INGRID was lying on the couch in Klaus' office, partaking in the conversation between Klaus and Marcel as they discussed Davina's disappearance.

"You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to know the obvious." Klaus remarked with a pointed look. "Our secret weapon has escaped."

"Not so much of a secret weapon..." Ingrid trailed off with an unimpressed look on her face. "Everyone already knew Marcel was hiding her."

Marcel paced the floor and glanced at him incredulously. "She wouldn't just leave. She knows the witches want her back."

"Perhaps she has come to the realization that she does not need our protection when she is as that strong of a witch." Ingrid remarked from her spot on the couch then smirked slightly. "Or maybe she is simply tired of being held prisoner."

Elijah want in from around the corner and they all turned to look at him. "Her violin is missing. She may have left of her own volition."

Marcel walked toward him, pointing a finger in accusation. "What did you say to her in the attic? She lied to my face so she could stay up there, thinking that you'd help her control her magic. How do we know you didn't take her?" He questioned angrily, getting in Elijah's face.

"I have no idea where Davina is, or why she ran away." Elijah truthfully responded then gestured for him to move. "Can I suggest you take a step back?

Marcel eyed him for a moment before turning away as Ingrid chuckled to herself, amused by Elijah's attitude.

"I can assure you I have absolutely no desire to see that child come into harm's way." Elijah commented sternly, crossing his arms over his chest. "She's suffered enough with this Harvest ritual nonsense."

"That child, to whom you refer to so affectionately, is the most powerful witch in New Orleans." Klaus reminded him then took a step toward them. "If she's fled, what's to stop her from destroying us? In fact, destroying all we've worked for?" He questioned them then shook his head before they could answer. "No, if she's not a friend to this family, then she is our enemy."

"She is a friend, Klaus." Marcel reminded him in a strong tone.

Klaus smirked at him, challenging his position. "Well, let's hope so. Lucky for you, I know how to get her back. Follow my lead." He commanded while leaving the room.

Marcel was about to follow when Elijah stopped him. "You know how Niklaus operates. If he perceives a threat, he can become quite ruthless. This would not bode well for Davina."

"I'm not going to let anybody lay a finger on her." Marcel replied, shaking a finger at him and not backing down from his side.

"Nor will I." Elijah assured him with an austere glare then watched him leave the room. Once Marcel was gone, he walked over to Ingrid and lifted her feet up, sitting down in their spot and placing them in his lap. He glanced down at her baby bump and smiled at how much of a hill it seemed to represent then. He straightened his facial expression and glanced at her with concern. "I fear for Davina's demise at the hands of Niklaus."

"Elijah, I would love to help but I am not exactly allowed to be involved in the physical altercations anymore." She reminded him with a displeased snarl. "I have been reduced to a simple house wife and an incubator." Ingrid grumbled in disappointment. "Thousand years ago I would not have complained but now I am tired of being unable to do as I pleased because she needs my body solely to survive."

"Are you having regrets?" Elijah questioned her in worry, furrowed his eyebrows.

"Not at all." She answered immediately in an honest tone but then she paused for a brief second. "I love her with every fiber of my being but I miss being just me. Part of me cannot wait for her to be born so I can go back to that but another part... another part of me wishes she could stay in here. Safe from the world. I feel torn and I am trying everything I can to keep it contained so Niklaus can focus on everything else. He doesn't need to worry about us right now."

"Ingrid, you need to express to him how you feel." Elijah suggested to her in a stern manner. "Do you not trust him?"

"I trust him more than anyone but I do not wish to add another concern to his vastly growing list." Ingrid replied with a frown. "He already has so much to worry about... this is not even on the list."

"You are on the very top of the list." Elijah explained to her with a smile. "He's always worried about you. You are, always have been, and always will be his number one priority. However, I think you'll have to share that spot with someone else soon."

Ingrid rolled her eyes but smiled over at him. "Hmm... I will... I will talk to him about this later." She assured him with a flat lipped look then sighed and shoved his leg with her foot. "Now, go. Before he comes in here and drags you out by your fancy suit lapel."

Elijah chuckled, knowing she was right, and stood up from the couch. He set her legs back down on the cushions and smiled warmly at her. "Please call if you need anything. But call Niklaus first."

"Will do." She agreed with a smile then watched him walk out of the room. She sat up just as her phone rang. She groaned in aggravation and looked at the caller ID. Rolling her dark eyes, she answered it in an unfriendly tone. "What could you possibly want now?"

"I know you don't trust me, but you need to listen. Everything is about to change. Davina's on the loose." Sophie answered, her tone concerned and desperate.

"I'm well aware." Ingrid replied in a dull voice.

"I need something from you so that the witches can complete the Harvest." Sophie remarked then continued on, not allowing Ingrid to make a snide remark. "You'll help me because if we don't complete the Harvest, our access to magic will fade for good, which doesn't bode well for your baby's family."

"Oh, you mean the wolves." Ingrid drew out slowly then nodded to herself with pursed lips. "I don't care about the wolves. I don't care about the witches."

"She's from the Crescent Wolf bloodline. Marcel forced a witch to curse them so they'd be trapped in wolf form. My bloodline executed that curse. Help me complete the Harvest, and I'll undo the curse for you." Sophie offered, hoping to spark some interest into the Original.

"No." Ingrid replied simply, making it known that she really was not willing to help them.

"Listen to me, dammit!" Sophie snapped, thoroughly frustrated by her rejections. "I need to consecrate the remains of a powerful witch so I can absorb their magic. I know of one whose body was never found. Her name is Celeste DuBois. I believe you and she have a friend in common?" She questioned earning a noise of agreement from the hybrid. "Story goes that when she died, he buried her in a secret spot at her request. All you have to do is find out where."

"So you want me to betray Elijah's trust and his respect to help you?" Ingrid questioned incredulously ans stood to her feet with a harsh glare on her face. "You have the nerve to ask me to go against my family after everything you have done to us. Well, my apologies, Sophie but I will never help you again." She sneered angrily before hanging up the phone.

Unbeknownst to Ingrid, Hayley had heard the entire conversation from the room next door and snuck down the hallway, off to do what Sophie had asked of the Mikaelson. If Ingrid wasn't willing to save the wolves, Hayley was going to.

When Klaus and Elijah had reconvened at the compound's courtyard, Ingrid walked toward them with an amused expression. "You would not believe who called me begging for help." She commented with a laugh. "Sophie Deveraux. She wants our help to save the witches."

Klaus scoffed and turned to Elijah. "After her lies?" He sneered then walked toward her, kissing her on the lips in a greeting manner. "Hello, love. Where's Rebekah gotten off to?"

"It's not Rebekah that I'm concerned about. And how can you be so certain that Davina will come?" Elijah asked curiously, not having faith in his plan.

"One might think you've forgotten what it's like to be in the grip of an all-consuming infatuation." Klaus smirked at him while sending a discreet glance at his wife, who winked. "She'll come."

Elijah looked up at Timothy, who was sitting in the rafters, compelled to play his violin from above. "Are the maudlin theatrics absolutely necessary, Niklaus?"

"It's a fair point." He chuckled snd looked up at the young boy. "Timothy, play something a little more upbeat, please." He commanded and the human played a different song. "That's a good lad." He praised condescendingly as Marcel returned to the compound and joined them.

Marcel paused and looked up at the human boy, rolling his eyes and walking toward them.

"Took you long enough to spread the word." Klaus berated lightly.

"Have you met his nightwalkers? Not the brightest assortment." Elijah insulted smoothly while Ingrid and Klaus laughed.

"Practically gutter trash." Ingrid added causing Klaus to laugh harder.

"All that matters is I got it covered." Marcel ignored the insults and looked at them, a serious look on his face. "When Davina gets here, you three need to let me do the talking."

"We'll see." Ingrid replied with a blank face and raised an eyebrow at him.

Klaus then sensed Davina's presence nearby and smirked widely. "Well, I'm sure you'll have your chance." He said to Marcel as he turned to face her . "Hello, love." He greeted her then looked up at the human boy. "Silence is golden, Timothy." The human stopped playing and Klaus smiled in appreciation. "Thank you."

"Davina?" Tim looked down at her and gaped in confusion.

"You got me here. Now let him down." She ordered sternly, walking toward them with a furious glare.

"Well, first, we have to have a little chat about you returning to the fold." Klaus pointed out, pointing at her.

Marcel turned to him in annoyance. "What did I say, Klaus? I got this." He assured them and turned back to Davina. "D, what happened? Why'd you run? Talk to me. Hey, I can make it right."

"How, by threatening my friend?" She questioned angrily.

"Actually, that was my idea." Klaus spoke up, taking the blame, and took a step toward her. "Apologies. I've been known to go too far to make a point." Ingrid threw her head back and laughed causing him to glare at her. "But I do always get results."

Davina chuckled and shook her head at him. "You pretend to be so confident, but I know the truth. You're afraid everyone can see what you really are-- an animal." She sneered with tears in her eyes and cast a pain infliction spell that brought him to his knees.

Klaus screamed out in pain and Ingrid moved toward him but Elijah grabbed her arm. "Ingrid, no!"

Davina turned toward them and held her hand up, sending the three of them flying back onto the concrete ground. They looked up at her to see her staring down at Klaus with a cold glare.

"A beast. Why don't you show us your real face?" She magically forced Klaus to partially transform into a werewolf before telekinetically snapping his neck. "That's enough of you."

"Niklaus!" Ingrid called out in concern and sat up, breathing heavily.

"Davina, you don't have to do this." Elijah attempted to reason with the witch as he pulled himself up off the ground.

Davina looked at him with fury in her eyes and walked toward him, using magic to pull him up in his knees. "You! You looked me in the eyes and lied to my face. Pretended you wanted to help me."

"Listen to me--" He pleaded nervously.

She cut him off, holding her hand out in front of her. "--You call yourself the noble one, but you're a killer just like your brother. For thousand years, you've fed on innocent blood. Why don't you choke on it?" She then cast a spell on Elijah that caused him to regurgitate all of the blood he had consumed over the years before he fell to the floor, lifeless.

Marcel watched in horror then quickly moved to hide Ingrid as Davina then turned to Marcel, who looked frightened. "And you!"

Marcel pulled himself off the ground towering over her, waiting for her wrath.

"I trusted you. I loved you, but you were just using me to stay in power. You don't care about me." Davina emotionally remarked, looking at him with tears in her eyes.

"You're wrong." Marcel argued sternly, shaking his head.

While they spoke, Ingrid began to slowly crawl toward the lifeless body of her husband. Davina caught the hybrid from the corner of her eye and held a hand up. Ingrid cried out in pain and fell back down to the concrete floor. "I have done nothing to you." Ingrid growled out between the pain.

"No! But you hide behind your family! Allowing them to terrorize others for nothing more than enjoyment. You're a monster." Davina insulted harshly then twisted her hand causing Ingrid to scream out louder in agony. "You are no better than Klaus!"

"You have no idea." Ingrid chuckled through the searing pain eating away at her and pushed herself up off her wrists.

Marcel looked at the witch, pleasing desperately with her. "D, stop! She's pregnant."

"So?! She's just bringing another one of them into the world." Davina sneered in disgust, turning her attention to the vampire and slowly easing up on the spell by accident. "Their whole family needs to feel the pain they have caused innocent people."

Davina hadn't realized that she stopped the spell and Ingrid slid down to the ground, her face on the cold ground as she took deep gasps for breath. She closed her eyes for a moment before falling unconscious. Marcel paused for a second, tuning into Ingrid's womb to hear the heartbeat of her unborn child alive and well. He took a small breath of relief and watch Davina crying in heartbreak by his betrayal. "When you lost to Klaus, you handed me over like some trophy. Maybe I should boil you in bronze."

"I care. I took you in like you were my own blood." He argued, staring at her emotionally. Suddenly he was stabbed through the chest with a wrought-iron poke and choked for a moment before he fell lifeless onto the ground.

"Come on now, love. Don't tell me you were falling for that. Isn't it time for us girls to have a chat?" Rebekah smiled at her then looked around at the bodies of her family.

The vampires woke up on the floor of the courtyard after their wounds had began to heal. Elijah still had blood crusted all over his face and Marcel's shirt was soaked in blood as well. Klaus walked over and helped Ingrid off the ground, making sure she was alright.

"Well, isn't this monumentally awkward." Elijah uncomfortably commented as he stood up from the ground then walked over and held a hand out to Marcel, pulling him to his feet.

Klaus pulled out his phone and called his sister. "Rebekah, where are you?"

"I'm with Davina, and she's dying because of your treachery." Rebekah ridicule furious.

"Well, I tried to talk to her, out of respect for Marcel, but she made it quite clear she is not our friend. My apologies if you thought she was yours." Klaus replied indignantly.

"Just tell me how to cure her. Vampire blood isn't working." Rebekah snapped in a stressed tone of voice.

"No. It wouldn't." Klaus replied with a smirk and Marcel charged toward him but Elijah pulled him back before he could. "You see, the poison I compelled Timothy to feed her is quite potent. It's just a matter of time for her." Klaus informed her carelessly.

"For both of them, you diabolical bastard." She yelled at him in disgust and rage. "They're children. We could've dealt with her fairly."

"There is no dealing with those who threaten us. Davina sealed her fate when she stood against me. This was her choice, not mine." Klaus replied in a simple manner, staring straight at Marcel as he spoke. Refusing to help, he hung up the phone and looked Elijah and Marcel, who were both gaping at him, mortified, while Ingrid looked completely unfazed. He rolled his eyes and laughed, walking passed them. "Oh, come on. The stench of your judgment is overwhelming. Need I remind you that Davina just bested the lot of us? I did what had to be done. Don't worry, Elijah. I remain as redeemable as ever."

"So you compelled that boy to poison Davina without consulting Ingrid, Marcel or myself." Elijah commented in pure anger.

"I cannot say I am even surprised." Ingrid remarked in a dry tone of voice.

Marcel laughed humorlessly and walked toward him, waving his finger. "You know what the worst part is? It's that you're so predictable, I had to make an alliance with your brother, who I don't even like."

Klaus looked between them, unamused. "Judging by your expression, you have something you'd like to share."

Marcel smirked confidently and tilted his head to the side. "Damn straight, I do. I got a call from Kieran earlier, right after Sabine and some witches almost got their hands on Davina first."

Klaus flattened his lips into a tight line and turned away from them. "So, when you slipped away to allegedly check on your nightwalkers, you were, in fact, colluding with a witch. That's very clever. I suppose I should be proud."

Marcel shrugged his shoulders and spared a glance at Elijah's direction. "Eh, I just wanted to make sure I had a fail-safe just in case, as Elijah expected, you started acting like you."

"Except that now you've involved the witches, who, last time I checked, were enemy to us all, to everything we have, and to our family." Klaus reminded him in anger, striding toward them again.

"Davina is Marcel's family, Niklaus, or did that somehow slip your mind as you tried to take her life?" Elijah questioned and walked toward him, getting in his face. "You will call Rebekah. You'll tell her that Davina will recover. I do wish the same could be said for that boy." He sneered before walking away with Marcel following suit.

Klaus and Ingrid were standing in the courtyard, staring at one another as they each thought of what to say about the events that had unfolded. They both heard footsteps approaching them and turned toward the sound. Klaus turned to look at Ingrid again to see that she had disappeared.

Camille O'Connell walked toward him and smiled devilishly. "Surprised to see me? After all, you did compel me to leave town."

"You remember." He replied in shock.

"Chalk one up for decompulsion. Hurts like hell, but it's worth it. Made me realize exactly why I want to stick around. Oh, and Klaus? If you hurt Davina or Josh in any way, I'll expose you to the world, and then you can kiss the French Quarter goodbye, forever. Have a nice night." Cami threatened then turned on her heels to come face to face with none other than Ingrid.

"How foolish of you to walk straight into the lion's den and make empty, pitiful threats. Assuming you hold any power over us." The pregnant Mikaelson commented with an amused smirk and a mischevious look in her eyes.

Cami gasped in shock and stared at her with wide eyes. "You're Ingrid."

"Camille, is it? See, Camille, you do not get to threaten my family. Especially my husband. You want to out us to the world? Fine. Go ahead." Ingrid remarked with a smile then her face dropped into a stern expression. "But here is what is going to happen when you do: humans, in a pitiful attempt to save themselves, will attempt to kill us just to meet their own death or you will be thrown in a loony bin and evaluated around the clock for the rest of your life. There is also the possibility that I rip out your larynx with my teeth and it will be as easy as breathing."

"Do not come into my house and make threats because I can assure you, you won't like mine." Ingrid snarled with an animalistical growl and flashed her golden-amber eyes at the human. "Now get the hell out and never let me catch you here again."

Cami pulled herself together and ran out of the compound, leaving the couple behind. They smiled at each other and she walked toward him with a smug expression on her face.

"I know I can always count on you." Klaus replied with a happy smile and took her hands in his, swinging them back and forth. "Even when I don't need you to, you're always there for me. Especially at my worst."

"I will always be there for you, my love. Through thick and thin. Through all of it." She assured him genuinely and gazed up at him affectionately. "Even when the world seems against you. When our family seems to be against you... I will never stand against you. We are a team. One in the same." She whispered softly and placed a hand on his cheek.

He stared down at her in amazement and placed his hand on top of hers. He leaned down and hovered his lips above hers for a moment, gazing deeply into her eyes. They were entranced by each other before attaching their lips in a sensual kiss.

Elijah stood on the balcony, watching them in curiosity and tapping his finger against the railing. He was enraged by his brother's choices and he was confused why Ingrid never was until he remembered just how vicious she could be and realized it truly was because they were one in the same.

He knew that they would fight for each other until they were nothing but bones and blood. They would never give up on each other even when it seemed like they only had each other. They understood each other more than anyone else understood them but they didn't need other people to understand them. They just needed each other.

That was their love.

---
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-the1andonlytifftiff