New Orleans was a survivor. She had faced down countless tragedies. Fires, floods, war. Where another city would buckle, New Orleans turned misery into magic. And each year, the greatest tradition of all endured. Mardi Gras. In spite of all our differences, the whole city celebrated carnival season together. There were more than groups that joined the party in the weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday, each krewe more unique than the last. There was something for everyone. Looking for love or hungry for a good time? There was no better mistress than New Orleans during Mardi Gras, as long as you could stand the heat.

*****

Klaus was going around blaming all of the factions for taking Hayley, trying to figure out which one took her, because while Hope had kidnapped her in the first place, someone then broke in and kidnapped Hayley again, leaving the place where she had been kept destroyed. Now, he was with us vampires.

"Do you really think our guys would be that stupid?" I asked.

"They know that if they even laid a finger on Hayley, they'd be answering to me," Marcel told him.

"Well, was it you who ordered the vampires to antagonize the wolves and string up that hybrid boy?" Klaus replied. "No, I didn't think so. Perhaps your royal status has wilted along with your martial prospects."

"All right, all right," I told him. "Easy. The vampires like Hayley. Everyone does. We didn't touch her."

"Well, I suggest you amp up your efforts to retrieve her, then," Klaus told us. "Because if my daughter is not reunited with her mother by sundown, then your entire faction will face the wrath of my disappointment. Close proximity of just two Mikaelsons turned rain to blood. Imagine what would happen if I were to turn to my siblings for help. Our little family reunion would cause hellfire to devour us all."

*****

Marcel and I walked into the compound to see Klaus compelling cops.

"Compelling NOLA's finest, I see," I told him.

"If that's the city's finest, then it will wither from its own mediocrity," Klaus told us.

"Now, what are humans gonna do that the other factions can't?" Marcel asked.

"They have the numbers," Klaus answered. "I need eyes everywhere. Whoever did this can't hide from me. What?"

I rolled my eyes. "Mm. Clear eyes, focused demeanor. You know, for Klaus Mikaelson, I'd say you're acting pretty normal."

"If you've got a point, Noah, spit it out," Klaus told me.

I shrugged. "There's chatter you're unhinged. I'm just making sure you're not poised to do something that we'll all regret."

"Well, if the suicidal simpletons who took my daughter's mother return her unharmed, I won't have to do something we'll all regret, will I?" Klaus replied.

"What happened when you went to go visit Elijah in France?" Marcel asked.

Klaus hesitated, sighing. "Nothing. He wasn't there."

"No?" Marcel asked. "You two didn't come face to face? Because last I heard, Hope's picking maggots out of her cafeteria food."

"You seem to forget that my other siblings carry this curse," Klaus told us.

"So this is because Kol and Rebekah had an impromptu reunion?" I asked sarcastically.

"Well, she's certainly not with Marcel, is she, Noah?" Klaus asked.

Marcel gave him a look. "This city isn't gonna stand for the kind of retribution you're threatening, and neither are we."

"Well, then, I suggest you take all of this as an incentive," Klaus replied.

A letter magically appeared in the courtyard, with an address on it.

*****

The address led us to the Treme, 238 St. Philip Street.

I looked at Klaus. "Have you considered this might be a trap? We could have 30 vampires here in 5 minutes. We can't help you if you won't let us."

"If your assistance requires psychological evaluation, allow me to make this easy for you," Klaus told us. "Psychopath on a mission, no time for chitchat."

"Look, you want to shed blood today?" Marcel asked. "Get in line. Noah and I care about Hayley, too. So be a dick to everyone else, but watch your tone with us."

I found the address. "We're here. Wait. What do you hear?"

"Absolutely nothing," Marcel answered.

I looked around, finding IVs. "Klaus. Marcel. Wolfsbane and vervain." On the wall, 'Freak', 'Filth', and 'Crossbreed' was written in blood. "She was here."

*****

Still at the address, Vincent was holding burning sage, casting a spell. "Referte mini quid se te we. Referte mini quid se te we. Referte mini quid se te we. Referte mini quid se te we. Referte mini quid se te we." He looked up at Marcel and me. "Hayley has definitely been in here. I can't sense who took her, but, um, fear is just dripping off the walls."

"Are you 100% sure no one in your ranks did this?" I asked.

"I'm 100% sure," Vincent answered. "Are you?"

Marcel sighed, shaking his head. "Seven years ago, I would've said absolutely, but now, I seem to be getting more attitude than allegiance."

"Marcel, Noah, I'm gonna tell you something," Vincent told us. "I appreciated this city a hell of a lot more when it ran like a democracy and not like a monarchy. Truth be told, none of the Mikaelsons or Marcel were missed."

A witch named Ivy walked in quickly. "He took Colette."

"What?" I asked.

"Klaus," Ivy answered. "He took a member of each faction. Colette, David, who's one of Lisina's wolves, that vampire who runs Rousseau's..."

"Josh?" I asked worriedly.

Ivy nodded. "He said if we don't turn Hayley in by sundown, he'll slaughter them."

*****

Marcel and I knew that Klaus were keeping Josh, David and Colette in the underground dungeon beneath the compound, walking in, but were blocked from entering by a boundary spell.

"Let them out," I told him. "Now."

"I'm afraid Josh and the other two are far more useful in here," Klaus told us.

"Is that what we're supposed to tell my guys?" Marcel asked.

"Your 'guys', Marcel?" Klaus repeated. "The words scrawled on the wall of that house apply to you just as much as they do me. Freak. Crossbreed. Perhaps that's why the vampires are deaf to your demands, or are you still pretending to be one of them?"

"Those words also apply to your daughter, or did you forget about that?" I asked.

"All of this, is for my daughter," Klaus told us. "They took Hayley by force. They tied her down like an animal, because she's different, because they were scared of her. See, that's their language. Fear. Now they'll listen."

"Josh, Colette, David, I will get you out of here," I told them. "All right? I promise."

Klus smirked. "How sentimental. Do your job and deliver my next messsage."

*****

Marcel and I met up with wolves and witches and vampires in my loft.

"Goodbye letters?" Lisina asked. "The hell is Klaus trying to prove?"

"Look, we don't like his methods any more than you do, all right?" Marcel asked. "But let's not lose sight of the goal here. To get Hayley back home safely."

"Why do we care about Hayley?" Greta asked. "She's not one of us."

"I'm sorry, 'us'?" I repeated.

"Look, I've only seen your face three times in my entire life, all right?" Marcel asked. "So let's not start throwing stones about who's who."

"You might not know me, but I know you," Greta told him. "You're a self-made legend. Marcel Gerard, the vampire with werewolf toxin in his fangs. But perhaps your loyalties aren't what they used to be."

"Fangs that will you shut you up permanently in less than six seconds if you don't fall in line," I told her.

"It all started when that hybrid killed an innocent vampire," Greta told us.

"And how did the vampires respond?" Lisina replied. "By murdering him."

"He was a threat," Greta told us.

"He was a kid!" Lisina told her angrily.

"What will it take to get you two to understand, huh?" I asked. "If Josh dies because of you two, we will bury you both with him. Now get out there and find her."

*****

Marcel and I met back up with Klaus in the compound.

"I sent your hotline squad back to the precinct, where they belong," I told him. "They won't remember a thing."

"They were useful, unlike the rest of you," Klaus told us.

"They were your playthings," I corrected. "And I think you have enough of those in your dungeon. Your goodbye letters didn't do any good. And now, instead of searching, the vampires and the werewolves are back in their corners, paranoid."

Klaus scoffed. "It was your motivational speaking that failed, not my letters."

"Hey, look, I don't know what happened between you and Elijah, and if he were here, he would know exactly what to say, but he's not," Marcel told him. "We are. And I'm saying you misplayed this. Let the prisoners go."

"You think I should be weak, just give in to my enemy?" Klaus asked.

"If keeping Hayley alive makes you weak, yes," Marcel answered.

"Don't presume to lecture me," Klaus warned. "For centuries, I have bent the will of countless fools to my bidding because they feared me. I know how to protect this family."

"This is my family," Marcel told him. "I have been part of your family for 2 centuries now."

"And for the last seven years, I have been a phone call away whenever Hope needed me," I told him. "We are trying to talk you out of making the biggest mistake of our life. To protect you from yourself. So you don't have to tell Hope that you're the reason that her mother is dead."

Klaus finally gave in. "He knew! Okay? Elijah knew who he was, and he still told me to leave. I begged him. He didn't want anything to do with any of us. He's gone, Marcellus. Noah, he's gone."

Stunned with this information, I sighed. "I understand. I do. Look, I understand the pain. But you got to move through it, okay? You can't let it cloud your judgment. Not with Hayley's life on the line."

A small knock was heard at the door. A box appeared magically.

Klaus frowned. "What's in the box?" I slowly picked it up, opening it. A piece of Hayley's skin was inside, her birthmark. We were horrified. "They mutilated her."

*****

Klaus was angrier now more than ever. Marcel and I were trying to stop him.

"Klaus, wait," Marcel told him. "They're goading you."

"And they will pay," Klaus told us.

"If you kill those hostages, then what do you think--" I started, trying to stop him. Klaus pushed me across the room, making me fall. I rushed to stand. "Klaus, I am telling you, right now, we are the only friends you've got."

Marcel rushed to push Klaus into the other room.

Klaus rushed to stand. "Marcel, Noah, please, I'm going out of my mind here. Look at what they've done to Hayley. I don't do well without Elijah."

Marcel sighed worriedly, placing a hand on Klaus's shoulder. "Just let us help."

Klaus took advantage of Marcel's defense down, breaking his neck, throwing his unconscious body into me to distract me long enough so he could snap mine as well.

*****

When we woke up, it was to learn that Vincent had put Klaus down for a few hours after he had killed Colette and David but Vincent had saved Josh. Marcel and I walked toward them.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Where the hell were you?" Josh asked. "You said you'd stop him."

"He snapped our necks, got us out of the way," I answered. "Look, we didn't want any of this."

"No, I know you didn't want that, Noah," Josh told me. "But I know that what Marcel wanted was to slide back into town and run things like he used to. And while you were out there stomping around, alienating everyone, I had your back. And now look."

"Josh," Marcel told him.

"Well, I have a witch to bury," Vincent told us. "You can take care of that mess."

*****

Klaus was lying in a coffin when Marcel and I came to talk to him. "You're fools."

"Why?" Marcel asked. "Because we fell for your sob story about Elijah? That even true?"

"Every word of it," Klaus answered. "Even at our most estranged, there was always a trace of the brother I loved, but not anymore. Every part of him was unfamiliar. I promised Hope I'd bring her mother home safely."

"And instead, you turned the city upside down," I told him.

"That was always the plan," Klaus admitted. "Put the pressure on and see how the factions react. Vincent and the witches worked with us. The wolves were prepared to die for their Alpha, but the vampires..."

"They did nothing but resist," Marcel finished.

"They were always threatened by the freaks and the crossbreeds like us," Klaus told him. "A vampire took Hayley, so that those who care for her would suffer. They're keeping her alive for now. This is a game, and they're enjoying it."

"Yeah, and you're playing right into that game," I told him. "You may have gotten the answers that you needed, but you didn't get Hayley back, and now you've alienated an entire city. Why would you do that?"

"I can't save her if they don't fear me," Klaus told us. "And neither can you."

*****

Vampires were gathered in St. Anne's Church.

"The king has spoken, and we all come running?" Greta asked.

"Yeah, well, he and Noah said they had news about Klaus," Josh pointed out. "Personally, I'd like a front row seat for this one."

"All right, now, I know that most of you feel that I have been mistaken in some of my decisions lately," Marcel told them. "You feel that I've been living in the past, in the days when I was king, calling the shots, and my word was law. And I have to admit, you're right. I wanted to rule through trust, and through goodwill and consent."

"But as he said, he made a mistake," I told them. "We lost control of you, but no more. Until we can trust all of you to fall in line, and until Hayley Marshall is found, we are changing the rules."

Marcel scoffed. "First, we're restricting our movements. No more daylight rings."

"You have no right to do that," a vampire told him. "You're not one of us."

Klaus decapitated the outspoken vampire. "That's right. We're not, but Noah is. And if Noah knows it's a mistake to defy us, you all know it, too."

"And what we are, is in charge," Marcel told them. "Break the rules, defy our orders, no more head garden. Just your head."

I shrugged. "Any questions?"

*****

After the vampires had all turned in their daylight rings, Marcel and I were waiting in the compound when Klaus walked in.

"Where's Vincent?" I asked.

"We're on our own," Klaus told us.

Marcel sighed. "None of this makes sense. What could Hayley have done to deserve this?"

Klaus threw the box that we had received with Hayley's skin, finding a coin afterward, picking it up.

"What is that?" I asked.

"A message," Klaus answered. "From enemies I thought I buried long, long ago."