𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙀
ミ★ ( reign of wolves, act one ) ★彡

     Rhea had expected to come home to a calm home when they got back—she doesn't know why, considering the house is never calm, but for some reason, she had. Instead of being pleasantly welcomed home after spending days in a cabin in the middle of the swamp, the night had taken a turn for the worse by the time they got back. Rebekah and Klaus were already arguing about what had happened at her attempt to take him down with Marcel, and there were more threats made about who was going to receive the dagger as punishment. Tensions rose quickly before Klaus eventually decided to leave, abandoning his siblings in the plantation house as he took Hayley back to the Quarter. He had finally gotten what he wanted and reclaimed the city back from Marcel, but, at a price.

     Then, Rhea had the fun job of dealing with Caroline crying over the phone. Tyler had dumped her quite carelessly and she was in hysterics over it, more so after she had found out why he was gone for so long. Rhea didn't want to tell her that Tyler had practically gone mental and tried to kill a pregnant woman, but she deserved to know.

     Elijah pressed a kiss to her shoulder, his body pressed up against hers as they cuddled up against each other in bed. Rhea smiled slightly, "Morning."

     "Good morning, my love." He said, his voice slightly gruff from only just waking up, "How'd you sleep?"

     Rhea turned to face him and they adjusted so they could cuddle comfortably, "Not the best, but, that's granted after everything that happened last night." She responded, looking up at his eyes, "You?"

     "About the same." Elijah answered, "I'm just glad to have you back in my arms again." He said and she smiled again. His thumb caresses her cheek. He needs to ask now since he hadn't gotten the chance before, "Now that you've seen Tyler again, how did you feel about that?"

     She frowned, "I don't know. I just can't believe how far he's fallen." She admitted, "Before we turned, we weren't exactly... the nicest people. We were mean and angry all the time, and then we turned and found out about the supernatural; we grew up a little. Then when he started dating Caroline, he changed even more. It was like I didn't even recognise my twin because he had changed for the better for Caroline." Rhea sighed, "And then this all happened, and I saw the version of him that reminded me of the Tyler that existed when our dad was alive."

     Elijah brushed the dark hair away from her face, "Just know that none of this is your fault."

     "Maybe. But, at the end of the day, he's till my twin. We shared a womb together; we had a bond and we went through so many terrible things together. I feel horrible that I get to have this amazing eternal life with you and he's all alone." Rhea frowned.

     "Tyler chose to do this, my love. He chose to go down the path of solitude and vengeance. You couldn't stop him, and that isn't a reflection on you and your choices. That is all on him." Elijah says before taking the covers off of them and she pouted and the sudden feeling of coldness, "Come now, it's time we get up."

     Her pout deepened, "Why can't we stay in bed and cuddle longer?"

     He chuckled at her before reaching over to pick her up, "Because the day has begun and we must return to the real world."

     Rhea accepted his embrace and wrapped her legs around his waist, nestling her head into his neck, "But I hate the real world." She whined, "This world is much better."

     "Believe me, I enjoy this world much more myself." He laughed again, "I'll make you chocolate chip pancakes if you decide to return to the real world with me."

     Rhea immediately unwrapped herself from him in a hurry and went downstairs, Elijah chuckling at her sudden desire to leave the bedroom before he followed after her.

   When they got downstairs, they saw a blue truck parked outside the house and movers were packing up what appears to be a big painting into the truck, "Absolutely not! I paid for that!" Rebekah snapped to the worker.

     Elijah scoffed as he walked down the stairs, "Please. You never paid for anything in your life."

     Rebekah feigned offence, "I hardly see how that's relevant." She huffed, "Nik's just punishing us."

     "Well, we've hurt him. Deeply, it would appear." Elijah observed.

     "We believed the worst about him, the one time in a million when the worst wasn't actually the truth." Rebekah rolled her eyes and Rhea shrugged. It truly was a one in a million chance that he actually hadn't done the worst thing imaginable.

      "Maybe we should check on Hayley." Rhea bit her lip nervously, "If Klaus is feeling vindictive, we should make sure she isn't suffering because we made a mistake about him."

     Elijah smiled and kissed her head, "It's good to see you warming up to her."

     Hayley was walking alone down the side door of the compound as she tries to sneak out into the French Quarter. She looked around to see if she's being watched, but before she can go anywhere, Diego cuts in front of her, "Going somewhere?" He asked her.

     Suddenly, Rhea appeared behind Diego and snapped his neck, the vampire falling to the ground before she kicked his body into the wall. Elijah then walked into the room behind her, she turned to look at her soulmate, "Thank you for letting me be the one do that. Best gift ever."

     Hayley looked at the couple, "You guys shouldn't be here. Klaus has his guys watching me."

     Elijah shrugged, "I wouldn't worry about them." He told the werewolf and after a moment, Rebekah came along, kicking down two other vampires who were hiding around the corner. Elijah nodded his head toward the door, "Come, we mustn't linger. We'll get you some place safe."

     They went to lead her toward the door but she stepped away from their touch, "No, you don't have to worry about me. I'm fine. I've been deemed under protection by the almighty Klaus—it's the werewolves who need help." She informed them, "He ordered a wolf hunt as some jacked-up peace offering to Marcel's crew. You have to help them."

     "Out in the Bayou? Do we look like a bloody vampire-rescue-squad?" Rebekah asked incredulously, "I think you should be grateful we came to save you!"

     Hayley sighed, "Listen. All my life, I've wanted to know who my real family was, and just as I find out that they're out there in the Bayou, Klaus orders them killed. You wanna help me? Help my people. Please."

     After Hayley's begs, Rebekah, Elijah and Rhea quickly headed out to the bayou. They had been searching for a while. They eventually found vampires, sent by Klaus, searching the encampments for werewolves to kill. Diego was leading the crew by giving them instructions, "Hey, they're obviously here. Fan out, find 'em, and bring me some heads!" He ordered.

     Elijah, Rhea and Rebekah appear a couple of meters away from Diego, "I'd rather you didn't." Elijah stated.

     Diego's eyes narrowed on them, "The hell are you doing out here?"

     "Hey, Diego, how's the neck?" Rhea asked him, pointing at her own neck teasingly, "You should probably find some other hunting grounds, if you know what's best for you."

     Diego shrugged, "Suggestion noted..."

     Instead of backing off, Diego tries to move past them, but Rebekah approaches him, "Oh, Diego, it would be such a shame to have to rearrange that pretty face." She pouted and she swung her arm to punch him in the face, but Diego stops her by grabbing her arm.

     "What the hell do you care about wolves?" The vampire growled at them.

     "Generally, I don't. The werewolf I care about most is right beside me." Elijah stated and Rhea flashed her hybrid eyes at Diego which made him jump slightly, "However, despite that, this particular clan is not to be touched." He paused a beat and smiles fakely, "Goodbye."

Rebekah and Rhea smiled sweetly and the blonde Original also whispered to Diego, "Bye."

     Diego hesitated for a moment but he knew he wouldn't be able to take on two originals and a hybrid, even with a clan of vampires behind him, he then huffed, "Nothing here anyway." He whistled at the group and the hunting party soon left.

     Rebekah clasped her hands together and looked at the engaged couple, "Ah, great. I think as well our job here is done."

     Rhea sensed something supernatural in their nearby surroundings and smelt a familiar scent, "Not quite." She informed them before she called out, "Eve, you can come out now! They're gone."

     Eve then stepped out from behind the tree, "One of Hayley's litter-mates, I presume?" Rebekah remarked.

     "Hayley sent you here to protect us, didn't she?" Eve asked and they all nodded, "Tell her we appreciate the concern, but we've been looking out for ourselves for a while now. Nobody finds us unless we wanna be found."

     "Well, we found you, so..." The blonde trailed.

     Eve sent her a look, "Like I said." She responded, "But, there's something I thought you and your family should know about." She tells them and started walking along the path with a stake and a map in her hands, and leads the way for Elijah, Rhea and Rebekah.

     It was a short walk before they reached the lake, and there was a table nearby that they stopped at for Eve to put the map on top of. She then started to point out sites on her map with her stake, "Surrounded by twenty thousand acres of swamp, the ones born here, who now know it like the backs of our hands, will be fine. But, here—" She pointed at the map with her stake, "—newcomers from out of state. Not of Hayley's and my kin. But, word's spread about that baby of hers. A lot of werewolves wanna see this miracle pregnancy for themselves. Only now, the vampires are out looking for blood, and all these werewolves new at the Bayou might not know where to hide."

     "You say that like we're supposed to care." Rebekah rolled her eyes.

     "Believe me, you're gonna want them kept alive." Eve warned them.

     Rhea raised an eyebrow while Elijah asked, "And why is that?"

     "See for yourself."

     It was evening, and Rebekah, Rhea and Elijah are still in the werewolf encampments, looking around for the new group of werewolves that Eve told them about. Rebekah looked in distaste at the makeshift homes, "All these wolves really travel in style, don't they?"

     Elijah opened the door to a trailer and sighed, "Empty."

     "Behind on their payments, perhaps?" Rebekah commented and Rhea nudged her.

     "So, proceed then."

     Rebekah looked bored as she said, "Let's not, and tell Hayley that we did. I want to go home. You know how hovels depress me." She pouted.

     "We have to make sure that those werewolves don't suffer because they walked into a war zone." Rhea sighed, "We're the only ones on their side."

     They hear a noise and turn to find that the vampire hunting party had returned. One of the vampires was feeding from a male werewolf and Elijah immediately speeds over to Diego and pulled his head backwards by his hair, "Darling, we need to stop meeting like this. I'm engaged. This is how rumors begin!" He released Diego, "You can go now." No one moved, and Elijah sighed in annoyance, "Perhaps I'm not making myself clear here. This is a threat. In precisely three minutes' time, your little hunting party will become the prey, by me and my sister who will kill you mercilessly and my soulmate who will kill you slowly with her werewolf toxin." He threatened and Rhea flashed her hybrid face while Rebekah showed her vampire one, "Now, based on your recent failure to subdue my baby brother, Niklaus, despite a better than a hundred-to-one advantage, I recommend you heed my warning."

    Diego was visibly frustrated and embarrassed, but he reluctantly left with his fellow vampires. Rebekah smirked, "Impressive!"

     Elijah shrugged, "Well, I thought the situation demanded something a little dramatic." He said.

     The hurt werewolf was groaning in pain on the ground. Rhea helped him up off of the ground and he looked at them all suspiciously, "Who are you people?" He asked them.

     As Elijah approached the werewolf, he noticed a distinctive ring that he wore around his neck and looked surprised, "I would say the better question is: who are you?"

     Klaus was in the parlor of the plantation house, playing the piano all alone while he waited for his siblings and Rhea to return. After a moment, Rebekah walked into the room, but doesn't notice Klaus right away, "I stink of the bog!" She scowled, calling out to Rhea and Elijah in the next room.

     "Serves you right, for your pathetic attempt to undermine my rule." Klaus scowled back and Elijah and Rhea joined them in the room almost immediately after they heard his voice.

     "Nik, listen—" Rebekah started.

     "When I order werewolves to be hunted to extinction, I expect you to stand aside and let the blood flow." Klaus growled at them.

     Elijah rolled his eyes, "How delightfully democratic of you." He threw a ring to Klaus, who looked at it blankly, "Do you recognise it?" He asks, but doesn't give time for Klaus to examine it or answer in time, "Perhaps you don't. It has been a thousand years since you last saw it grace the hand of our mother. The ring was in possession of one of the very wolves whose extinction you just ordered. So, naturally, I questioned him. He spoke of a legend—a legend wherein long ago, a chief of theirs had fathered a child to a very powerful witch. Their mythology further states that this child, a son, was later transformed into something this clan had never before seen. Something werewolf and vampire."

     "Nik, we're trying to make amends." Rebekah pleaded, "We found remnants of your family. The bloodline of your true father. And we saved them from being slaughtered at the hands of the vampires you command."

     "Niklaus, your ambitions have come before this family for far too long. Niklaus, I beseech you, please, come home." Elijah begged.

    "What home? This pathetic substitute?" He scoffed, "You see, despite all your doubts, all your attempts to thwart me, I've reclaimed our true home. I took back the entire city."

     "Do you really have the audacity to boast of your victory when the mother of your child is practically a prisoner in that true home of yours?" Rhea scoffed also, crossing her arms.

     Klaus stood up from behind the piano, "Even if this is what you say it is, I have had enough of family to last me a lifetime. Why would I possibly want any more?" He asked them before he left, leaving Rebekah, Elijah and Rhea alone in the house while Elijah looked sad and defeated.

     Klaus was about to walk up the stairs on the compound when he noticed Rhea standing nearby, "I guess I'm going to have up the security around here." He mumbled to himself before turning to look at her, "Haven't you had your fill of trying to mend the relationship between me and my brother?"

     Rhea shrugged, "Well, his annoying habit of always believing you're redeemable has somewhat rubbed off on me through our bond." She said before she let out a sigh, "Look, he feels terrible for what happened. He knows he shouldn't have accused you for having an ulterior motive about the child, and he knows he was wrong about you. He misses you."

     Klaus looked around, "Then why isn't he here telling me himself?"

     "He doesn't know I'm here, and I figured you'd be more inclined to listen to me than him right now." Rhea answered him, "Since every time you've been around him you've completely blown him off." Klaus only stared at her and she sighed, "He wants us all to be a family. You know how he feels about that. Come home, Klaus."

     Klaus sighed himself, relenting. Rhea was standing there, pleading for Elijah's case even when she has stated that she hates him and he can't forgive her. If Klaus wants to earn her trust and forgiveness back, this is the way to do it, "When you're ready, should you be so inclined, you and my siblings are welcome to join me here. It is, after all, our family home." He smiled when he saw her happy grin and then left, leaving Rhea downstairs in the courtyard as she happily phoned her soulmate the good news.