him while coming down the stairs.

"No time for pleasantries, little witch," he replied to her before turning to the matriarch, "Sharel, you might find this interesting."

The two women looked at the Original curiously as he rushed out in a hurry, making them sigh.

"What in heaven's name?" Sharel exclaimed when they set foot in the bayou with her granddaughter trailing behind her as Klaus led them deeper into the swamp. There were bodies everywhere; all with the same wound.

"Seventy-seven corpses. I counted them myself," he said, gesturing to their surroundings.

"Forgive me for a lack of tact, but this is bloody conspiratorial," she muttered with a grim look.

"Grandmother!" Adelia hushed the Beauchêne witch for her language.

Sharel knelt down to examine a corpse as she trailed a gloved finger down the markings drawn upon the wrist of a man. "A sacrifice," she realised.

"Why would the witches sacrifice themselves? That amount of power is enormous," Adelia cautiously said and turned to look at the younger Original. "Elijah informed me about the recent witch activities that you were paranoid about, Niklaus. Something concerning the full moon."

"Why do the witches do anything, love? To make my life miserable," he sarcastically replied.

The young witch touched one of the bodies lying around and frowned when she failed to siphon anything. "Their power has already been taken and they haven't even been consecrated yet."

Klaus sighed and turned to them, "Now would be the best time to inform you that Elijah is missing as well," he finished, raising a brow as the witches fell into silence.

"Elijah is missing?" Adelia hesitated as her fingers immediately took to fiddle with her sleeve, anxiousness gripping her bones.

"If Klaus says, then Elijah must be unless he has daggered his brother," the elder Beauchêne witch answered, eyes not straying from her granddaughter's worried state—too worried for a mere friend. "Adelia shall be staying within the walls of Fleureau. If the witches are up to something then I do not want her in the vicinity."

"Grandmother, I can assi-" the heir started only to be stopped.

"My granddaughter, if she sees fit will continue working on Lumiere. This should not concern her," Sharel stated firmly to Klaus.

Adelia looked away, pulling her gown up her ankles, only to annoy the matriarch, and stomped back to the carriage.

"If Adelia is involved in this matter or with Elijah, then you will wish I wasn't the one leading the little troop," the older witch said to the Original as they watched her board the vehicle.

"Afraid Maeve's in love with my noble brother?" Klaus snickered and Sharel looked beside her to glare at him. "You are a few years too late. Reynolds might have brought out the best in her, but–"

"–Elijah brings out the worst."

"And still he is the only constant when it comes to your granddaughter's romantic entanglements," the Original continued with a smirk, "I for one, cannot wait to decide whom to kill first."

"You touch a hair on her head and I will ruin you, "Sharel clenched her jaw. "I suggest you dagger your impertinent sibling when he is found."

____________________

"Look at you. Did you miss me?" Adelia cooed at the dog as she sat up on the bed and ran her fingers through her tangled hair.

Asher whined and prodded his nose to her knees, not willing to admit he missed his servant just as much.

"Are you hungry?" She continued and kissed his furry head in delight.

The dog in question barked, wagging his tail that made her laugh as he immediately jumped down the bed and left the room to go downstairs.

Adelia pushed off the comforter, noting Elijah's side to be cold and checked the time to see 5 a.m. displayed on the clock. Her husband was an early bird, but not this early, preferring to wake up once the sun was fully up.

She exited the room ten minutes later, freshened up as she clutched the lace nightgown around her to evade the morning cold.

"Asher," the witch called out when her feet touched the foyer, "Darling, come to me." She noticed a vase on the floor and placed it properly when the dog approached at a pace to collide with her. "These are expensive, my love. Stay away from my vases." A sound of a crash came from the living room and she looked at the creature. "Did you do something again?"

He whined and hid behind her when another object hitting the floor resonated within the house.

Adelia frowned and walked towards the room, Asher in tow when a blur passed in front of her to hit the glass table, the vase beside it rolling onto the marble with a dramatic flair.

"What did you do to my living room, you silly dog?" She exclaimed, horrified and walked towards it to pick it up, cradling it to her chest when she noticed an unknown man staring right at her. "Who are you?"

"Pardon me, but who are you?" The man took a step forward, glancing at her attire with a frown.

"Elijah! Did you invite a guest?" She hollered loudly for her absent husband.

When no response came, Adelia nudged Asher in front of her, gesturing for him to go look for the man of the house. The dog refused and sat on his haunches, content with the protection of the sweet servant.

"You know my brother," the man pointed out and her eyes slowly widened when she made a connection between the man and a face she had only seen in her husband's memories.

"You are Finn," Adelia realised and looked at his century-old clothes and took a step forward and extended her hand politely, "I am Adelia Laurentis, Elijah's wife."

The Original looked thoroughly confused but accepted the hand to place a chaste kiss.

"Forgive me for not recognising you," the witch apologised with a smile. "Welcome to our place. This is Asher Laurentis," she gestured to the pet who on orders, sniffed the new man and stalked away to sit on the couch, "Do not mind him, he is still learning manners."

"I was not made aware that my brother has taken a wife. I apologise for my rudeness," Finn stated, still wary of the female in front of him.

"Please get seated. May I ask where Elijah is?" On accord, another object broke into the kitchen making her sigh, "That must be him I suppose, please excuse me."

The eldest Originals sat on the couch beside the dog who tilted his head to assess the new member. He had forgotten to keep track of the smirking blonde man called Niklaus. Only his demon called him Niklaus—it sounded funny.

"Hello, darling," a figure appeared suddenly, startling Adelia who looked at the youngest Mikaelson brother, a line of blood trailing down his head.

"Kol," she said impassively and glanced around, "Have you seen my husband?"

"You mean the less-handsome me?" He quipped.

With a smile, she engulfed the man in an embrace, making him pout. "It's good to see you."

"Definitely not, since it has just been an hour for me since 1914," Kol shrugged, hiding the annoyance and pain of being daggered in a nanosecond.

Elijah stumbled towards her with an apologetic smile, his appearance putting Klaus (on his bad day) to shame.

____________________

January 1901
the compound | New Orleans

"You are a tasty little thing, darling," a voice echoed from behind her once she entered the compound.

Adelia turned around to come face to face with a man in bloodied clothes and looked around the house for Klaus. "Please do not mind me," she sighed tiredly and took a step towards the staircase.

"Are you the new housekeeper?" Kol mused and looked at her black gown, " I admit the sophistication has increased dramatically."

The witch rolled her eyes and glanced at her husband's youngest brother, "Yes, I need proper recognition as a housekeeper of the Mikaelsons."

"A housekeeper as jovial as yourself might be fun to keep around," he smirked.

She looked around the house again and smiled. "You fought with whom then? Klaus or Elijah?"

Kol shrugged his shoulders and with narrowing eyes replied, "Elijah, of course. The hypocrite that he is."

"Of course," Adelia exhaled loudly, "These people should inform me when they're going to undagger their siblings."

Kol perked up at the mention of daggers and took a step forward. "Well, are you sleeping with Elijah?" He questioned, "Since not a lot of people are privy to our dagger-ish problems."

Adelia took a seat on the chair and gestured for the one across from her. A smile broke out on her face as she said, "And you assume he'd tell his sleeping companion his darkest secrets?"

"I don't see you going for Klaus," the impulsive Original replied and slumped down the chair with a thump. "Not a lot of girls have such a mouth on them when they are bedding Nik. Elijah must have slipped in his old age."

"Anything else I must know?" The witch smiled kindly.

One hour later

"My darling brothers then corner me in a tavern in Spain and dagger me because Klaus' horse had this head separated by our lovely father," Kol mumbled ruefully and glanced at his companion who was bound to die by his hands after his little storytelling. "Are you listening, darling?"

"Oh, I am," Adelia chuckled.

Kol clapped his hands in delight, "Fantastic," he continued, "and then the self-proclaimed king Klaus undaggers me for his amusement and when I dare to have a little fun with little Marcellus, they dagger me again!" He waved his hands as if the mere idea of entertaining a kid offended him. "The play was a classic and a kid must know classics, it is a shame he did not know how to keep up. So oh dear housekeeper, tell me the little Marcellus is rolling in the grave now."

"You certainly are the talkative one in the family," she pointed out.

"Well, the dagger makes me anxious."

"Kol! You are awake!" Rebekah exclaimed as she entered the compound and smiled at him merrily.

"Isn't this my annoying brat of a sister?" The male Original got up and smirked at her when the smile slid off her face.

"How dare you call me a brat!" She shouted angrily.

Adelia followed suit and left the chair as she looked between the siblings, "I am retiring for the night."

"Isn't it rude and condescending for a housekeeper to leave their ward in need?" Kol said in an annoyed tone.

"Housekeeper?" Rebekah muttered and glanced at the witch then her brother, "She is not a housekeeper, you fool. Adelia is Elijah's wife."

Kol waved off the fact and stared at the female he just now learned was named Adelia, "The last time I was undaggered, I came to know Klaus was married and his ardent obsession with his beloved resulted in a war which brought this city to ruin." He turned to his little sister and mocked, "This time the noble one's hitched. What should I expect?"

"Nothing that concerns you, brother," Elijah replied while closing the gates to the compound behind him.

"Wonderful," the youngest Mikaelson brother rolled his eyes, "A family reunion."

Elijah ignored him and walked toward his wife, "Dear, I hope the journey fared well. Might I suggest a few hours of sleep? I already feel tired as much as you appear to be."

"How did your week fare?" Adelia smiled, pecking his jaw.

"Rebekah, you weren't fibbing," Kol mumbled, nudging his sister, "She is not a housekeeper."

Rebekah glared at him immediately, "I wasn't, Kol."

The eldest brother turned to their audience and said, "We will talk in the morning."

"Goodnight," the witch continued as they ascended the stairs.

"I missed you," the Original told his wife.

Adelia bit her lip shyly and avoided his eyes, "I did not." As they walked, she waved her hand as the candles blew off with every step, leaving an astonished Kol.

"Elijah! Your wife's heart doesn't beat," Kol exclaimed.

Elijah rolled his eyes at his brother's voice and continued the conversation with Adelia, "I know when you lie."

"And she can do magic!" The notorious Original stared wide-eyed at the woman, his feet jumping in anticipation.

"When have I ever lied to you?" The witch replied to her husband.

"Brother!" Kol tried once more as Elijah closed the door behind him.

____________________

Bonnie continued to chant in Latin, casting a spell as she tried to open the coffin in vain. "Why won't you open?" She yelled in irritation when the coffin disappeared. The floorboards squeaked signalling a presence in the house. "Hello? Someone there?"

Damon and Stefan walked up to the house when the younger brother asked him, "You didn't say anything to Elena about the coffins, right?"

"No, I said I wouldn't," the elder Salvatore quipped.

"I know what you said."

"Why are you asking?" He defensively inquired.

"Because protecting the location of Klaus' secret coffin is my number one priority right now. And the fewer people who know, the better," Stefan replied when his brother stopped walking and he stopped as well. "What?"

A hybrid walked out of the house and ran into Stefan when the hybrid vamped out, but before he could do anything, Damon ripped his heart out from behind him.

"These hybrids, really bringing the neighbourhood down," Damon mumbled in annoyance as he threw the heart on the ground.

"So a witch appeared in my dream. She warned me to not meddle with the Mikaelsons' mother," Bonnie informed them cautiously.

"Who was the witch?" Stefan asked.

"She said her name was Sharel Beauchêne. I did not recognise the place, definitely not Mystic Falls. Where is the necklace that you gifted Elena?"

"Elena gave it to Rebekah before she was daggered," Damon rolled his eyes, gesturing with his hands.

"Where is Adelia's painting? The one Isobel sent," Bonnie asked them suddenly.

____________________

Elijah plated two pancakes to hand it over to his eldest brother awkwardly. Sitting in a ruined kitchen, Kol stared at Finn and pushed the knife deep into his serving before cutting a piece, the eldest following suit.

"I shall call the contractors and get the house fixed," the witch started, throwing a glare at her husband who looked sheepish.

"We will retreat upstairs. Thank you," he said.

"Elijah will get some clothes delivered until you two are comfortable enough to go out and shop for yourself," Adelia added. "In the meanwhile, he will set up your accounts and will teach you everything."

"Thank you," Finn said.

"Do not hesitate to ask for anything," she smiled and put on her cardigan before Elijah sat down with a plate himself.

"I want the thing you two have," Kol said. "The small thing you talk into."

"It is called a phone," Elijah answered, "You will get it."

"I have to get going. Cannot be late," Adelia said and ruffled the waddling dog, "and Asher is not a meal. You hurt my dog and I'll skewer you all for dinner."

"The dog, of course," the husband smiled and pecked her cheek, earning a raised eyebrow from the eldest brother, clearly not used to the display of affection in this century.

"Call me if you need anything," she told him and turned towards her in-laws. "Have a nice day ahead and do not destroy anything, please."

She left soon after and Finn cleared his throat, the silence hanging in the room. "Where did she go?"

"Her office," Elijah replied.

"Such a supportive spouse?" Kol smirked.

Elijah took a deep breath. "My wife runs a business with her friend," he explained to Finn after noticing his frown.

"Women do that these days?" The eldest frowned.

"They are capable of many unimaginable things, yes," the noble Original informed, almost feeling bad for his brother.

Finn's eyes narrowed before he let out an audible sigh, "I had been kept daggered for how many centuries again?"

____________________

Klaus followed Rebekah, looking at her helplessly as she drank her coffee, "So will you help me?"

"You lost our brothers, what more do you want?" The female Original replied with a snark.

"For you to not kill my doppelganger and to help me get the coffins back," Klaus rolled his eyes.

"I thought you'd be relieved with them all gone," she quipped and dropped the coffee on the brand new rug making him grimace.

The hybrid clenched his jaw and gave a fake smile, "I love my family even if they are a pain in the arse."

Rebekah glanced at her brother doubtfully, "Did you tell Elijah?"

"Don't you think he would've been plummeting me into the ground by now if I had informed him about our siblings' disappearance, the ones he's been trying to find for almost a century now?"

"You are hopeless," she sighed, "Where do we start?"

Klaus saw Stefan enter the mansion and raised a brow, "I'm surprised you're still in town. I gave you your freedom, you could have gone anywhere."

Stefan leaned against a door frame and monotonously replied, "I live here, Klaus."

"Well, if we're playing this game, then... I was here first."

"You know, I don't like your hybrid friends. They are everywhere, kind of like fleas. I want them gone," the Salvatore stated.

Rebekah stepped forward, gritting her teeth, "You wanna know who is everywhere? The doppel-bitch." She continued, "Nik is the one stopping me from wringing her neck. If I, fortunately, end up doing it, you'll be the first to get her head."

"Shush, Bekah," admonished the hybrid. "Yeah well, I kind of like having them around. You know, I am hurt. I hoped that when I freed you, we would pick up where we left off. But here you are, guzzling vervain like the rest of them, I am sure. So much for friendship."

Stefan stared at the Original, "Friends don't strip friends of their free will."

Klaus rolled his eyes and answered, "Okay, granted, yeah, that was a little extreme, but I get a little moody. Just ask my siblings and speaking of whom, isn't it time you handed them over?"

"He has them?" The female exclaimed.

"Did I forget to tell you that?" The hybrid ignored the expletives coming out of her mouth.

"Oh, you did, you bloody narcissist."

"Klaus, get your hybrids out of Mystic Falls or I will remove them myself," the youngest vampire in the room said.

"Hmm. You see, if you continue to threaten me, I am gonna be forced to retaliate. Kill people. And it will get messy again," Klaus smirked in response.

"Do whatever you want, I don't really care. Or you know what?" He stopped for a second before continuing, "Maybe I do. Maybe I care so much, that I'll drop one of your siblings in the Arctic."

"Well, maybe I'll be willing to lose one brother if it meant killing yours," the hybrid finished with a glare and a clenched jaw.

"That's it. I am telling Elijah," Rebekah waved her hands, looking between the men.

"Try me, let's find out," shrugged Stefan.

"Is everything okay?" One of the female hybrids entered and asked immediately.

"Everything is fine, Mindy. Stefan was just leaving after failing to make his point," Klaus replied.

Stefan grabbed a saw from the worktable he was standing next to, rushed over to Mindy, and cut her head off. "Well, one down. You may want to, ah, send the rest of them away before it gets messy, again," he finished, throwing the saw on the table before leaving the mansion.

"You are an asshole. You know that, don't you?" Rebekah said, glaring at her brother.

"Don't tell Elijah," the hybrid said before retreating upstairs.

____________________

"You heard about the trainee thing?" Rafael asked Adelia who was separating the papers into different piles.

The witch looked up at him, "The Council thing?"

"That one, yeah," he said, twirling the paperweight in his hands.

"I think it's a good initiative," she said.

"Seriously? Is this a workplace or a school?"

"Well, you are behaving like the most hated teacher," Adelia quipped.

"I am going to ignore that because I am the best and you know it," the Desmond rolled his eyes.

Adelia sighed loudly, "It's a good cause. If it is successful, then we might get to increase our CSR budget as well."

"I don't want to deal with kids," he pathetically whined.

"They are not kids. They are teenagers," she answered, shaking her head.

"And we are one-seventy-something. Everybody around is a kid," he pointed out.

"I'll set up a team and contact HR for initiating the recruitment process."

Rafael threw his hands up, "I am out of this kiddy business."

"I shall prepare the floor below us for them," Adelia answered without looking up from the paper.

"How many kids again?"

"First-year, not too much. Both parties have a lot to learn," she shrugged out a reply.

"A colossal disaster of an idea," he smiled and continued, "We have a bunch of drafts waiting." He gestured towards the pile sitting at the table.

"I'll be staying late. Get Martha to schedule meetings with the writers of this lot as soon as possible," Adelia told him, setting the pile on her left, "Inform the legal team as well to start the default negotiation. The usual procedure."

"Alright, you do this. I will take care of the recruits," he said while getting up.

"Don't scare them off," she pleadingly looked up at him.

Rafael smirked, "You're confusing me with your eternal annoyance." He closed his laptop and took the empty coffee cups, "You finally have an elder brother-in-law, huh? Are there by any chance new ones popping up soon?"

Adelia winked up at him and chuckled, "You'll be the first to know."

"The car has arrived for the Council Hall," the assistant said as she entered with the file to hand it to them.

"We'll be there, Martha," Adelia stood up from her seat and grabbed a set of papers, "Ring up the PR and legal to meet us there."

____________________

Alaric and Jenna stood looking at a model of the Wickery Bridge restoration project when Damon approached them.

"That's the bridge where Elena and Jeremy's parents died in the car accident," the Salvatore started.

"Something is up with her. Elena. Something more than usual," Alaric replied, "You know what it is?"

"She is not talking to me about it," Jenna added.

"I'm sure it starts with a 'Stef' and ends with an 'an,'" he rolled his eyes and continued, "I'm gonna get a drink, write a check and then we're out?"

Alaric nodded as Damon left and Meredith Fell joined the couple at the table.

"Alaric Saltzman, miracle patient!" The doctor exclaimed.

"Dr. Fell," the hunter greeted politely as Jenna glanced at him peculiarly.

"Hello. Jenna Sommers," the newbie vampire introduced herself, extending her hand, "Alaric's girlfriend."

"Oh hey, Meredith Fell," she smiled and turned to look at him, "I'm glad to see you're still alive. A part of me thought you would have dropped dead in your sleep!"

"Well, I guess I have nine lives," he smiled.

"Not a bad thing to have in a town with a vampire problem."

"Certainly not," Jenna intruded while shaking her head, "He is grateful to have been blessed with a vampire girlfriend, again. Miracle blood."

"Sorry? Are you on the Founders' Council?" Alaric asked the newcomer curiously.

"I'm a Fell, I come from a long line of founders, may they rest in peace," Meredith answered and looked at the model of the Wickery Bridge restoration project. "I hate that bridge. My senior prom date dumped me on this bridge."

"I can definitely see why," the Sommers woman mumbled under her breath.

"Oh, yeah? Did you throw him over?" The hunter chuckled.

"No, but I should have. I've been holding a grudge ever since," Meredith shrugged and looked around, "Where did your friend go? I'm supposed to hit him up for some money for the fundraiser."

"Well, you should, he is loaded," Alaric said.

"With arrogance," Jenna laughed loudly as some people turned to stare at her. "Make sure his pockets are empty before you let him leave this place."

"He's in good company. Some British guys just pledged to match every dollar we raise and is already being buttered by Carol," the Fell informed the couple.

"What do you mean British guys?" The history teacher questioned.

"Klaus and Elijah, Alaric," Jenna rolled her eyes, "I wonder where Lia is, I did not see her tonight."

____________________

"Our sister was very enthusiastic about seeing me plummeting you into the ground. May I ask why?" Elijah asked his brother.

"Just useless insignificant gossip, I assure you, brother," Klaus replied. "Are you staying?"

"Fortunately, for the night," the noble brother sighed. "I have to deal with some... pupils needing lessons on the technological advancements of this century."

"Are you playing professor this year, Elijah? You must have bored them to death," Klaus said with a smirk and turned to Carol, "You know Carol when I think of a mayor I think of an old fuddy-duddy, but you really have changed my perception!"

"Oh, thank you!" The Mayor preened and turned to the other vampire. "Where is your wife, Mr. Mikaelson?"

"Adelia was unable to attend due to some business, but she sends her greetings and her contribution to this wonderful cause," Elijah explained.

"You are just delightful! What colour are your eyes?" Klaus diverted the topic instantly.

"They are blue," Carol replied, intriguingly unnerved.

"Oh yes, they are," the hybrid said with a smile.

"Look at what the cat dragged in," Damon joined the trio, "Nice vest."

"Mr. Salvatore, pleasure," Elijah greeted politely.

"Thank you very much, good to see you, Damon," Klaus shrugged off his abrupt intrusion. "Carol, Elijah and I were discussing whether you would be the other big benefactor."

"What do you say, Damon? Klaus has made a very generous pledge. You know how we're chomping at the bit to begin the renovation," Carol added with a smile.

"Carol, don't take this the wrong way, but do you realise that you've been kissing the ass of an immortal hybrid who ruined your son's life?" Damon asked impassively.

"Oh, come now. Some would say that I saved it from all that nasty full moon business. I've never had to go through it myself more than twice, to be honest, but still, I'm very sympathetic," the hybrid grinned.

Elijah breathed out, already at the end of his wits. "Nice venue for a supernatural discussion. Can't wait for a Councilman to eavesdrop."

"Oh, they wouldn't bother. If they do, I am sure we immortals can team up to eradicate the nitty-gritty men," Klaus chuckled, patting Elijah's shoulder.

"I am going to ignore that," Carol clicked her tongue and turned to Damon, "Klaus has promised to protect Tyler, Damon. And our town."

"From who? His hybrids are the ones the town needs protection from," the Salvatore stated.

"Well, I'd have no use for them if your brother would kindly return my family," Klaus said in a hard tone as Elijah raised his brows at the information.

"I would like to know what it is all about," the elder Original looked between his brother and the Salvatore.

"Promise not to plummet me into the ground?" Klaus requested with a smirk.

Elijah rolled his eyes, "I promise to not indefinitely kill you."

"The coffins, not gonna happen," Damon waved it off.

"That's what I thought, which is why I've come to an agreement with the Mayor. You and the Council stay out of my hair, I stay out of yours. Your town gets protected, my hybrids get left alone and everybody will be happy. All you have to do is to get Stefan to stop decapitating my friends," Klaus said in annoyance.

"It gets rather inconvenient with him harping about hybrids, hearts and their heads," Elijah sighed, glancing around.

"I do recall your wife playing with that werewolf's head and heart? What was his name? Brady?" Damon stated, pulling the Original's attention.

"My wife amuses herself with a little violence once in a while," Elijah answered with a grin, "you are familiar with it first hand."

Klaus raised his brows and asked, "Maeve lost her temper with him?"

"You know Adelia, Niklaus," the elder brother added, "She tends to have less patience around imbeciles."

Damon clenched his jaw and gestured towards the hybrid, "I wonder how she tolerates him."

"You are-" Klaus started.

"She has gotten used to it," Elijah cut off his words as the younger brother glared at the Original.

"Please Damon, just get your brother under control or the Council will be forced to take action against him," Carol changed the topic, defusing the tension.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Damon exclaimed in disbelief.

"Oh come on mate. Give peace a chance," Klaus smirked.

"The irony, Niklaus," Elijah stated, his eyes already searching for a drink.

____________________

September 1863
the compound | New Orleans

A huge bang resounded the compound as Adelia stood up on her feet, suddenly on alert. She reached the balcony and her stomach dropped when she saw Elijah kneeling on the ground in the worst shape she had ever seen the Original vampire in.

"Oh dear lord!" She discarded the book she had been reading and hurried down the stairs. "Marcel!" she called out and Klaus' protégé immediately appeared beside her to examine the Original. He took the barely conscious vampire in his arms and carried him to his room with the witch following behind him. He put him on the bed and Adelia closed the drapes to the windows before lighting a candle.

"Klaus wouldn't be happy," the dark-skinned man said to the girl he had bonded with in recent years.

"I will see to everything, Marcel. You should follow his trail and see where it leads. You might uncover something," Adelia suggested and turned to look at him, "I will inform Niklaus and grandmother," she finished and hurriedly took off Elijah's boots.

Marcel let out a sigh and nodded, "I will get some men to guard the compound. Take care, Lia," he stated before vanishing just as the witch dropped the boots. She unbuttoned his coat hurriedly before she loosened his cuffs and collar, coming to sit beside him. "Elijah?" Patting his cheek softly, the Original opened his eyes to look at her.

Sighing in relief, Adelia placed her wrist between his parted mouth and nodded. His hand came up to grab her wrist as he bit into it with a crunch. She winced at the pain but said nothing while he took mouthfuls of blood from her. After a few moments, the witch snatched away her hand when she began to feel disoriented.

"Would you like a bath? I can get one of the maids to heat the water," she asked softly and helped him out of his dress coat, "or do you wish to get some rest first?"

"Where is Niklaus?" he enquired in a hoarse voice.

"He is off to interrogate one of the witches," she answered gently. "You were gone for a month."

"I would like a bath, please," the Original requested.

Adelia got up immediately and nodded, "Of course. I shall inform the housekeeper."

"Adelia," he called out when the witch made to leave the room.

The Laurentis heir looked back in worry and asked, "Do you require anything else?"

"How have you been?" Elijah questioned.

She tilted her head with a fond smile. "I shall be downstairs."

____________________

"So what's the catch?" Adelia asked, making the Original smile over the phone.

"Klaus is under the impression that the coffins are in the possession of the younger Salvatore," the noble Original answered with a smirk.

"That leverage must be working mighty fine," Adelia chuckled as she closed the car door with her hip, hands occupied with a number of files.

"Apparently, yes," he replied, sounding surprised.

"Give your brother some credit, Elijah," she said and nodded her head in acknowledgement as the gatekeeper opened the doors to the Council Hall. "Aren't you a bit curious? What is making Stefan risk everything when he actually doesn't have any leverage?"

On the other end, Elijah's mind directly flashed to the silver coffin in the same truck and he sighed loudly, "Maybe I just know what it is."

"Uh... no, that tone implies bad news," the witch grimaced.

A surprising pair of eyes sitting behind a laptop watched the woman cross the hallway to enter the boardroom. He rushed to draw the blinds shut and after a moment of hesitation, parted them a little to peek inside the room on the other side.

"Kol and Finn?" Elijah enquired.

"You shouldn't be even asking me that. I fear for my Asher. Kol's temperament is unpredictable and my little pet is so vulnerable around him," she replied in a sad monotonous voice.

"I am sure Finn will be taking care of that vagabond," the Original answered.

"Who are you referring to?" Adelia whizzed out in humour as the cabin door abruptly opened. She looked behind her to see Veronica Wilson with her assistant. "I'll call you later, Elijah. See you tomorrow," she said into the phone before hanging up.

"You have yet to add Elijah's real name into the Council documents," Mrs. Wilson sat down across from her.

"I prefer that his name takes after me," Adelia smirked and continued, "His real name shouldn't be of any concern unless he sabotages the treaty which we haven't been doing even from before your birth."

"You are breaking so many laws by not abiding to the rules set for every supernatural creature within the boundary," Veronica sighed, her age finally getting to her.

"And we pay the Council handsomely for keeping our lives very much private," the witch said, sliding a paper across the table to the other woman's direction. "You didn't have to threaten me for setting up a meeting for intern recruitments."

Veronica put on her glasses as her eyes flicked through the clauses set for the very agreement and gestured for the assistant to leave the room. Adelia watched the man leave as her legal team followed them.

The woman in her fifties picked up a pen to start making changes here and there. "We can work this out," she told the brunette.

The Laurentis heir poured whiskey into two tumblers, passing one to the older woman. "You are getting personal with this one, Veronica," Adelia tilted her head in curiosity.

"We have to negotiate the percentage for the revenue generation after this agreement. The Council might not be satisfied with 18 per cent," she pointed out to Adelia.

"I am willing to negotiate on an increase if the Council is ready to decrease the tenure of the revenue collection," the witch said with a shrug, leaning on the oak table.

Veronica laughed, shaking her head. "You haven't changed. No wonder the Councilmen didn't want to deal with this when Mr. Desmond sent you on behalf of him."

"Cheers to that," Adelia smiled as they clinked their glasses and took a seat beside her, opening a fresh page in the notepad with a copy of the contract. "Let's start, shall we?"

"After you," Veronica raised her brows as the clock ticked to ten.

_______________

"You only call me when you need help or you have to complain and that is so disheartening," Adelia ranted over the phone as Klaus walked down the streets with hesitation.

"I thought that was a perk I was allowed to take advantage of," the Original hybrid humoured.

"No. I forbid you. My ears have reached their limits for the night," she chuckled and entered the house to see the lights on. Looking around at the empty kitchen, she switched them off.

"Do you consider me an imbecile?" He enquired with humour.

"No," she refused, shaking her head. "I am not getting into this petty fight between you brothers."

"So you know," Klaus said in a mocking tone.

"On the contrary, I don't and I have no desire to get into any of it," she replied while rolling her eyes.

"What if you were to die on your birthday?" He asked the witch sudden and she stilled on her way upstairs.

Adelia frowned and glanced at the portrait the hybrid had drawn of her years ago. "That's a very morbid question," she answered and then continued, "Do you Originals even have an exact date as your birthday? Please don't celebrate this year; I've had enough fun and bloodshed for a decade."

"You'll have no qualms about dying at all?" He pondered.

The witch continued her descent upstairs and replied, "Fun fact, Nik. We were informed about the latest doppelgänger's existence the day before my birthday." She looked around the corridor to ensure the brothers were asleep before switching off the lights. "You know how sad it is to celebrate it all alone in a foreign country while your husband is travelling to find a way to appease his errant brother."

Klaus rolled his eyes and smirked, "Don't expect an apology."

Adelia entered the study and kept her files on the desk while shaking her head, "I don't even think you know how to spell the word itself."

"A-P-O-L-" he humoured.

"Come to the point. Don't lie to me." Her tone suddenly became stern.

"I am not," the Original reasoned.

She hummed in curiosity and said, "You know sometimes we lie to not hide the truth but to hide a part of us."

The hybrid pinched his forehead and stopped on the road. "We are not doing this, Maeve."

"Doing what?" Adelia feigned confusion.

"This!" he exclaimed.

"I don't understand," she continued, suppressing a smile.

"You do not fool me."

"Did you do something again?" The witch tried to get him to speak.

"I don't need you to patronize me," he spoke firmly.

"When have I ever?" she dramatically questioned.

He kicked a stone, glancing at the houses lining the area and replied, "I am already nursing a headache."

She cleared her throat and gave it a thought before answering, "If I were to die on my birthday, I wouldn't wish for anything but my loved ones beside me." She shrugged her shoulders and walked towards the French doors to draw open the curtain to let the moonlight in, "It is very sad to die alone."

Klaus paused for a moment before he replied, "That's morbid."

"Are you alright, Nik?" Adelia asked genuinely.

He answered after a moment of silence, his voice sincere. "Remember that you'll always find me beside you. You wouldn't die alone."

The witch smiled at that and hummed, echoing his earlier words, "That's morbid now."

Klaus suppressed a sigh of annoyance as his eyes fell over a Sheriff's car parked outside a house, the bracelet weighing heavily inside his jacket. "You are exhausting. Goodbye," he finished the conversation while hastening his pace.

____________________

October 1863
the compound | New Orleans

"Keep calm," Klaus said as a tear dribbled down Adelia's chin.

"It hurts," she cried out when the vampire touched her broken ankle.

"Nobody told you to jump from the first storey!" he exclaimed as he once again examined her foot.

"I did not jump! I slipped!" she shouted, not touching her bruised elbows.

"I absolutely believe that."

"I did not see the stairs," the witch justified when Klaus poked the raised form making her scream. "What are you doing!?"

"I need to see the damage before I give you my blood?" He raised his brow when she shook her head fervently, "You don't want to get healed?"

"I don't want you touching it," she cried out. "It is hurting!"

The younger Original glanced at the crying girl. "Are you ready?"

"No! It is going to hurt."

"I know, love," he said and tapped her hand to get her attention. When she looked at her hand, he immediately grabbed her ankle and with a crack, set it straight making the witch cry out loudly.

"What have you done!?" Adelia shouted when Klaus got up and bit into his wrist before putting it in her mouth. She struggled in surprise, but he looked her in the eye and nodded in assurance.

Calming down a little, she drank the bitter liquid, hiccuping in between. He caressed her strewn hair and massaged her feet as they healed within seconds.

"I do not like you," the witch blurted out with another hiccup.

"Well love, I do not care," the Original smirked and touched her elbows to find them healed.

"That was my favourite lace," she said gesturing to her torn sleeves making him roll his eyes.

"I have many wonderful apparels for you," Klaus stated.

"I do not wish to wear anything of your lady companions," Adelia bit her lip and the vampire laughed before he scooped her up in his arms towards the guest room.

"You are my favourite lady companion," he chuckled as she scrunched her nose in disgust.

"No, I am your friend!" She exclaimed.

"And my friend gets the best seamstress in the kingdom!" The Original smirked as he twirled her in his arms making her laugh loudly, the sound reverberating in the empty corridors.

"The ball I went to last week, a woman said burgundy will make me look like a peach. She loathed peach," Adelia mumbled to him, dried tear tracks on her face rubbing against his coat. "I want one in burgundy."

"Anything for dearest Maeve," Klaus assured her and the witch nodded, her chin over his shoulder.

____________________

"And then he tells me that the coffins are gone and forbids me from informing you," Rebekah mumbled while filing away her nails.

"And what are you doing here?" Elijah asked his sister, keeping his coffee mug on the table.

The female Original looked at him in disbelief, "Helping Klaus find them! What are you going to do about it?"

"I for one am absolutely glad that he has undaggered you," he replied and continued, "I will deal with the situation."

"And how really? By leaving?" She raised her brow. "Why don't you just stay for even a day? Are we not your family or does it only comprise of your wife?"

Elijah closed his eyes at the not-so-subtle jab. "Do not question my loyalty to our family, sister. Adelia could have chosen to distance herself from the mess this family is, could have abandoned me when I repeatedly came running to your aid. She chose to stay beside me when I went mad in my quest to find the coffins that imprisoned you." His voice got louder with every punctuated word, "Have you forgotten she is a Mikaelson as well?"

Rebekah got up, glaring at him, "Our family needs you here."

"I will find them. You do not have to worry," he picked up his phone kept beside the mug and walked towards the door, "Klaus needs you here, keep him occupied."

Klaus looked down from the staircase as the car pulled away from the driveway. He glanced at his distraught sister and rolled his eyes, "Good morning, sister. One would say you are almost jealous of your brother's happiness, Rebekah."

Rebekah directed her glare at him and roared, "You let him go! You let him seek whatever he desires and when it comes to anyone of us or me, dagger becomes the solution."

The hybrid came down the staircase and took a seat on the couch. "Maeve has never given me a reason to doubt her loyalty to this family," he answered.

"This family or yourself?" she questioned incredulously.

Klaus went silent for a moment before shrugging his shoulders, "Works either way. Maeve keeps her promises."

"You are a hypocrite you know that?" the female screeched at him while throwing a nearby vase on the ground.

"You never fail to remind me," Klaus smirked before another thing hitting the floor reached his ears.

____________________

October 1863
the abattoir | New Orleans

Adelia picked up a fallen child from the road and wiped off his ashen face, crouching down to his height. "Have you hurt yourself?" She enquired in a soft voice.

The seven-year-old child looked up and snatched the chain off her neck to run away just as fast. Her eyes widened as the child disappeared from her view in seconds. She dejectedly got up and touched her bare neck with a sigh.

The child ran inside a shop and approached a table, looking around cautiously.

"Did you bring anything?" A woman in her forties asked impassively.

The child covered in soot and grime produced the stolen chain in his tiny palms. The woman sitting beside the first one gestured at the table where the small bag of coins lay. He dropped the chain on the oak table and wordlessly took the bag before leaving just as cautiously.

"Who is the girl?" the older woman asked the other woman as her gaze fell onto the brunette standing by the busy road.

"You might be familiar with her ancestry," she replied, "Sharel Beauchêne's granddaughter an-"

"The last of the Fleureaus," the woman in her forties smirked. "I was not informed of their opportune return to New Orleans."

"They have been discreet with their activities and are under the  Mikaelsons protection."

"The circle of life," she said as her eyes fell upon the eldest living Mikaelson escorting the Fleureau witch towards a waiting carriage. "What about her unholy ability? Is that even magic?"

"The whispers only entail that she has magic but not her own," the younger woman replied, placing the chain precariously on a cloth.

"How curious. The balance is what they talked about," she pondered as her gaze never left the couple, their touch too intimate to be considered a form of courtesy.

Her eyebrows turned up when the Original instinctively touched the young witch's bare neck, his fingers lingering with a question as she dismissed it softly before caressing his inner wrist in farewell.

"She will be even with the cause," the older woman continued as her lips curled in delight watching the scene unfold. "What was she named? We never got to the end of the little one's christening after she was born."

"Adelia Laurentis," the second woman hesitantly replied.

"Nobility for a noble cause," the first woman smirked before she pocketed the chain.

____________________

"Is there a reason why you wish to go for training when you can work for your father?" Veronica Wilson asked the teenager who groaned at the enquiry.

"Mom," Zachary whined audibly. "I just want to, alright."

"You told me to pressurize the Council to let a reputed publishing house accept trainees as part of goodwill," she said in a stern tone. "Your father is happy that you are choosing to do something with your life, but this is madness."

"How hard could it be working for a printing press?" He glanced at his mother, closing the laptop.

"It's not a press," she worded it, "It's a publishing house. There's a difference."

"I'll do what I do best," Zachary shrugged.

"I don't think application codes are going to benefit them," she sighed. "Why do you want to work there anyway?"

The teenager looked at her. "Interning at a reputed firm might look good in my college application."

"I don't believe you for a second," Veronica answered.

"Are they recruiting yet?" He asked his mother.

"Yes."

"Help me make a perfect application?" He requested.

"And what shall I include in your hobbies?" She gave him a smirk. "Lazying around, writing a bunch of codes and partying? Irresponsible, unfocused, procrastinato-"

Zachary groaned, interrupting her. "I am also handsome and very trustworthy. I can program anything!"

"Don't tell me there's a girl," she glared at her son. "First that ridiculously expensive gaudy necklace-"

"It's not gaudy, it's beautiful," he reasoned, waving his hands

"-and then this job. What are you thinking?"

"I love you, mom," the teenager pleaded with his mother who sighed loudly.

"If it is a girl then you will be answering to your dad," Veronica closed her eyes and moved to go out of the room.

"Mom! There is no girl!" Zachary shouted after his mother. He looked at the closed door before turning to the laptop and mumbling to himself, "But how do you sabotage a girl's husband."

He pulled out a can of beer from underneath the bed and popped it open as he chuckled to himself seeing the mail. It was not difficult to find the details of the man who was linked to the people running the company. The teenager attached the Trojan file to the link before pressing enter as the mail got whisked away to the receiver within seconds.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: ADELIA LAURENTIS

My stars say she is in danger.

>Click here for more details<

____________________

"There you are," Elijah said with a smile when Adelia entered the bedroom and kept her drafts on the bed.

"How are the residents of Mystic Falls?" She asked and walked towards him to help him unknot the tie. The Original retracted his hands and put them on his wife's lower back to pull her forward.

"We might have to take a trip down there soon," he answered and nudged her stilettos with his shoes. She stepped out of them, immediately groaning in relief when her bare feet touched the cold marble floor.

"Are you planning something?" Adelia raised a brow in suspicion.

"You accuse me of such deviousness," the Original humoured and kissed her forehead.

"I am not wrong."

"It concerns not my siblings, but a rather surprising member of our family," he explained vaguely.

"Has somebody resurrected your father?" she asked him in surprise as her hands stilled while removing his cufflinks.

Elijah chuckled and toed off his own shoes before he replied, "Not father, but it's about mother."

Adelia tilted her head in thought before a smile overtook her features. "I think you are sharing your paranoia with Niklaus." She entered the bathroom, Elijah following behind her. "Your mother has been dead for a very long time and I always assumed she only held good sentiments for her children."

"The matter hasn't reached that far, but some elements are confusing," he muttered and picked her up to deposit her over the counter as she let out a squeal.

Adelia steadied herself as Elijah stepped between her legs to nuzzle her neck. "You have your family with you," she said and carded her fingers through his hair, "Why don't you rest a little?"

The Original hummed and his hand trailed up to where her dress had ridden up as his fingers fiddled with the zipper on her back. He looked her in the eye and suggested, "I have other very provocative ideas."

The witch slapped away his hand from her leg and glared at her husband, "You look tired. I think a hot shower is in order."

"Join me?" Elijah asked her again, his hand already sliding the zipper to rest on her lower back. She did not get to answer as he picked her up, her legs wounding around his hips instinctively before he pushed her against the glass door to the shower.

Her feet touched the floor before the dress made its way up her arms, his shirt following as the pieces joined the discarded trousers merrily.

____________________

He felt the heat of her back against his chest as her soft hair tickled his nose in tandem. Zachary moved closer as she involuntarily arched her body into his, her soft feet touching his sock-clad toes.

Impulsiveness gripped his heart when he let his lips linger on her nape for a second, her fingers clutching the pillow under her head as her eyes instinctively shut in anticipation. He pulled Adelia closer, locking his elbow at her waist as she intertwined their fingers to keep it splayed over her stomach.

"I miss her," she mumbled, her presence stealing the warmth from him as he caressed the bare skin under his thumb in order to distract her.

"She never liked you sad," he answered and closed his eyes, inhaling the rose fragrance of her skin.

A loud gasp rang around the room as Zachary sat up, looking around the room in terror. He looked beside him to see it vacant and rushed to the mirror to see himself.

He touched his face and hair to witness no beard and shut his eyes in fear. The world revolved around its axis as his eyes rolled back when he dropped onto the hardwood floor with a thud.

__________•__________

A/N: I hope you all remember Zachary from ch8. He's here to stay.

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