Chapter 21

The morning after was only weird because of Klaus.

"Bloody fucking hell, Beatrix, you could have done us the courtesy of a Silencing Spell," he said loudly at breakfast when she sat down with a bowl of cereal.

Her first instinct: pure panic. Her second instinct: to question it.

"Wait, what?" she said, her cheeks pink. "What— what do you mean—? I cast one!"

Klaus's devilish smirk persisted. "Oh yes, you did. But it was fun all the same to see the terror on your face when you doubted your abilities for an instant."

"Bastard," she hissed.

As luck would have it, there wasn't even time to laugh about that. Because even when she'd been left having breakfast alone while Klaus had gone into town, she'd soon been bombarded with the sound of angry voices. She'd finished eating and set her utensils away, rushing back into the dining room just as a very angry looking Klaus returned, followed by Hayley, Elijah, Rebekah, and Freya.

"Isn't that the point of a fortress?" snapped Klaus. "It does a better job of protecting you when you stay within its walls?"

"Okay!" growled Hayley in return. "We get it. Now, let's just figure out what the hell we're gonna do!"

"What I would like to do is take a strong leash—"

"Children, please," said Elijah sharply, holding his hand up. "Niklaus, your ire is justified. However, Hayley is quite right."

Hayley shot Klaus a smug look, and Beatrix slowly stepped forward. "What happened?"

"Dahlia," said Freya, looking worried. "The spell she just used— she calls it 'kenning'— using proxies to watch her enemies from afar. But I've never seen it done on quite this scale."

"Oh, crap," said Beatrix. "I haven't heard of someone doing that in ages. She's here?"

"Yes," said Hayley, gritting her teeth. "Awesome. So, basically every Hurricane-chugging, boob-flashing tourist on Bourbon Street is a potential spy."

"The good news is I know a little about how her magic works," she said. "I will be right back, I have ingredients for a tonic that will prevent her, at least, from using it on any of us."

She darted out, and Beatrix reached her hand up to rub the back of her head. "So, the bitch is finally here."

"Yes, which means your time stuck in your room is quite over," said Klaus roughly. "How much do you know about the spell Dalia did?"

"Quite a bit. But the last time I saw it done was in Spain, and it barely worked. Not a lot of witches have the power to do that. How many people, exactly, were part of it?"

"The entire strip of a street," said Hayley. "Everyone just turned to look at us... it was a huge crowd."

"That's concerning. Dahlia's old, sure, which means she has a lot of power, but for something that big..."

Freya returned just then, with cups of a brown liquid. Beatrix moved forward and sniffed one, gagging. "Yep, this is definitely going to keep Dahlia out..." Rebekah and Freya mimicked Beatrix and each took a cup, but the others were hesitant.

"Well, come on!" prompted Rebekah. "This should work like a charm."

Elijah and Hayley moved forward to grab cups, but Klaus stared at them with distaste. "Bottoms up," urged Rebekah, and the five with cups downed them. Elijah took the last cup and offered it to Klaus, who had no intention of reaching forward. "Niklaus, is there something you wish to contribute?"

Klaus shrugged. "I prefer biscuits with my tea."

Elijah rolled his eyes. "Of course."

"Besides, our minds are far too strong to be invaded by kenning spells," muttered Klaus.

"Sweet Jesus, can you just drink it?" hissed Beatrix.

Klaus ignored her. "No— what we experienced was a test— Dahlia's watching to see how we respond to aggression. She's preparing for battle. My guess is sooner, rather than later."

"Well, if she's watching us, she would know that we have our own army," said Hayley.

"She also knows where we are," mused Elijah. "And, given the immense nature of her power, we simply do not know what to expect from her. What we need is to create a new stronghold. Something that Dahlia knows nothing about. A sanctuary from any witchcraft."

"That's a fine strategy," said Freya. "I offer another— we can use Jackson to trace her magic back to its source. Find out exactly where she is."

There was a silence as everyone looked over at Hayley. From what Beatrix gathered, Jackson must have been one of the people overtaken by Dahlia's spell. "Fine, do it," the Alpha said at last, looking reluctantly at Freya.

Klaus's lips curled into a satisfied grin. "Good! Then it's settled. Off you pop to your respective tasks! Me? I've always been of the opinion that the best defense is a good offense. So, I'm going to find a way to murder that godforsaken witch. Beatrix, a word."

While the others dispersed, she slowly moved toward Klaus. "Let me guess, you want me to do something for you."

"Do you believe Davina's magic is properly up to par for any important tasks?" he inquired instead.

"Um, yes. Why?"

"Oh, because I will require that little witch's services soon. As for you, I would very much like if you upped the protective spells around this compound. Am I to assume I can trust you with that?"

Beatrix glared at him. "Klaus, I've told you several times that my power has always been strongest here. I was born here. You sired me in this city, a few blocks down from where we are. Dahlia may be way older than me, but I have a very strong foothold here. She'd need the entire French Quarter Coven backing her up to get in."

Klaus smirked devilishly. "For someone who had such fun last night, you're in a terrible mood today."

"No thanks to you." She left the room and returned to her own, preparing her spell before returning out to the main doors. She put her hand against the wall, concentrating hard and closing her eyes. "Obice chránit zachovat, zámek jiřina fora. Bariéra praesidio serva, cicinno pany jiřina foras venku."

She felt a pinching and pulling sensation in her gut and exhaled loudly as she felt the barrier go up around the compound. Without her say so, no one could come in. She had allowed for those currently inside to leave, since they were already there, but unless she gave them permission to return inside, they'd be stuck outside if they left.

Pleased with herself, she had gone to where the others were gathered with Jackson. What she found was Freya walking out the door, looking overwhelmed.

"Freya," said Beatrix quickly, catching her by the shoulders. "What happened?"

"It— it's nothing," she said immediately.

"Hey, talk to me," she insisted, coming to stand in front of her. She looked back into the room she'd been in and saw Hayley and Rebekah glaring up at Freya as she left, Jackson laying on the table and groaning.

"Dahlia's channeling me," said Freya weakly. "I didn't know— but it... it's safer that I leave." She brushed past Beatrix and walked quickly to one of the other rooms where she'd set down a bag she had.

Beatrix sped to her side. "Freya, you clearly didn't know. They might be playing it safe by showing doubt but I don't think it means you should leave."

Freya shook her head. "I appreciate this, Beatrix. But you're more than capable of doing everything that is needed. I don't want to give Dahlia an upper hand in getting Hope. I can sense the barrier spell you put up— you have a very good amount of power. I've known it since I first met you in 1914... you are radiant and strong. Please, protect my niece in a way that I can't."

"I beg of you— don't go! You can stay in my room, you don't need to partake in the tasks but you can't leave!"

"Yes, I can, and I need to," she insisted, pushing her aside and stepping out of the barrier, and disappearing down the corner on the street.

The rest of the day was downright terrible from there. Beatrix had tried to talk to Hayley and Rebekah about it, but they both adamantly believed that Freya was better off out of the borders of the compound. Annoyed, Beatrix had occupied herself casting some protective spells in Hope's room specifically, taking the time to chat with her niece, who could give no input other than giggles and the occasional squeal of agreement (or disagreement? She'd never truly know what Hope's opinion on the matter was).

"You're too good for this world, darling," sighed Beatrix as she held the little girl in her arms, bouncing her gently. "You make me want to be a mama. Well, not that I haven't technically been one before... it's just different. You're a perfect little joy. Sweet little thing. And powerful, too, hmm? You're going to do great things, princess, I know it."

Hope had merely cooed and reached for Beatrix's short locks of hair, pulling at them with great interest. The Heretic had smiled and gone to peer out the window. No trace of Freya, or Klaus. She wondered if those two realized how alike they were. The same fiery temper. The death glare.

"Your auntie Freya will be back, I know it," mused Beatrix as she sat down with her niece in her arms. "Let's think happy thoughts, hmm? One day, we'll all live in a massive mansion by the bayou, so that you can learn to swim and run in the same places I did. Your mama and Jackson will have a strong pack of wolves that will love and adore you, and teach you many things, so that if you ever trigger your werewolf side, you know your roots. I think a lot of baby wolves struggle with that. Too many of them have no idea where they come from, and it just pains me to hear stories of how they suffer."

She paused to think, rocking the baby lightly. "Let's see, what else... um, your uncle Kol will be back in his original body and he'll be happy with your probably soon-to-be auntie Davina. Then your auntie Freya can live there with whoever she fancies. I can imagine that— Freya, Davina, and I teaching you magic... that'll be really fun.

"Your papa, I think, likes Cami. I could see them being together, that might make him pleasant. Your auntie Bex and Marcel might finally tie the knot... and maybe one day, your uncle Elijah and I will be together again. Somehow, with science and magic, I'm sure one day we'll be able to have more kids for you to play with. Once we defeat your looney great-aunt Dahlia, so that you're not in any danger, sweet one. You could have a lot of little cousins and maybe be a big sister, if your mama and Jackson have a baby. We'll see how this all goes."

It wasn't until later in the evening that Elijah arrived. Almost immediately, things went to shit again, because he'd come back and found that Freya was not there.

"What do you mean 'she's gone?'" Beatrix heard him ask sharply downstairs.

"She was a risk—" she heard Hayley counter.

"—she was also the only one who intimately knows the enemy we now face!"

"Both of you, just stop it!" cried Rebekah, which made Beatrix set the sleeping Hope back in her crib and speed down as the others kept arguing.

"I was protecting Hope from someone who it's obvious none of us completely trust!" fumed Hayley.

"Correct, we've done nothing but doubt Freya!" said Elijah, frustrated. "Nevertheless, she kept her promised, and she saved Rebekah's life. We certainly haven't demonstrated the same kindness towards her."

"So what the bloody hell do we do now?" said Beatrix loudly.

Elijah turned to Hayley. "There is a jazz club in Algiers by the name of the St. James Infirmary. Marcel has acquired it, and Josephine is fortifying it as a sanctuary against magic. Pack your things. Marcel will escort you and Hope there tonight at nine o'clock." He faced Rebekah and Beatrix. "We will wait for Freya, if she should return. Whether we trust her or not, we cannot win this fight without her."

He walked out before any could answer, letting them know that he very much expected them to abide by what he'd said. Beatrix huffed, and looked at the other women. "First of all, who the hell is Josephine?"

"Josephine La Rue, Regent of the Nine Covens of New Orleans," said Rebekah.

Beatrix gritted her teeth. "Oh, great, I trust her even less than Freya, considering it was thanks to those nine covens that the Geminis got me in the first place." She then turned to Hayley. "I get that you wanted to protect your daughter, but you really shouldn't have sent Freya away in the first place. She's trying to help. We could have put her somewhere else."

Hayley seemed to have had it with people telling her what to do that day. Her eyes flashed amber and gold as she stepped toward Beatrix. "Don't tell me how to raise my daughter," she said coldly. "You're not a mother."

"I don't think I need to be a mother to give my niece's best interests in mind. May I remind you that it's me who understands magic, and not you?"

"She is not your niece!"

"But she is Freya's, and you ran her off!"

"Please stop," Rebekah pleaded in the background, but neither woman was listening.

"Don't chastise me for trying to keep my daughter safe!" snapped Hayley. "Just because I don't understand magic doesn't mean I'm an idiot!"

"Don't put words in my mouth, Marshall, I was never insinuating anything like that—"

"Then shut your trap, La Salle, I don't even trust you either!"

"Oh, no, why would I ever expect you to trust me? I've only been doing every little thing to protect her since I got out of a fucking prison world, with hardly any breaks!"

"And whose fault is it that you got imprisoned in the first place?"

"Please, we just fucking established that it's thanks to the idiotic New Orleans covens—"

"ENOUGH!"

Elijah had come back, and he was glaring at the two of them. "Clearly, I have fostered animosity between the two of you," he said, his jaw twitching lightly. "But we have established that we're all here trying to keep Hope safe. That will not happen if we don't function as a unit." He faced Hayley. "Beatrix has been kind enough to cast very powerful spells around this compound and your daughter's room to keep her safe from Dahlia. She may not be Mikaelson blood but she is family." He turned back to Beatrix. "Hayley is doing what any mother would do— what you would have done for Marcel— play it safe. While I would not have wished it to have happened as it did, I cannot say I blame her for the choice she made."

"You were just hounding her about it!" snapped Beatrix, livid. "Now you want to come and defend her just because she started an argument with me, to not seem like you're playing favorites?"

"You know very well that you were the one who started it, Beatrix— I heard your comment."

"I didn't think she was going to snarl at me for it!"

"I did not snarl at you!" spat Hayley. "Come at me again with smack talk like that and then we'll see how I snarl!"

"Oh please, I'd destroy your body from the inside out without much effort— before you could even lay a hand on me!"

"BEATRIX!" said Elijah angrily, pushing her back as she impulsively made to move toward Hayley. "That is quite enough."

The Heretic glared at Hayley, her chest rising and falling hard as Elijah kept moving her away. "I will retrieve another piano key if you cannot control yourself," he threatened.

"Get all the stupid piano keys you want!" Beatrix hissed. "I'm not putting my magic away— I'll never let you force me into that again!"

"How could you?"

Elijah was in the doorway of her room, looking livid. "Itza, how could you?" he repeated angrily. "You take your magic back without telling us, and knowing how dangerous it was, followed along with Kol's agenda of mischief!"

"It's my magic, I could take it back whenever I please!" said Beatrix in a hard voice. Elijah and Klaus did not yet know why she and Kol had been looking for the paragon diamond in the first place. She hadn't wanted them to know.

"I asked you to put it away in 1903 for a reason! You're in danger every day that you have it coursing through your veins!"

"I knew the risks, and I assure you, I thought it all through! I don't want to give my magic up again, Elijah, I refuse! It's been a decade already— I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Tell me what you and Kol are up to," he implored. "Tell me, and I will try to understand."

"Elijah, no— it's not anything bad—"

"Tell me!" he said, his eyes flashing with fury. "Tell me right now because I am seeking to understand why you would give up your safety to help him! I want you to give me a good reason why you made such a reckless decision!"

"I have no bloody obligation to tell you!" she had snarled, trying to brush past him.

He had grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her into the nearest wall, pinning her wrists painfully behind her back. He extracted the piano key from his pocket, and turned her to face him, forcing the piano key into her hands and then restraining her again. "Put. It. Back," he demanded.

"No!" she hissed, trying to get out of his hold. "Elijah— get the hell off of me!"

"Put the magic back, now! I will not lose you because my brother coaxed you into being reckless with him! Klaus is going to demand you to help him again if you don't put it away, and your cover will be blown!"

"I don't care! I'm not putting my magic—"

He'd thrust his hand into her chest, wrapping his hand around her heart. She'd choked, her eyes going wide. Never before had she imagined he would do something like this to her. Her eyes had teared up as searing pain shot through her body. "Put the magic back," he said lowly, squeezing her heart once as an obvious threat.

Fearing for her life, she'd had no choice. She had let her essence drain into the piano key, and had slumped back weakly, letting him know it was done. He snatched up the piano key and tucked it away, before releasing her heart, and leaving her gasping against the wall. She glared up at him furiously. "Fuck you," she'd hissed.

"My darling, Itza," he said quietly. "I do not wish to see you harmed by the Gemini Coven. Your magic is going to the same place it has always been. I am not permanently taking it from you. I just wish you to understand how afraid I am of losing you."

"I'm just trying to keep Hope safe," Beatrix insisted, wanting Elijah to understand. "I'm not having another bloody episode, so you don't need to make any threats."

"You're certain of that?" he challenged, like he didn't believe her.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM!"

It was 1917. She hadn't had her magic in three years, and after the Christmas disaster when Klaus had nearly killed her and Kol had been daggered, she seemed to slowly be dissociating from herself and the others, having been losing her sense of a connection with the world.

She'd never been this angry. She'd always had a temper, but this was a fit of rage that the Mikaelsons had never seen in her. It'd been building up over time and they had not noticed, thinking she was just bitter with the events at the end of 1914. They did not understand, and nor did she, that her forceful disconnection from her magic was actually killing her slowly. Her body had been born a certain way because of the darkness her mother had taken into herself, and her nature was magic, never vampirism. She had not suffered before, because she had given her magic up mostly willingly, and had been happy with Kol, Rebekah, Klaus, and Elijah all together and being friendly with her in her time forced to stay in the compound for her safety. But the brutality of this second time was causing a toll that no one could have seen coming. It was damaging her more than they knew— the darkness naturally within her could not be sustained enough in a vampire body. It needed the magic as an outlet. It was the fuel for her spells— what made her so powerful to begin with. The balance in her was being disrupted, and it was destroying her psyche.

"Itza, I was just trying to bring you food," said Elijah gently.

She'd grabbed a vase off her nightstand and hurled it at him, letting out a scream of rage. "I don't want to see you, Elijah, don't you get it?" she snarled, her movements unpredictable as she restrained herself from attacking him. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"

"My darling, please—"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" she screeched, grabbing the nightstand itself this time and throwing it at him, stomping her foot so hard that she broke one of the floorboards. "I hate you! I HATE YOU! I don't ever— EVER— want to see your stupid face again!"

Klaus had come in to aid his brother, but it had only made her feel worse. "Not you, too!" she snarled, angrily covering her face and digging her nails into her temples hard enough to draw blood. "I don't want you to give me any fucking attention! I want you to leave me alone!"

"Seeing as you're tearing up your room, I do not think it wise for you to be alone," said Klaus.

"I wouldn't be tearing up my room if you'd just let me go back to my apartment!"

"Can't do that, love," said Klaus with a shrug. "You're not safe out there, and you know it. We still need you."

Elijah had gritted his teeth. "Niklaus, don't put it like that."

"Fine. We worry, Beatrix."

"Don't lie to me," she sneered. "You're the ones who tried to kill me. You're the ones that are to blame! YOU! I should rip those stupid faces right off of your skulls!"

"No need to get so graphic, love, I rather like my face," said Klaus a bit more impatiently. None of the Mikaelsons had any inkling on how to deal with this. They didn't know where this was coming from, much less how to approach her in a way that wouldn't bring out her rage.

"Well I hate it!" she spat. "I hate your faces— both of you! You can't keep me here!"

"Yes, we can, actually," said Klaus more wickedly. "You're spelled into this room as long as you're unsafe in the outside world."

"If I had my magic, I swear—"

"But you don't, do you, love? And considering your erratic behavior, I wouldn't trust you with it in any manner."

"I'll kill you— I'll kill both of you— I'll make sure I find a White Oak Stake and I'll make you both burn—"

"That's quite enough." Klaus tapped the wall twice. "I think we'll get my witch up here to spell you to sleep."

"NO!" screeched Beatrix, shaking her head wildly and throwing herself onto the bed. A storm of pain and anger was coursing through her mind and without means to understand it, she had no way of screaming to them for help. She had no idea that she was being driven mad by her lack of magic.

Within the year, she'd manage to calm down, aided by several spells that eased her mind, and compulsion from the Original brothers to get her to calm down. It was impossible to know how it did not kill her, but, aided by the three decade long nap she would proceed to take following the events at the Opera House, a knowledgeable witch might have assumed that her mind was able to eventually heal on its own.

Though she was practically still a ticking time bomb.

"Yes, I'm sure, because last time, I didn't have my bloody magic," she sneered. Her body was shaking at that point, and she felt an eerily familiar tugging in her gut. Swallowing hard at the realization of what it might mean, she stepped back, and let out a hard breath. "This is stupid. Let me know if Freya comes back. I can't stand the sight of any of your faces right now."

She had sped to her room without further explanation. Because she'd felt a stirring inside her that had been all too close to the feelings that built up the last time she lost her head. Collapsing against the wall, she'd held her temples, forcing herself to breathe.

Sometimes, the darkness was overwhelming. What she didn't know was that even with her magic, she was prone to another outburst. A worse one. She had no idea that her balance could still be disrupted. It was in her nature— too much darkness built up over such negative emotion had the ability to make her lose her mind. It had the potential to be a longer-lasting and even more violent version of last time.

Trembling, she'd gone to her phone. Hands shaking, she'd dialed Kai's number, nearly crying in relief when he picked up.

"What's happening now? Ew, why are you breathing so raggedly, did you just have sex?"

"Talk about something, anything," she pleaded in a small voice, feeling tears pooling in her eyes.

"Um, okay. But why?"

"I just... I need to hear your voice."

Albeit confused, Kai had taken the opportunity to rant about who knows what. Beatrix wasn't paying attention.

Kai was the only one who she'd ever told about her past in such detail. The only one who knew, from her point of view, exactly how she'd felt in those terrible moments where the only thought on her mind was violence. The Mikaelsons may have known her incredibly well, given that they witnessed so much of her life, but it was only the sociopathic siphon that understood her side of it, completely.

"Are you okay?" he'd asked after awhile, once he'd heard her breathing back to normal. "You sound... really distressed."

"I'm better now," she whispered, rubbing her forehead. "Thank you."

Kai had not immediately answered. But he'd eventually let out a soft sigh. "Um... you're welcome, I guess. Do you need me to stay on the line?"

"Yes, please."