Original Vampires, Welcome to New Orleans (The Originals Seasons 1 and 2 Fanfic)

Chapter 30: Benefit of the Doubt... Or Not

Rebekah was pacing back and forth in the living room of the compound, while Klaus, Elijah and I stood around the room.

'It was this witch Eva,' she said angrily. 'The nasty little cow is inside me, trying to bust her way out.'

'Freya is waiting downstairs. Perhaps -' Elijah began to say, but Klaus cut him off.

'Have you lost your mind? Tell me you're not considering opening our sister's head to someone we barely know.'

'Nik, for God's sake, she is our sister!' Rebekah exclaimed. 'I've known it since she saved me from the Fauline Cottage.'

'An act no doubt meant to secure your trust, perhaps for this very moment, to strike when we are vulnerable. No. We've no way to prove that anything she said today is true,' Klaus snapped.

'Niklaus, I understand your concern,' Elijah said. 'The three of us are powerless to help our sister. Now either we leave Rebekah to suffer, or we place our faith in the hands of someone who I believe to be our blood. Right now, I'm inclined to give the benefit of the doubt to family.'

Freya walked in with Elijah just behind her.

'Rebekah,' she said softly, taking her hands in a gentle gesture. 'it's good to see you again.'

'And you, though I'd prefer better circumstances.'

'You needn't worry. Elijah explained the problem.' The two sat down on the couch.

'Rather confident, aren't we?' Klaus asked snidely from where he was sitting at a desk with his feet up on a table.

'Shut up, Klaus,' I snapped. 'You're not helping. Let the witch do her job.'

'Stay in your lane, Lilliana. You're forgetting who you are.'

'Oh, I'm sorry I'm not a thousand year old vampire with rage problems. But I'm still a vampire, and I'm your brother's girlfriend. I've got just as much justification to be here, for your sister, because she is my friend.' He said nothing to this remark. Freya sighed and turned back to Rebekah.

'The spirit of the host body is powerful, but I can cast a spell, put you in a deep sleep, and then suppress the other essence. You'll be just fine.'

'When do we start?' Rebekah asked.

'Oh, you've got to be kidding me,' Klaus called out from the other side of the room. 'She spouts off some magical diagnosis, and we're all supposed to applaud.'

'Nik, she's trying to help,' Rebekah scolded.

'Yes, but for the sake of keeping our options open, why not write down your spells and incantations? That way, we can have them double-checked by an impartial third party, say Davina. I'm sure she would love to prove me wrong.'

'I doubt she would understand my magic,' Freya replied, 'let alone have the power to execute it.'

'Oh. So you're our only hope, then? Seems rather convenient, doesn't it?'

'I knew it would be difficult to win your trust, Niklaus. Your reputation precedes you...' She stood and crossed over the room, near Klaus. 'But if we are to face Dahlia together - you will have to trust me. Given the peril that Rebekah now faces, are you truly incapable of giving me even a chance to prove myself?' He sighed and turned away. 'I know I appear as an outsider, but I have dreamt of you all for a thousand years. Elijah, when you were in Esther's womb, she would ask me to sing to you. I would feel her belly as I did.' She laughed softly. 'How you would kick. She said it was as if Thor himself had raised his hammer -'

'And summoned thunder and lightning,' he finished for her. 'Mother rarely mentioned you. When she did, she would say how enchanted you were by the prospect of my birth.'