𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄, kai parker

63 dinner

A table laid with fruits, bread, and cheeses sits directly in the middle of the Abattoir. Hayley grabs a grape and furrows her brows. She turns to see Klaus walking behind her with a look of surprise on his face as well. "So, which restaurant is missing a compelled chef?"

"It was certainly a card I played in the past, but I had no hand in this." He looks at the table oddly. "Oh. Well, then I guess we have Elijah or Eva to thank." Both look up to see the older Mikaelson walking down the stairs. "This wasn't my doing."

"Oh! Is that a danish I see?" The three look over and see the blonde walking directly towards them with a grin on her face. "So you didn't get someone to make this?" Hayley asks and waves her hand over the table of food. Evanora furrows her brows and shakes her head. "Then, where did this all come from?"

Suddenly, the covered serving tray shakes loudly. It rattles, making the four look at each other in surprise. Klaus rips the lid off the tray to reveal two black birds that immediately fly away. Hayley and Evanora gasp and watch the two birds fly away.

"What the hell was that?" The female hybrid asks. Klaus looks down to see a folded notecard on the tray. 'Dinner, your home 8pm' the card reads. Evanora looks at Elijah who remains stoic. "An invitation from our Mother."

•••••

Evanora didn't stay very long after that. She found her way back to the house she resided in last night, the home of her friends. "It was Kol, I'm certain." She states to the table of witches before her. She notices the expression on each of her friends' faces. Eudora looks puzzled, Blair looks worried, Dorthea looks concerned, and Willa looks mad. "You think your mother brought him back?" Willa asks with a hint of anger in her voice.

Willa had a crush on Kol for the longest time. He made her heart flutter and he knew it too. She never knew it, but he also had a crush on her as well.

"Oh, I think she did. But what vexes me is that he didn't tell me. Of course, if mother brought him back, she wouldn't want him spilling the secret. I know my brother, he would find a way to tell me." She thinks back to when it was her birthday, she saw him that day. She frowns deeply, if he's alive due to her mother's doing, what is she planning? What is his purpose in this?

"This is rattling my brain. It's something I feel as if I know all the answers, but I don't at the same time." She states, Eudora places a jewelry covered hand on top of the vampire's. "We're here for you. If you need us at any time just call." She assures her with a smile.

The others nod their heads in agreement. "You be safe, Eva. We need you." "And I you."

•••••

"And skip the salad course. Let's not make this dreadful evening any longer than it needs to be." Klaus looks over to see his sister leaning against the wall. She's looking up at the ceiling with great fascination. "You know, you should've had someone paint in here. That ceiling is awfully drab. It would brighten the place up." "I happen to like the drab." Klaus retorts with an eyeroll.

Heels clacking make Evanora halt her response and look to her right. "So I guess letting Oliver live paid off. He just informed me that your mother has a partner in crime, another witch." Hayley looks over to Evanora whose face suddenly changes from calm to a hint of panic. "Building alliances in her quest to destroy us, I imagine."

"Why does she hate you so much? She had seven kids, it's not like she doesn't have the maternal gene." She shrugs at the Original who touches the table he stands next took. "Eight, actually, and I think at one time, she loved us very much. One died before I was born."

Evanora looks down at her fingers, twirling her ring around her index finger. She knows deep down that she was loved as a child. Sometimes her parents had funny ways of showing it. She and Kol were troublesome children, which annoyed their father. They weren't considered as bothersome as Nik was. They didn't know at the time it was because he wasn't their full blooded brother.

"Years later, our brother Henrik was killed by the werewolves in our village. The loss of another child pushed our mother over the edge. So she used her magic to turn us into immortals. I think that was when she loved us the most, but it was her undoing. It triggered a sequence of events that led to the reveal of her long-held secret. My birth father was a werewolf whose pack killed our little brother." Evanora and Klaus share solemn looks before he continues.

"Of course, when Mikael found out, he murdered my real father, so our Mother lost her lover, too."

Hayley remains quiet for a moment, looking at both siblings before her. "Wow... No wonder she's crazy. I'm out of my mind having just given away Hope. I can't imagine if she'd actually died."

Evanora purses her lips and sighs, walking out of the wine cellar with a lot on her mind. The voices of Hayley and Klaus are drowned by racing thoughts. What's going to happen tonight?

•••••

Night has fallen on the city of New Orleans. Elijah, Klaus, and Evanora Mikaelson are gathered in the dining room of the Abattoir. The female Original seething quietly at what she is wearing. She did not want to be wearing full blown ball attire at a dinner with the enemy. Her dark purple gown makes rustling noises as she plops down in the chair nearest to her. "Are these outfits really necessary?" Klaus asks Elijah while he sees his younger sister nodding.

"Appearance is a way of showing respect, Niklaus. Mother will be more likely to surrender her true intentions." "Well, I doubt her guard will drop just because I'm dressed like a bloody lawyer." Evanora sighs loudly, "Must I wear this much tulle? I sound like I am sitting on newspapers!" She did like when she woke up last year, that large evening gowns were out of fashion.

"We need every advantage we can get." Elijah states as he continues to light the candelabras. "You always did excel at diplomacy. Just know if she tries anything, I'll tear her new body to pieces." Laughter causes the three Mikaelson siblings to look towards the entrance.

A man with a large grin stands before them. His dark complexion shines against the flame of the candles. "You three haven't changed a bit! Linens and silk can't disguise your pathetic self loathing," He points to Elijah, then to Evanor," loneliness, and you..." He trails off, finger slowly finding its way to Klaus, "Despite the arrogant facade you're still the same paranoid little boy full of hate and fear."

Elijah walks toward the stranger. "Forgive me. I don't believe I've had the pleasure."

"You mean, you don't recognize me?" The three siblings look completely puzzled at the question. Evanora tilts her head slightly, who in the world knows how lonely she is? "So much for the unbreakable bonds of family, huh? Always and forever, indeed."

Klaus is the first to speak. "It's been a long time, Finn." Evanora gasps and looks harder at the man. It is Finn. "Now that the introductions are out of the way, let's eat."