◤ 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖊𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖊𝖊𝖓: ❛ bayou baby doctor ❜ ◢

✧

          MARISOL ALMOST FELT LIKE A MODERN TEENAGER, LYING ON HER BED WITH HER PHONE AGAINST HER EAR AS SHE SMILED. However, unlike a modern teenager, she wasn't talking to her boyfriend or crush (because she was too old for simple terms like that, they seemed so...childish), she was talking to Magnus, who filled her with joy like no one else.

"How's Spain?" she asked him, messing with her pillow, looking at the ceiling.

"The same as Spain always is," Magnus answered and she knew that he shrugged when he did, because that's what he always did. It gave her comfort that even though he was across the sea, she still knew his manners and it could feel like a real life conversation, "It's still beautiful and enchanting, but also so terribly boring at times."

Marisol couldn't help but snort at him, "Only you would think that Spain can be boring."

"Hey! It's just the same old, like always. I've been here a million times and it's never changing, so of course I get bored," Magnus defended himself but Marisol shook her head, amused.

The unchanging atmosphere of places was why she liked them. Even though New Orleans had developed and grown so large in the almost century she had left it, it still held the same quality. New York was always changing, but like all of California, but New Orleans...it changed, yes, and it grew, but it still held that old charm.

It still felt the same even though so much time had passed. It was unmoving, still in time, and while he adapted it still had qualities of the past and the streets still looked the same, if a bit livelier with more buildings, but they weren't overwhelming modern in any way.

Marisol liked places that were almost locked in time, that never changed. She liked going back to places and still finding the same city, not an empire in its place. New York's transformations were always entrancing, and you could spend years there and go back and find a new place in its wake, but those were always reminder of time. She had an abundance of it, and she liked to see how the world changed, but she also liked reminders of the past.

Cities that still held old charm had a special place in her heart, and it was why she returned to New Orleans in the first place. But she didn't like monuments, or going to Greece to see the Parthenon for the millionth time to see it slightly degrade. Cities were different, because they were places she could live and experience the past, but monuments were just items. Items that were locked in time, they didn't have people, they didn't have charm.

But that was what Magnus liked. Magnus hated cities that never changed like her. He liked new, modern, but he also adored monuments locked in time. They were her cities, because those items never changed only degraded with the passage of time, and he liked to see that. So he didn't like Spain that never changed, and he didn't like New Orleans that was still the same, but she adored it. And she didn't like the Parthenon or anything else while he adored it.

"Then move. You've always loved London," Marisol suggested to him, because he did always seem drawn to the city.

In earlier years, when he was grown and a vampire and they wandered around the world, he always wanted to go to London but she didn't. And when they parted ways to leave for a year before meeting up in another city and reconvene together, he almost always chose London since they would never visit together.

Marisol refused to go back to that city in the earlier years. She had spent centuries away until Magnus finally convinced her to return in 1955, and how the city had changed. Everything had changed, but London was so different from her memories with Elijah and the other Mikaelsons.

"Oh, wait – you've got that human. Never mind, then. Maybe you can go on vacation with her there," Marisol corrected herself.

"Actually, I was thinking about visiting New Orleans like you wanted," Magnus said instead.

She felt her heart stop, because the last thing she wanted or needed was for Magnus to come here and meet the Mikaelsons. It was too dangerous for him in New Orleans at the moment, with all the tension brewing between the different factions and all the plots that were being taken into effect.

"You broke up with her, didn't you?" Marisol asked him instead, ignoring his mention of visiting the city to ask a question she already knew the answer.

"Well, more like she broke up with me. Wanted a real Spanish guy, not someone who's just fluent in the language and knows a little too much about the history of the country. I really need to tone that done, don't I?" Magnus asked, if a bit rhetorically.

"Yeah, you do. It's fun at first, but you just go a little bit overboard with it," Marisol told him gently, because she was still his aunt even if they didn't act like the normal aunt and nephew combo, "I'm sorry she broke up with you."

"You knew that it would never work anyway," Magnus shrugged it off, but she knew that he was hurt. Ever the hopeless romantic, he always took a break up to heart, and she wished desperately that she could bring him to New Orleans or go to him and comfort him.

In every instance, she would always drop whatever she was doing to be with him. Nothing else mattered, not really. Everything was temporary in her life but him, so dropping a job or life in a city to be with him in his time of need never mattered, but now she wasn't exactly free to do that. She was stuck in New Orleans and couldn't go to him and the last thing she wanted was to bring him here during this dangerous time.

"I was too harsh on you before, I'm sorry, but you know me," Marisol attempted to lighten the mood with that, but she wasn't sure how affective it was everything else considered, "Whatever, I just – I shouldn't have said that. It was rude."

"No," Magnus disagreed, "It was what I needed to hear. You're right – relationships with humans never work. It's always too complicated. I think it's what's making this break up so much easier to handle."

"Still, I should've been kinder," she insisted, because she had been rude and too blunt before.

"So, how do you feel about me coming to New Orleans? I haven't been back in forever and it's only temporary. I still don't think I could ever live there like you," Magnus brought up again, which she wished he hadn't.

"I don't know," she said with a large amount of hesitation, "There's a lot of tension between the factions right now, and I don't think it's the best time for visitors. I'd leave but Marcel's my friend and I can't just abandon him right now. When it all settles down, how about we meet up somewhere? Maybe Florence?"

"Just a month ago you were begging me to come visit, and now it's too dangerous?"

"You know how tension goes with the tide. It's nearing the Reaping and the witches still haven't completed the Harvest, so there's well, you know, anger. I just don't think it's the right time," Marisol tried to tell him gently instead of revealing the truth of the matter.

"I don't believe you, but fine. And not Florence, I was there six months ago and left an angry witch in the wake, so I can't visit for at least eighty years. How about Florida? I'm feeling like a beach vacation," Magnus suggested.

Marisol grinned in an amusement. "What did you do to piss off a witch?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. Honestly, Mars, it's not a big deal. I just have to wait until she's dead before I go back to Florence, you know how it is."

"Only you, Magnus," she shook her head, a little bit of laughter coming from her mouth, "Well, I've got to go now. Talk soon."

"Love you."

"I love you, too," she didn't hesitate as she said it, because if there was one person she could simply say that to, it was him.

The phone call ended and Marisol lifted herself from her bed, leaving her phone and going downstairs when she heard Agnes, one of the Elders for the witches, say, "...I took the liberty of making an appointment for you. Tonight, after-hours, just us. Vampires will never get word of it."

Marisol frowned, making her entrance into the room. "Um, not sure where you think you're going, but you're not going alone," she looked mostly at Hayley, who Agnes was talking to.

Agnes' eyes turned to her with almost a bit of anger, which only intrigued her more and made her stand her ground. Hayley, oblivious to the anger Agnes showed Marisol, explained, "Agnes set up a checkup for the baby with some doctor she knows."

"Great," Marisol nodded, "You said it's tonight? Hayley and I will meet you there."

She gave Agnes a grin, showing all of her teeth so that it almost looked friendly but also a bite to it to know that she would not let up. Agnes cleared her throat, "The Dauphine Street Music Festival is tonight. I don't think you'd want to miss it."

Marisol shrugged. "I saw it last year and I can see it next year. It's nothing really special and it's not like there isn't a new festival every week, right? I'll be fine missing one little festival."

Besides, the festivals weren't all that special. All of them were just another occasion to dress up and party, go drinking and actually have an excuse for it besides being an alcoholic or close to one, so people took it. Marisol had been to enough of those, so missing one would hardly even matter. And if Marcel asked her why, she could just say that she wasn't feeling well and make up for it with the next one, since there was always another festival just around the corner.

Hayley nodded. "Then it's settled. Bayou-baby-doctor tonight, and Marisol's coming," she said with an edge of finality, looking at Agnes who had no choice but to accept that answer.

The Elder stood up so Hayley and Marisol led her to the door before the younger werewolf frowned. "What's your problem with her?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"I don't have a problem," Marisol said honestly, "But I do have an interest. Something about the way she said it, wanting you to be alone, made me think. And besides, even if I completely trusted her, I'd still go with you. Just in case."

"You're really trying to look out for me, aren't you?" Hayley asked, with a tone that said she was affected by the care that Marisol had for her.

It made her soften, but it was so obvious in the house that there wasn't much attention going her way. With Klaus' brutal plot for the demise of Marcel approaching always so quickly, and Rebekah's never-ending attempts of finding Elijah, and Marisol just caught in the crossfire of everything, Hayley was easily forgotten.

She felt guilty for ignoring her, being so caught up in her own problems with lying to Marcel and betraying him, everything going on with Amelia, and then anything she had to do to help Klaus, she pushed Hayley to the sidelines when it was obvious that she needed someone.

"Of course I am," Marisol told her. It was gentle but with enough for that Hayley knew she meant it absolutely.

✧

THERE WAS A knock at her door as she finished putting her hair in. "Come in," she said without a second thought, because the only people in the house were trustworthy enough to be in her room. She wasn't surprised when it was Klaus who entered, looking at her expectantly as she finished getting ready. "What?" she asked, still not turning to him in favor of staring instead into her mirror.

Klaus seemed a bit annoyed that she refused to look at him directly, but he was forcing her to betray her friend so he could deal with it. "I heard you're going with Hayley to the bayou for a checkup," he mentioned.

Marisol nodded. "Agnes arranged it."

"And you don't trust her," Klaus guessed, she hummed in agreement to that, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear before turning to see him directly.

"No, I don't. She was very keen on getting Hayley to join her alone, which I don't think is a good idea," she told him, "The witches were willing to kill Hayley before, who says they still aren't?"

"You're a smart little thing, aren't you?" Klaus complimented her, in his own way.

It still didn't stop Marisol's nostrils from flaring and a heat to be seen in her eyes. "Call me a little thing again and I snap your neck," she threatened, "I might only be half your age but that doesn't mean I'm not old myself."

Klaus grinned a little, showing his amusement of her attitude towards him. "I'd like to see you try, love," he egged her on.

"I'm not your love either, so don't call me that," she stood up, "It's Marisol – or Mars, if you prefer a nickname."

He didn't say anything about her comment, just came further into the room and looked at her. "Make sure nothing happens to Hayley or I'll be the one snapping your neck," he lowly threatened her and she raised an eyebrow.

"Is this how you plan to proclaim that you actually care about her and the child? And here everyone thought you were still a soulless bastard..." she whispered back to him, "Besides, our deal states that I help you reclaim New Orleans, not protect your baby mama."

"Marisol."

"Oh, don't get your panties in a twist, Klaus, I'm gonna do it. Why else would I go with her to the stupid checkup?" she asked him, though she didn't mess the edge of concern in his voice for Hayley and her child.

Klaus looked at her, and seemed torn between saying thank you and saying nothing at all, before deciding to go with the latter. He nodded in her direction and then left the room, causing her to huff. He was such a complicated man.

One minute they could bicker and it was almost friendly, but then he commanded her to do something and it was the reminder of why she was there in the first place. Klaus might be in control of her friendship with Marcel at the moment, but he did not control any other aspect of her life.

She protected Hayley because she cared for the girl, not because he ordered her to. And he wasn't about to add that to her deal either.

Looking at the time on her phone, she left the room and came downstairs where Hayley was waiting with Agnes near the front door. "Ready to go?" she looked between the two other women she would be accompanying to the bayou.

Hayley nodded, as did Agnes who was now staying silent, so Marisol led them outside where Agnes got in the driver's seat, Hayley in the passenger's, and Marisol in the back.

✧

THE CAR PULLED up to a rundown building in the middle of nowhere, not that Marisol expected it to be in the middle of a bustling city because they did drive into the great unknown bayou. She looked around, finding almost a comfort in the trees and ground that had become her home on full moons as she brought herself out her and let the wolf inside her out to play.

Well, not that she had a choice in the matter. The wolf came out with the full moon, and the bayou was practically vacant so it was the only safe location for her to run wild without getting caught and killed by her friend.

"This is the doctor's office?" Hayley asked, skepticism pouring out of her voice because it didn't seem like the location for one.

"Dr. Paige is only this far out because Marcel's men kept terrorizing her patients. Go! She won't bite," Agnes gave Hayley a reassuring smile and used a calm tone, but the last thing Marisol felt was safe.

Hayley looked back at her so she nodded, and the two of them stepped out of the car. Marisol couldn't help but look back at Agnes, who was pointedly not following them, and found her worries deepened at that.

Dr. Paige was there ready for them when they entered the building and they were quickly taken to the backroom for the appointment. Marisol stood near the window, looking out as Hayley laid down on the seat provided.

"Oh, you won't see anything out there except woods. Come, take a seat," the doctor gave Marisol a friendly smile.

"I'll stand," she said back to the woman, not trusting her or Agnes for a second. Hayley gave her a look but Marisol turned back to the window, ignoring her. She was not about to allow anything to happen to her friend under her watch, especially under skeptical circumstances.

The doctor talked to Hayley throughout the appointment, explaining to her what she was about to do and then some comments about the baby's health but Marisol mostly drowned it all out.

When Hayley stood up, Marisol looked at her, turning away from the window. "That's a unique birthmark," Dr. Paige told her and Marisol had a little look herself before her eyes widened.

"We're pretty much done here, right?" Hayley asked, not acknowledging the remark as she covered the mark back up with her sweater.

Hayley's phone buzzed so she went to see the message as the doctor told her, "Your blood pressure is a bit high, I've got something for it," before proceeding to walk out of the room and talking to Agnes, who came in much later than the two wolves.

Marisol frowned, looking at them suspiciously and wishing that her ears were stronger so she could hear them before a wolf howled outside. She looked outside the window, seeing a car's headlights approaching, so she turned to Hayley and grabbed her arm. "There are others here – don't accept anything she gives you," she said lowly, her tone only serious.

She could see the alarm in Hayley's eyes as she said the words, wanting to ask more before the doctor returned with some pills. "Ahh, you know, I'm – I'm not that good with pills," Hayley told her, anxiously moving away.

"Well, neither am I, truth be told," Dr. Paige told her, reeking of some nervousness. She went to the counter and Marisol turned to look at the doctor, not trusting her at all.

She held up a needle, and that was enough for Marisol to take the arm holding it and twist it until the needle fell, hearing the sound of bones breaking as she continued twisting. Then, she shoved the doctor away, picked up the needle that fell before injecting her in the neck, watching as the woman fell to the ground.

As she did this, Hayley had closed and locked the door, going to the window to try and open it. The door began to rattle as someone from the outside tried to open it, and finally Hayley got the window open, barely missing a second before throwing herself out, Marisol hot on her tail.

Once they were out, neither of them wasted a second before running straight into the bayou to get away.

Eventually, the stopped, hiding in the darkness and waiting for whoever Agnes sent to catch up with them. Four bodies past before they ran to kill them. Hayley took the first one, jumping on his back, so Marisol continued to run, pushing the second one to the ground with all her might before getting on top of him and twisting his neck until his neck snapped.

She smirked to herself, finding this easy work, seeing as she had lived long enough to know how to kill an enemy. She might only be wolf on the full moon, but her teeth were still sharp and senses keen on bloodlust, so she became the killer on the full moon and any other night of the week.

As she got up, another man grabbed her and threw her, causing her to growl and show her blue lit eyes to him, causing him to startle. It wasn't every day you saw a wolf with blue eyes. But she didn't waste a second, using this to her advantage, showing her hand into his chest with her might and pulling out his heart.

But it wasn't enough as more men approached, and she could see Hayley on the ground, her own yellow eyes out. She dropped the heart to the ground, staring at the man who approached Hayley, about to charge when his neck snapped and there stood Rebekah.

Well, she didn't exactly see that coming now. "I have to say I'm impressed," Rebekah gave them, looking down at the dead bodies.

"How'd you find us?" Marisol asked her, catching her breath as she stepped towards the vampire.

"Hayley's text got me halfway, vamp hearing did the rest," Rebekah explained, "Who are they?"

"Witches, warlocks, whatever," Hayley looked down at the lifeless bodies.

"People that Agnes brought," Marisol supplied more information, knowing that that nasty little witch did this. She was just glad that she came with Hayley.

Rebekah turned to look behind herself. "There are more of them," she said, looking at the lights from more men approaching, "Run!"

Hayley did as told, but Marisol stayed with Rebekah to fight. She wasn't the pregnant one, after all. "If I had a dollar for every mess my family has got me into..." the Original muttered to herself and Marisol hummed in agreement.

As she turned, Rebekah got shot in the stomach and heart, causing her to fall to the ground. Marisol stepped out of the way, her eyes lighting up blue again. "Rebekah!" Hayley yelled before getting shot in the shoulder and falling as well.

Marisol looked back at the enemy, becoming angrier. She ran towards them, hoping to at least get a shot at them before an arrow came and tore through her stomach as well, causing her to pull it out until she felt herself crumble and fall, fading away...

Until, of course, she felt someone shake her, pulling her back into consciousness. "Rebekah?" she gasped out, seeing the concerned face of the woman.

"You're bleeding," Rebekah noted before biting into her wrist and showing it to Marisol's mouth, forcing her to swallow some vampire blood to heal herself.

Once there was a drop down her throat, Marisol shoved the woman away, grimacing at the taste. "God, that never gets better," she shuddered. Even though she had to taste Magnus' blood more than once, the taste never appealed to her more, always staying that same disgusting iron. She was, without a doubt, not a fan of it at all.

Marisol stood up, looking around before frowning, "Where's Hayley?"

"I can't find her," Rebekah admitted, "I called Nik and I've looked everywhere, but I don't know where she is."

"Shit," Marisol cursed, looking around before sighing, "Come on, let's wait at the clinic and I'll keep calling her until she picks up."

Rebekah listened to her, and the two walked back inside the clinic, waiting for someone to show up or for Hayley to finally take her call. Neither happened. Well, not until a car did pull up and Klaus sped right into the building.

"Wow! You abandoned your quest for power to help out your family! Having an off day?" Rebekah sarcastically asked her brother, and Marisol knew that the tensions were going to be incredibly high if that was an indicator.

"Who took her, Rebekah?" Klaus asked his sister, void of any emotion on his face.

"I don't know," she answered honestly.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Klaus took a step toward the two, unimpressed with their lack of knowledge, "Then who killed her attackers?"

"Look," Marisol stepped in between the two siblings, staring at the brother, "Agnes called them. I know she did. They're probably witches, but we don't know anything else, alright?"

Klaus looked annoyed at her, so he shifted to stare at Rebekah who also gave her account of the story. "I don't know! I had an arrow in my heart. If it wasn't Hayley who killed them, then –"

She was cut off as a wolf howled, causing Marisol to frown. "Lovely. Maybe her cousins will know where she is," Rebekah suggested.

"We heard one earlier," Marisol mentioned, causing the two vampires to look at her, "We were in that room and a car pulled up with some of the men. The howl alerted us that someone else was here."

Klaus frowned at Marisol before Rebekah began to walk outside, prompting the other two to follow her. It was a good thing they did, because when they got outside, Hayley was approaching the building, looking dazed and incredibly exhausted.

"Hayley!" Klaus got close to her, approaching her immediately, "What happened? Tell me what happened?"

Hayley didn't look at him, her eyes seemingly out of focus. "I can't remember," she said groggily.

Klaus began to inspect her wounds before pulling back. "You've completely keeled. There's not a scratch on you."

"One of the perks of being a werewolf, remember?" Hayley told him, as if correcting his memory.

"No," he shook his head, "not that fast."

"Yeah, even Rebekah had to give me some of her blood so that I could heal," Marisol nodded in agreement.

But Rebekah didn't care, swooping in and putting an arm around the young wolf. "Leave her alone! It's the baby. The vampire blood – Klaus' vampire blood – in your system. It can heal any wound," she sat the dazed and pregnant wolf down, "Your own child healed you."

"How did you escape?" Rebekah asked, "You were outnumber, unarmed? Those men were ripped to shreds?"

"Hayley got shot and fell down before me," Marisol shook her head, "I was the late to go down. Hayley couldn't have done anything."

Rebekah and Klaus looked at each other, confused, before Hayley quietly said, "I think it was the wolf I think it's trying to protect me."

Marisol looked around the bayou to see if she could find one, but saw nothing. She crossed her arms, holding herself as she thought about the birthmark on Hayley's skin. She knew what it meant, but she didn't think Hayley was aware of it, which was for the best.

But those wolves...whoever it was, of course it was trying to protect her, but that didn't make Marisol feel any better about it.

"The witches were supposed to protect you!" Klaus yelled, "When I get my hands on Sophie Deveraux –"

"It wasn't Sophie," Hayley cut him off, "It was Agnes."

"As if that's any better," Marisol muttered to herself, finding herself growing even more distasted with the witches in town. She wished that she could bring it up with Amelia, see what the girl knew, but at the same time she didn't want to find out the worst.

Amelia was her friend, but Hayley was a wolf just like her. And if Marisol hadn't become a wolf, this could've been her sister, a long time ago. Wandering the world alone, in need of someone else, but Marisol was there for Ophelia and she would be there for Hayley now. Amelia was her friend, but friendship could only go so far.

"Fine! Agnes, Sophie, it's all the same to me! I'll slaughter the lot of them!" Klaus declared, and Marisol was about to speak up in defense of them of them, in defense of Amelia who she hoped wasn't in support of Agnes, Rebekah did first.

"Not if Elijah gets there first," Rebekah told him, knowing exactly how to shup up her brother.

Marisol frowned as Hayley quickly turned to Rebekah. "Elijah? Did you find him?"

"He's been in touch, and he has a plan," Rebekah informed them as Marisol bowed her head, not looking at any of them. Elijah had been in touch, which meant he was going to be back soon, just like Klaus had said, she didn't know if she could handle that. "All he asks is that we take care of you," Rebekah looked back at Hayley.

Her heart ached for a moment, thinking of that man who cared so deeply for Hayley and the baby already, even though he barely had the chance to know them, and she let herself wonder for a moment if he would have cared that same amount for Marisol and Magnus. If he would have cared for a woman who loved him and the child she was raising, or if he would have casted them aside.

She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head away from those thoughts, because they were stuck in the past and she was so far gone from that version of herself. Marisol Bigora the young lady only killed one man knowingly, and would be horrified if she saw how Marisol Bigora the cursed werewolf acted that night. Snapping necks, ripping out hearts...she couldn't dream of doing that back in the day.

She had changed, and she was no longer that young girl who dreamed of Elijah and wealth but keeping herself locked away from it. The questions she wanted to ask would never get answered now, and they didn't need to. They were fantasies for a different time.

But it didn't stop Hayley from smiling, knowing that the return of the good brother was soon approaching and that he cared for her. "Hey, so...can we go home now? I'd really like to sleep for a few days..." she then stood up, almost collapsing as she did so until Klaus caught her.

"I've got you, love, I've got you," Klaus whispered to her, carrying her to the car, Marisol and Rebekah following after.