Lightning Strikes Twice

Sixty Four

Méalla heard screams coming from Alex's bedroom and vamped across the hall to find Alex clutching her head in pain.
"Alex? Alex?"
Alex rocked back and forth furiously. Méalla knelt down in front of Alex gently. She reached her hands to Alex's and Alex unintentionally zapped her, but she didn't let go. Méalla lowered her voice to a whisper.
"Breathe deep. In and out." Méalla started humming softly to Alex, who was still rocking but slower. She continued humming until Alex stopped rocking and looked up at her with wide eyes.
"Hey, you're safe. You're home." Méalla said softly. Alex shook her head no. It wasn't a nightmare about Jackson or the Strix.
"I had a dream. They were all in coffins. All of them. Except you. But you, you were different."
"We can talk about it in the morning, sweet one. You need to sleep."
"No! This can't wait! They'll all be dead and you'll be a zombie and I'll have lost my family! I'm not going to let that happen!" Alex cried as she started zapping Méalla more severely. Méalla heart wrenched at Alex's fear and she pulled her girl into a very tight hug, brushing her hand over the girls hair to comfort her. She cursed the unholy trinity for causing so much pain and chaos.

Hayley and Alex were sitting in the park that day, looking at a freshly planted sapling.
"That's all that's left of him." Alex stated sadly, remembering the man who always protected her, and fought her dad a number of times. He was the closest thing she had had to a dad that loved her.
"All that's left." Hayley agreed. "When I find Aurora, I'm going to kill her. And Lucien. Then banish the Strix from New Orleans. They don't belong here." Hayley spoke, eyeing the younger wolf.
"Tell me where, when, and who and I'll join in."
"Your mother-"
"Will never have to know." Alex interrupted."And she would do the exact same thing if she were in my place."
"You're a child Alex."
"When has that ever mattered to anybody?"
"Fair point kid. You can help, but I'll do the brunt of it."
"Besides it's hardly a fair trade. Jackson for a bunch of evil vampires? He is-was worth so much more." Alex said, never taking her eyes off the sapling.
"Couldn't agree more. Come on, let's go home." Hayley stood and reached a hand out to Alex. Alex took it and they started to slowly walk home. Alex limped more than usual so Hayley slowed down to keep her pace. They didn't look back.

"So many things are happening at once." Méalla rubbed her temples as she watched the coming and goings from a chair on the balcony. Freya was kidnapped by Aurora so they split up and Klaus and Elijah went to get Freya, Hayley and Alex are keeping an eye on Cami for Klaus, and Méalla was trying to get Davina on the phone, who had called her earlier but now wasn't answering.
"May I be of assistance?" Méalla heard Isabel say behind her. She turned and looked at her friend? girlfriend? gratefully.
Isabel came and started rubbing Méalla's shoulders.
"I thought you bailed after we threw out your trash of a brother." Méalla said softly.
"No, I just was consulting my own people. As someone with her own interests and who loves information, I've built a network that keeps tabs on the Strix and Aurora. So far, nothing besides what you already know."
"Great."
"M'ella, you're the only one who isn't directly threatened by the prophecy right?"
Méalla leaned back. "So everyone says. I don't quite think it true."
"Even so, have you considered just leaving? Letting us take care of it."
Méalla shook her head. "My family is in danger. I'm not leaving unless they're safe."
"Maybe you leaving is the key to their safety." Isabel suggested quietly.
Méalla leaned forward, putting her head on her hands. "What do you mean by that?"
"Maybe you're the lynchpin. I'm not trying to be cute or conniving, but what if it's about you for once? Relies on you completely?"
Méalla furrowed her brow.
"In what way?"
Isabel grimaced. "I don't quite know but something about it is eating at me. I don't know, I'm not a witch."
"If any vampire knew any witch shit by now, it'd be you, Iz. Gimme your best guess."
"Well, they're saying that you...change. I may be in no way right, but what if it's about your vampirism or your wolf? You were bound as a werewolf once before."
"Indeed. It always felt like a large ass chunk of me was missing." Méalla leaned back, a pensive look on her face. "I should talk this over with Freya, after your lunatic sister is dealt with."
"M'ella." Isabel started hesitatingly.
Méalla looked up at Iz.
"What's going to happen to us, once the prophecy is over?"
Méalla reached out and took Isabel's hand. "I was thinking about that myself. And I had an idea of... maybe we try again." Méalla's voice grew timid. "I was at a lovely house in the suburbs near a big, bustling city the day of the Strix ball. I was going to ask.." Méalla looked up at Isabel shyly. "I was going to ask if you'd like to join me and my daughters there for springtime."
Méalla watched Isabel's face, worried. It was needless, for Isabel's face lit up in a brilliant smile and she cupped Méalla's face in her hands. She pressed a soft kiss to Méalla's lips, and for all the shit happening, it was a moment of peace.

"This is taking me to school?" Cami said as she walked into the old St. Anne's. Alex followed behind, heading to sit out on a bench.
"There is a fight coming, Cami. That's what the prophecy says. And you're not gonna be much good to the home team if you're just standing around, waving a bunch of antiques." Hayley's face was set in a serious expression. Cami's eyes narrowed and rolled slightly.
"You see this? This will paralyze anyone who tried to attack me." Cami said as she pulled out a little box.
"Great, then what? You need to learn how to defend yourself."

Hayley and Cami continued talking but Alex started to zone out. Everything just kept flashing in her mind, the speed of all of them going super sonic. Jackson, Klaus, Cami, Mom, leg, Tristan, Strix. It was too much. Alex got up and slowly made her way over to a corner of the gym where there was a punching bag set up. She doesn't really want to start punching cause she was still in a lot of pain, but she needed a way of release. Soon, sparks were coming down in her little corner, getting louder, bigger, and brighter every time she moved her hands or another thought popped up. She knew Hayley and Cami were probably keeping a close eye. Well at least Hayley, Cami was too focused on trying to beat Hayley. She started to telekinetically push the punching bag around amidst all of the sparks. It got faster, and wilder with each movement until her focus was disrupted by the doors to the church banging open.
Alex whirled around as she saw cloaked figures in a single file line come in. Soon Hayley was flung against the fence of the cage she and Cami were sparring in.
Hayley started to push herself to her feet, but was being pinned down by the witch's magic. Cami pulled out her little box thingy and shoved it in front the witch. She froze and fell limp to the floor. Alex started rushing to help but Hayley gave her a glare that said stay hidden. She glared back but obeyed.
Hayley got up dizzily and grabbed a jump rope from the wall, breaking the paralyzed witch's neck while Cami aimed hits at the second witch. The third witch, now fully through the doors, thrust her hand out and used a pain inflicting spell that knocked Cami out. Hayley's bones started breaking, loud cracks echoing through the old church. Alex once again started to step forward but hesitated as they started to magically pull Hayley's heart out of her chest.
"You want my heart, come and get it!" The hybrid screamed at the witches, agony evident in her voice.
Alex saw Jackson, defenseless. Then she saw red, and thrust out a back breaking spell at one of the witches while the other just fully crumpled for no reason. Hayley knelt for a couple of minutes, catching her breath.

"You okay, kid?" Hayley called breathily.
"Just peachy!" Alex snipped back. She could've helped!
Before they could say anything else, Aya walked in.
"I thought I smelled arrogance." Hayley said as she straightened up.
"I think you mean confidence. But I can understand how the uneducated are apt to confuse the two."
Alex rolled her eyes.
"Yeah? You want to tell me what your dead-eyed drones want with my heart?"
"It's nothing personal. I just value my life above yours." Aya shrugged.
"Funny how no one agrees with you." Alex snapped back. Aya turned to her.
"I have no problem with a child. But I will do what's best for me."
Alex just flung out her hand, throwing Aya back into the wall.
"This is not your fight, child." Aya groaned, getting up.
"But it is mine." Hayley said, as she hit Aya with a dumb bell, before dodging Aya's quick arms.
Aya grabbed Hayley and forcefully banged her head against a wrangle of weights, knocking her out. She stood over her and Alex was not going to let this happen again! She thrust out her arms, infusing sparks in her telekinetic throw this time, knocking Aya off her feet completely. Before she could do anything else, Marcel had Aya in a headlock, Alex could barely hear their arguing over the blood in her ears. Just as she was about to break their necks, Aya sped off.
Marcel turned to her. "Not bad. Could use a shit load of training, but not bad."
"Tell me what's going on, Marcel!" She demanded.
"When Hayley wakes up, I will explain it, I promise."