Tristan and Aya had come to me because they had forced Vincent to activate the Serratura, taken Hayley and Jackson as leverage against Klaus and Elijah to lure them to the same place where they could trap them forever.

They had killed Jackson and sent his heart to them as a warning that they were serious, and that they would also kill Hayley if they didn't show.

So, in revenge, they took Aurora as leverage against them to release Hayley.

We were on the back road where the Mikaelsons had taken Aurora.

Tristan's phone rang. He saw that the Caller ID said Klaus, answering it, putting it on speaker. "If you touch a hair on her head--"

Elijah's voice was on the other line. "I'll do my best to restrain my brother, Tristan, but you and I both know that he can be impossibly savage when he wants to be."

"State your terms."

"You'll meet us at Patrick's Dock, the warehouse. We exchange Aurora for Hayley and the Serratura. Oh, Tristan? I would make it snappy. Unless, of course, you want Niklaus to eviscerate that poor girl."

Elijah hung up.

Tristan looked absolutely furious, processing this turn of events, turning to Aya. "Go retrieve that filthy cur. Double the dosage of wolfsbane. Make certain she suffers."

I was concerned about Hayley. "Now, hold up. Maybe you should think this through."

"I already have," Tristan told us coldly. "The Mikaelsons want to make a deal, so I'll give them exactly what they want. And, once I know Aurora is safe, I'll order the Strix to descend en masse." He pulled the Serratura out of the front pocket of his slacks, holding it up. "Before the night is over, we will seal them away for all time."

I was both worried about this plan, but it was clear that Tristan was intent to see it through.

***

Klaus and Elijah were waiting outside of the shipping container.

A half-dozen Strix vampires rushed inside, including me.

We walked toward them.

Another few dozen or so vampires joined the others.

Klaus tilted his head. "Here they come."

We were all displeased, looking at each other.

"I wish I could say it was a pleasure," Tristan told us.

Klaus nodded in acknowledgement, giving Noah a knowing look. "Noah. Made your bed with the enemy, I see."

I faked a smile. "Membership has its privileges."

Klaus smirked. "Let's get on with this, shall we?"

Tristan turned back to a tall, blonde vampire woman, nodding.

The blonde vampire and a male vampire bring a bloodied and shackled Hayley forward, letting her go.

Hayley was so weak that she couldn't even stand on her own, falling to the floor on her knees between us.

Klaus and Elijah looked at her in horror.

I was worried, hiding it. 

"Hayley Marshal-Kenner, only slightly worse for wear," Tristan told us. "You'll have to forgive her if she seems a bit off. There's enough wolfsbane in her system to kill an entire pack. However, here she is, as requested. Now, where's my sister?"

"She lives," Klaus answered angrily. "You can thank Elijah for that." He walked toward Tristan. "I wanted to flay her and hang her skin as a flag. Anyway, enough chit-chat. Let's conclude this tedious business, shall we?"

"My sister first," Tristan told us. "And, if you're tempted to argue, consider the numbers." I smirked in amusement, rolling my eyes. Klaus walked over to the shipping container, opening it to reveal Aurora inside with a black hood over her head, her wrists bound behind her back. Tristan turned to Aya. "If they try anything, attack."

Aya nodded in agreement.

Tristan rushed into the shipping container toward Aurora, taking off her hood.

Aurora's head rolled weakly.

Tristan looked at Aya.

Aya looked at the vampires guarding Hayley, nodding.

The vampires backed away.

Elijah walked toward her, breaking through her restraints, wrapping her arm around his shoulders, pulling her closer to Klaus, helping her stand.

Tristan started to break Aurora's restraints.

Aurora looked up at him, smiling weakly. "Oh, brother, you came for me."

Tristan smiled. "Always." He helped Aurora stand. Aurora wrapped her arms around him. Tristan returned the embrace. "Come on. Come on." Aurora reached into Tristan's pocket, pulling out the Serratura, pulling away from the embrace, backing away from him. Tristan looked at her warily, slowly reaching toward her. "Rory? What are you doing?" Aurora slammed the Serratura against the wall of the shipping container, which activated its power, causing the warehouse to shake for a moment as if an earthquake had just hit. The medallion remained stuck to the wall. Aurora looked at Tristan smugly. Tristan realized what had just happened, trying to run out of the shipping container, but was blocked by an invisible barrier. He looked at Aurora in horror. "No. Aurora... what have you done to us?"

Aurora smiled smugly, walking past him. "Not to us." She walked out of the shipping container, joining Elijah, Klaus, and Hayley outside of it. "To you."

Aurora turned to face Tristan. A magical haze covered her before it revealed that it had actually been Cami the entire time, glamoured to look like Aurora instead.

Tristan looked at them in cold fury and horror. "What is this?"

"You know what they say," Cami told him. "Payback's a bitch."

"How is this possible?" Tristan asked.

"The Serratura creates an impenetrable boundary," Klaus told him smugly. "Nothing living or dead can pass through."

"And, thanks to your lunatic sister, I'm neither," Cami told him.

Tristan was horrified when he realized that he was truly trapped inside the shipping container forever. "No. No. No!"

Klaus walked toward Cami, putting an arm around her, quietly murmuring in her ear. "Stay close to me, okay?"

Tristan looked at the Strix, who didn't seem to know what they should do. "What are you waiting for? Take them! Now!"

The Strix were about to obey.

Elijah stepped forward. "Before you rush headlong toward almost certain death... as your sire, I would like to employ just a little bit of common sense."

Aya scoffed. "We are ancient vampires, Elijah. Each of us almost as strong as you."

"You might almost be successful in subduing us, but at what price?" Elijah asked. "Most of you will die in the process, and for what? To avenge a fool marching you headlong toward your very extinction in the name of a witch's prophecy? You do realize he engineered absolutely all of this purely to satisfy some petty grievance against my family?" He turned around, walking toward the shipping container, looking at Tristan, leaning against the metal door, smiling fakely. "Tristan doesn't care for any of you."

"Stop listening to him!" Tristan told us furiously.

Elijah ignored him, turning back to the Strix, walking closer. "The only danger here is the choice that you must make. You see, I am not your enemy." He stopped in front of Aya, nodding in acknowledgement. "It's true. I delivered you into this existence. I can just as easily pluck you out of it. The choice is yours to make.

Aya looked torn, glaring at Elijah as if she was entertaining the idea of fighting anyway.

I walked closer, blocking her way, whispering in her ear. "It's done. The moment has passed. Be smart, Aya. Smarter than Tristan. Don't waste any more of our guys."

Aya didn't seem pleased that I was ordering her around. She turned toward the rest of the vampires. "Stand down."

Tristan only became more furious to see that I had convinced them not to avenge him. "You will not abandon me!"

Aya walked toward the shipping container, looking at Tristan regretfully. "It's a shame it has to end like this."

"Aya, this isn't over," Tristan told her.

Aya put her right hand over her heart in a sort of salute to her former leader. "May the ghosts of our fallen keep you company."

The Strix, Aya and I included, rushed out of the warehouse, leaving.

Tristan shouted after us. "Aya. Aya. Aya!"

***

At Marcel's loft, Marcel had just put on a jazz record on his record player, closing his eyes to enjoy the music for a moment, pouring himself a drink.

I walked in. "Offer a drink to the enemy?"

Marcel smiled. "I hardly think we're enemies, Marcel. I know where your loyalties lie."

Marcel handed me a drink. 

I sighed. "If I had known that they were gonna go after Hayley, I would have warned all of you."

"I know," Marcel told me. "And speaking of where things like, what did the Mikaelsons do with Tristan?" 

"Well, they persuaded some rather dedicated longshoremen to release our little monster in a box to the deepest, darkest depths of I-don't-give-a-damn," I answered.

We both chuckled.

Marcel raised his glass. "Well, then... to the devil in the deep blue sea."

Marcel and I clinked our glasses together, drinking deeply.

I couldn't be more relieved that Tristan was gone for good.

But I was somber from the loss of Jackson, sympathetic for Hayley, for losing her husband, and Cami, for turning into a vampire.