A New Chance

Elijah

Hope POV:

Dad decided it was time to open Esther's coffin. Mikael, Kol, Finn, Elijah, Rebekah, Dahlia, Dad, and Freya each had a knife standing over her sleeping body. Each having their own reason to want her dead. They all pointed their blades aiming at her cold, black heart.

The energy in the room gave off Dexter vibes, I wish Lizzie was here the commentary would be superb. I try not to dwell on my past life, having my family in my life more than makes up for what happened. Esther released her last breath, blood filling the coffin. Dahlia, Freya, and I took vials of it for later. Blood of the Original Witch is incredibly powerful for spells.

I called the crematorium, compelling the workers to ignore the mess. We collected the ashes, spreading them in the sea, not allowing anyone to use them for anything. I wouldn't allow her to find peace with fellow witches on the other side. Someone who causes there child to be abused shouldn't be allowed mercy.

4 weeks later

Elijah hasn't been himself since Esther's death. He's been on edge, jumpy even. I think that since Esther died, the memories hidden behind his Red Door are trying to come to the surface. Some of the hybrids had come in the house, they were being loud and roughhousing. I could see Elijah twitching in response to the noise.

"Eric, Jeremiah, Anton, if you are going to be this noisy go to the Bayou. Not everyone appreciates your volume." I told them, giving them money to find something to do for the day. "Elijah, I can see that you are in pain. Would you like to talk in private about it?" I asked, sitting on the coffee table in front of him.

"I shall not burden you with my problems, thank you though." He said gently smiling at me. "Who better to share burdens with than family?" I asked him. He sighed, holding eye contact. "You aren't going to let this go are you?" He asked. I shook my head not saying anything. He sighed once more, "Very well, I've been experiencing what the humans call PTSD. I will soon regain my control and be as well as I have been." He said trying to end the conversation.

"But you haven't been very well have you? You hide all your most painful and ancient memories behind your Red Door. Dad knows about Tatia, he may not have spoken about it with you. But he told me, 'One girl from a thousand years ago doesn't earn much more than a scoff and a head shake. Nothing that can't be solved over drinks and human blood.' So you see, it's time to open the door. Let me help you with it." I told him, offering my hands.

I placed a protective circle around us, preventing anything from bothering us. He sat forward, leaning his arms on his knees, taking my hands. We stood in a bright, white hallway, several black doors littered our left and right side. Down the center of we saw a blood red door. We could hear something rattling it, slamming against the wood. "Stand back, Hope. This is for me to deal with." He said trying to push me behind him. "We deal with this together, always and forever." I told him, taking his hand.

We walked to the door, Elijah's hand shook, not able to open the door. "We got this." I said to him, pushing the door open. We stepped in, seeing Elijah and the rest of the family, tearing apart the village. I made us two chairs for us to sit in while we watched this play out. We could see his siblings, covered in blood. The screams of the village people were visibly traumatizing Elijah. We then saw his old self, spotting Tatia and then chasing her down.

Once the old Elijah and Tatia were out of view, I turned to the current one. "Tatia was playing both you and Dad against each other. It's in the Doppelgänger blood to draw in supernatural creatures with their beauty and charm. Elena on the other hand is charmless and that's why none of us feel the effect that once captivated everyone. Do not carry this around with you anymore." I told him, taking his hand.

I pulled the pain from his worst memories. He is the empath of the family, taking everyone's guilt as his. Protecting his family from themselves for a thousand years took its toll on his mental health. We returned to the real world, I removed the circle and stood up. "How do you feel now?" I asked. "Miraculously calm. It's as if I had a piercing migraine for all these years and the pain has finally gone. Thank you." He said closing his eyes, leaning his head back in relief.

"It's no problem, Uncle. This is what family is for." I told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Céleste was in Sabine's body, Henrik had to remove her. She had taken many forms, and many faces since her original body. She thought she could outsmart two Original Witches. We encountered her when the French Quarter Coven was selecting the Harvest Girls." I explained how I came here first, set up a home, protected some innocent girls.

"Céleste was a gifted witch of her time and many others. Loving her was beautiful but it was a mistake nonetheless. One thing our family is good at is keeping busy. The 'how' is what makes people upset. Come, I think it's time we introduce ourselves to Marcel." He told me standing up. Dad came speeding to us, "You can't go without me." He said smiling, more than a hint of the devil in his eyes.

Mikael had decided to join us. Never before has the world seen The Destroyer and The Original Hybrid walk side by side as a family. Finn and Kol would also be joining us. Each having their reason to dislike Marcel. Rebekah was the most spirited about joining us, it seems she's to have words with him. Dahlia, Henrik and Freya would be staying to monitor our people and keep them safe.

The six of us walked down Bourbon Street, all wearing smirks that promised pain. We all had our disguises on, just to make it easy getting to the Compound. As we passed by day walkers, we could hear them talking amongst themselves about us. They had never seen us move all together like this as a unit.

We entered our once beloved home, seeing vampires and compelled humans strewn about the outdoor furniture. "It seems that you like to leave the place messy during the day." I said, still masked. "I don't know where you get off on commenting on how I keep MY home." He said, getting angry. Rebekah removed her mask, "Watch the attitude, Marcel. You don't have much to be angry about yet." She told him.

He pushed the girls that were half lounging on him away and stood up. "Rebekah Mikaelson, come to teach me another lesson?" He asked, deadpanning. Many of his vampires chuckled, building his confidence. As much as I love him he is a pain currently and will have to face some consequences. The city would have been fine without vampire interference back when Mikael burnt it.

Humans are surprisingly resilient when faced with a challenge. "Fluctus Inpulsa." I chanted one time, not wanting to rip him apart, just enough pain for him to think about his next words. He screamed out, dragging his fingers across his chest like he was trying to keep it together. Many of his day walkers got to their feet, seeing me attack their leader.

"WITCH!" Some of them started yelling. "ICTUS!" I chanted and all the vampires who were starting to charge at us were blown back; some to the second floor, pinned to the wall. I removed my disguise, finally revealing myself to him. "How...how are you familiar?" He asked half pointing at me. "I told you that I would be your sister, remember." I said taking his arm, only showing him when I compelled him.

"You can compel vampires? That's impossible, only Original Vampires can do that." He said looking at me confused. "It was most interesting for us to learn that our beloved protégé had chosen a city over his family." Dad said, staring Marcel down. "What do you know about it, friend?" Marcel sniped. Dad, his siblings and Mikael removed their masks, revealing their true identities. "It's been a long time, Marcellus. I think it's time we had a chat." Dad said, smirking.

The day walkers erupted in discussion on who we are in relation to Marcel. "It's good to see that even Kings know when to be afraid." Kol said stepping forward. "Now is the time when you run. I am feeling most hungry." Mikael said, looking at Marcel's people bearing his fangs. Some fled having seen what he did to a few of their friends. The rest decided to get ready for a fight.