KLAUS and Ingrid were sitting at a local cafe having breakfast with Hope. The infant was in her stroller and Ingrid was pushing it back and forth with her foot as she sipped on her coffee. The couple enjoyed the calm, breezy morning between them and Klaus reached across the table to grab one of his wife's hands in his. He brought her hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss across her knuckles.

Ingrid set her cup down and beamed at him in nothing more than genuine affection. It was blissful until a violinist walked toward them and began playing a slow yet familiar tune. The hybrids looked at him in confusion until it struck them. It was the exact same tune that Dahlia used to sing to Freya. Ingird froze in her spot, looking visibly unnerved as she stared over at the violinist. Shivering in terror, she set up in her seat. "That melody..."

"Yes." Klaus answered her unspoken worry and stood to his feet, placing himself between his family and the violinist.

The musician was staring back at them in an eerie manner and Klaus began scanning their surroundings and noticed a waiter at the cafe writing a message onto the chalkboard outside of a restaurant that reads, "A promise made is a debt to be paid."

Ingrid became even more alarmed at this point and stood to her feet quickly causing the silverware to clank against the table. Klaus pulled her toward him and frantically grabbed Hope's stroller before attempting to flee.

However, they were stopped by a man holding a large, long-stemmed red and black flower in his hand. He smiled at Ingrid and kindly offered it to her. "Flowers, miss." He held it out to Hope, admiring the infant. "A gift for the child." When the Mikaelsons refused, he continued pushing the subject. "You sure?" He held up the flower again and smiled, this time creepily. "Black dahlias are in bloom. They're quite lovely." He then grabbed her tightly by the arm as both of his eyes turned pure white.

Klaus shoved him against a light post in a choke-hold as he growled furiously. "Show yourself, witch."

A waiter walked toward them and stood stiff as a statue while speaking in a creepy voice. "I am here. I am everywhere. And I intend to take what is mine."

Klaus scowled at him and backed off the salesman, shocked and terrified. "It's her."

Ingrid, Rebekah, Klaus, Freya, and Elijah were convening in the dining room of the compound to discuss what had occurred at breakfast that morning.

Klaus paced the floors, displeased and frustrated. "You two can't be allowed to leave the house anymore. It's not safe. If something---" He ordered sternly, glancing at Ingrid with a desperate look on his face.

She held a hand up to stop him and flattened her lips into a tight line. "Niklaus, I think everyone on the planet knows I do as I please. But moving on, we need to figure out how we plan to go about this."

Klaus, aggravated with her rejecting his concern and his demands, raised his voice into a loud shout. "What I would like to do is take a--"

Ingrid stood to her feet, her chair screeching behind her, and walked toward him. "Do not take that tone with me, Niklaus. I will tear--"

Elijah walked toward them and stood in the middle, politely breaking up their argument. "Children, please. Niklaus, your ire is justified. However, Ingrid is quite right." He admitted then lowered his voice into an amused whisper. "As she is always."

Ingrid shrugged her shoulders with a smirk and shot Klaus a smug look to which he rolled his eyes and folded his arms over his chest in an annoyed huff.

"We need to find a new strategy." Elijah reminded them then turned toward his older sister and motioned for her help. "Freya, if you please?"

Freya signed defeatedly and walked toward them. "The spell you described... Dahlia calls it "kenning"-- using proxies to watch her enemies from afar." Klaus looked at her, half-suspicious, half-curious, and Freya paused, looking overwhelmed. "But, I've never seen it done on quite this scale."

Ingrid gave her a sarcastic smile and a fake pout. "Of course you haven't. However, the problem now is that anyone crawling around could be working for her. We cannot trust anyone."

Freya held a finger up and smiled slightly. "The good news is, I know a little about how her magic works." She gestured at a tray she had set up that had a silver tea kettle and five tea cups full of brown liquid on saucers. "This tonic will at least prevent her from using any of us."

Rebekah and Freya each reached for a cup. When the others didn't move to follow suit, Rebekah looked around at them impatiently. "Well, come on! This should work like a charm!"

Elijah sat down at the table and grabbed a cup. However, when Klaus and Ingrid remained standing where they were, Rebekah rolled her eyes and raised her glass. "Bottoms up!"

The three of them drank their tonics, and Elijah held out the ramining cups to the hybrids, who merely glanced at them and made no move to take them.

Elijah sighed in annoyance at them and lowered the cups. "Is there something you wish to contribute?"

Klaus shrugged nonchalantly and pursed his lips. "I prefer biscuits with my tea." He mumbled like a child causing Ingrid to chuckle at him.

Elijah rolled his eyes again as he set down the cups on the table and muttered under his breath. "Of course."

"Am I the only one who's having a hard time trusting all this..." Ingrid trailed off while pondering for the right word to use as she motioned with her hands. "...witchy nonsense? If Dahlia really is this powerful how can we trust that a cuppa with solve our problem?"

Klaus ignored his brother and gestured to his wife in agreement. "Besides, our minds are far too strong to be invaded by kenning spells." Elijah rolled his eyes for a third time and sipped his tonic as Klaus continued on. "No, what we experienced was a test-- Dahlia's watching to see how we respond to aggression. She's preparing for battle. My guess is sooner, rather than later."

"She also knows where we are. And, given the immense nature of her power, we simply do not know what to expect from her. What we need is to create a new stronghold. Something that Dahlia knows nothing about. A sanctuary from any witchcraft." Elijah argued sternly, hoping to persuade them to change their minds.

"That's a fine strategy. I offer another-- we can use Jackson to trace her magic back to its source. Find out exactly where she is." Freya offered up an idea and everyone glanced at each other as they all considered it for a moment.

Ingrid looked over at Klaus, who merely smiled, with uncertainty. "We're going to trust feral animals with the safety of our family?" She questioned her husband in disbelief and he gave her shrug. Taking a second to think it over, she sighed reluctantly and rolled her dark brown eyes. "Fine."

Klaus clapped his hands together and smiled widely, pleased. "Good! Then it's settled. Off you pop to your respective tasks! Me? I've always been of the opinion that the best defense is a good offense. So, I'm going to find a way to murder that godforsaken witch." He remarked in determination and smiled evilly.

Ingrid laughed to herself and grabbed one of the teacups, knocking it back and ingesting all of the tonic in one swift motion. "Add me to that plan."

He smirked deviously at her and placed a hand on her shoulder causing her to look up at him and smirk back in the same manner.

After meeting up with Davina and Mikael to create a plan to trap Dahlia and subdue her, Ingrid, Mikael, and Klaus opened the front doors to St. Anne's church and slowly walked inside, taking note of their surroundings as they walked down the aisle toward the altar.

Klaus glanced around and stood in his spot before raising his voice. "Well? What are you waiting for, you crone?" He provoked loudly, his voice echoing through the church.

The three of them continued to look around as Mikael tightly gripped the enchanted knife in his hands.

Suddenly, they heard Dahlia's voice calling out to them as she appeared at the sacristy. "Now that you've arrived... not a thing!" She noticed Mikael gripping the blade and curiously tilted her head slightly to the side before she holding up both of her hands to summon dozens of humans, who she had magically coerced into invading the church. She smiled down at them wickedly. "Let us begin."

The Mikaelsons glanced around at the large crowd of people surrounding them and Mikael chuckled as he looked over at his family. "We are well-met. So be it. Are you ready?" He questioned with an eager smile.

Klaus smirked back at him and chuckled. "I was born ready." He replied then turned to Ingrid. "My love?"

"Oh, always." She replied simply and darkly smirked while cracking her knuckles.

The Orginals then bared their true forms and lunged for Dahlia's minions. As they fought, Mikael, Ingrid, and Klaus were able to snap the necks of many of them and tossed any others across the room.

They seemed to have the upper-hand at first but after a moment Dahlia raised her hands and thrusted them toward the crowd, which not only allowed her to use her magic through them but gave them the ability to use that magic effectively.

After they took out another several humans, one of the women raised her hand into a fist and gave Klaus a mystical migraine. Shortly afterward, another magically-enhanced human did the same to Mikael and another to Ingrid, temporarily incapacitating them all. Once the spell was released, the trio panted for breath on their knees and Dahlia smiled down at them patronizingly. "Ah, I should have warned you! My acolytes are rather formidable." The vampires grunted in pain while forcing themselves up on their feet to face her. "I gifted them with a fraction of my own power..."

The minion who gave Klaus the mystic migraine thrusted her hand forward again and telekinetically threw Mikael across the room, where he crashed into one of the pews and broke it into pieces. Klaus and Ingrid glared at Dahlia in fury while she continued to smile at them. "...To help level the playing field."

"I would hardly call this leveled." Ingrid snarled at the witch.

Klaus furiously lunged for Dahlia but another minion telekinetically threw Klaus so high up into the air that he smashed through the railing of the balcony before falling forward and landing in the aisle below

A minion attempted to make their way toward Ingrid but she reach inside his chest, ripping his heart out effortlessly and let his body carelessly fall to the ground with a heavy thud. Rolling her eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose and held her hands up with a humorless laugh. "This is growing infuriating." She mused in a sickenly, sweet and feigned tone of voice in a sing-song motion while clenching her hands into fists.

Mikael, who was still laying awkwardly on the remnants of the smashed pew, had lost his knife. He struggled to reach for it but it was lying several feet away on the floor. He and Klaus, who landed several feet away, both pulled themselves up on their hands and knees and nodder at each other encouragingly before getting back onto their feet and back into the fight.

The trio then began snapping more necks of Dahlia's minions and feeding on several more to give them additional strength, and despite Dahlia's magical enhancements, the three Originals eventually gained the upper-hand once again.

As they fought violently against the humans, Mikael and Klaus growled loudly as a sort of war cry while Ingrid glanced over at them with a slightly disgusted face and rolled her eyes.

They finally finished off the last of the minions and looked at each other triumphantly, covered in blood. They walked toward the altar, where Dahlia was dramatically slow-clapping for them. "Quite the operatic performance!" She smiled at them, impressed in a way. "Though, that is the thing with these grand tragedies." She stated while Mikael grabbed the blade from his jacket and gripped it tightly in his hand. "In the end, all the heroes--" She thrusted out her hand and clenched it in a fist. "--die."

Klaus, Ingrid, and Mikael groaned as all of their muscles tensed up, as though they were trying to resist being pulled forward by her. Mikael was unable to continue gripping the knife and dropped it onto the floor several feet in front of them. They each fell to their knees as their faces started to turn grey and desiccate. Mikael and Klaus both roared out in pain while Ingrid fell forward onto her hands and growled up at the witch, flashing her golden-amber eyes and her long dual fangs. "I will kill you."

Klaus and Mikael began desperately crawling toward Dahlia on the floor in the aisle as she glanced at them, impressed once again by their efforts.. "You struggle with such passion. All in defense of the ones you love."

Klaus noticed the enchanted knife ahead of him and tried his best to get close enough to reach it without alerting Dahlia.

"An honorable quality." The witch praised and started to walk slowly toward them. "One I had not anticipated, given the reputation that precedes you."

Klaus finally reached the knife and grabbed it in his hand as Mikael struggled to keep up with him. Ingrid fell back onto her feet and grabbed onto a pew, pulling herself up with the wooden seat. The pew cracked under her grip while she panted heavily for air but continued on regardless.

Dahlia tilted her head to the side and smirked at them. "Still, a bit too little too late."

Klaus stood up and was about to lunge for her when Dahlia waved her hand, causing Klaus to be thrown backwards, knocking him unconscious and causing him to drop the knife. Dahlia looked at Mikael and sneered in disgust. "And you." Mikael struggled to get onto his knees as Dahlia walked in front of him. "Husband of my sister. You, I would like to make suffer." She cupped her hand and pushed it toward Mikael, which allowed her to choke him with her telekinesis, causing Mikael to gasp for breath.

He started to become even more desiccated until Freya suddenly arrived and stood up to her aunt. "Enough!"

Dahlia was so surprised to see Freya that she released Mikael so she could focus solely on her niece. "My Freya." Mikael picked up a broken piece of wood and wielded it like a weapon as Dahlia walked toward Freya. "You do realize that this so-called family of yours is simply using you for your power?"

"No. You're the one that used me for a thousand years!" Freya yelled at her furiously and Dahlia sighed in frustration. "No more!"

"So be it!" Dahlia snapped in aggravation and put Freya in a telekinetic choke-hold, lifting her high into the air as Freya desperately clutched her throat.

Mikael pulled himself up from the ground and furiously lunged for Dahlia. "NOOOO!" He tackled her and stabbes her in the abdomen with the piece of wood, which distracted her enough to let go of Freya. "STAY AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!" He bellowed strongly and Ingrid watched him in surprise and anger.

Mikael had never defended any of his other children in the same way he defended Freya and that infuriated her to no prevail. She wanted nothing more than to murder him in that moment but she knew it would be counterproductive.

While they were all occupied, Elijah snuck into the church and bit his wrist so he could feed Klaus his blood and revive him. Dahlia telekinetically threw Mikael across the room and pulled out the stake he stabbed her with as Klaus fed on Elijah, renewing his strength.

"Don't you know I'm too powerful to kill?" Dahlia questioned, enraged, and threw the stake aside, standing to face Mikael, who was leaning against one of the nearby pews for support.

Elijah sped toward Dahlia but instantly got thrown backward by her and landed in front of Ingrid. The female hybrid grabbed onto his arm and helped him stand to his feet, both using the other for support.

Klaus picked up the enchanted blade and rose to his feet, and the two glared at each other before Klaus sped toward her jumping up in the air so he could dodge her telekinetic blast. However, before he could make contact with her, Dahlia completely vanished, and Klaus crashed into the sacristy.

As he picked himself up, he digged through the pile of broken wood and was completely alarmed when he couldn't find the enchanted knife. He stood to his feet and looked backward at Ingrid and Elijah, both of whom looked as though they were terrified by what just occurred.

Mikael and Freya were still gasping on the floor but Dahlia was nowhere to be found. The Mikaelsons all shared looks with one another and they all held the same emotion, fear.

Back at the compound, Klaus was drinking a scotch at the bar room as Ingrid, Elijah, Rebekah, Mikael, and Freya stood across the room from him.

Rebekah threw her hands up in frustration. "Well, that sounds like a bloody fiasco. Where's Dahlia now?"

"She can be anywhere. There wasn't a trace of her left in the church." Elijah informed her defeatedly.

"She's done with us for the night. No doubt, she wants us to take some time to wallow in our defeat." Freya said bitterly, glaring at the back of Klaus's head.

Klaus drank from his scotch and raised an eyebrow. "Defeat? I disagree." He remarked while turning around and walking toward them. "We saw her face, we took her measure. If that's the best she's got, quite frankly, I'm unimpressed."

"Her aim was not to impress us." Mikael sneered at him in aggravation. "She wanted us to reveal our sole weapon, and like fools, we did."

Rebekah gaped at them incredulously. "Am I hearing things, or did our brother just exchange words with our father?"

Mikael smiled warmly at his youngest daughter. "Rebekah. I'd know that wicked tongue anywhere. What mischief have you gotten yourself into now? No doubt the bastard's doing." He remarked, casting his glance in Klaus' direction.

Ingrid's lips curled up into a snarl as she glared furiously at her father-in-law.

Klaus growled and walked away from him again. "Enough. My patience, like this farce of a reunion, is at an end."

Elijah scowled and walked toward Mikael. "Agreed. There only is one question here-- what exactly are we doing?"

"This was not my plan! You rushed it and made but a single weapon!" Freya yelled at them in fury, mad that they refused to wait for a full plan. "Of course she took it from you. And now, we've lost what advantage we had and used up the very materials we needed to kill her."

"Oh my god." Ingrid said loudly in annoyance and groaned at her attitude.

"It's a bit histrionic. Your materials are easily found. Let's take stock, shall we?" Klaus questioned and pointed at her. "There's an ample supply of your blood, Norwegian soil is hardly scarce... what else? Ah, yes-- the ashes of Dahlia's Viking oppressors."

"Only priceless relics gotten with great difficulty at a museum. Lost due to your worthless strategy!" Mikael snapped at him, further annoyed by his step-son.

Klaus angrily sped over to Mikael, pinning him to the wall and shoving the tip of the indestructible white oak stake into his chest. Mikael didn't make any move or attempt to fight back, he simply stared at Klaus as Freya lunged toward Klaus, only to be held back by Elijah. "NO!"

"If I feel even the faintest touch of your magic, Freya, I will end him with a flick of my wrist!" Klaus warned her without turning around then stared at Mikael. "You don't seem surprised." He mused while pushing ever so slightly on the stake.

Mikael gasped as the stake brushed against his heart. "Betrayal is in your nature, boy."

Klaus shook his head as his light blue eyes glistened with tears. "No. I wasn't born like this. Her, you fight for, lovely Freya, the daughter you barely know. But there was a time where you knew me as your son! A time before all the disappointments, the revelations of betrayal." Klaus' voice shook and tear began to fill his eyes. "There were moments where all you had to do was be my father! And even then, you despised me, didn't you?" He questioned while tears fell from his eyes and rolled dow his cheeks. "I want to know why." He demanded, his voice cracking from his heartbreak, and Ingrid took a step toward him, ready to comfort him.

Mikael, surprised by this vulnerability on Klaus' part, unexpectedly replied softly and without malice. "I don't know. I just... did."

Klaus was visibly overwhelmed by this admission, and he and Mikael stared each other in the eyes for a long moment. Elijah was still holding Freya back, but all four of them seemed surprised by this uncharacteristic vulnerability from Mikael.

Finally, Klaus forced himself to stop crying and glared at Mikael hatefully. "Are those your final words?"

Mikael hesitated for a moment as he stared at Freya with affection. "Freya, I'm so sorry. I love yo--"

Klaus was so enraged by this tenderness toward Freya that he plunged the stake into Mikael's heart.

Freya screamed out in agony and sobbed loudly. "NOOOO!"

Elijah continued to hold Freya back, but neither he nor Rebekah seemed happy to see Mikael lying dead on the floor. Ingrid's face was blank and void of any emotions.

Klaus backed away, looking conflicted as he watched Mikael reach out for them before falling to his knees and keeling over. After his body had fully desiccated, it went up in flames as Freya continued to sob uncontrollably.

Klaus turned to Freya and feigned as though he's not upset. "Viking ashes indeed rare? All you really need is a burning Viking corpse." He then left the room without another word, and Elijah had to struggle to hold Freya back and keep her from attacking him as he walked by.

Freya was completely devastated, and Rebekah and Elijah both stared at Klaus unhappily as he left, stunned speechless as they took one last look at Mikael's burning corpse.

Ingrid leaned her head back and began laughing loudly causing her family to glare at her. She shook her head while trying to calm herself down enough to form coherent words. "My apologies. My apologies." She mumbled inbetween chuckles then wiped at her eyes and sobered up. Pursuing her lips while nodding her head, she pointed at her family and tilted her head to the side. "Stop pretending for one moment of your life that you actually liked that man. He deserved to die and you can attest to that. And I, for one, am pleased to have finally witnessed it." She turned to Freya and narrowed her dark eyes. "You knew him for five minutes, get over it. He spent a millenia terrorizing the lot of us. It had to be done." She remarked in a stern tone before walking out of the room. "Oh and do be sure to clean this up."

---
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