Back in Mystic Falls

36. Much to Learn

Pairing: Hayley/Matthew-Damon-Kol (F/mmm) paddle, hand

Road from New Orleans, Louisiana

August 1855

Next Morning

Elijah offered his embroidered linen handkerchief to Emily so she could wipe off Solomon's small face.

"Thank you," she whispered. He could tell that the witch and the boy were exhausted. He wished they had time to get a room for the day so they could all wash, but he wanted to get back to Mystic Falls as quickly as possible.

"Uncle, are you alright?" Marcel asked, he knew Elijah had woken up from the spell furious. He was concerned.

"Tis nothing, Marcellus," Elijah said with a tight smile.

"Just like you can detect a lie, so can I," Marcel said, but Elijah turned away. He stared out at the city receding behind them. His mind a jumble.

After Elijah had found out where the witches were hidden, Ilayda had tried to remove the hex from Elijah's mind. It had worked, maybe too well. Katherine, or Katerina Petrova, had been his love. And like Celeste, his brother Niklaus had ended it. Even knowing Elijah's affection for the beautiful doppelgänger, Niklaus had plotted to take her life in 1492 to lift the curse on his werewolf side. Niklaus had some explaining to do.

Solomon squirmed away as his mother tried to clean his face.

"No, Mama," the boys complained. "I am fine."

Emily smiled and pulled her boy on her lap. "I know, Son. You will be, now that we are freed. Thank you all again. I hope to never see those witches again. I do not know how they bypassed my spells and I am not sure I want to know what they were planning with us..."

Ilayda did not mention that it was her spell that allowed Sammy to locate Emily, not the French Quarter cover. As to what they wanted, no one really knew.

Sammy smoothed his curly brown hair behind his ear and flashed his white teeth as her, "Me, too, madam. They are an unpleasant lot. But we are free now. Their magic seemed dark and evil somehow. I wish I could have found out more but they only wanted me to find you."

Ilayda eyed the boy she considered her kin, though he was no blood relation. She did not care for the way he was flirting with the pretty witch. In their old tongue, she warned him to knock it off lest she knock his head against the side of the coach. He snickered and promised to obey.

In English she said, "Do not think you are too old for a whipping, young man! Do you wish to test me?"
Sammy smiled, "No, ma'am. I believe you."

Solomon giggled and his mother hugged him tighter. Elijah gave him a powered pastry wrapped in a cloth.

"Say thank you, my love," Emily prompted. She loved her son more than her own life and knew someday she would have to give it over to him.

Marcel looked at the mother and son and tried to remember his own mother, who had not named him lest the fever take him off too soon. Her face was gone, but he remembered her presence. Elijah, broke away from his own dark, thoughts and patted Marcel on the arm.

"We shall be home soon. I just hope the house is still standing," Elijah quipped.

"Are there any children there?" Solomon asked as he crammed the beignet in his mouth.

"Yes," Elijah said. He told Solomon about Stefan and Damon.

Ilayda added, "There are more there now."

Marcel looked at the old witch with curiosity, "Who?"

"You shall see," Ilayda said with authority. "I am never wrong. But I fear they are not normal humans. Your family seems to draw trouble to it like a magnet."