THE werewolf tasked with standing guard outside Hope's room was lying lifeless on the ground as Hope lied in her crib.

Ingrid sat up in bed when she heard the thud of the body hit the ground. She rushed to check on Hope but before she could reach her, Eva, having taken her body back from Rebekah, telekinetically threw Ingrid back into back, slamming her into the back wall.

Klaus stormed into the room when he heard the crashing sound and glanced at his sister furiously. "Rebekah! What are you doing?" He snarled and lunged for her but she cast a pain infliction spell on him before he could reach her.

Ingrid rose to her feet and growled at the witch, her eyes golden-amber with deep, purple veins underneath. Eva turned toward her, casting another spell that forced the hyrbid to fall to her knees and choke. Eva glared at both them with hatred as Klaus forced himself to lean forward, clawing a set of deep gashes into her thigh with his fingernails causing Eva to scream in pain.

Realizing she was overpowered, Eva let go of the spells and jumped out the window, leaving Klaus and Ingrid too busy recovering from her assault to follow after her.

They both stared at Hope, who was sitting calmly in her crib, completely at ease, before giving each other worried and exhausted looks. Ingrid let out a loud breath of relief and walked toward the crib, staring down at her daughter in affection. She ran a hand across Hope's head, stroking her hair, and smiled softly. She turned to Klaus with a terrified look and he walked toward her, setting a hand on the small of her back and nodding.

In the morning, Ingrid, Klaus, and Marcel were sitting around in Klaus' study and watching Klaus pull a pair of the magic-cancelling manacles from 1914.

"I should really stop packing these away. There's always one family member or another in need of a good shackling." Klaus joked and handed the manacles to Marcel. "Find Rebekah-- or Eva, or whoever the bloody hell that was-- use these to stop her from doing magic. And don't hurt her. The non-psychopathic bits are still my sister."

Marcel took the manacles from him, glancing at him in worry. "Alright, I won't be the only one looking for her. She killed witch-kids. The twenty-four hour hold that Elijah got the covens to agree to? Ended at midnight. Every witch in the city is gonna be gunning for her."

Klaus sighed heavily and turned to Ingrid. "Go to Elijah. Get him to charm his elderly witch into calling off the hunt."

Ingrid looked at him in concern and furrowed her eyebrows. "Pause for a moment. You wish me to leave Hope at a time like this? No. No. I need to be here---."

"Jackson has been working night and day to secure this compound, surrounding it with his werewolf army." Klaus informed, trying to reassure his wife in a calm manner, and she made an unimpressed facial expression. "Not to mention the fact that I'm here, and I know the best way to protect our child is to get Rebekah out of that serial killer's body and back into the original model."

Ingrid seemed displeased with this choice and sighed heavily while running her hands across her thighs. She flattened her lips into a tight line and weighed her options before nodding in agreement. "Alright. I trust your judgment, Niklaus. What diabolical things will you be doing while you entrust us with the dirty work?" She questioned him with a smirk.

Klaus shrugged a shoulder and smirked back in the same manner.. "Why, tending to the even dirtier work, as usual."

At LaRue Mansion, Elijah and Gia, who were both dressed up in cocktail attire, were standing in Josephine's living room with Ingrid, who was wearing a formal pantsuit with flats.

The hybrid stood off into the distance behind them and, knowing about the budding relationship between Elijah and Gia, chuckled lowly to herself. She looked down at her shoes while licking her lips and smirking, which didn't go unnoticed by either of the other two vampires.

After an uncomfortable silence, Gia finally spoke up, directing it to Elijah. "...I'm gonna see if I can find Josephine."

Ingrid smiled with a slight nod of her head and watched her leave the room. Once she was gone, Ingrid chuckled again and shot Elijah a significant look.

He couldn't help but smile bashfully in response as they waited for the hostess. Ingrid clapped her hands together and smirked widely in amusement. "Now it all makes sense."

He pointed a finger at her and gave a warning look. "Don't start, please."

Holding her hands up in surrender, Ingrid sat down on one of the chairs and folded a leg over the other. "May I ask the plan then?"

Elijah sat down next to her and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "Josephine LaRue can be rather recalcitrant. She is, however, enamored with Gia's musical prowess and cavalier spirit."

"You hope to win her favor." Ingrid concluded dully and sat back in her seat as Elijah smiled. "I am just pleased that you've finally found someone who is so... dexterous." She mused with a loud laugh causing him to give her a sheepish look.

Elijah rolled his dark eyes and held his hands up with a sigh. "What exactly do you want from me?"

"For you to be completely and genuinely happy." Ingrid answered honestly, her voice affectionate and kind.

This caught him off guard and before he could respond, Josephine and Gia joined them in the living room. Elijah immediately stood to his feet to greet her. "Madame LaRue."

"Mr. Mikaelson." Josephine greeted back in a stiff manner then glanced behind him at Ingrid, who had risen from her seat and clasped her hands in front of her.

Elijah gently kissed the witch on each cheek in greeting before she settled down in an armchair to talk with them. "Have you come to impress me once more with young Gia's rare talents?" She questioned then motioned to Ingrid and looked at Elijah in amusement. "What, pray tell, does this one do?"

"Depends on what you need." Ingrid answered smugly with a smirk.

Elijah folded the buttons of his suit and smiled, holding his hand out in front of his sister-in-law. "This one is family, Madame. May I present, Misses Ingrid Mikaelson?"

Josephine glanced at her with an odd expression and smiled briefly. "The hybrid mother."

Ingrid smiled kindly and nodded her head in a respectful manner. "We are grateful that you've accepted us into your home. However, it is not without purpose."

"We've come to ask for a favor." Elijah added softly causing Josephine to look at him curiously.

Elijah, Ingrid, and Gia began arguing in favor of protecting Rebekah with Josephine as she rejected their offers.

"Then, you need to let the witches put that body down! Eva will use up your sister, just like she did the others." Josephine informed them in a stern tone of voice.

"What others?" Ingrid questioned, both curious and scared, and took a step toward her. "What others?!"

"Eva was a wild beauty practicing a wild magic. But, she and Vincent were so happy, we let them be." The witch explained with a small shrug.

Elijah sighed heavily and crossed his arms over his chest. "And then the children began to disappear." He concluded with a dark look.

Josephine nodded in agreement. "But, because of Vincent's tenacity, she was caught." She then began to explain Eva's past and what she was up to. "To complete the Rite of Nines."

"The Rite of Nines?" Gia questioned, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

"Eva wanted to sacrifice a witch from each of the nine covens, thinking it would create a new witch order in New Orleans. She would have been more powerful than any elder or any Harvest girl." Josephine replied then noticed the expressions on their faces and nodded slowly.

Ingrid, Elijah, and Gia suddenly understood Eva's motivations from earlier and they all looked extremely concerned by this news.

Ingrid licked her lips and shifted on her feet nervously. "That's why she went after my daughter."

"She would have killed your daughter, channeled her powers, as she did with those other poor children." Josephine remarked with a stern look and glanced at them all with determination. "We agree she must be stopped-- no more of our youth will die." She said, standing to her feet. "That is why, Mr. Mikaelson, I will not extend your twenty-four hours." The two Originals both looked at her, stunned and horrified. "Eva Sinclair now has a bounty on her head." Josephine added, ignoring their disapproval.

"You would condemn my sister to her death?" Elijah questioned in outrage.

"I dislike the term "collateral damage," but there it is. If one or two must fall to take Eva down for good? So be it." Josephine remarked, willing to sacrifice Rebekah and Eva for the sake of the covens and their children.

Elijah glared at Josephine furiously as he quickly thought of a way to break through to her. "I assure you, Madame LaRue, we will defend your witches with a fearsome vengeance." Elijah pressed on, determined to save his family.

"You have a wonderful way with words. Really. Your cadence is pleasant. Normally, I could listen to it all day long, but I grow tired of this. My mind remains unchanged." Josephine stated sternly, refusing to budge from her stubbornness.

Ingrid gaped at her incredulously and scoffed loudly. Josephine looked over at her, mildly offended by her outburst. The witch pointed a finger at her and was about to sneer at the Original but she was interrupted. "Before you asked the inevitable question of: "who on earth do you think you are?" may I answer it by saying: "Don't bother wasting your breath"?"

Ingrid gaped at her in disbelief and gestured at Gia. "This woman took time out of her day to perform for you and --" she pointed out in anger then gestured to Elijah. "--Elijah has promised every vampire in the Quarter's loyalty to you and you really have the gall to stand here and tell us no?"

Gia stood up from her seat and tried to calm the hybrid down. "Ingrid--"

Ingrid held a finger up with a tight-lipped smile. "One second." She said calmly and turned back to Josephine. "My suggestion for you is to pull your head out of your privileged ass and think about the options here and the consequences."

Elijah, looking panicked, tried to mediate and stood between them. "We came here to honor the alliance between us. If this is something you wish to rescind, so be it." He stated in a cold voice and turned to leave.

Ingrid pursed her lips, impressed, and smirked at him while Gia was about to follow him out the door. However, Josephine, now furious, called out to stop them. "Don't you dare walk into my house and threaten me! I am not the one that needs you, Elijah Mikaelson-- it is you who needs us. Or, you will soon enough."

Josephine turned to Ingrid, standing right behind her, and roughly grasped onto Ingrid's wrists as she suddenly had some kind of premonition about her. She lowered her voice and whispered. "There's a storm coming, child. Your darkest demons ride upon it. I do not know its name, but when I peer into your future, there is a blackness that should terrify you."

Ingrid was alarmed but she instantly covered it up and ripped her wrists out of the witch's grip, snarling in offense. "Don't touch me." She warned harshly. "Then it is you who should be terrified." She threatened in a sinister manner before storming out of the mansion, Elijah and Gia following close behind.

Ingrid, Marcel, Elijah and Gia were at the compound, discussing what to do next. Ingrid was holding Hope in her arms and swayed her back and forth on her hip. "She's just gone?" The hybrid questioned in disbelief and sighed loudly in frustration. "And now she has a sidekick."

"The charming Vincent Griffith." Elijah muttered lowly.

Marcel sighed heavily and glanced at them in anxiety. "It gets worse-- if Eva has Davina, then she has eight of the witches she needs to finish the ritual." He informed them causing Elijah to look at him in horror. "She just needs one more."

"Hope." Ingrid concluded in a shaky tone and nodded her head slowly while licking her lips. "We cannot allow her to get close to Hope."

"Fortify this house. When they do come-- kill him, capture her." Elijah immediately ordered the vampires.

Ingrid raised an eyebrow and looked at him in confusion. "Capture?"

"I will not abandon my sister!" Elijah snapped in determination earning himself an incredulous look from her.

"Not at all what I was suggesting but okay..." She trailed off then rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. "Snippy."

"Now, tell Hayley to gather what wolves she has." Elijah ordered no one in particular and glanced at them with a stressed look. "With Vincent by Eva's side, she will strike with considerable force."

They all nodded in agreement and got to work with the plan to save Rebekah from Eva and stop her from causing more havoc.

After what felt like forever, the trio returned to the compound again to see Ingrid pacing the floor and nibbling on her thumb nail anxiously. When she saw them, she paused and glanced at them in curiosity. Their faces said it all. Taking a deep breath, she ran a hand down her face and flattened her lips. "Alright... what on bloody earth could she be waiting for?"

"She didn't wait." Marcel clarified with a shake of his head. "She took Josephine LaRue not half an hour ago."

Ingrid gaped at him in surprise and placed her hands on her hips. "Well then that means she doesn't need Hope. So, where would she go?"

"The same place she kept all the other captives. Where she took Davina." Marcel answered pointedly.

Elijah threw his hands up and scoffed in frustration. "A place no one has been able to find for two years."

Before anyone could say anything further, Marcel's phone rang and they all turned toward him. He pulled it out of his pocket and when he noticed that it was Vincent, he scowled and reluctantly answered it. "When I find you, I am going to rip your head from your neck." He snarled aggressively into the phone.

"You may want to hold off on that decapitation-- I found them all. Davina's alive." Vincent informed him in a relieved tone causing Marcel to stand there in stunned silence. Vincent's tone grew apologetic as he continued on. "Sorry, I had to make it look convincing! If you were in on the plan, Eva would have known."

"Yeah, blasting me through a couple glass doors really sold it. Alright, round of applause." Marcel condescendingly remarked. "Now what?"

Vincent paused for a moment then sighed heavily. "Now, we got a problem. These kids, they're all linked to her. If she dies, they all die."

Marcel's eyes shifted side to side quickly as he formed an idea. "So, we'll find a witch to unlink them."

Vincent was quiet again and seemed to be considering this suggestion for a moment before commenting. "Gonna need somebody with some serious power."

Marcel sighed and looked over at Elijah, who seemed to be thinking the same thing that he was. Marcel hung up the phone and Elijah nodded in agreement at him.

Klaus was at the Lafayette Cemetery with Freya and Esther. "All of my strategies and all of my secrets laid bare to give to Dahlia." He jeered then turned to face Freya with a smirk. "You must think I'm a fool."

Suddenly, Ingrid and Elijah appeared behind him. Klaus turned toward them in surprise and confusion.

Elijah took a step toward his brother and shook his head. "Unless it's not a trick." He stared at Freya determinedly. "I'll be the anchor."

"Brother, I think not." Klaus argued incredulously.

"Brother, whatever this is, nothing must prevent us from saving our sister." Elijah remarked in annoyance then hoped to break through to him. "I will not lose Rebekah."

"Oh yes, by all means, let's give Dahlia's whelp access to all the information she needs to destroy us!" Klaus snapped, gaping at him in disbelief.

Freya, who had become increasingly infuriated by Klaus' continued paranoia, gripped the chain that linked her shackles.

Elijah, looking exasperated, pointed at Esther. "And since when do we heed the words of this serpent?"

Ingrid made a shocked face before covering her hand with mouth, stifling her laugher.

"ENOUGH!" Freya bellowed furiously and suddenly yanked her arms away from her body, easily breaking through the magic-proof shackles and allowing her access to her magic again. She held up her hand and twisted her wrist, snapping Klaus' neck and causing him to fall unconscious to the floor.

Elijah looked at Freya, stunned and confused, while Ingrid looked over at her, annoyed and exhausted. The hybrid rolled her dark eyes with a loud sigh and threw her head back.

Freya ignored them and turned to Klaus' unconscious body, whispering a taunt at him. "For an upgraded model, you're not very sharp." She then walked over to Elijah, beconing him to follow her out the door. "Let's go."

Elijah seemed to be unnerved and glanced at Ingrid, who raised an eyebrow at him. He shot Esther a look before he following his sister out of the tomb.

Once he was gone, Ingrid turned toward Esther with a bitter smile and rolled Klaus over onto his back. She then sat next to him and stretched her leg out. Puffing up her cheeks, she blew out all her air and stared at her mother-in-law in venomous hatred. "Don't bother saying anything. I'm not interested."

An hour later, Klaus woke up on the floor of the Lyonne tomb with a gasp to find that the magic-disabling shackles were lying broken on the floor and his siblings had vanished. He turned to see Ingrid leaning against the stone wall with her eyes closed.

Upon hearing him stir, she opened her eyes and looked over at him with an affectionate smile. She leaned over and placed a hand on his back, rubbing up and down in a soothing motion.

Esther, who had heard Klaus awaken, walked in from the next room to check on him. "You recover fast, but they're gone."

"I compelled you to tell the truth, not state the bloody obvious." Klaus mused in annoyance, rolling his eyes at her.

Esther walked toward Klaus with a stern look on her face. "She will poison them all against you. You know that."

Klaus stood to his feet and brushed off his clothes. "And you suddenly care, do you?"

"Klaus!" She scolded him in exasperation. "Lying here, starving in the darkness, I have thought of nothing except what could have been if I had left you to live a single, mortal life."

Ingrid groaned in disgust and stood up. "Not this again."

"We would have burned bright for a while, and then burnt out. You see, you think of turning us as your greatest sin, but the truth is, it's the only one of your many faults I've come to forgive." He smiled widely at Esther, who frowned deeply at his rejection once again. "I prefer us as we are."

"Agreed." Ingrid conceded in a dull tone.

Esther shook her head and caressed Klaus' face with her hands. "No, my son-- we are a macabre echo of a family, and I take all the blame for that." She said emotionally, her eyes brimming with tears. "I only wanted to undo my evil, that you might love me again."

Klaus looked as though he was about to cry himself but he grabbed Esther's hands in his own and shoved them away from him. "My mother, the comedian. Enjoy the darkness." He sneered aggressively then turned and walked away with Ingrid following close behind, leaving Esther to sob by herself.

---
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