The Red Herring Revives: A Mikaelson Love Story

Chapter 46: My Bias

As a last-ditch effort, I turned my focus to Cami who was trying to help her uncle recover from his hex. We sat just outside the attic, watching Kieran sleep somewhat peacefully. It was strange knowing that just ten minutes before he had been spouting incoherent gibberish.

"She's right." Cami told me firmly, causing me to pout at her. "What? You asked for my advice."

"Because I thought you would agree with me."

"I don't." She replied with a shrug. "Until you tell Elijah or Klaus who you want to be with, you have no right to be angry if someone falls for them and vice versa."

"But it's hard." I told her. "If I choose one, I'll hurt the other. And I don't want to hurt either of them."

"You don't have to." The blonde countered. "But there are consequences to your indecision."

A stirring was heard from the priest's room and we both turned to him with worry. However, he simply mumbled some nonsense before going back to sleep.

"I can't imagine what you're going through." I told my friend. "Kieran doesn't deserve this. And neither do you."

"It is what it is." Cami murmured with a sigh. "I just wish I knew someone who could help him."

"...I might."

~Elijah POV~

"THIS IS OUR CITY!" Diego shouted. "WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GO WHEREVER THE HELL WE WANT TO!"

Having gathered the factions together, Elijah had intended to unite them as one community under his leadership.

"WE WOULD CONSIDER IT AN ACT OF WAR!" Genevieve yelled over him.

So far, he had proved unsuccessful.

"We are getting nowhere." Kieran muttered in agitation. "You vile creatures cannot agree."

"Excuse me!" Elijah yelled, regaining everyone's attention. "Now returning to the issue of boundaries, you will all heed to the following— "

"Are you serious?" Hayley said as she stormed into the church. "You're dividing up the city, and the werewolves don't even get a say?"

"What the hell is she doing here?" Diego said pointing at her angrily as he got to his feet.

"Diego, sit." Elijah instructed, forcing the vampire into submission, before turning his attention back to Hayley. "We are not dividing the city; we are establishing boundaries."

"There is not gonna be a peace if the werewolves are excluded. They want a seat at the table." Hayley said angrily causing both Diego and Genevieve to scoff instinctively. "And if they don't get one, I can guarantee that you will all regret it."

Hayley's words caused the leaders to argue again, and the Original pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. He tightly gripped the young wolf's arm and pulled her aside to speak privately.

"Do you have any idea what it took just to get those people in one room together?" He asked her angrily.

"No, actually I don't!" She shot back. "Because I didn't even know what you were doing out here until someone else told me. Tell me something, Elijah. Did you leave the werewolves out because of me?"

"I excluded them because they no longer reside in the French Quarter. My immediate concern is to end the mounting conflict here. Now, I can assure you, once this treaty is solidified, it will expand to include your people." Elijah began, hoping to tide her over for the time being.

"And what do I tell them till then?" She questioned indignantly. "Sit? Stay? Roll over?"

"I would actually prefer that you remove yourself from the process all together!" Elijah said firmly. "You should come back to the compound. Iliana misses your presence."

Something in Hayley snapped at that last remark and all she could do was let out a loud and scathing cackle.

"I am such an idiot." She told him. "I risked everything for you. Everything with her for you. But it doesn't matter. None of it matters because it's still her. It'll always be her. You're just too much of a coward to do anything about it."

"Hayley—"

"The wolves deserve a voice." Hayley interrupted, trying to shield herself from any further hurt. "Give them one. You know it's the right thing to do."

With one last hurt look, she stormed out of the church, leaving Elijah to consider more than one accusation she had levelled against him.

~Cami POV~

The blonde stood outside the compound entrance, psyching herself up to talk to Klaus at Iliana's behest. She and the hybrid had no love lost but for her uncle, she was ready to consider a deal with the devil. She took a deep breath before walking into his art room.

"I saw the light from the courtyard and took a chance that..." She stopped when she noticed Genevieve standing in her underwear. She let out a small growl and glared at the two of them. "You weren't with a half-naked psycho-witch. Seems I gambled and lost."

"Ten minutes ago, I was fully naked." Genevieve said with a wide smirk.

"Oh! Then you served your purpose. Don't let me hold you up." Cami replied sarcastically.

"You O'Connells sure do love to piss off witches." Genevieve said as she left the room.

"Really? The woman tried to blackmail me into stabbing you with the mystical knife of excruciating pain!" Cami told Klaus in disbelief.

"Well, New Orleans breeds nothing if not strange bedfellows." He replied with a smirk. "But I have to assume you aren't here to question my leisure activities."

"I'm here about my uncle." The blonde explained sombrely. "He's deteriorating. The pills, the meditation—they're not working. His lucidity's shrinking by the day. A witch did this, a witch can undo it. You seem super-tight with Genevieve... maybe you could persuade her to help."

"It wouldn't do any good." Klaus explained with a sigh. "These hexes, they start with magic, but as they take root, they alter the very chemistry of the brain. I'm sorry, Camille. The damage is done."

"I can't have that." She told him, shaking her head vehemently. "And maybe you'd be the same if you had any concept of family."

~Elijah POV~

In spite of his search for peace, Elijah had only been greeted with opposition, from the factions, from Hayley, from Iliana and surprisingly, not from his brother. He stood in front of his brother's painting, pensively wondering what Klaus was focused on now.

"Not a fan of cerulean?" Klaus asked with a smirk.

"Not a fan of your continued indifference." Elijah replied, turning to face the hybrid with a calculating look.

"Well, it's difficult trying to unite a community with a history of mutual loathing." Klaus said with a shrug.

"Spare me the platitudes, Niklaus." Elijah muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"A perspective then?" Klaus began. "If you want peace, Elijah, you have to begin with the werewolves. A hundred years ago, they had a run at ruling this city. As of late, all they've had is time to watch their enemies tear down that legacy."

"All the more reason their enemies are reluctant to bring them to the table." Elijah replied with a frown.

"Take a page from Bienville, if the table's the obstacle, remove it." Klaus poured a glass for each of them before passing one to his older brother. "Do you remember in 1720, the Governor's desperation to secure our help to build the cities first levees? We sat with him, and refused his offer, and so, he plied us with wine, and with raucous camaraderie until he had his yes."

A smile wormed its way onto Elijah's face as he turned to face his brother. "Are you suggesting I throw a party?"