𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 — the mortal

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𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐒 in motion.

Jackson and Oliver had been sent onwards to gather the stones that would be enchanted using Genevieve's magic, and in turn, they would grant the wolves immunity against the moon, they would grant the wolves the ability to turn at will, or not at all. They would no longer have to go through the pain of their bones breaking with every full moon.

The only problem was that the boys were late to return.

Ophelia couldn't quite say she was worried; despite Oliver being a brat and Jacksons uncanny ability to deal with said brat; neither of the two would do anything to jeopardise their one and only chance at getting those moonlight rings.

Though that seemed to be the very cause of Hayley's worrying. The she-wolf who looked ready to explode at a moment's notice was chewing at her thumb as her leg bounced with nerves, "They should be back by now... They should have been back two hours ago, Ophelia."

Ophelia's eyes moved away from where they were concentrated; on painting her pastel pink nails, and towards the clock that ticked away on her wall. Hayley was right, they were two hours late; something must have gone wrong.

With stiff movements, Ophelia managed to put away her nail polish with her still drying fingers, and haul herself to her feet, "We best go let Elijah know."

Hayley nodded, worry eating away at her as she hurried out of the room, leaving the siphon behind in her rush. Ophelia huffed and brought her fingertips towards her lips, blowing out hot air in an attempt to dry the polish quicker as she followed the wolf towards Elijah's study.

As per usual, books had been pulled from the shelves and piled upon the desk, plush couches and the short table in the middle of the room; the remnants of the night Ophelia and Elijah had spent reading together whilst light and easy chatter had filled their ears.

Hayley had clearly relayed her thoughts to Elijah already, for his mobile was already in his hand and Nikalus' voice filled the room as the noble originals thumb settled over the speaker button.

"Yes, brother, what is it?" Klaus questioned, impatience evident in his tone, something that caused Ophelia to roll her eyes as she placed herself on one of the couches, her legs folded beneath her whilst she directed a small smile towards Elijah who had locked his eyes upon her form.

Elijah shifted on his feet as a sigh fell from his lips, "It appears our wolves have gone astray, brother —"

"— They should have been back hours ago." Hayley quickly interrupted, her chewed thumb falling from her mouth, and instead coming to rest upon her swollen stomach, small circles being rubbed into the fabric of her dress.

"We need to find them."

"Well, that might be a bit tricky." Nik spoke, "You see, we've located their car on a back road in the middle of nowhere. I suspect they've been shanghai'd."

Ophelia blinked, "And you couldn't be bothered to share that with us? Helpful Nik."

"Don't get mouthy with me, little thief, it was my intention to present you with the problem only after I had found an appropriate solution."

"Go on."

"I'm closing in on it as we speak. The only person who would be bold enough to snatch my wolf allies is the one who has the most to lose."

Ophelia groaned, her back colliding with the back of the couch as she brought a hand to her forehead, "Marcel, of course."

They really couldn't catch a break from that man, could they? It seemed as though every time they thought of any plan for power or peace, Marcel was right there and ready to snatch all hope away from them. Clearly the man had heard of the plan to strengthen the wolves and feared for himself and his little posse of vampires; as he should have. The wolves would still have their bite, and the vampires would soon become the prey rather than the predator they were meant to be.

"He'll kill them!" Hayley exclaimed, her fear for her pack members evident.

"Genevieve assures me that Marcel has procured a cloaking spell. The only witch who will aid Marcel is Davina. I just need to get one last bit of leverage before I pay her a visit." Klaus muttered through the phone, knowing of the conflict he was sure to have from Ophelia.

He was right. Ophelia jumped to her feet; eyes alight as she spoke through gritted teeth in a tone that made Hayley back up, "Don't you dare, Nik."

"There's no need to worry, love, I'm simply paying our dear friend Joshua a visit."

"Nik —"

"— Oh for heaven's sake, Ophelia, yes I'm going to bite the lad, and then, once Davina has given me what I want, I'll heal him. Everyone's happy."

The room settled into silence for a moment as Ophelia pondered the originals words; despite her better judgment, Ophelia did honestly believe that Nik would keep to his word, and that Davina would remain unharmed whilst Josh would suffer for a short time, only to be healed. She sighed; things were never simple and she could feel the anger brewing into a storm within her stomach; how dare Marcel involve Davina once again; just because he knew she cared for him.

"Fine." She bit, hissing like a serpent as she folded her arms across her chest with a less than happy expression twisting at her pretty features, "But you better heal him, and I swear, if you touch even a hair on Davina's head —"

"— You'll smite me where I stand, yes, yes, I know — Oh! There's the lad now." and with that, the call ended.

"Damn right I'll smite him." Ophelia muttered to herself, completely forgetting that Elijah could hear her loud and clear; his chuckle an indicator of said fact.

The original cleared his throat, amusement laced upon his features as he pocketed his mobile, "Perhaps I should ensure my brother doesn't get himself into any... Trouble."

"Klaus, trouble? Of course not." Ophelia laughed, her eyes narrowing on Hayley as the woman tried her absolute hardest to lower herself onto the couch. She rolled her eyes, walking over to the woman to help her sit, "You're pregnant, not..." she turned to Elijah, "...A thousand years old... Anyway, go see to the almighty king and make sure he hasn't thrown his toys from his pram, oh, and if you could, bring the dogs in?"

"Yes, dear."

⋆⋆⋆

Ophelia and Hayley had stayed behind; they both knew that if anyone would find the missing wolves, it would be Elijah, and they also knew that if anyone were to gather the information they needed... Well it would be Nik and his rather vulgar means of retrieving it.

Ophelia sat upon the plush couch within Elijah's study, eyes following Hayley as she slowly paced –waddled- around the room, worry etched into her face as she continued to mercilessly gnaw at her thumb.

Genevieve had also stayed behind, claiming that she would take care of Hayley upon Elijah's departure; something both he and Ophelia had almost scoffed at, but rather than express their obvious mutual distaste for the woman, Ophelia had pulled Elijah closer and muttered into his ear, "I'll stay with them, I still don't trust her, even with the deal you've made."

The man had agreed, and with a lingering touch upon Ophelia's waist, and a look of longing within his eyes, he pulled back and took his leave.

"Elijah should have called by now." Hayley muttered, her hand dropping to her stomach that she seemed to use as a shelf of sorts.

Before Ophelia could offer the wolf some peace of mind, Genevieve's voice split the air, "Worrying isn't going to help. You should sit down, try to keep calm."

"What are you, now, magician slash zen-life-coach?"

Ophelia snorted, drawing out a small smile from Hayley as the wolf whipped her head around. Genevieve however slumped in her chair, a sigh falling from her lips as she addressed the wolf, "The treatment of pregnant women has advanced remarkably since I was a nurse, but even I know high blood pressure is bad for you, and your baby. Especially now, since you're so close to term."

The two continued on, Genevieve seemingly trying to worm her way into Hayley's good graces, whilst Hayley simply ignored the nicety's and continued on with her worry whilst Ophelia made her way towards the balcony that overlooked a busy street of new Orleans; as per usual the streets were bustling with many people, they scuttled about as unaware of what lurked in the shadows as ever.

Colors intertwined and moved along the cobbled paths as jazz played to their tune. It would always seem odd to Ophelia; the excitement and the complete lack of knowledge that so many held. It was as if two worlds existed within one; the world of the supernatural to which few humans were aware of, and the human world. The one where the biggest worry would be what one would have for dinner that night, or perhaps gathering the courage to call their damn doctor after weeks of putting it off.

If only they knew of the beasts that walked amongst them. Humans would gossip and share scary stories of creatures that lurked in the dark... Never quite believing that they could very well be just as active in the day.

It was fascinating to her, and in all honesty, Ophelia was glad that she was a part of the darker, bloodier world, for she wouldn't have met her... Well, her family if she wasn't. She'd have never had met the Mikaelson's, or Hayley and Davina.

The sound of Hayley's pacing continued for a while, eventually prompting Genevieve to leave the two alone, before the wolf finally whipped out her phone and dialed Elijah's number, her thumb instantly tapping the speaker button as Ophelia made her way over.

"What's going on?" Hayley rushed.

"Jackson is fine. He's... A little tied up right now." Elijah responded, and Ophelia could detect a hint of teasing within the man's voice, something that Hayley seemed to have missed, "Can we call you back?"

Neither of the girls could guess what had happened to spur a rather irritated shout from Jackson, and Hayley was beginning to grow annoyed that Elijah wasn't divulging the truth of the situation, "Elijah, tell me what's going on, now!"

A beat passed, and just as Ophelia opened her mouth to try her hand at getting Elijah to answer, the sound of a large explosion filled their ears and the line disconnected, leaving the siphon and the wolf to share a look in silence.

Hayley swallowed, her knees buckling as she slumped onto the couch whilst Ophelia couched before her, a hand reaching up to intertwine with one of the wolf's, "They'll be fine. Elijah and Klaus and as dim as they might sometimes seem, they'll have gotten them out."

"But what if —"

"— Hayley." Ophelia interrupted, her tone filled with sincerity, "I trust them both to have saved your wolves. You need to breathe... I hate to say it, but Genevieve is right; stress isn't good for the little one."

⋆⋆⋆

The girls didn't have to wait long for their questions to be answered as not a half-hour later Elijah, carrying a rather charred looking Jackson, stumbled into the room they had been impatiently waiting within.

The pair were the very definition of disheveled; ash covered their skin, soot rested upon their heads, and their clothes were both burnt and ripped in various places.

Hayley stumbled to her feet, one leg crossing over the other in her haste; prompting Ophelia to hop up and steady her. The wolf mumbled a rushed and mildly embarrassed thanks as she darted forward and took Jackson from Elijah; her pack member managing to at least stand on his own.

"Thank god you're alive!" Hayley muttered into Jackson's ear as she wrapped her arms around her fellow wolf. She turned her head just slightly, meeting Elijah's eyes as she mouthed a sincere thank you.

Ophelia moved aside as the two wolves approached, allowing Jackson the room to sit whilst Hayley went about tending to his wounds, and the siphon approached Elijah, offering her own look of thanks before Nik's ever-petulant voice echoed throughout the compound, his steps thudding along the wooden flooring as he swaggered his way in, "I'm fine too, thanks for asking."

"Don't pout, Nik." Ophelia smiled as she patted his shoulder, delighted when the one-thousand-year-old hybrid huffed like a child and swatted her hand away. "I take it the stones were lost?"

"However did you guess." Klaus drawled out as he poured himself a drink, allowing the siphon no time to retort, "Marcel's not a fool. He knows an empowered werewolf army would mean the end of vampires in New Orleans. The explosion is his way of saying he means to prevent that. For all the good it'll do him."

Niklaus was right, and they all knew it. Marcel was a force to be reckoned with; he was a proud, and rather pretentious man, and Ophelia knew that he would never back down; he'd rather die than give up his home and his crown.

Hayley tutted as she slapped one of Jackson's hands away from touching a rather blistering burn on his thigh, her attention swiftly diverting back to the conversation at hand, "Well, it did him pretty damn well, didn't it?"

"This is my fault." Jackson uttered, "I'll find a way to fix it."

"No, Jack, you're hurt. No one's blaming you."

Though Nik obviously did not agree with the she-wolfs declaration, for a thundering expression overtook his features, his voice bellowing out, "I'm blaming you! Those stones will be hard to replace."

That signature smile of his appeared, one that could make his enemies fear for their lives and run for the hills, Ophelia however, simply rose a brow, "From that look on your face, I take it you have a plan?"

"I always have a backup plan, little thief."

A light groan escaped Ophelia's lips as she brought a hand to caress her forehead, preparing for whatever headache was about to walk into their lives, "Another bed buddy I suppose?"

This, of course, caused Hayley to let out a rather boisterous snort; one that Jackson did his best to refrain from laughing at, whilst Elijah simply pursed his lips at the siphons comment, his eyes falling down to her as she looked up at him and shrugged as if to say, 'You know you were thinking it too.'

Niklaus scoffed, "Actually, love, I have rather high —"

"— If you say standards, I will absolutely laugh right in your face."

"I do! But —" Nik glared without malice, the corners of his plump lips twitching upwards, "— No, she is not one of my 'bed buddies' as you so eloquently put it."

⋆⋆⋆

As it turned out, much to Ophelia, Elijah, and Hayley's displeasure, Nik's backup plan was no other than Francesca Correa; which is exactly why Ophelia had simply nodded to the woman and walked away, rather than engage in conversation; Ophelia was... Picky when it came to people; and Francesca just rubbed both herself, and Hayley the wrong way.

But the woman seemed to be the only means of gathering more stones to craft the moonlight rings for Hayley and her fellow wolf pack, and thus, Klaus allowed the woman to be a part of the plan.

Rather than bore herself with such a trivial matter, Ophelia instead headed towards her bedroom, hands itching to close around the small gift and note that Rebekah had left her upon her departure from New Orleans.

Once said item and scrap of paper were safely tucked away within Ophelia's jacket pocket, she hummed in satisfaction and left the room, almost bumping into Elijah as she did so.

"Are you alright?" The Mikaelson questioned with a studious frown, eyes assessing every line of Ophelia's face, "You seem... Worried."

"Marcel won't sit back and let this happen, Elijah. He knows you all far too well and is probably well aware that Nik would have a backup plan. He'll be here, as will his little nightwalkers."

"I don't doubt it, Marcellus was always a stubborn child."

Ophelia, despite the situation at hand, let out a small laugh, "Well, he did learn from Nik."

"Indeed." He paused, hesitance forcing his words to fade on his tongue, Elijah knew he shouldn't utter his thoughts, Ophelia was a strong woman, a reckless one, and most certainly as stubborn as the man they had been speaking of... But he allowed his expression to sober and he forced out his request, "There will be war, promise me you will not get involved."

Ophelia faltered, her feet taking her a step backwards, a step out of that bubble that always seemed to surround the siphon and the stag. "You want me to... what? Sit tight, have a coffee whilst you fight off Marcel's vampires? I think not, Elijah."

The man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, his other hand coming up to point at her; something she scowled at. "Ophelia, please, you're just —"

"— Mortal?" She scoffed as she stepped closer and smacked his hand away, "Yes, as if I'd forgotten my poor mortal existence." an incredulous laugh that lacked any mirth fell from her glossed lips, "I'm not stupid Elijah. I know how to handle myself, by myself, and I think you've forgotten that. I will protect Hayley with my life, I will protect those stones just the same if it means that Hayley's child can have a mother that doesn't have to go through the pain of turning with each full moon."

A beat of silence passed. The tension was palpable, waves of anger flowing from Ophelia whilst Elijah stood as calm as ever; though even in her state of rage Ophelia could see the frown lines that had settled between his brows, and the downturn of his lips.

"That is precisely why I worry," he muttered, voice just above a whisper and yet Ophelia heard loud and clear. "Ophelia, I don't think you understand the pain it would cause —" his words failed him, unable to speak the complete truth, the truth of how it would affect him, not his family, not Hayley or Davina, but him alone. He couldn't say it. "— Us to find out if something tragic had happened to you. "

Us.

The siphon couldn't deny the slight sting at the word; a longing for him to have said me instead. But she supposed she couldn't exactly complain about such. Trivial matter when everything around them seemed to be on the verge of a cliff; ready to topple into the sea at a moment's notice.

How could she expect him to admit whatever he was feeling, if she herself couldn't do the same?

What an odd, and very inconvenient time to realize the extent of her feelings for the man before her.

Her irritation and anger seemed to simmer as she exhaled a breath; warm eyes staring up at the original as he awaited her response, "I do understand." her hesitant hand reached out, warm and shaking fingers wrapping around his own, "I do."

"Then please, be careful." he asked in a tone so low and so soft as he brushed a strand or two of hair from her face, his thumb lingering on the apple of her cheek for a moment longer than necessary, but a moment far too short for either of them.

"I'll try."

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04-07-2021

This is update 4 of the day! be sure to read the others that came prior to this one! And don't forget to vote, comment and follow!