Dragon's Keeper

Chapter 8

~Previously on Dragon's Keeper~

Klaus takes this all in for a few moments, then he vamp-speeds towards one of Marcel's men, bites him viciously in the neck, then drops him. Klaus speaks with blood dripping from his lips. "Your friend will be dead by the weekend, which means I've broken one of your rules. And yet I cannot be killed. I am immortal. Who has the power now, friend? Klaus faces off with Marcel, who says nothing. After a moment Klaus smiles around at the crowd then turns and leaves.

Marcel talks on his cell phone. "You find him, and then you call me. Don't worry. I know how to deal with Klaus." Elijah appears. "Is that so? Please elaborate." He says to Marcel. "Elijah Mikaelson." Marcel's entourage of vampire bodyguards, seated around the restaurant, rise as one in readiness to protect. "No. I got it. It's all good." Elijah takes a seat opposite Marcel. "It's time we had a little chat." He stated. "Well if you're gonna talk, talk. I got things to do." Marcel retorts. "Oh my, you have grown quite confident over the last century, haven't you?" Elijah grins. "Me? I'd say it's you and your brother, who got cocky, coming to my town like you own the place." Marcel says agitated. "Well, we did own the place once. We were all quite happy here as I recall. But we could never control those pesky witches of the French Quarter. How do you do it? Elijah asks. "Your brother asked me the same question. I gave him the same answer: It's my business. Everything in the Quarter is my business. Klaus comes into town all nice and friendly, then he starts looking down his nose at what I've down like it's some cheap knock-off of one of his dumb paintings, then he gets pissed of like a little bitch and bites one of my guys." Marcel states angrily. "Well, I do apologize for Klaus' poor behavior. I assume you know that that bite will kill your friend within a matter of days. Of course, Niklaus' blood would cure him." Elijah stated. "What?" Marcel asks confused. "Yes, apparently the blood of the hybrid will cure a werewolf bite. Quite a handy little thing when one needs leverage in negotiation." Elijah states looking rather pleased with himself. "What kind of negotiations are we talking about?" Marcel asks, wary of what elijah's answer will be. "Return the body of the witch Jane-Anne. Allow her people to put her to rest." Elijah negotiates. "What do you care about the witches?" Marcel says annoyingly. "Well, that's my business, now, isn't it?" Elijah states.

~o0o~

The witches are still in the mausoleum. The church clock starts tolling. "His time is up. What're you gonna do now, Sophie?" Agnes says. "I'm gonna do what I said was gonna do." Sophie says, not backing down. "What, kill the girl? Kill yourself? Klaus will murder us if anything happened to MayBeth" Sabine states. "Klaus doesn't care about the child." Agnes states, not believing Klaus can love a child let alone love at all. Elijah appears. "I do." He comes into the mausoleum, carrying the body of Jane-Anne. "And I bring proof of my intent to help you: the body of your fallen friend, which I procured from Marcel himself." He places her body carefully on the floor. "Jane-Anne." Sophie whispers, going to her sister's body. "May she be granted peace. Klaus will agree to your terms. I just need a little more time." Elijah states. "You had your time. It's passed." Agnes says angrily at the vampire. "Shut up, Agnes." Sabine hissed at the elder witch. "For now, accept the deal. MayBeth and the child remain unharmed, or Klaus will kill you all." He walks away, but then turns around again. "And I will help him." He turns to leave.

~o0o~

Klaus holds a bottle in his hand, drinking from it. He hears Elijah arrive, and speaks to him without turning. "Have I not made clear my desire to be left alone?" Klaus says, taking another swig from the bottle. "Oh, you demand to be left alone at least once a decade. Your words have ceased to have impact." Elijah states. Klaus throws the bottle against the floor, where it bursts. "Why must you keep harping on about the negotiation with the witches? Elijah vampire-speeds up to Klaus, holding his hand around his brother's throat. "You will not walk away from this!" Elijah says threateningly. "Let. Me. Go." klaus says. "I WILL NOT!" Elijah throws Klaus against the floor, then heaves him up again, not letting off of him. "Don't make me say it again." Klaus says. "I will not let go. I will never let go." Klaus grabs Elijah and hurls him against an iron rod fence. Elijah stands up fast and takes one of the iron rods. Then he walks towards Klaus, holding the rod in his hand. "Even if I have to spend eternity saving you from your own stubborn, petulant, vile self..." Elijah vampire-speeds up and hits Klaus with the iron rod. "If I have to beat you as father used to beat you, to remind you of your own humanity –" Elijah hits Klaus again. "– to care about anything..." He tries to hit Klaus again, but this time Klaus is faster. Klaus grabs the iron rod and now he is the one hitting his brother. Klaus hurls Elijah a few meters back, where he falls on the ground and stays down. Klaus breathes heavily. He lets the iron rod fall to the ground and walks a few steps towards Elijah, who is still lying on the ground. "You're beyond pathetic, Elijah." Klaus stated. "Well who is more pathetic? The one who sees hope to make his family whole, or the coward who only see the world through his own fear?" Elijah says. "I haven't cared about anything for centuries. Why on earth do you?" Klaus said. "Because I failed you. Because the first time our father laid a hand on you, I should have struck him dead. I made a promise to you: always, forever, family above all." Klaus starts laughing. Then he reaches his hand to his brother. Elijah takes Klaus's hand and stands up. "You are a sentimental fool." Klaus says, chuckling. "Perhaps. But I've lasted this long in spite of it, haven't I?" Elijah walks away. Klaus is still standing there, thinking.

~o0o~

Klaus is sitting on a bench. Elijah takes a seat beside his brother. "The bond of family blesses us with an immeasurable power. But we also must accept what comes with it. It gives us a responsibility to love without condition, without apology. We can never waver from the power of that bond, even if it's tested. The bond nourishes us, gives us strength. Without that power, we are nothing." Elijah says without looking at his brother. "This town was my home once, and in my absence, Marcel has gotten everything that I ever wanted. Power, loyalty, family. I made him in my image, and he has bettered me. I want what he has. I want it back. I wanna be king." Klaus says. "So is that all this witch business means to you? A grab for power? What about the child?" Elijah states. "What does the child mean to you?" Klaus asks his older brother. "I think this child could offer you the one thing that you've never believed you had." Elijah says. "And what's that?" Klaus questioned. "The unconditional love of family." They are looking at each other. "Tell Sophie Deveraux we have a deal." Klaus finally says.

~o0o~

MayBeth and Elijah are in a huge, white house. MayBeth pulls a sheet off of a crib, coughing because of the dust. "Are you alright?" Elijah asks, going to her side. "Just dust. This place is ancient. I forget how old we are" MayBeth says laughing softly. "Yes, it should serve our purposes. It's a sanctuary from our business in the Quarter. Right now, you are the most important person in this family. You need a good home. So I'm curious... in all this time, has anyone asked you how you feel?" Elijah said. "About having a miracle baby with your brother?" MayBeth questioned, one brow arched. "About being a mother." Elijah says, clarifying. "I – I was abandoned when I was born by my mother and my father died of plague. Then I moved into a village with my newly found mother only for her to die by the hands of Mikael. So... I don't really know how I feel about being a mother because I... I never really had a good one." MayBeth stated. "I will always protect you. You have my word on that." He says. Klaus appears. "And noble Elijah always keeps his word." Klaus says, a funny look on his face. "Is it done?" Elijah tiredly says. "As a matter of fact, yes. Your underhanded deal worked quite well. Marcel was only too happy to accept my blood even as he accepted my heartfelt apologies. His man, Thierry, yet lives and I remain a welcome guest in the French Quarter. My only concern now is this coven of impudent witches." Klaus says. His hate for the witches known on his face. MayBeth makes her way to him and wraps her arms around him. Klaus looks down, and his face softened. "I love you, MayBeth. If anything happened–" MayBeth stopped him. "Nik, I'm alright, we're alright." She says, putting her's and Nik's hands on her belly. Elijah clears his throat rather loudly in annoyance and love for the two of them. "I believe them to be honorable. They did release MayBeth to me. Although, they haven't been entirely forthcoming. Marcel obviously has something that they need. They don't want him dead. There must be a reason why."

~o0o~

A dark and dusty attic. A bed, some canvases. A girl is sitting behind a window. It's a witch. She turns on and off the flame of a candle just with hand movements. Marcel enters the room. "I assume it's all quiet out there?" He says to her. "The witches know better than to use magic. They know I can sense it when they do. What about the old ones? They're dangerous, and I don't want them to hurt you." She says worryingly. "The Originals? Davina, as powerful as you are, they don't stand a chance. Although, there is one person who I would like you to meet." Marcel says, thinking of MayBeth.

~o0o~

Elijah and Klaus are talking in their house. "In addition to the secret weapon he uses to control the witches, Marcel has assembled a small army of vampires. Working together, we can destroy them from the inside." Elijah says. "And what of Rebekah? Has she stopped her pouting long enough to join the fun?" Klaus says, making fun of his only sister. "She has made her disinterest quite clear." Elijah said. "One too many times daggered and shoved in a box, I gather? Or perhaps she doesn't share your unwavering belief that I can be saved." Klaus says, grinning. "Rebekah may surprise us yet. After all, we all swore the same vow." Elijah says. "I hope she stays far away. Because in my desire to reclaim this town, to steal from Marcel that which he holds most dear, I have realized one massive vulnerability. One weakness that Marcel could exploit." Klaus says. "And what is that?" Elijah questioned. "You." Klaus daggers Elijah with the silver dagger. Elijah groans. "Forgive me, my brother. If I am going to win this war, I have to do it alone." Klaus says as he put Elijah's body in a coffin.