Originals: Blood In The Water (Kalijah)

Ch.9: Moon Over Bourbon Street

It was daytime, as Elijah stood at a table at the church. He was in the middle of establishing boundaries, when he got rudely interrupted.

"Seriously, Elijah?" Kat inquired, unhappy after entering the church, and stood not far from him. "You're dividing up the city, and the wolves don't get a say?"

"We're not dividing the city. We're establishing boundaries," he corrected her.

"You need the wolves to be involved if you're going to get any peace in this city. In case you've forgotten, they were here long before vampires existed. They have every right to this city that everyone else does," she reminded him.

"Do you have any idea what it took to get them in a room together?" Elijah inquired, speaking of the representatives at the table for the witches and vampires.

"No, actually, I don't! Because I didn't even know what you were doing until Jackson told me," she replied.

"My immediate concern is to end the mounting conflict here. I excluded them, because they no longer reside in the French Quarter. Now, I can assure you once this treaty is solidified, it will expand to include your friends," he informed and assured her.

"And until then, what should I tell them?"

"I would prefer that you remove yourself from the process all together," he replied, irritated.

"The wolves deserve a voice. Give them one. You know it's the right thing to do," she replied.

That night, after her insistence to include the wolves, as well as Klaus' agreement to do the same but to remove the obstacle, Elijah invited each faction to a party at the compound.

Klaus and Elijah were admiring the party below, as they stood on a balcony together.

"I'm impressed, brother," Elijah stated.

"Yes," Klaus agreed.

"Now, if I can just keep them from tearing one another to shreds."

"Well, then for your sake, here's to a spectacularly boring evening," Klaus replied.

The night was still young, when Elijah approached Jackson.

"Welcome to my home."

"Yes, well, Katherine insisted, and we've always had a mutual respect for each other," Jackson replied.

"It's rather unlikely that you'll experience an outpouring of kind sentiment here. The vampires in particular view you as...well, barbaric," Elijah informed him.

"Katherine tells me this peace treaty is important to you," Jackson replied.

"Yes. It certainly is. So much so, in fact, that if anyone threatened to dismantle what I'm building here, I'd destroy everything they hold dear," Elijah replied. He then gave a smile, before adding, "Have a wonderful evening."

Later that evening, Klaus came into a room where Jackson was waiting for him.

"I'm glad you accepted my invitation," Klaus greeted him.

"So, is this where the great Klaus Mikaelson says something poignant, and snaps my neck?" Jackson asked him.

"I'm not here to kill you. I'm here to offer you a gift."

"Out of the kindness of your vampire heart?"

"Our hearts are more similar than you might realize. You see, long before I evolved, mine beat as a werewolf. I know your power. I know your burden. I'm here to take the latter away."

"You want to make me a hybrid? I put my pack first, and I'm not gonna let anything compromise my family line. Especially, becoming some bloodthirsty vampire parasite," Jackson replied.

"That pride, that sense of loyalty? Well, that's exactly why I haven't snapped your neck yet."

"Well, if you're not gonna kill me, then what the hell do you want?"

"Only to give you back the city that was taken from you. How is that for poignant?"

"Why would I trust someone who's conspiring behind his own brother's back?"

"I'm not trying to undermine Elijah's venture. I'm supporting his vision. Vampires destroy life to survive. Witches are only as powerful as their dead. But the werewolves have thrived because their strength comes from family unity. The safety of that unity is what I want for my family. This city. The painful truth is, vampires are the antithesis of unity," Klaus explained to him.

"So, what, after a thousand years, you're finally ready to embrace the other half of your family tree? Maybe the other half doesn't want you."

"Oh, they will once they return to the Quarter," Klaus replied. He then walked past Jackson, going to a desk, and picked up a wooden box.

"You got a plan to back that up?"

Klaus pulled out a ring from the box, in which had been around a direct descendant of his a while ago.

"My mother was a very powerful witch. I watched her craft all manner of magical items, but her most prized possession was this ring. I hadn't seen it for a thousand years, and then it turned up hanging around the neck of a werewolf. A direct descendant of my biological father. I believe she gave him this ring as a way of freeing him."

"How so?"

"Daylight rings shield vampires from the sun. So, why not a moonlight ring to protect werewolves from the curse? Think about it. No more breaking bones, no more losing control to the beast within."

"What do I have to do?" Jackson asked after a moment, deciding to accept the offer.

Downstairs, Davina and Oliver had just met, and he'd just asked her if she wanted to dance, so she accepted.

Kat was standing by a food table, watching everyone dancing, when Elijah came over to her.

"Would you care to dance?"

She put her hand in his, letting him lead her to where others were dancing, and they began to dance.

"You outdid yourself. You even got Klaus to come out and play," she complimented him.

"Yes. It seems that only a sizable soirée is enough to tear my brother away from his efforts at the easel."

"That's never a good sign," Kat commented.

"Well, truthfully, I'd be shocked if he didn't have at least a dozen or so ideas swarming around in that insidious skull of his," he commented to her.

Later, there was a wolf and vampire fight, in which Elijah and Jackson broke up, and Kat gave a speech that everyone needed to get along, or they might as well just kill each other.

After peace had been finalized that night, Jackson informed Oliver that he'd made an alliance with Klaus, believing that it could help them with control.