FREYA was pacing around the study while Elijah, looking tense, was standing by watching her and Ingrid sat on the couch with an annoyed expression. The Mikaelson witch turned toward him with an incredulous look. "You daggered Rebekah? And you're just telling me now?"

"She sacrificed herself in order to protect us. And, to protect her, I've told Niklaus, and I'm telling you and Ingrid." Elijah argued sternly for his defense. "No one would have known Rebekah's whereabouts if Aurora had taken my life."

Ingrid had her elbow resting on the arm of the couch and her temple placed on top of her hand which was in a loose fist. Her eyes were closed as she took in the information. She let out a low sigh and glanced at her family. "I hate to be in consensus with Elijah but this is the safest option for her, and us, at the moment."

"The prophecy says you three will be felled by friend, family, and foe. Rebekah was fallen by family." Freya pointed out, trying to get the danger of their situation across.

"I don't think that counts." Ingrid argued, pointing a finger at her with a dull expression. "If it did, the prophecy would have been fulfilled centuries ago." She commented but went ignored.

"That leaves friend and foe. You and Klaus have a lot of foes." Freya continued on, almost as though Ingrid never spoke at all.

Elijah nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders and pursed his lips. "Just one or two."

Freya rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Thankfully, not many friends." She insulted earning a chuckle from the noble brother.

Just then, Klaus walked into the room with a familiar, sandy blond Salvatore in tow. "Freya, this is Stefan Salvatore, an old friend."

Elijah hilariously rolled his eyes at the sight of a former enemy and Freya gave Klaus a hard look. Ingrid leaned back in her seat and smirked at the younger vampire. "My, my... look what have here. Hello, Stefan."

Stefan gave her an unethused expression and nodded his head curtly. "Ingrid. Last I saw you, you were---"

"Looking like a beluga whale?" She questioned in amusement and interrupted him.

He shifted awkwardly on his feet and opened his mouth to fix her statement but she waved a hand in dismissal and continued on. "I know that's not what you were going to say. Save your breath." She assured him. "Still as sheepish as ever." She mocked with a small laugh and gazed him up and down causing him to scowl in annoyance.

Klaus laughed along with her and turned toward him, gesturing to the witch. "Stefan, this is Freya, my brand-new older sister. Long story."

Stefan nodded and smiled weakly in acknowledgement. Ingrid narrowed her eyes at him with a small smirk. She could almost tell what he was thinking. "Oh, God. There are more of them."

Klaus looked back to Freya to address her as he clapped Stefan affectionately on the back. "Stefan needs a favor."

Freya glared at Stefan suspiciously and folded her arms over her chest. "You're an old "friend," are you?"

This questioned earned stifled laughs from the three Originals and Stefan flattened his lips into an awkward face. "Well... That kind of depends on your definition." He then smiled nervously but Freya continued to scowl at him.

Ingrid held her hands out at her sides and smiled at the youngest Salvatore. "Sick of us yet?"

A few moments later, Freya was unbuttoning Stefan's shirt to examine the X-shaped wound from Rayna Cruz' sword. After an awkward silence, Stefan gazed down at the witch and awkwardly spoke up. "So, um, just full disclosure... I dated your sister once."

Ingrid choked on her scotch and laughed loudly. "If by dating, you mean continously betraying her for Elena Gilbert then yes."

Freya chuckled at him and rolled her eyes. "Oh. While that seems like a great story, let's get back to your wound. A mystical vampire huntress stabbed you with her magic sword. Klaus killed her... But, surprise, surprise..."

Stefan finished Freya's sentence as she mixed ingredients together in a small bowl. "She regenerates."

"Well, that's bloody lovely, isn't it?" Ingrid mused sarcastically and tapped her fingers against her glass. "Death truly isn't the end."

Freya sighed dramatically as she walked back over to him. "And now she won't rest until you're dead."

"Right. So, no matter how far I run, this wound acts as a beacon, drawing her to me. So, I guess you could say it's been a bit of a rough week." Stefan chuckled nervously.

Freya began to rub an herbal paste over the still-bleeding X-shaped cut with an equally nervous smile. "Well, I can't cure the wound, but this paste will mask its signal. Just let that dry, and you'll be on your merry way."

Stefan frowned in confusion, feeling unwanted by the Mikaelsons. "You know, not that I was expecting a, uh, parade or anything, but why is everyone so eager for me to go?"

"We have a problem, Stefan." Ingrid replied in a dark tone of voice. "My family is destined to fall by the hands of a foe and a friend." She vaguely explained and watched him raise an eyebrow in curiosity. "So you can see why we're not exactly welcoming at the moment. Had you arrived a few months ago, I'm sure the reaction would be vastly different. But don't take it personally, it's not you."

Freya scowled at her sister-in-law, confused as to why Ingrid was willingly sharing the information with Stefan. Ingrid rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Our problem is his problem. If Niklaus gets shot then Stefan, his brother, and all of his friends die. Meaning, he's almost obligated to support our cause and we could use the help."

"If Klaus' life is threatened then so is mine." Stefan strongly pointed out and nodded at the hybrid. "Whatever I can do to help."

Elijah walked into the room, holding up his phone with a triumphant expression. "The Crescent wolves... They found Aurora."

Ingrid paused for a second and tilted her head to the side with her mouth hung slightly agape. "Why... would they help us after--"

"After you viciously murdered Hayley?" Elijah finished for her in a furious snarl causing her to raise her eyebrows and purse her lips. "Because while you may loathe the idea entirely, Hope is still their family." He watched as her face curled up into a disgusted jeer and smirked in amusement. "Besides, not everyone is as selfish as you."

"Do you have something to say to me, Elijah?" Ingrid questioned slowly, setting her glass down and standing to her feet.

Stefan's leafy green eyes shifted between them in confusion and Freya glanced at her family in aggravation and exhaustion. "Not now. Please." She pleaded weakly, not making much of an effort to persuade them further.

Ingrid held a finger up to Freya but didn't look at her. "One second." She said kindly while giving Elijah a challenging glare. "Do we have a problem?"

Elijah narrowed his eyes and pretended to think over his response while musing lowly. "Do we have a problem? Hmmm..." he held a hand up in a shrug and gave her an enraged look. "There is the one small issue of you murdering everyone who gets in your way. I would categorize that as a problem."

"Don't berate me for transgressions you, yourself, have easily committed." She snarled harshly then lowered her voice to a whisper. "You look like a hypocrite. The only reason you stand here and judge me is because I did what you couldn't and you hate me for it. You continously put other people before this family and it won't be surprising if your end is at the hand of one of us."

Elijah glared furiously and tried to lunge for her but she grabbed his arm and folded it behind his back before pushing him over into a submissive position. She caught Stefan's eye and smiled kindly while holding her brother-in-law face first against the hard wood floor.

Klaus strolled into the room and immediately separated them. He stood in-between Ingrid and Elijah, staring mostly at Ingrid, as he tried to diffuse the situation. "We have more important matters. Time to deal with Aurora."

Ingrid turned away from Elijah to meet Klaus' eyes and instantly calmed. Thinking about the possibility of seeing Aurora, Ingrid narrowed her eyes and sneered. "By deal, I hope you mean murder."

"Yes." He agreed with a nod of his head.

The three Originals arrived to the Bayou and climbed out of the car with determination. They decided to split up with Elijah and Klaus going in one direction and Ingrid going in the other. She wandered the woods with her hands stuffed in her pockets, cautious of her surroundings.

Suddenly, a body came into view and she paused in her place, deciding on whether to approach it. Walking toward them, she nudged them with the toe of her boot to reveal Lucien, who had been bound, gagged, and was very desiccated almost as though he had been starved for quite a while.

She crouched down beside him and began undoing his ties. He wheezed with each breath and stared at her in bewilderment. "Get... Klaus... out of here. He's in danger."

Ingrid stood to her feet with a deep frown and tuned into the woods surrounding them. When she couldn't hear the brothers anymore, she felt her heart rate pick up in panic. Pointing at Lucien, she spoke quickly and directly. "Stay here."

She then sped off into the woods, frantically searching for any sign of her husband and her brother-in-law. "Niklaus! Elijah!" She called out into the empty air but received no answer back. "NIKLAUS! NIKLAUS!" She searched the area for what felt like an eternity but continued to come up short.

Storming back where she had left Lucien, she grabbed him roughly by the collar of his shirt and snarled at him through gritted teeth. "Where is he?" When he didn't answer, she shook him vigorously and growled loudly. "Where the hell is he?! What do you know?!"

"They have the bullets... and now they have Klaus." Lucien weakly explained before falling unconscious in her grip.

Deciding the best course of action was to get out of the woods, Ingrid brought Lucien back to the compound, where he was frantically gulping down several blood bags to replenish himself in the courtyard while Marcel and Ingrid discussed what happened.

"I had no idea that Aya was gonna take Klaus and Elijah down." Marcel informed her with an apologetic look. "We'll find them, okay? We will." He assured her, grabbing her by the shoulders. He noticed the tears glistening in her dark eyes and quickly engulfed her in a tight hug. "We will find them. We have to."

She gripped tightly onto the back of his sleeves and stared off into the distance before her. She pulled away when she felt ready and backed away from him with an unreadable expression written across her face. Nodding her head slowly, she rubbed her lips together. "Okay."

Marcel knew better than to push Ingrid and turned to Lucien with a narrowed glare. "Why the hell should we trust you all of a sudden, huh?" He asked defensively and crossed his arms over his chest. "Arent you the one who ran off with Aurora the first chance you got?"

"You can hardly fault a man for following his heart." Lucien remarked weakly in his defense. "Yet, the moment she started raving about firing white oak into Klaus, well... Words were said, hearts broken, veins drained." He informed them dramatically.

Growing frustration, Ingrid grabbed Lucien by the throat and slowly began apply pressure, choking him. "If you know where my husband is, I suggest speaking before you can't."

Lucien gripped onto her wrist, trying to pull her away but to no avail. He gasped for air and held a finger up. "I... have a... plan."

Marcel crossed his arms over his chest and gestured for the older vampire to continue. "Please, let's hear it."

Ingrid loosened her grip enough that Lucien could speak but not enough for him to escape. He coughed, clearing his throat, and smirked at her. "Thank you. The Strix want to break the sirelines."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Ingrid made a face of realization. "They don't want the burden of being underneath Elijah anymore. They want to be free."

"Free from someone's life controlling the fate of yours." Lucien mused with a smile.

Releasing him completely, Ingrid licked her lips and took a step backwards. "How do they intend on doing that?"

"They believe they can with an ancient spell. One that requires the heart of an unsired vampire." Lucien explained and took note of her confused expression. "Exactly. There isn't one."

"Why even bother?" Ingrid questioned in perplexity.

"I may have whispered into the wind that one Jackson Kenner was an unsired vampire because of his wedding to that dreadful woman, Hayley." Lucien answered, proud with himself. "While they may not be able to de-sire them, they could still kill them. Aya will allow Davina to perform the spell, knowing she's in over her head. Then she plans to test the spell's success by firing a white oak bullet into Klaus' heart. I mean, it's win-win for her-- if you live, Marcel, well, she's won. If not, at least she's eliminated the rival sireline, including me."

Ingrid's eyes widened as the sound of her own heartbeat flooded her ears. Marcel noticed Ingrid staring blankly at the floor in front of her while clenching her hands into fists. He frowned and walked toward her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. The hybrid snapped out of her trance and took a deep, shaky breath of air. "Alexis saw Niklaus die and your entire sireline burn."

Lucien nodded his head slowly and licked his chapped lips. "She watched us fall, she watched us burn, every soul Klaus ever turned. When Aya tests this spell, Klaus will fall either way. And, if Davina fails, as she will, the two of us will die as well."

Just then, Stefan walked down the stairs and into the courtyard. "Actually... make that the three of us."

Turning toward him, Marcel gave him a suspicious look. "And who the hell are you?"

"Marcellus, let me introduce you to Stefan Salvatore. He's an old friend of Niklaus'." Ingrid gestured to the Salvatore with a wide smile. "And a former enemy of mine." She commented in amusement causing Stefan to let out a small chuckle and shift on his feet. "Stefan, this is Marcellus Gerard." She introduced with a kind genuine smile and placed an affectionate hand on Marcel's shoulder. Lucien cleared his throat and Ingrid rolled her eyes before pointing at him. "Right.. Lucien Castle, one of Niklaus' million parasites. Unfortunately for you, you share a blood line."

Stefan nodded in understanding and stood awkwardly in his spot. "How do we stop this?" He questioned curiously.

A few minutes later, he was looking at a blueprint of the Davilla Estate while Lucien stood over his shoulder. "Could use one of these access tunnels to slip into a back room."

Lucien frowned in disapproval and mused lowly beside him. "Hmm."

"What? Worried about getting a little dirt on your thousand-dollar shoes?" Stefan remarked sarcastically causing Ingrid to snicker in amusement.

"Actually, I'll be doing most of the heavy lifting, since the vampires we're facing are, what? Seven times your age?" Lucien passive aggressive snapped back then glanced at Ingrid and Marcel in disbelief. "Is this really the best help we can get?"

Ingrid shot him a warning look and shook her head. "For once, can you stop talking?" She snarled with a bitter smile, defending Stefan. "I trust Stefan more than I trust you and that's saying a lot."

Marcel, who had been sitting on the staircase, hung up his phone and walked toward them, looking frustrated and unhappy. "Doesn't matter. We're not getting their bodies back. Strix from all over the world are flying in to make sure this spell goes off. They're guarding every entrance and exit."

Lucien made a face him. "Well, you're their leader. Call a meeting. Schedule a retreat. Order them to stop."

Marcel shook his head vigorously in protest. "Nah, nah, nah, nah. I do that, Aya has no problem staging a coup."

"Marvelous." Lucien said sarcastically with a loud sigh. "I guess it's on me to come up with our grand plan, then."

Ingrid made an expression of disgust and glanced at him. "No."

Just then, Freya walked in with determination. "I figured out a way to get them out of the chambre. I just need a strong enough power source. I'd channel Finn, but he's all for letting our brothers perish." She explained with a small frown causing Ingrid to roll her dark eyes. "So, I'll channel Lucien. The older the vampire, the better the battery."

"Which means the three of us--" Ingrid motioned between herself, Marcel, and Stefan as she spoke. "--get to do some breaking and entering."

Lucien scoffed and turned to Marcel. "Wait, so you want me here holding hands with the leftover sister while you take the toddlers and tackle the Strix? You must be jok--" He began to complain but was ultimately cut off when Freya flicked her wrist, telekinetically snapping Lucien's neck.

The two Mikaelson women watched in amusement with matching smirks as he fell back unconscious against the couch.

Stefan gaped at Freya and shot her an impressed look. "Huh, that was impressive."

Freya smiled proudly and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I work better with quiet."

"Wait, so the plan is that the three of us are gonna keep one hundred of the world's most ancient vampires occupied?" Marcel asked incredulously.

Pursuing her lips, Ingrid nodded her head and shrugged slightly. "Yes?"

"Well, there could be another way..." Stefan vaguely answered and Marcel gave him a curious look. "All you have to do is get us to the front door."

Marcel was driving a black car down the road to the Davilla Estate with Stefan and Ingrid lying in the trunk. It was quiet, the only sound was that of the vehicle driving down the road, until Stefan spoke up in a whisper. "Are we close?"

Ingrid held a finger up and opened her phone to check the map on her GPS. When she began unlocking her phone, Stefan saw the picture on her home screen and nearly smiled. The photo on her wallpaper was a photo of Ingrid, Klaus, and Hope at the beach. He gestured to her phone and spoke genuinely. "That's a cute kid."

Ingrid looked at the picture herself and grinned happily. "Thank you." She expressed in gratitude. "That's my daughter, Hope. Who's lucky enough to be your home page?"

Stefan chuckled quietly and pulled out his phone to show her his wallpaper, which was a photo of Caroline smiling brightly. Ingrid mused with a grin. "Caroline... What? Finally gave up fighting over Elena?"

He nodded proudly and put his phone back in his pocket. "That's long over. She choose Damon and I... moved on."

"I can see." Ingrid commented with a chuckle causing him to roll his leafy green eyes.

"So how's Klaus dealing with being a father?" Stefan questioned curiously, wanting to hear how the Mikaelsons may have changed over the course of two years.

"He's amazing." She instantly praised her husband without hesitation. "I think he's a better parent than me sometimes." She commented with a giddy laugh.

"That's hard to imagine." Stefan remarked in amazement. "You two as parents... it's hard to wrap your head around. How do the most aggressive and vicious vampires on the planet become parents?"

"Do you really need me to explain it to you?" She mocked with a smirk then laughed when he scoffed. "Because, no offense, but I don't want to have that talk with you."

Stefan groaned in disgust and shook his head. "Yeah. I'm not for that idea either. So I'll pass." He rejected sternly and paused for a second, licking his lips. "You and Elijah seem..."

"Ready to murder each other?" She finished for him in a knowing tone of voice. "That's because we are. Our family has taken several damaging hits. Seems that if we aren't betraying other people, we just end up betraying each other."

Stefan wanted to press further but decided it was best not to. He knew what it was like to end up on the wrong side of Mikaelson drama. Clearing his throat, he continued conversation to pass the time and cover up the awkwardness. "You seem to hold that Marcel guy in high regard."

Ingrid smiled again and nodded her head. "I have the utmost respect for Marcellus."

"Why? Who is he to you?" Stefan questioned curiously.

Scoffing in a joking manner, she pretended to be offended. "Being nosey, aren't we, Stefan?" Ingrid interrogated sternly and allowed the tension to wash over him before laughing and shaking her head. "I'm kidding. I forgot how easy it is to put you on edge." She commented in delight. "Marcellus is family."

He was about to respond but she held a finger to her lips and hushed him softly. "Shh."

The Strix stood by, guarding the gate. When the car slowly came to a stop they approached the car as Marcel rolled down the window and gave them a look. One of the vampires gestured toward the other to open the gate and allow him to go through. Marcel nodded in appreciation and drove through the open gate.

Stefan began anxiously scratching at the healing wound from Rayna's sword on his shoulder. "Hey, listen." He called out to her in a small whisper. "I... know we don't exactly get along, but my life is... sort of in your hands. So let's make this count."

"Are you doubting me?" Ingrid questioned in slight offense then looked down at his wound. "You need to get all of it off."

Stefan pulled his hand away and rolled his eyes. "I'm trying." He complained then sighed heavily. "I don't doubt that you'll save your family. I doubt that you'll save me along with them. The Mikaelsons are notorious for only saving themselves."

"It's not my job to save everyone." She replied in a dull tone. "My family will always come before everyone else."

"Yeah but isn't that selfish?" He questioned curiously.

She opened her mouth to respond before closing it and laughing humorlessly. "It's only selfish because it isn't you. But I know you, Stefan. You always risk everything for your group of cretins without any regard for anyone else. We aren't that different."

The car stopped and Marcel walked over to open the tailgate of the trunk. He held a hand out and helped Ingrid and Stefan out. "Time to do our parts." He said while nodding in encouragement and walked off to start what he was tasked to do.

Klaus and Elijah's unconscious bodies were floating in the pool and the group of witches sprinkled various herbs into the water around them. Davina prepared for the spell while Stefan and Ingrid watched quietly from a dark corner. Hidden in the shadows from the coven.

Davina raised her hood and placed it over her hair in preparation. Aya stood nearby with the Strix, a facial expression of anticipation. "All of us have waited long enough for this."

Davina pulled Jackson's heart out of the box it had been buried in and surreptitiously grabbed a glass bottle. "The unsired heart will bind the Sisters' magic to these waters." She announced then walked over to the edge of the pool and held the heart aloft over the water. "Once the pool's fully charged with the Mikaelson blood, I can break the sire link." She dropped the heart into the pool with a large splash

Davina knelt down beisde the pool and slit Klaus' throat with an athame as she chanted the incantation to the de-linking spell. "Nemo unus animabus carnem..."

Stefan grabbed ahold of Ingrid's arm, stopping her from swooping in and saving Klaus. She turned to face him with an aggravated look but he shook his head, trying to convince her not to act rash.

Davina continued her encantation as she reached over and slit Elijah's throat.

Ingrid tore her eyes away from the pool, unable to watch her family floating helplessly there without rage boiling inside of her.

Just as Davina dropped Elijah's body back into the water, Aya leaned forward toward him, almost as if she was giving him a mocking kiss goodbye. At the back of the room, Marcel looked agitated and anxious about what was going on.

"Nemo unus animabus carnem... Newo unus animabus carnem et sanguinem de ista duo. Sanguinatum venetus barkael meh. Nemo unus animabus carnem et sanguinem de ista duo. Sanguinatum venetus barkael meh."

Just then, one of the Strix walked into the room with a scared look on his face. "Aya. We may have a problem."

Aya seemed torn, but reluctantly left with the him, leaving Marcel and several other Strix vampires to supervise the spell that Davina the other Sisters were casting the sireline unlinking spell.

Ingrid and Stefan did a discrete fist bump before the Mikaelson peered over the corner at Marcel, who shook his head and barely held a finger up.

By then the pool had turned dark red as it filled completely with Mikaelson blood. A small scream of pain was heard outside the door and a few of the Strix left to investigate. Marcel then nodded his head at Ingrid and she slowly walked out from around the corner.

The witches all had their eyes closed and don't notice her walking past them. Before one of the Strix vampires could turn in her direction, Ingrid snapped his neck without a moment's hesitation and quietly set his body down to the floor. Unfortunately, his grunts of pain and the sound of his vertebral column snapping caught the other's attention. Marcel, looking panicked, sped over and snapped the neck of another Strix guard.

Davina looked at him with a face that read she was feeling extremely betrayed. "Marcel!"

Marcel pointed at her and gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, D." He then turned around to Ingrid and gestured to the brothers. "We need to get them out of that water now."

Davina looked furious as she thrust her hand toward them, just as the Sisters all do the same. "No!"

Marcel was thrown backward toward the far wall, incapacitating him for a moment. Ingrid sped toward the Sisters and began killing them one by one. Stefan sped out from his hiding spot and choose a different path by simply knocking them unconscious.

Elijah awakened in the pool and he sped to his feet in the pool, grabbing Cynthia by the front of her cloak and pulling her into the water. He began drowning her and feeding on her at the same time. Once she was dead, he dropped her body in the water and snapped the neck of the remaining witches.

Davina felt the power from the Sisters draining away and fell to her knees in anguish. "NO!"

When enough of the witches were down for the count, Ingrid jumped into the pool and trudged toward Klaus. However before she could help him out, Klaus leaped forward, waking from his trance. However, the force of Davina's spell caused him to remain frozen in place as she growled furiously at him. "You've had your time!"

The lights exploded into a shower of sparks and she pushed her arms down, causing Klaus to land with a large splash into the pool. She screamed out in frustration as tears fell down her face. "Why isn't this working?!"

"Because it was a lie!" Ingrid yelled back while she and Elijah grabbed ahold of Klaus. "There is no breaking the link. There is no unsired vampire. Lucien made it up to bait you."

Davina cried out and waved her arms in two concentric circles. Ware from the pool began shoot up in about a half-dozen geysers and the Mikaelsons shielded each other from the blast. The force of doing the spell caused her to pass out and collapse onto the floor. Marcel sped toward her, checking on her in concern.

Ingrid nodded to Elijah in a manner that assured him they were alright and he sped off to find Aya. Ingrid pulled Klaus out of the pool and watched his wounds start to heal. She rested on her knees against the pavement and rolled him onto his right side. Klaus started to cough up water and she patted his back in soothing motions.

He groaned as the chlorine burned his throat and gripped tightly onto her thighs. She leaned forward and rested her forehead against his temple, whispering quiet thank yous to Odin. Klaus laughed huskily and reached behind him to cup her face with his hand. "I'm fine."

Ingrid reached down to grab his other hand and intertwined their fingers. "I know." She replied in absolute relief and kissed his cheek.

Stefan watched the couple in amazement. Klaus and Ingrid had horrible reputations for being vicious, aggressive, and ruthless yet every time they were around each other, it was as if they were both completely different people. They were gentle, compassionate, and easy-going. He would have found it hard to believe had he not witnessed it himself. He listened to them joking and laughing amongst themselves, completely moving on from the disastrous events that had just occurred.

Klaus groaned as Ingrid began to leave tender kisses all over his face. He tried to push her way but she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him down. He laughed as she dramatically sighed. "Just let me be happy that you're not dead. Can I do that?"

Sighing dramatically himself, he lied limp in her arms and rolled his eyes. "Fine."

---
Comment
Vote
Share
Xoxo
-the1andonlytifftiff