CHAPTER FIVE : yes, dear

The room is silent for a while after Emerita's last words - everyone present was more curious than they've ever been in their immortal lives. They also knew better than to ask, liking their immortal lives very much.

Marcel moved, now standing back-to-back with Elijah, seems to be gearing up for a fight as the members of The Strix close in on them. Emerita stays by Elijah's side, not bothered at all. Unless they had a White Oak stake with them, there is really nothing for her to worry about.

Marcel turns to Elijah. "You go left, I go right." He looks at Emerita, who as apparently Elijah's wife - and oh man, wasn't that just the mind fuck of the millenia. Does the Mikaelson's secrets ever end? "You take the middle."

Emerita nods in agreement, "Sounds good. While I do loathe violence and fighting, I'm not above using it to get myself out of a nasty situation."

Elijah, who seems to be suspicious of Marcel's intentions with The Strix, yanks his hand out of Aya's chest, and she breathes a sigh of relief when she realizes he considerately left her heart intact. He then glances over at Marcel suspiciously. "Why don't you stay where I can see you?"

Marcel, visibly offended and hurt by what Elijah is implying, glares at him angrily. Emerita frowned at her husband - the poor man was only offering them his help - not that two Original's couldn't take care of a dozen vampire's by themselves, but to Emerita it's the thought that counts.

"Come now, Elijah, I may not know the lad, but he doesn't seem that bad." Emerita mused lightly, hands crossed loosely over her chest, looking like the picture of calm and relaxed. She gave Tristan a pointed glance. "Unlike some people, who's reputation proceeds them."

"Emerita, you do not know half of the offences Marcellus has committed against our family, so you will excuse me for not trusting him." Elijah told his wife, the hope inside of him never more bright than it was right now. After all this time, she was still the same. She still believed in people, she was still kind and forgiving and just downright good. She's just been hiding it beneath empty stares and an cold demeanor, turning her heart into ice, clearly wanting to keep Elijah away from it, not looking to be hurt by him again.

She didn't need to be afraid. Elijah vowed to himself a long time ago that he would never hurt her ever again, should she someday return to him.

"Well, he must still be breathing for some reason." The female Original said  pointedly, giving her husband a look. She nose wrinkled a little at the blood on his hands. 

"This doesn't need to become nasty." Tristan was bemused, commenting on Emerita's earlier words. "It's been ages since I've enjoyed a good scrap, but, uh... It's not why I'm here."

Tristan rolls his eyes and reflexively hands Elijah his pocket square, assuming he would want to clean himself up. Elijah seems slightly embarrassed by this reminder, but he ultimately takes the handkerchief and uses it to mop Aya's blood off his hands.

Tristan turns to the others, "Mr. Mikaelson and I require the room. Please leave us."

The Strix vampires, including the still-recovering Aya, exit the room without another word, but Marcel stays behind with Elijah and Emerita stays by her husband's side. No way would she leave his side unless forcibly removed.

"Elijah, your sireline, your life, is at stake. You want to hear what I have to say." Tristan told him.

Emerita narrowed her eyes at him, her long dormant protective hackles rising and gearing up for a fight. "Is that a threat?"

"Not at all." Tristan answered nonchalantly and the only reason Emerita believed him for the moment, was because if Elijah was to be killed, he would follow soon after.

Elijah sighs and turns to dismiss Marcel. "Marcellus, please." Annoyed, Marcel turns to leave, but Elijah isn't finished. "And you would do well to be selective about the company you keep in the future."

Aya can't help but smile at this statement from Elijah, but Marcel just becomes even more annoyed and defensive. He gave the male Original a look, "Maybe you should remember who your friends are. It looks like you're going to need 'em."

Marcel leaves and Elijah turns to Tristan, gaze hard and unyielding. "Emerita stays."

"Of course." The sireling nods easily, knowing when to pick a fight and when to go with the flow.

Emerita gives her husband an unimpressed stare. "Was being rude really necessary? I rather like him."

Jealousy along with his depleted patience caused Elijah to glare. Not so much at his wife, so much as the situation. "You and I are going to have a long talk about Marcellus when the day is over."

Emerita huffed but didn't day anything. The three of them are still in the grand room of the mansion that The Strix is using as a New Orleans base of operations. Elijah is gazing out the window and doesn't seem at all pleased to be reunited with his progeny. Emerita kept her eyes on Tristan - should he try anything, she will not hesitate to attack. Her love and instinct to protect that was aimed towards Elijah outweighs her dislike in fighting and violence monumentally.

Elijah, who was still looking out the window, was the first to break the silence that descended upon them, "You waltz into my city unannounced with your flock of sycophants flaunting news of a threat. All the while, your little lapdog Aya is conspiring with none other than Marcel Gerard."

Tristan rolls his eyes, "'Conspiring'. How grandiose. I thought I was the one with a flair for the dramatic."

Elijah instantly becomes cold, "Watch your tongue." He walks over to Tristan and threateningly adjusts Tristan's tie, Emerita watching quietly. "I am not the patient, social butterfly you might recall."

Tristan sighs, "Your Marcel is a potential recruit. He has nothing to do with the larger issue we face."

Elijaj and Emerita both looked at him skeptically, "The larger issue?"

"You've no doubt heard about the war between the sirelines? Well, as it happens, your line, thanks to my Strix, has wreaked all manner of havoc on Lucien and his assorted interests. As a result, he's desperate to exterminate the lot of us; me, Aya, everyone you've sired. Of course, the economical way to complete this task would be for him to kill you." Elijah's clenches his jaw, but continues to stare at him suspiciously. Emerita's body tensed out of instinct to protect her beloved, eyes narrowing. "You don't believe me. Perhaps you underestimate Lucien's ambition? While I doubt he'd have the gall to attack you directly, I believe he might try and find someone else to do it, namely, Niklaus."

This time, Elijah narrows his eyes. "What makes you so certain that Niklaus would select Lucien over his own family?"

Tristan had an answer ready, almost as if he expected the question. "From what I hear, he tortured his friend Marcel, cursed the mother of his child, and burned your paramour in front of you, all because he thought it the logical way to defeat his enemy. With Lucien in his ear, how long before the logical thing is to get rid of you?"

At the reminder of Gia's death, Elijah's face flashes with sadness and anger as he clenches his fist. However, realizing that he may be giving too much away, he quickly recovers his poker-face before responding.

Emerita notices his reaction, satisfied with the realisation that she is able to read past his blank facade. She replies to Tristan, giving her husband a few more seconds to compose himself and making a mental note to ask him about the girl Klaus killed - Gia, the Hybrid had told her, was a young vampire Elijah mentored and had a romantic relationship with. She didn't want to ask to be mean about it, she just wanted to know. Could it be that Elijah had moved on? That should be good news right? She left him, not ever planning to go back. So why did her heart squeeze uncomfortably in her chest?

Emerita let nothing of her inner turmoil show as a small smirk spread on her lips, "If you really think that when push comes to shove a Mikaelson will pick someone over their own, you clearly don't know know them as well you think you do."

"Says the woman who hasn't been around in a thousand years." Tristan retorted smugly, putting his hands into his pockets.

Emerita didn't react whatsoever, the look on her face still calm and neutral. "I may not have been around but I am willing to bet that should either you or that unmannered scoundrel, Lucien, try to make either Elijah or Niklaus choose between the likes of you, your heads will end up rolling down the street." She gave him a painstakingly polite smile. "Say, are you willing to take that bet?"

"I'm not in the habit of gambling, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Tristan answers, a smirk curling his lips, voice sounding taunting. Emerita didn't rise to the bait, just tipped her head in acknowledgement. Tristan was confused by the woman - she was clearly quick-witted and had a sharp tongue, but didn't have a short temper. How did you control someone not easily provoked?

"Well, how very fortunate, indeed, then," Elijah started, cutting back into the conversation. "Niklaus is on his way right now to put Lucien out of our collective misery."

Tristan was suddenly alarmed, "You have to stop him."

Emerita and Elijah both scoff, Elijah giving Tristan a look, "And why would I do that?"

"Lucien's seer believes there's an object capable of killing you." Tristan stated.

Elijah poked face didn't change. "I'm well aware."

"I think at this point half of New Orleans is aware." Emerita noted, her tone frosty as she looked at Tristan. The obvious protectiveness made Elijah hide a smile.

Tristan almost seemed panicky at this point. "Well, I don't have it. I'm quite certain my sister doesn't have it, either. Logically, then, one must assume that Lucien has it, or he knows where it is. If he dies, none of us will find it. Not until some other assassin attempts to use it against you. If you've any hope of finding that which can kill us all, Niklaus needs to be stopped."

"How can you be so sure that he has it? Not some other poor unfortunate soul that doesn't even know what they possess." Emerita challenged with a raised eyebrow. There was something not sitting right with her about this whole thing.

"Lucien is cunning and devious. I know him." Tristan offered as an explanation.

Emerita gave him a calculating glance, "I don't believe you. You're hiding something from us, and you can believe me if I tell you that I intend to find out exactly what it is."

Tristan realised with a start that Emerita Mikaelson is a lot smarter than she looks or that he would have guessed. He wanted to hit something in anger. She was a surprise. He didn't like surprises or kinks in his plan. Why didn't he know about the Original wife? Why didn't anyone know? He looks at the married pair and couldn't wrap his head around it. They don't look like they belong together, what Elijah with this thousands of dollars worth suit and the woman was dressed in a nice light blue, elbow length, buttoned up blouse that was tucked into black jeans and ankle length sneakers covered her feet.

Elijah turned to his wife, "Nevertheless, if Tristan is right, and Lucien does know and Niklaus kills him, we'll have no way of knowing anything."

"And how exactly is it that you intend to stop him?" Emerita asked, placing her hands on her jean covered hips.

"I have my ways." Elijah answered vaguely.

"I do hope you realize that I won't be involved in any physical fighting you two get into, yes?" Emerita asked, following Elijah as he started to walked out if the mansion.

Emerita's cheeks flushed bright red at Elijah's answer. "Yes, dear."

They left and sped back the to the French Quarter to start looking for the Hybrid. The two find him in an alley, across the street from where Lucien was. When he starts to walk away, Klaus, scowling determinedly, starts to walk toward him, Elijah decides to intervene.

He slams Klaus against the brick wall of the nearby building, making Emerita wince. Of course that wouldn't do much to the Original Hybrid, but that still didn't look very pleasant.

"We should talk." Elijah todl his brother.

Emerita pulled a face, "Is talking to each other nicely really such a feat?"

Klaus nods at his sister-in-law before giving her husband an annoyed glare, "It's too late for that. Lucien needs to die. You said so yourself."

"I have new information." Elijah tried to reason. Klaus breaks out of Elijah's hold and starts to walk toward where Lucien was last seen, forcing Elijah to call out to stop him. "Brother, if you desire any kind of reconciliation with me, stay your hand."

Klaus stops in his tracks and sighs for a moment before turning back to Elijah. He looks at his brother for a long moment before nodding his head, "Very well."

Klaus sped back home, done for the day, and knowing his brother and sister-in-law will follow.

Back in the alley, Emerita looks at her husband long enough for him to become slightly unnerved under her piercing gaze.

"What?" He asked, heart in his throat as those intense green eyes - eyes that once shone with nothing but love and devotion, until he destroyed it all by his own hand - making him unravel, completely powerless to stop it.

"Nothing." She shook her head, shrugging lightly. "Just never thought you'd manipulate your own family."

Emerita sped of into the city - and got lost a time or two in the new streets before finding the Compound - as she left behind a stunned Elijah.

***

AUTHOR'S NOTE

No, Emerita and Marcel will not be a thing, if anyone was wondering because of the comment she made to Elijah about liking Marcel. I'm considering making them a brotp ((nothing is final yet)), but yeah, no romance. That would just be incredibly weird.

Hope you enjoyed!

-Mixie