The Red Herring Revives: A Mikaelson Love Story

Chapter 47: Our Youth Is Running Out

~Klaus POV~

Klaus stood atop the balcony with his brother, looking over at the impromptu party that Elijah had thrown. The witches, the vampires and the wolves had all congregated at the Mikaelson compound, perfectly in line with the hybrid's desires.

"I'm impressed, Elijah." Klaus told him.

"Yes." Elijah began proudly.

Elijah had started to say something else, but the blonde had now turned his focus to the Gilbert girl who was trying to sneak through the Mikaelson compound inconspicuously.

"You should really try and make amends with her." Elijah advised, matching his brother's gaze.

"And how do you suggest I do that?" Klaus asked sarcastically. "Keep in mind, according to her, spending time with a woman that wants to kill her is better than breathing the same air as me."

"Well perhaps the first step would be to relieve yourself of a certain redheaded demon." Elijah said as he watched Genevieve with a pointed look.

"Why?"

"The havoc she has wreaked on our family springs to mind."

"Has Iliana not done the same?" Klaus spat back in anger.

"You don't mean that."

"At least with Genevieve, I don't have to share."

"Niklaus—"

"To a spectacularly boring evening, brother." Klaus said as he downed the drink in his hand. "For your sake."

~Iliana POV~

"They're having a party." I explained to the curious Fiore. "Wolves, vampires and witches alike. Elijah really thinks he can unite them."

"And what do you think?" Fiore queried.

"I think people who hate each other aren't just gonna make up because of a party." I answered with a shrug.

"You'd be surprised." The Enigma countered. "When Klaus did it way back when, I was sceptical. In fact, I was certain he would fail and New Orleans would crumble. And yet, he did it. I, for one, truly believe if not for Mikael, New Orleans would have thrived under his rule."

"What about Elijah's?" Fiore scoffed in response before looking at me with a gaze that bored through my mind.

"If Niklaus is not supporting Elijah, he is working against him." Fiore answered definitively. "And say what you will about him, but never was there a better saboteur."

"This is important to Elijah." I said in support of Klaus. "He would never go out of his way to undermine him. I know he wouldn't."

"You're young and you haven't experienced the longevity of it all." The Enigma began. "Almost three years you've known Klaus and he will always be a big part of you. But he has lived tens of lifetimes and when you are gone, he will partake in hundreds more. And you...you will be an insignificant speck of memory that will pass through his mind every few centuries."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you have deluded yourself into thinking you know Klaus Mikaelson, but you never will." She said conclusively. "How can you know someone who doesn't know himself?"

"So I should just give up on him?" I asked bitterly.

"No, of course not, darling." She said with a scoff, her playful disposition returning. "You are young. You should enjoy your life whilst you still have it. There's a party upstairs and you're here talking to me. What a waste of youth."

"I thought you liked my company."

"You know what, Iliana?" Fiore began with a smirk. "In spite of everything, I actually do enjoy you."

"Is this where you ask me to take out the blade again?"

"This is where I remind you that I reward my friends, and I punish my enemies." A dark look overtook her as her eyes blazed purple. After a moment, Fiore laughed and lay her head down once more. "Now, go party in my place."

~Klaus POV~

Klaus remained on the balcony, overlooking the party in the hopes that Iliana would return, sighing when Genevieve came to his side.

"Looking for your baby mama?" She asked him angrily.

"I didn't peg you for the jealous type." Klaus replied with a small smile.

"Just curious as to why you'd seek her company." Genevieve murmured in response. "She just seems so... quaint."

"Well sometimes quaint is a welcome respite." Klaus replied with a shrug.

"I thought I was your respite." She whined.

"Hm? Yes. You are, you are." Klaus told her absentmindedly as he saw Jackson walk up the stairs. "Excuse me."

"So is this where the great Klaus Mikaelson says something poignant, and snaps my neck?" Jackson asked as he examined Klaus' study.

"I'm not here to kill you Jackson." Klaus said with a chuckle. "I'm here to offer you a gift."

"Out of the kindness of your vampire heart?" The wolf scoffed.

"Our hearts are more similar than you might realise. You see, long before I evolved, mine beat as a werewolf. I know your power. I know your burden. I'm here to take the latter away." Klaus told him.

"You plan on making me a hybrid?" Jackson asked in disgust. "Sorry but I put my pack first and becoming a bloodthirsty vampire parasite compromises my entire family line."

"That pride, that sense of loyalty? Well, that's exactly why I haven't snapped your neck yet. I want to give you back the city that was taken from you." Klaus continued.

"And I'm supposed to trust someone that's conspiring behind his brother's back?" Jackson's arms crossed as he watched the hybrid with disdain. However, Klaus was anticipating pushback.

"I'm not undermining him; I'm supporting his vision." Klaus refuted. "Vampires destroy life to survive, witches are only as powerful as their dead, but the werewolves have thrived because their strength comes from familial unity. The safety of that unity is what I want for my unborn child. The painful truth is vampires are the antithesis of unity."

"And after a thousand years, you're finally ready to embrace your other half?" Jackson asked sarcastically. "Maybe we don't want you."

"But you will when you return to the Quarter."

Klaus pushed past Jackson smugly knowing he had finally grasped his attention. He pulled out a wooden box from his desk and smirked as Jackson's curiosity took the better of him.

"You got a plan to achieve this vision?" Jackson asked him.

"Have you seen this ring before?" Klaus asked as he pulled out a moonlight ring missing a stone.

"Yeah, Hayley has a similar one." Jackson said with a shrug. "Some psycho witch gave it to her."

"My mother was a very powerful witch. I watched her craft all manner of magical items, but her most prized possession was this ring." He said examining it. "I hadn't seen it for 1,000 years, and then it turned up hanging around the neck of a werewolf—a direct descendant of my biological father. I believe she gave him this ring as a way of freeing him."

"How so?"

"Daylight rings shield vampires from the sun. So, why not a moonlight ring to protect werewolves from the curse? Think about it! No more breaking bones, no more losing control to the beast within."

"What do I have to do?"