SHE PROMISED ( the originals )

0061. THIS IS PROBABLY THE WORST BREAKFAST EVER

SHE PROMISED
( part two, chapter sixty-one )

ELLE HAD SPENT HER NIGHT TAKING care of Rebekah, who had decided to go on a massive bender after the death of father ("For what must be the millionth time!" Rebekah had shouted). While it had started depressing and morbid, with Rebekah drinking away her sorrows, it had ended in a very entertaining way when the vampire-in-a-witch-body had started terribly singing some Coldplay song, in which Elle decided to end their night very quickly by tucking her older sister to bed. Rebekah had obviously fought back, but because she was no longer in a vampire body, it was rather easy for Elle to win.

Though it was not as if Elle didn't mourn. Her memories of her father had always been few and in between, and those did include the occasional cruelty to her and her siblings, but the child-like dreamer in her remembered the way he'd put her on his shoulders and run through the forest and smile at his little daughter. It broke her heart to know that the man she once knew no longer existed except for in the safety of her mind.

Yet she was thoroughly surprised when she and Rebekah walked into the dining room the next morning and saw an assortment of pastries and breakfast foods on the table, with Elijah and Klaus already there. The witch raised a brow at her brows, before shrugging and continuing to the table.

"Can we stop talking so loudly?" Rebekah hissed out, walking faster than Elle as she headed towards the pot of coffee. "Give me that!" She then proceeded to pour herself a cup.

"What's the matter?" Klaus taunted. "New witch body not up to last night's bender?"

The former vampire gave him a look. "So? I had a few." She then eased herself into one of the chairs.

Elle, who had been chuckling at her older sister's actions, grinned and decided to sit between her brothers. "Yeah, she had a few... in the beginning." She reached for a pastry, then looked at Rebekah. "Before it started to turn into a little bit more than a few." The two girls then stuck their tongues out at one another in teasing manners. "But I'll forgive her, because apparently this isn't the first time we've lost our father at your hands, Nik." At some point in Rebekah's drunken stupor, she had revealed that Klaus had killed Mikael some years ago, which did and did not surprise Elle at the same time. They're Mikaelsons, and them cheating death doesn't particulary surprise her as much as it once did.

"Whoever said opportunity knocks once, eh?" Klaus teased, but no one laughed at his joke. Usually, they all would have joined in the celebratory breakfast at the fact that their father, their tormentor, was gone, but in doing so, Freya had distanced herself from the rest of the family. "Oh, come on! We all fled Mikael's tyranny together for centuries 一 except for you, littlest sister. I would have thought the mood this morning might be a bit more jubilant!"

"Under normal circumstances, the annihilation of our father would be rather commendable, Niklaus," Elijah huffed. "Unfortunately, we have a greater threat to content with."

Klaus pushed himself away from the table and headed over to the bar with the intention of pouring himself another drink. "You know, for someone who's been invited to a celebratory breakfast, you're proving quite the buzzkill."

"Well, Niklaus, if anything indeed has killed the 'buzz' as you say, perhaps it was because murdering Father alienated the one person who truly knows how to defeat Dahlia!" Elijah's tone was getting louder and angrier with every passing second.

"If Freya wants to be a part of this family," Klaus argued, "she should be willing to accept us, warts and all!"

"Elijah's right," Rebekah said. "Freya loved Mikael, and you've likely ruined everything."

Elle shook her head. "Look, Nik, I get what you did 一 you did it for the good of the family. But in doing so, you distanced our sister and one of our strongest allies against Dahlia. You realize that everything's gonna be hella more difficult now."

"Pity. Whatever shall I do?"

"Whatever you please, apparently!" Elijah snapped.

Elle bit back the gasp in her throat, forcing herself not to flinch. His shouting was frightening, especially coming from someone like Elijah. Even as a child, she'd never seen this side of him, and she wished she never would again. Seeing him like this, so angry... it almost reminded her of Joseph. She tightly gripped the sides of her chair, trying to focus on calming her breathing. She could feel the magic whirling inside her, bouncing erratically around within her body, but she forced it down.

STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT! she screamed at herself. IT'S OKAY, NOTHING WILL HURT YOU! THIS IS DIFFERENT! She had to remind herself that they weren't Joseph and she wasn't trapped in that room anymore. She was home with her (incredibly) over-protective family.

"Do not mistake my high spirits for lack of clarity," Klaus shouted, slamming his hands against the table, making Elle flinch. He didn't seem to notice his youngest sister's reaction to his anger. "I know full well the threat we face, and I intend to deal with it personally."

STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT! The words kept repeating in her head, spinning around and around. However, the memories of her adoptive father screaming and hurting and abusing her started to surface. She remembered a particular one where a plate had been thrown at the wall behind her, and the thought made her bite her lip. THEY WON'T HURT YOU, THEY'RE FAMILY! But her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Klaus say that someone was here, and her siblings jumped from the dining table and into the courtyard. Her movements were sluggish as she followed them, adjusting the sweater as she stepped outside. She was greatly surprised to find Josephine there, a thick choker wrapped around her neck.

"Josephine," Elijah greeted.

Elle gave the older witch an angered look as Josephine spoke. "Forgive me for calling so early, Elijah," Josephine said. "But I come bearing a message from your Aunt Dahlia." Everyone was instantly on edge, and Elle reached out to grab the closest person to her, who just so happened to be Elijah. The brunette tightly gripped the sleeve of his arm. "She is owed a debt and she means to be paid."

"She can writhe in Hell first," Klaus said.

"For merely taking what your mother promised her?" Josephine asked, raising a brow, causing all the Mikaelson siblings to scowl at her.

Elle took a step forward. "We didn't promise anything," she retorted, "so we owe Dahlia nothing. So you can go back and be Dahlia's little sycophant, all right?" She made a little shoo motion with one of her hands.

"If you must harbor hatred, isn't it better spent on the one who traded your child away a thousand years ago? Blame Esther, if you must, but I seek only to fulfill a bargain. A bargain that consequently resulted in your very existence. Perhaps you should be thanking me..."

Josephine's words no longer sounded like how they usually did. There was a much more twisted meaning to what she was saying. It was Elijah who drew the conclusion. "Dahlia."

"My child, I prefer Aunt Dahlia."

Elle took a step back, and she felt her throat clench. Beside her, Elijah holds out an arm to protect his little sister, and Klaus takes steps towards Josephine (or now Dahlia) until they're face-to face. "You dare enter my home?" he barks.

Dahlia released a bored sigh. "I only came for what is mine." She presses her lips together and Elle's eyes widen at the sight of blood dripping down the woman's neck. "The time has come to add the child's power to my own. Though, I do not detect her here. I see you've used a spell to cloak her. No matter 一 such spells will yield, as will you. Say your farewells. You have till nightfall tomorrow, and then the child shall be mine. Be a dear and inform the mother? No reason we can't be civilized about this."

Elle watched as Klaus took a step towards her, smirking at her devilishly. He turned to look at Elijah, giving him a similar look, before turning his attention back to Josephine. The youngest Mikaelson let out a tiny shriek, jumping back into Rebekah's waiting arms as Klaus cruelly slapped Josephine's head off.

The corpse fell to the floor, and Elle covered her mouth. Oh, God, she thought, still shaking in her sister's grip. Her eyes drifted to her half-brother and she felt the blood drain from her face. She shared a look with Rebekah and Elijah. What is happening?