KLAUS and Elijah returned to the compound, walking through the front door as they went over their situation.

"So, my first sired wants to kill you. Yours wants to kill me. Makes you regret turning vampires in the first place." Klaus commented in annoyance.

"Well, the division of labor seems crystal clear-- two of them, two of..." Elijah trailed off when they walked into the courtyard. "Us."

The brothers found Ingrid standing in the middle of the courtyard with a furious scowl plastered on her face as she held a piece of parchment and started down at the gift waiting for Klaus. A brunette woman was lying dead on the floor on a bed made of lavender sprigs with both of her wrists slashed open.

Klaus, horrified, raced toward Ingrid only for her to shove the paper harshly into his chest. "Courtesy of your lost love." She snarled furiously with a teatful glare to match.

He stared down at his wife in confusion before taking the letter and skimming it quickly. It was obvious by the look on his face that whatever was written on the paper wasn't good. Klaus gulped, understanding why Ingrid was reacting in that manner, and silently handed Elijah the letter, not even looking him in the eyes.

Elijah curiously read the letter aloud curiously. "Roses are red, lavender is blue. Come find me before I find you." He furrowed his eyebrows and glanced at Klaus, who wouldn't turn to look at him.

Klaus, realizing what this meant, was so overwhelmed by this that he couldn't muster up words to form a response. He just turned to Ingrid, who was visibly upset, and grabbed ahold of one of her hands, which had been balled up into tight fists.

Elijah examined the woman's body, making sure she was truly dead while Klaus scowled at the scene. "I remember her a better poet." The male hybrid sneered furiously.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that this is lacking in poetry." Elijah commented pointedly, standing straight on his feet.

"She wants us to find her." Klaus remarked dully and threw the letter back on the body. "So let's." He clapped Elijah on the shoulder and headed for the front door.

However, Elijah stopped him with a confused expression. "Are you so eager, Niklaus? Last time you even said her name was a thousand years ago, when you told me to never speak it again in your presence."

Klaus turned back on his heel, glancing at his brother in annoyance. "She nearly destroyed my marriage and I refuse to allow her another chance! So, excuse my eagerness. Am I to wait as she leaves her little calling-cards all over my home?" He questioned in disbelief, throwing his hands up in the air.

Hearing Klaus stand up for their marriage caused Ingrid's anger to reduce from a boil to a simmer and she relaxed her shoulders with a slight smile. "Certainly not." She answered in a hollow tone of voice.

Elijah looked uncomfortable with the situation, and at first, he was unable to look Klaus in the eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't get out what he wanted to say for a moment. "There's something you both should know."

Klaus' eyes widened in horror at the idea that Elijah had kept a secret from him while Ingrid smirked bitterly, looking at him in interest.

Elijah licked his lips in shame and finally looked up to meet their gaze. "When Mother seized control of my mind, unleashing those monstrosities that lurk behind the red door..." He was so worried that his voice dropped down to a whisper. "I saw something."

Klaus seemed torn between wanting to know the truth and remaining blissfully ignorant.

Elijah walked toward him, preparing himself for the absolute worst. "Aurora was there."

Klaus, annoyed, rolled his eyes. "If you mean to confess a thousand-year-old secret that will divide us after our hard-won reconciliation, then te absolvo, brother-- there is nothing you could have done involving her that would be worse than what she did to me. To Ingrid."

"Please do not dismiss this, Niklaus--" Elijah pleaded softly, wanting to bear his transgressions and tell Klaus the truth.

Klaus cut him off, waving it under the rug for another time. "--Whatever it is, it can wait! We have a plate of here-and-now problems, and I mean to clear it." He clapped Elijah on the shoulder affectionately. "If it makes you feel any better, we can kill Aurora together! Then neither of us need play her little mind-games ever again, hmm?"

Elijah seemed as though he still wanted to confess, but after a moment, Klaus turned and walked away with Ingrid following in tow, leaving a silent Elijah behind with the body Aurora left them.

There was a huge street fair and festival being held in New Orleans that day. People were walking around with drinks and slipping in and out of small shops that have been set up on the curbs. The trio wandered around the festival as they search for Aurora in a team effort.

After a moment, Elijah sighed impatiently. "Brother, she could be anywhere. How exactly do you intend to find her?" He questioned, stopping in place and searching through crowd for a familiar head of red hair.

"She'll leave a mark. That is, after all, her favorite game." Klaus said in aggravation until he noticed perfume bottles being sold in a kiosk a few feet away.

"One of many." Ingrid pointed out with a sarcastic laugh. "However, all of them seem to include a familiar theme. How to seduce my husband." She snarled harshly and only calmed down when Klaus reached over and grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips and placing a kiss on her knuckles.

He then let go of her and picked up a clear bottle of pink perfume. Staring at it in recognition, he flipped it upside down, he noticed a label which read "de Beaucage No. 9 parfum." After a moment, he set it back on the counter with a grave expression on his face.

Meanwhile, Elijah, who was several feet away, looked around boredly before calling out to Klaus. "This mark that you speak of... I see nothing, brother." He turned to look at Klaus and was shocked to see that he had completely vanished. He glanced around to try to find him, to no avail.

Ingrid sighed heavily and approached Elijah with a deep frown. "He ran off... my assumption is he found the mark."

"Ingrid, it is of sincerity, that I doubt he would fall prey to Aurora's advances." Elijah reassured her kindly, hoping to put an ease to her worries. "He hasn't before and I can't see him doing so now."

"Yeah..." She trailed off with a small nod and stared distantly in front of her. "But how far is she willing to go to get what she wants?"

"We won't allow her to harm our family any further." He guaranteed sternly.

Laughing humorlessly, she broke out of her trance and turned toward him. "Beyond what is already irreparable?" She reminded causing him to frown in recollection.

Tristan was wearing a suit and sitting at a table in Rousseau's, eating his food in solitude. After a moment, Elijah approached his table and set a mason jar with a bloody heart inside of it in front of him. Ingrid appeared behind the noble Original with a blank expression on her face.

Tristan glanced at her for a moment then looked at Elijah, displeased by the sight of his sire, who slid into the seat across from him. "Elijah. I didn't realize we had a meeting on the books today." He remarked smoothly, chewing his food slowly

"We don't. Unfortunately, your assistant refused to accommodate me." Elijah replied, pushing the jar toward him.

Tristan wiped his face with a cloth napkin and stared at the heart in front of him. "What would you like to discuss?" He asked, clearly irritated, and threw his napkin down onto the table.

"Recent events would suggest you've been less than forthcoming about threats facing my family." Elijah suggested with narrowed eyes.

Tristan looked over at him, confused. "A threat to you is a threat to me."

"Naughty little liar." Elijah slowly drew out in suspicions and Ingrid had to stifle a laugh, running her thumb across her lips as she did so.

Tristan glanced between them, amused. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

Elijah leaned forward in his chair and smirked. "Oh, I'm quite certain you do know precisely what I'm talking about, Tristan. I can hear that heart of yours racing away." He admitted, tapping his ear with his fingertips. "You see, even as we speak, I suspect Niklaus is with your sister." He pulled the blood-stained letter out from his inner jacket pocket and set it down on the table. "I don't have to tell you what a volatile combination the two of them are. Considering..." Elijah trailed off and motioned to the hybrid behind him.

"Considering her previous attempts to seduce my husband went so well." Ingrid finished for him in a sarcastic tone then smirked mischeviously. "But need I really remind you of that?"

Tristan glanced at the letter and nodded his head, understanding what Elijah was suggesting. "And you think I'm hiding her?"

"Wherever you go, Aurora follows." Elijah pointed out.

"It's true, on her good days." Tristan agreed and had an off look in his eyes. "Years ago, Rory fell into one of her dark periods. It's been a long one, and has yet to lift. I saw she got the care she needed."

"I don't care." Elijah snapped through gritted teeth and raised an eyebrow. "Where is she?"

Tristan smiled with a small laugh. "Are you that afraid of what my sister might have to say to your brother?" He questioned in amusement before glancing at the hybrid. "Does Ingrid know?"

Ingrid gave Tristan a confused look then turned to Elijah, who wouldn't meet her eye. "Your sister has a habit of cultivating misfortune." He sneered, avoiding the question.

Tristan shrugged nonchalantly and folded his hands together. "I can't disagree. And, as it happens, I don't know her current whereabouts, but I know she can't be here. I'm the first person she'd come to." He informed them confidently.

Elijah narrowed his eyes at Tristan, examining him for any signs that could prove he was lying before standing and walking toward the door, though he turned back briefly for one last parting statement. "I wouldn't be too sure about that." He whispered mockingly in Tristan's ear and waved for his sister-in-law to follow. "Come, Ingrid."

"Actually, I would like a word with Ingrid." Tristan spoke up and they turned to look at him in confusion. He noticed Elijah's protective stance and laughed lightly. "I won't hurt her." He reassured his sire then smirked at her. "I'm assuming you're playing for Niklaus' side considering you have no sireline. Hardly a fair chance in this fight."

She stared at Tristan, who stared back, for a moment and slid into the seat across from him with a smirk. "Well, I hardly need a sireline" Ingrid commented in a confident manner, leaning back against her seat. "Does more harm than good I would say."

Elijah watched closely and stood directly behind her, ready to intervene if need be.

"You have sired two people in your entire thousand year life and one is no longer a vampire." Tristan pointed out with a condescending smirk. "Can't say the odds are in your favor."

"I don't need a whiney doppelgänger or a back-woods hybrid to protect me. I can do that on my own." She remarked sternly, squinting her eyes with a bitter smile.

Tristan laughed, gazing at her in admiration. "There's that arrogant attitude I treasure." He remarked in longing. "The same attitude that keeps you from seeing what is truly in front of you."

Intrigued and amused, Ingrid raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. "And, what pray tell, is that exactly?"

"Aurora will get what she wants and Niklaus will fall victim to her charms, leaving you in the dust." Tristan explained in a serious matter causing Ingrid to laugh loudly. Ignoring her nonverbal insults, he continued on. "Then you would see what type of man Niklaus truly is and finally understand I am better for you."

Elijah looked down at his dress shoes and smirked, discretely licking his lips to stop himself from laughing. Ingrid's laughter slowly died down and she cleared her throat while processing her next statement carefully. "See... It's your arrogance that keeps you from seeing what's in front of you. I am a blissfully married woman for over a millennium with two children and not an inkling of positive emotion for you." She sneered patronizingly then smiled sarcastically. "Please do everyone a favor and get that through your thick yet empty skull. I could never love a spineless, creatine like you. I would rather lie in the scorching desert and allow the vultures pick at my flesh while the sun burns away my retinas than ever be with a man such as yourself." She then abruptly stood to her feet and gave him a warning glare. "Oh... Be aware, should Aurora get in the way of my family, she will meet an unspeakably violent end. Much like your friend over there." The hybrid promised menacingly, pointing at the mason jar, and walked away from the table with Elijah following close behind.

Tristan watched them go then looked down at the letter in front of him with a dark, disappointed face.

Hours passed and Elijah was at the compound, alone, awaiting a call back from Klaus or Ingrid. After their meeting with Tristan, Ingrid disappeared for a bit and wasn't picking up her phone.

Klaus and Ingrid returned to the compound, where Elijah was having a drink by the bar, and by the expressions on their faces, Elijah concluded that they knew what he had been hiding. He finished his bourbon in one gulp then spoke quietly. "She told you. How convenient, to voice this ancient grievance in the very moment we need to stand united against our enemies." He mused sarcastically.

Ingrid stifled an exhausted laugh and shook her head. "And there you go... shifting blame. How absolutely predictable."

"You speak to me of enemies when the greatest traitor of my life stands before me." Klaus replied angrily.

Elijah slid his drink toward the right end of the bar, and as soon as he turned to face Klaus, Klaus sped toward him, shoving him into the bar and knocking it, all of the bottles, and glasses on top of it over. The glass shattered into fragments and the wooden bar was smashed into pieces.

Klaus quickly stood to his feet and kicked Elijah in the chest as he tried to get up. Once Elijah was upright, Klaus punched him hard in the face, but Elijah recovered quickly and grabbed Klaus' shoulders in his hands before headbutting him.

Ingrid stood a few feet away and rolled her eyes with her arms folded across her chest. "Of course." She commented tiredly and began to search for an unbroken bottle of booze while they continued on.

Klaus angrily shoved Elijah into one of the balcony's support beams, but Elijah responded by shoving Klaus backward just as hard and punching him in the jaw so hard that he spun around and fell to his knees.

While Klaus was recovering, Elijah grabbed him by the back of the coat and tossed him into the coffee table, which he smashed as he slid across it. Elijah glared at Klaus as he unbuttoned his jacket in preparation for more fighting. Klaus stood to his face and scowled at Elijah. "What you did to me, to us-- you set my course!"

Elijah pointed at Klaus for emphasis as he argued his side. "I protected you! I protected our family. Aurora was the sister of a lunatic, and a powerful lunatic at that! Father was in pursuit and Ingrid was in a period of complete destruction." He yelled, pointing at Ingrid, who had a bottle of scotch held to her lips and froze in place. "What was I supposed to do, Niklaus? And despite every one of your despicable deeds, I alone have always stood by you."

"Can we for a second..." Ingrid began, removing the liquor from her mouth and holding a finger up. "...point out that you're not exactly in the best place to be speaking on despicable deeds, Elijah? I can list them for you if you've forgotten."

Elijah glared over at her and his lip twitched into an angry snarl. "Lest we forget Ingrid."

"Oh, here we go..." She groaned loudly in aggravation and rolled her dark brown eyes again. "Everybody come on down for the Mikaelson fault-finding hour!" She yelled loudly in exaggeration at no one in particular.

"You created a beacon for Mikael to follow!" Elijah snapped and jabbed a finger in her direction furiously. "The irresponsibility and the sheer violence." He commented in disgust then stumbled on his words before speaking. "Who burns down seven cities in the span of a year? Let alone- I cannot fathom the body count."

"ME! I do that!" She bellowed, pointing at herself with both thumbs. "Do you want to know the body count?! Truly?!" She questioned then continued in without letting him answer. "One hundred seventy three thousand!"

Elijah stared at her in exasperation and shock. "What is the total?"

"Of what?" She questioned in confusion with a raised eyebrow. "The last thousand years?" She asked another question for clarification and he nodded his head, waiting the answer. "Let's see... the twelve years before my daggering was roughly..." She trailed off while doing the math in her head. "Five hundred thousand. Approximate. Give or take. I've burnt down about eighty-five percent of Europe. Then there was the beheadings of several leaders from different civilizations plus the wars I may have incited." She listed out nonchalantly then rolled her eyes at his horrified expression. "Don't look so surprised. You were there, remember?"

"I remember the aftermath but I was not aware of the true details." Elijah gaped at her in disbelief.

"Look, I'm aware of what I've done and I don't bother pretending that it didn't happen or that it's not a part of me. It is! And trust me, I've atoned for it." Ingrid snapped at him in frustration. "You've had your fair share of the bloodshed."

Collecting himself, he attempted to reason with his family again. "Despite both of your vastly growing sins, I have always stood at your sides."

"No." Ingrid rejected with a shake of her head. "You have not! You daggered me, locked me away for nine hundred years, used my pregnancy as Klaus' redemption arc, daggered me again, stole my daughter, used her as bait, and lied repeatedly." She listed out, enraged. "Now come to find that you compelled Aurora, Tristan, and Lucien to pretend to be the Mikaelsons. Well, that's shameful."

"You massacred five hundred thousand people" Elijah argued in disbelief. "Five hundred thousand, Ingrid!"

"I know! And I'm sure there's still plenty more to add to that bloody list! But I didn't manipulate them." She replied nonchalantly with a shrug then snapped her fingers at him. "You know what? No! We're not talking about me right now. We're talking about you. Elijah, do you remember compelling Aurora to tell Niklaus that Tristan and I were having an affair?! You nearly destroyed my marriage! I want to know why but I'm sure I know the reason already."

Elijah glanced at her in amusement and gestured for her to proceed. "Go ahead. I'm intrigued to hear your hypothesis."

"Because I was horrible influence on Niklaus. You thought if Niklaus wanted nothing more to do with me then I would leave and Mikael would follow. That or Niklaus would leave me and I would be alone against Mikael and he would kill me instead thus buying you lot time. Either way, it was about luring Mikael away and saving Niklaus' humanity. Except you didn't take into consideration how vicious Lucien would turn out to be and that broke the seams of your entire plan."

Elijah took a small step backwards, gaping at her in shame, then nodded his head in agreement. "As always, you are correct."

"You have never stood by me." Ingrid pointed out with a shake of her head and a scoff. "You have lied to me, betrayed me, manipulated me, and used me. Stop pretending to be innocent and just be honest. You crave violence. Same as us."

"Why do you think you stood by us?" Klaus asked curiously before answering his own question. "Guilt." This caused Elijah to glare angrily from this accusation and Klaus raised his voice into a shout. "You knew that your secret betrayal was a means to destroy everything which is why you've always stood eager to help fix my marriage. To be the peace between us when truthfully, we didn't need you."

"Ingrid was going to destroy us." Elijah tried to justify his actions and this seemed to enrage Klaus further.

Klaus furiously lunged for Elijah and punched him in the face, only for Elijah to immediately swing his right leg and kick Klaus so hard in the chest he was pushed backward. When Klaus sped toward him, Elijah held out his arm, keeping Klaus at arm's length so he couldn't come any closer.

However, Klaus simply let his hybrid face and fangs out and bit Elijah on the forearm, causing Elijah out to roar in pain. Elijah let go of Klaus, allowing him to punch him in the face with a right cross before kicking him in the chin and speeding around to hold Elijah in a head-lock. Elijah slipped out of head-lock before elbowing Klaus in the face and throwing him across the room into the far wall. "All this blame!" He shouted furiously.

"You're throwing blame!" Ingrid yelled back at him. "You blame me for Mikael. You blame me for Niklaus' lost innocence. As well as your own!"

Klaus, scowling, stood to his feet in front of the wall, which was now dented. "Will you ever look at yourself? I have carried you for centuries, Niklaus." Elijah whispered with a shake of his head. "No more!"

Ingrid growled lowly, her eyes fading from dark brown into bright gold.

Elijah met her eyes and laughed. "You want a fight? So be it." He challenged with a welcoming smirk.

---
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