𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝟹

"Mommy, daddy! Wait for me!"

Audrey was walking between the couple, insisting that she should be allowed to come with them to see Vincent. Aeliana didn't feel it was appropriate, but Elijah was already suckered into not knowing how to say no to her. Also, no one was available to watch her. If things went south, Aeliana was ready to grab her and rush off.

Elijah lifted her up and smiled. "Is that better, sweet girl?"

She nodded. "Much better. See, now this is princess treatment."

Aeliana shook her head with a laugh and knocked on Vincent's door, who opened it with an annoyed expression.

"What do you want?" Vincent looked as if he was going to say more, but he noticed Audrey in Elijah's arms and held back as he responded.

"Can we at least pretend to be civilized?"

"We're supposed to be civil? Does Marcel know that? I'd ask him but I can't find him anywhere."

Audrey tilted her head in confusion. "Marcel?" She turned to her mom. "Didn't you say he was like a son to you?"

Aeliana smiled awkwardly and turned to Vincent. "Please invite us in."

"Tell me where Marcel is."

Elijah cleared his throat awkwardly. "Detained."

His wife quickly interjected before Vincent could respond. "Only until we can be sure he is free of whatever The Hollow did to his mind. He's being released as soon as that happens."

"You Mikaelson's, you always find a way to get right back on top, don't you? I bet you've got a plan all figured out."

Elijah looked at him in amusement. "As a matter of fact, I do. A rather festive one. Let me tell you about it."

"Well, if it's gonna help me fight this thing, you're gonna have to know what you're up against. Come in before I change my mind."

They walked into the house, Vincent quickly looking at Audrey with a smile. "I heard that you love playing the piano, is that right?"

She nodded happily, letting him continue. "Well, I have one upstairs. Would you like to play it?"

"Really!" Her eyes practically bulged out of her head as she shimmied out of Elijah's arm. "Thank you so much! Mommy, daddy! Can I please?"

Aeliana nodded her head. "Yes, but please be careful, it isn't ours. Okay?"

"Thank you!" She booked it upstairs, leaving the three of them alone. Vincent led them to his living room where there was a cork board with multiple pictures and notes.

"This thing has been haunting the city for a very long time. And before today the only thing I knew about it was that it was a spirit, practiced some very dark magic, and it was trying desperately to get back into this world. And that's why it tried to sacrifice those kids. That's why it tried to do the exact same thing to Marcel and to Klaus. Because of it kills them, if they die, it absorbs all of their power."

Aeliana pointed to the board. "What's all of this?"

"This is the history of the city. This is the ebb and flow of violence and tragedy. Look, this is Madame LaLaurie, this is The Axeman. I mean the list goes on and on and on and on and on and sometimes it's hidden, but if you know what you're looking for, right, there's always a sign it's The Hollow. And when it does bubble up, it always do so in a pattern of four."

Elijah stepped closer to the board and examined it with his wife. "What does it want?"

"It's a ghost, it wants access to this world. So it reaches out and it whispers to the desperate."