YOUNG BLOOD
x. faction party

RED HOT FURY BURNED throughout Erin's body when she finally got in touch with her brother in Mystic Falls. A ball of rage that settled in her chest, threatening to explode beneath her skin. She believed the extent of her anger had been reached in the past, but after what she learned about the recent events that took place in her hometown, it surpassed new heights.

     Over the last few months since Bonnie's funeral, the small Virginian town found itself under an invasion unlike any they had ever seen. A group of people who called themselves Travelers descended upon them, for some reason she still wasn't quite sure. She didn't think her friends knew, either.

     Amongst that chaos, Katherine Pierce made her move. On her deathbed, having suffered rapid aging from the cure of immortality being sucked from her veins, she used a spell to transport her essence into Elena's body. Since then, she had managed to possess her for weeks and no one even knew.

     Erin should've known something was wrong during that time. She should've realized something had happened to her sister. It all made sense when she ran the last month back in her mind. How Elena canceled their Thanksgiving plans, despite being so excited for them months prior, and how their phone calls ceased and short texts replaced them. The behavior wasn't like Elena at all, but Erin had been so consumed with the craziness of New Orleans that she failed to notice.

     When her call with Jeremy concluded, Erin made the decision to return to Mystic Falls. Her first semester of college already concluded, and she had a little more than a month before classes resumed. The time back home would give her a chance to learn the extent of what her family and friends faced, and make sure that her sister would be alright after Katherine Pierce had stolen her life.

     Erin buzzed around her apartment, gathering things she would need for her extended stay. She didn't need to take much, knowing that anything could easily be obtained if she didn't have it in her possession. So, she focused on clothes and necessary items like her phone cords, laptop, and toiletries.

     As she cleaned out her suitcase from being shoved into her closet for the past few months, the sounds of rapid knocks on her front door caught her attention. Erin perked up from where she dragged the bag out into her living room. She stood from the beige carpet and headed for the door.

     Once she peered through the peephole, Erin undid the locks and threw the door open to reveal the person on the threshold. "Oh, my God. I thought you were dead," she exclaimed as her eyes widened.

     Rebekah Mikaelson produced the smallest of grins and replied, "not quite." She paused, glancing from Erin to the interior of the apartment. "So, are you going to let me in or what?"

     Erin blinked and opened the door wider for the Original to step inside, before she closed it tight and turned to her with furrowed brows. "Wait, how did you get away from Klaus?" she questioned in confusion.

     The last Erin knew, Klaus wanted to hunt Rebekah and Marcel to the ends of the earth. And when she failed to hear from either her or Elijah in the past twenty-four hours, she feared the worst.

     Rebekah halted in her steps and stated, "it's a bit of a long story. I'm sure Elijah will regale you with the tale soon enough when I'm gone."

     Erin's confusion deepened. "Gone? What do you mean 'gone?'"

     Rebekah turned to her and released a short breath. "Well, Nik and I came to a sort of all-or-nothing agreement. I leave town for good, and he allows me to. Can't pass that up," she relayed.

     Exile. Klaus's punishment for his sister's past betrayal had been to force her to leave the city and never return. Something, in truth, Rebekah had wanted from the start. Freedom to make her own choices and live the life she had been deprived of for over a thousand years. And now, she had that choice.

     Erin pressed her lips together and said, "well, I know this isn't how you wanted it, but you finally get to put this city behind you and move on."

     Rebekah smiled lightly. "Yes, I do. It has been a long time coming." Her brows creased a bit as she paused. "However, it seems I'm not the only one with an impromptu departure in mind," she voiced, casting a glance toward the open suitcase on the living room floor.

     Erin sighed, following her gaze. "Yeah, I'm going back home for a little while. Mystic Falls is having some - issues," she supplied.

     Rebekah nodded. "Ah, as per usual. Please do inform my brother before you take your leave. Save him the trouble of worrying."

     Erin looked back toward the blonde and gave a nod of her own. "I'll tell him in the morning."

     Of course she would. Erin had no intention of disappearing without a word, leaving Elijah to wonder where she went or worry that something terrible happened. She and Hayley were targeted by witches not a few days prior. The thought would obviously arise if she neglected to visit Hayley or answer her apartment to the spontaneous comings of the Mikaelsons.

     "Good. And whilst we're on the subject," Rebekah began as her expression slacked, "don't give up on Elijah."

     Erin's brows furrowed, but she stayed quiet and listened.

     "He dedicates his life to everyone but himself. Even so, he longs for what we all do - happiness," Rebekah continued, holding Erin's dark gaze. "I never had much love for the women my brother has fallen for in the past, but I admire you, Erin. And I believe there is hope for him to achieve such a thing, if you so choose to be patient with him."

     At that, the ability to speak fled Erin's body. She didn't know what to say. What could she say? Rebekah's declaration left her stunned. More than stunned, actually. Her heart lurched into her throat so harshly she nearly lost her breath.

     Had Rebekah just said what Erin thought she did? No, that couldn't have been true. Right? But even as her mind tried to deny it, she knew that every word had truly slipped from the Original's lips. There was no denying it, and her stomach fluttered at the thought. Because if Rebekah believed the notion enough to say it aloud, then there had to be some semblance of truth to it.

     Erin swallowed hard, forcing what she had heard to the back of her mind. She couldn't handle the weight of it, not right then. Not with Rebekah mere feet from her, staring in such a way that made her wish Elijah had never been brought into the conversation.

     "I'll try," Erin replied after a long moment, before she gave the blonde a small smile. "I hope you have a nice life, Rebekah."

     Rebekah mirrored her expression. "Me, too."

__________

     Irritation flooded over Erin from the moment her phone call ceased with Hayley. She hadn't been back in New Orleans for more than a few hours, before the rash actions and scheming of its residents reared their ugly heads, once again.

     They, at least, could've given her a day or two grace-period to ease back into the chaos.

     Before she could even contemplate her next actions, Erin tore through the streets of the French Quarter and ended up at the Mikaelson Compound. She strode into the open archway that posed as their front entrance, pausing slightly when the home she came to know differed from her last visit.

     The stray patio sets and sofas throughout the space had been taken away and replaced with long tables and smaller ones made of glass tops. Strings of lights hung along the wooden railings, swooping under the walkways of the second and third floors. It seemed like the place was prepared for an event of some kind, and the few people that milled about confirmed her suspicions.

     Erin's gaze swept across the courtyard until she spotted Elijah near the edge of the room, directing one of the individuals in their next task. "Seriously?" she called out, heading for him as her voice captured his attention. "You left Hayley and the werewolves out of your power summit?"

     According to Hayley, Elijah had assumed control over the city in Klaus's place and began to establish peace between the separate supernatural species who lived there. A leader from each so-called 'faction' attended a meeting curated by the Original, which coincidentally excluded the werewolves.

     The choice left Hayley enraged, rightfully so, and brought a different kind of anger to Erin. She might not have been excluded personally, but she didn't appreciate the fact that her friend and her family were by someone who knew what happened to the werewolves. How they were forced from their home and cursed for decades by the very people who wanted to continue their exclusion, even after they had been freed from their wolf forms.

     Elijah dismissed the compelled man and turned to her with a sigh. "Erin..."

     Erin continued as if he hadn't spoken, "you know what they've been through and what they mean to Hayley. You can't just leave them out of something like this."

     "I know."

     "And you shouldn't just..." Erin paused, trailing off when his statement registered. Her expression slacked, and she met his gaze. "You know?"

     Elijah nodded. "It has been brought to my attention that perhaps I shouldn't have overlooked the wolves and their place in the Quarter," he stated. "So after some consideration, they will be allowed to have a stake in the treaty."

     Erin blinked, stunned into silence by his confession. She hadn't expected Elijah to concede so easily, even before she ever began to plead her case for the wolves. Someone seemed to have already beaten her to it.

     "Oh," Erin muttered out, pressing her lips together as the course of their conversation shifted. "Well, I guess my well thought out speech isn't really needed now."

     It wasn't exactly thought out, more so a rapid series of accusations and appeals in the wolves' favor, but he didn't need to know that.

     Elijah's lips twitched up into a smile. "I'm sure it was very thought provoking," he replied in a light manner.

     Erin released a short chuckle, before her gaze drifted to the preparations that continued around them. "So, what's all this for?" she questioned.

     Elijah glanced over the transformed courtyard and then let his stare fall back to her. "Niklaus proposed a surprisingly good idea to urge the factions into a semblance of peace. A party," he relayed.

     Erin hummed. Now that he mentioned it, the prospect of a party to help bring a truce to fruition did sound like a good idea. At least, in theory. Get those in attendance to let their guards down and mingle amongst those they had previously fought against on neutral ground.

     Or, that same notion could lean in the opposite direction and bring about a new conflict between them. Either way, something had to be done to calm the hostility. Maybe a party was exactly what they needed.

     "Sounds like something Klaus would think of. Very Mikaelson of him," Erin quipped with a slight grin.

     Elijah returned one of his own. "Very much so, yes." He fell quiet for a moment, before he said, "I do hope you can attend."

     Erin's brows furrowed a bit at that. "Attend the faction party? As what? A knockoff doppelgänger faction of one?" she voiced in a jestful tone.

     "Perhaps," Elijah replied, causing her confusion to deepen. "You are supernatural, at least in part. This community is yours as much as it is others." He paused, holding her dark stare with his own. "And - I would like for you to be there."

     Erin wished she could stop the heat that began to envelop her cheeks. Nothing about his words should've elicited the reaction, but just the thought that he wanted her to attend such an important event brought a sense of warmth to her. He had no obligation to invite her, despite the little part she played in the supernatural world, but he did.

     With a small smile, Erin nodded in answer. "Okay, I'll be there."

__________

     If one truth had come to light over the past few years, it would have been that the Mikaelsons sure knew how to throw a party.

     The preparations beforehand paled in comparison to the festivities that followed. Bass thumped throughout the entirety of the Compound, filling the air with an upbeat rhythm as dozens of people jumped and swayed within the courtyard. More lights had been added to the decor, flashing in time with the music. Finger foods and beverages covered the tables along the edges of the open room, while the smaller ones were occupied by those who preferred conversation over dancing.

     Erin expected nothing less from the Original family. Her heels clicked over the concrete flooring, or would have if the music were much lower in volume. She figured the vampires and werewolves more than dreaded the noise.

     Speaking of, Erin spotted many of them among those in attendance. Jackson and the blond werewolf who tried to attack her the night of the plantation fire, Oliver, along with Diego and others who once occupied the Compound. None of them piqued her interest in terms of seeking their company. She didn't know any of the wolves, and she tolerated the vampires on a good day.

     And when it came to the witches, Erin wanted to steer clear of them altogether. The Harvest might not have gone to plan, but they still retained enough power to remain an issue. Three of the four girls meant to be resurrected were returned to the living, while one remained in limbo due to the singular witch who had stolen her second chance at life. Genevieve, the woman who helped torture Rebekah and Klaus and called Mikael to the city back in the 1920s.

     If she even caught a sight of the redhead, Erin would hightail it in the opposite direction.

      Quickly upon her arrival, Erin located a very pregnant Hayley among the crowd. She headed for the werewolf, careful to not step on the hem of her dark green dress. "Long time no see," she quipped, moving close to her side.

     Hayley turned to her and smiled. "Hey, how was Mystic Falls?" she asked, loud enough for her to hear over the music.

     Erin released a long breath, but she flashed a smile of her own. "Chaotic as always."

     Hayley quirked a brow. "Even more than here?"

     Erin pressed her lips together. "Surprisingly, yes." Her gaze shifted across the party until it fell onto two people standing at a small table. One incredibly familiar, and the other a complete stranger. "Who's she?" she questioned, causing Hayley to follow her line of sight.

     At the circular glass table stood Elijah, impeccably dressed in one of his numerous painstakingly tailored suits, as he spoke with a woman. She had dark nearly black hair and appeared to be in her early thirties. Erin had never seen her before, or maybe she just failed to pay attention. After all, New Orleans was a big city and she tended to stick to the French Quarter.

     Hayley leaned closer to Erin and related, "Francesca Correa. She owns the Palace Royale Casino, and is apparently taking Father Kieran's place as the human faction's representative."

     Erin frowned as her stare remained on the woman. Poor Father Kieran. A witch's hex was a terrible way to die. And for it to happen by the same witch who did the same to his nephew, she couldn't even imagine the torment he experienced.

     With the horrible thought shoved aside, Erin kept her focus on the mystery woman. More specifically, the way Francesca leaned closer to Elijah and smiled brightly toward him.

     Erin's skin warmed in spite of the cool air that blew in from the open ceiling.

     "You okay?" Hayley questioned in a more curious than worried tone.

     Erin simply pressed her lips together and then said, "I need a drink." She moved away from Hayley, striding toward the refreshments table.

     Few people lingered around the long spread of finger sandwiches, crab cakes, and other simple options for those with an average pallet. Erin didn't see much of any choices for the vampires, but a large bowl of a red liquid sat nearby, bringing her to avert her gaze and not question its contents.

     Erin's eyes barely trailed over the closest selections of items, before she turned to catch a passing waiter with a tray of champagne. Before she could, a familiar face materialized in her path.

     Elijah stood before her with his hand outstretched in her direction. "Would you care to dance?"

     Erin stared toward him, trailing her gaze down to his hand and back up to his dark eyes. She didn't even contemplate the choice to refuse him as she reached out and grasped his hand with her own. Elijah led her out into the center of the courtyard where those who wanted danced to a slow melody. He continued to hold her hand with his, while the other fell gently onto her waist. Erin let her free hand rest on his shoulder as they began to sway.

     After a few moments of quiet, Erin voiced, "I'm impressed by how fast you put this together." She cast a quick glance across the room.

     "Yes, well, event planning is fairly simple in hindsight," Elijah replied and did the same, before their eyes met once again. "The only difficulty came with my brother. It seems that a sizable soirée was needed to tear him away from his efforts at the easel."

     Erin hummed. While she didn't know much about how he chose to spend his free time, she did know Klaus had an affinity for art. It made her wonder if his prolonged sessions mirrored that of her own brother, who sketched when he needed to work through difficult thoughts that rolled around inside his head. If that was the case, it made her a little worried.

     "If he's anything like Jeremy, that doesn't sound good," Erin stated, teetering easily on her heels. "Usually means he's trying to deal with something that's nagging at him, or trying to push through whatever thoughts he needs to process."

     Elijah released a short breath. "Well, truthfully, I'd be shocked if Niklaus didn't have at least a dozen or so of those thoughts swarming around in that insidious skull of his," he quipped in a lighthearted manner and then raised his arm to spin her around.

     Erin smiled, chuckling slightly as Elijah pulled her back and close to his chest. They proceeded to sway, even as her expression began to falter. Her gaze shifted across the room, landing on Francesca with a group of men at her side.

     With a swallow to clear her throat, Erin let her gaze fall back to Elijah. "I saw you talking to the new representative for the humans. She seems - different from Father Kieran." She hoped her tone came off as simply curious. And she was. She also wanted more information on the woman.

     Elijah's brows creased the tiniest bit, and he said, "polar opposites, I'm afraid. I do believe she tried to threaten me earlier today."

     Erin's eyes widened. "Really?" He nodded, causing her to huff. "Wow. Bold."

     "A trait I might've found admirable, if I didn't believe it could become a problem in the future," Elijah relayed, before a sigh escaped his lips. "But that is an issue for another time."

     Erin nodded as they fell into a comfortable silence, swaying with one another amongst a room of individuals on the brink of war or reconciliation. Their stares locked, oblivious to the party that continued around them.

__________

     Unease consumed Erin's mind as the festivities proceeded without incident. Three supernatural factions, who were at each other's throats the day before, mingled together and not one altercation had taken place. It seemed too good to be true. Despite how much Elijah wanted it to, peace didn't happen overnight. Someone was bound to tip the balance, and it left a knot in the pit of her stomach.

     Sometime after she departed from Elijah, Erin reconvined with Hayley. They were more than happy to spend the tense party together, watching over those still in attendance from the sidelines. Before long, both of them slipped off to use the bathroom. One could only hold out for so long, and everyone seemed to be under control.

     If only that could have lasted.

     As Erin and Hayley departed a bathroom they knew would've been overrun by guests, they came back to find that a fight had broken out.

     A crash and the sound of glass shattering against the floor brought Erin to pause on the staircase behind Hayley. She watched as Oliver climbed up from the destruction of a refreshment table, racing toward Diego to shove him back against a wall. They grappled with each other, before a blur sped toward the werewolf and yanked him away.

     Elijah had snatched ahold of Oliver and slammed him face-down onto a table. "This ends now. I won't ask again," he exclaimed, holding the werewolf with ease.

     "Oh, we'll end it alright."

     Erin snapped to where the voice originated and spotted Jackson with a jagged piece of wood in hand, aimed toward Diego's heart. She sighed at the sight.

     There it was.

     Before anyone could even think to react to the scene, Hayley had beat them all to it. "What's stopping you?" she called out, bringing all eyes to snap her way as the music died. "Kill him."

     Erin went wide as she stared at the werewolf's back. She wasn't supposed to instigate them.

     But Hayley didn't see her look of shock. Instead, she descended the rest of the stairs and set her attention on the Original before her. "Go ahead, Elijah. Do it. I mean, it's not like he doesn't deserve to die."

     Erin tightened her grip on the wooden railing at her side. What was Hayley up to?

     "I mean, it was Oliver who handed Rebekah over to the witches so they could torture her," Hayley continued, recalling the event that sent the Mikaleson's spiraling weeks earlier. "But, then again, wasn't it Diego who led a werewolf massacre last month?" She pointed toward the vampire held against the wall. "And the witches cursed the wolves, while the humans stood back and let it all happen." Her brows creased as she gestured to the rest of the room. "So, when you think about it - everyone here deserves to die."

     Elijah's gaze simply narrowed. "Are you approaching a point?" he questioned tightly.

     Hayley mirrored his expression. "My point, Elijah, is this. If we can't all learn to get along, if our families can't create some sort of community, then what's the point? Kill each other and get it all over with."

     Erin could see the contemplation that ran through Elijah's mind, as well as others throughout the room. Hayley's point had been a good one, and they knew it, too.

     If their petty disagreements and old grudges continued, the cycle of violence would never stop. They would go on to relive the last hundred years over and over again until they eventually took the entire city down with them. It had to end if they had any hope for the future. A better future.

     Elijah roughly released his grip on Oliver and allowed him to rise from the table.

     Jackson lowered the jagged wood in his hand, backing away from Diego who pushed off the wall at his back.

     Maybe there was hope for New Orleans after all.

<August 19, 2022>

I had higher hopes for this chapter, and they fell flat. It's also short...

But the next chapter, let's just say you don't want to miss it!

Don't forget to vote and comment.

- Jordan

P.S. Unedited chapter.