Surviving ∞ Kol Mikaelson [2]

[2]

Walking through the streets of the French Quarter, Emma's determined steps were accompanied by the sound of her heels clicking against the stone. Spend a month with Katherine Pierce and they become a staple of your closet, it would seem. But Emma did like the way the sound made her already determined steps seem even more fierce.

It had taken a couple of conversations, a little bit of flirtation, and an annoyed glare from Diego who tried to convince her to give up, and then proceeded to crack all on his own, before Emma managed to drag Marcel's current location out of his guys.

And that was where she was headed right now. She could see them even before she crossed the street to reach the bar in which they nestled. Sitting in the window, laughing and smirking like the greatest of friends, Emma watched for a moment, observing as their eyes followed after a blonde that was just exiting the bar.

Emma recognized the bartender from Rousseau's, Camille O'Connell. The two had had a couple of friendly conversation, but as Cami's arrival into town was still quite fresh, their friendship wasn't as strong as some of the others Emma had built.

Once the human woman was gone and certainly wasn't going to turn back and catch on to a conversation she shouldn't, Emma made her way into the bar, overhearing Klaus' familiar voice as soon as she stepped through the door.

"I daresay I've lost my touch. Or you've lost yours." Hearing the teasing tone brought a small smile to Emma's face. It was different hearing it in person for the first time in so many months and not only over a phone call.

"Oh he most certainly has." She announced her presence after a moment during which the two shared smiles between themselves, still unaware of the siphoner joining them. But once she stepped up next to the table they were occupying she was hard to miss. "After all, anyone with 'touch' knows you don't ignore your friends for days."

Emma could see Marcel's eyes widening for a short fraction of a second before he schooled his expression in a more neutral smile, appearing calm and unbothered quickly after. From the moment Klaus Mikaelson stepped back into town, Marcel had been keeping secrets from his old friend. Two most notably being the witches he had under his wing. He didn't want the hybrid knowing about either Davina or Emma. But now that she was standing right in front of them, it would be much harder to hide her. And he couldn't have Klaus thinking that is what he was trying to do.

"I haven't been avoiding you, I've just been busy." He tried to explain with ease, Emma raising her eyebrow at the bad cover-up. She found it funny, the way Marcel was trying to keep her away from Klaus. She couldn't fault him for it, especially since all he knew about her connections to the supernatural world before her arrival to New Orleans was that she had vampire friends; not who they were.

"Certainly." She didn't try to tell him he wasn't busy. Instead, she continued her teasing. She may not have explicitly told Marcel who her friends were, but Emma also knew it would be pointless to try and hide it now. But that didn't mean the revelation couldn't be a great opportunity for some fun. "Hiding me from the big bad wolf."

Marcel hated the smirk of amusement that could be seen on Klaus' face as he watched Emma. "Or were you hiding him from me?" He hated the laugh that came from the Mikaelson at the follow up question. A part of him even wanted to question how she knew who his friend was. The title of big bad wolf was too precise to be a coincidence.

"I haven't been hiding either one of you." Marcel did his best to remedy the situation which had high chances of going awry. Showing Klaus his crush on Cami was one thing. Letting him meet Emma was something entirely different. But it had to happen now. "As a matter of fact, Emma meet Klaus Mikaelson, an old friend of mine. Klaus, this is Emma Broussard, I've known her since she was a kid."

Marcel kept the smile on his face, but his eyes carefully watched Klaus stand from his chair so he could take a step towards Emma, now towering over her with his height and making her look up at him with a smirk. "Broussard?" Klaus sounded intrigued and curious, but that didn't surprise Marcel. He expected it since the Mikaelsons, Klaus especially, had quite a role with the Broussard witches back in the past.

However, it wasn't as Marcel thought at all. Klaus knew Emma's real surname for a long time now, he was simply surprised that she'd gone back to it finally.

"Park was much too boring and ordinary." And this time Emma's words gave Marcel pause. The way she said it and the genuine smile which spread over her face wasn't something he could have foreseen. Nor did he expect what came next.

"Well then, it's good to see you again, Emma Broussard."

"You too, Nik."

Marcel watched them, unable to keep his eyes from widening as he heard her use the nickname which was often reserved only for members of Klaus' family. And, if possible, the look of surprise on his face only increased as he watched the witch pull the hybrid into a happy embrace. One that he returned with no qualms.

"Hold on... You two already know each other?" He finally found his voice, able to ask the question repeating in his mind about a thousand times a second.

"Remember the vampire friends I mentioned making in Virginia?" Emma reminded instead of giving a concrete answer. But it was enough for Marcel to understand.

When Emma first arrived to New Orleans he asked her about the things she'd been up to since she disappeared from his radar. But all he got was vague responses. And he didn't press for more. He could see it as she spoke, he could see the tears she always tried to hold back and the pain she tried to hide. He knew something else had happened after Marissa's death. But he never forced her to speak of it.

"Emma has proven herself to be a great ally to my family some time ago." Klaus revealed, his words a pointed message intended only for Marcel's ears. Emma had been loyal to him before she was loyal to Marcel. And Klaus hoped it would continue that way.

Now he was thinking that perhaps he should've asked for more.

"You're friends with the Mikaelsons?"

Marcel's question had Emma's mind travelling for a moment, her hand nearly reaching up for the thin silver chain which now hung off her neck, the weight of the object she'd attached to it hanging it down.

'He'd want you to have it.' Said the note that Klaus had sent along with the package that morning. And now the ring hung between her collarbones, the cool touch of metal against her skin making her smile a sad smile that she quickly wiped from her face and focused back on the present.

"I'm friends with Klaus... And Elijah." She explained, not managing to catch the look which passed between the two men at the mention of Elijah's name. Or the way Klaus shook his head at Marcel behind her back, silently letting him know not to mention Elijah's current predicament to Emma. He already had enough on his hands with Rebekah in town searching for him.

Some time ago, the blonde Mikaelson's name would have been at the top of Emma's friends list, but ever since the whole ordeal with the Cure, the friendship was severely cracked and neither made many steps in an attempt to fix it. Rebekah had been trying at first, but after some time gave up and chose to give Emma the time she needed.

And in that time, Emma was helping the woman Rebekah was chasing. That Rebekah was chasing while teaming up with the mastermind of the plan to kill her brother. It only made Emma more determined to help Katherine stay hidden while she and Elijah devised a plan on how to approach Klaus with the Cure in their possession.

Luckily, since her help came from a distance, the three of them were the only ones who knew she was providing it. And in that moment, Emma was relieved for it to have stayed that way. She wasn't sure what exactly Klaus' attitude towards her would be if he knew she was helping Katherine of all people.

His lack of knowledge back then provided Emma with a multitude of choices now. Choices she was starting to suspect she might need as she watched the two former friends toe the line between love and hate right in front of her. Knowing both of them, it wasn't hard for Emma to see something was coming their way.

It was only a matter of time before it blew up. And she had to find out as much as she could before it did.