41 | RUMOR HAS IT

Khalia was sitting in the living room with Hayley – Klaus leaving to do God knows what and Elijah somewhere around the Compound – when there was a knock on the front door. It made the Original female frown deeply. For one, they’re the Mikaelson family and rarely get visitors. For two, whenever someone does come to their home, it is usually to pick a fight. She gestured for Hayley to stay in the living room – which her werewolf of course ignored because she has no sense of self-preservation whatsoever – but just sighed resignedly when she ended up following her.

“You stay behind me, or I swear to every living thing out there, Hayley, I will cuff you to a bed and not in the fun and kinky way.” The Mikaelson girl warned sharply. Hayley’s mind went a little of track for a moment at the thoughts of her, Khalia, handcuffs and kinky all in one sentence. Then she saw the vampire’s expectant and very serious expression and she hastily nodded, pushing those inappropriate thoughts away.

Khalia made sure to put on her meanest face as she opened the door, Hayley peering curiously over her shoulder. Both the pregnant girl and the immortal girl was surprised by who stood outside their door. Khalia recognized her immediately.

“Sierra?” Her tone was questioning, the worry and anxiety on the other werewolf’s face was enough to almost alarm Khalia.

Hayley stepped out from behind her, seeing that this person is not a threat, but someone familiar, Khalia let her. The pregnant girl noticed her pack mate’s distress. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Jackson. He and Oliver went out to get the stones for the moonlight rings and they’re not back yet. They should have been back hours ago.” Sierra explained to them, looking close to a panic attack. Khalia just eyed her awkwardly, she had no idea how to help the werewolf girl.

Hayley, on the other hand, seemed to know just what to do. She ushered the werewolf inside, just as Elijah appeared in front of them. “Don’t worry, we’ll find them.”

Elijah gave the nervous werewolf girl a kind smile. “I heard about your predicament. I’ll make a call to my brother and have him find them.”

“Thank you.” Sierra smiled gratefully at him, some of her nerves settling down.

An impatient Hayley, an indifferent Khalia and a nervous Sierra stood nearby Elijah as he pulled out his phone and dialed Klaus’ number. The Hybrid answered in the third ring, “Yes, brother, what is it?”

“It appears our wolves have gone astray, brother.” Elijah informed the Hybrid.

Hayley cuts in, her impatience crystal clear. “They should have been back hours ago.”

“We need to find them.” Elijah interrupts Hayley, who gives him a dirty look. He gave a blank one in return. Khalia watched the exchange in amusement, while Sierra’s breathing quickened again.

“Well, that might be a bit tricky. You see, we've located their car on a back road in the middle of nowhere. I suspect they've been shanghai'd.” Klaus admitted as he scaled rooftops around New Orleans, looking for a specific vampire boy.

“What?” Sierra’s horrified shriek left them all wincing a little.

“And you didn't feel the need to share this information?” Elijah questioned.

Klaus resisted the urge to hang up the phone, and just answered instead. “It was my intention to present you with a problem only after I had found an appropriate solution.”

“Do enlighten us.” Elijah all but demanded.

“I'm closing in on it as we speak. The only person who would be bold enough to snatch my wolf allies is the one who has the most to lose.” Klaus continued explaining.

Elijah sighed, “Marcel.”

Khalia gave her brother a pointed look as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I told you to let me kill him, but noooo. Elijah knows best.”

Both Hayley and Sierra was scared by the brothers’ revelation. “No, he'll kill them!”

“Khalia, unless the next words out of your mouth are a solution, I kindly ask you to shut up.” Elijah gave his sister a glare of his own. She raised an eyebrow but otherwise didn’t do anything as Elijah turned back to his phone. “Niklaus?”

“Genevieve assures me that Marcel has procured a cloaking spell. The only witch who will aid Marcel is Davina. I just need to get one last bit of leverage before I pay her a visit.” Klaus told them, finally spotting Joshua in the middle of a street, putting bags in the trunk of a back. He smirks in victory. “And there it is.”

Elijah sighed again. “Why does our brother always resort to the most violent and manipulative option?”

“Because it works the best.” Khalia shrugged. Her eyes sparked as she remembered something. “Speaking of violence, I believe I have some of my own to execute with the witches.”

Elijah grabbed a fist full of his sister’s shirt to stop her as she went to leave, and pulled her to his side. “Not right now, Khalia. When Niklaus finds out where Marcel is, we will need your help. After Jackson is safe, you may do as you please.”

Khalia pulled out of her brother’s grip with an irritated look on her face, elbowing him harshly in the side. “A simply request would have sufficed just as nicely. No need to go pulling and tugging on me.”

“After a thousand years, Khalia, I’ve learnt that you respond better to actions than you do words.” Elijah quipped with a smirk. Khalia opened her mouth to retort, but promptly shut it again when she realized that her brother is completely right.

***

Khalia pulled a face as she and her brother’s arrive at Thierry’s warehouse down at the docks. Her upturned nose made her brother’s wait for a comment. They weren’t disappointed when she all but whined not five seconds later, “Why do Marcel and his vampires like to hang out in such unhygienic and unsavory places?”

“You’ll have to ask him when you see him, sister.” Klaus chuckled as they enter the warehouse. The Mikaelson Trio find Jackson, who is bound to his chair and who was left with a black hood over his head. Jackson flinches when he's found, until he realizes he's being rescued.

“I would bet my life that you have never been this happy to see us.” Khalia snickered before speeding around the warehouse, looking for any trace of Marcel and any of his lackey’s. Finding none, she sped back to her brother’s and the tied up Jackson.

Klaus grabs Jackson's face in his hand, looking up over. “Accolades to Marcel, he did quite a dance across the bridge of your nose. Where is he now?”

Jackson looks around, and then looks down at the floor to find that there is an explosive rigged to the legs of his chair, which is connected to a crate that has an even larger bomb inside. Klaus glances at his sister in silent question.

“Not here.” She shook her head. Then she gave him a look. “Nik, he learnt most of what he knows from you. Did you honestly expect him to stay and wait for you to find him?”

Klaus ignored his sister as Elijah opens a crate to find another explosive. “Although, he did leave us a delightful parting gift.”

“Elijah, if this is your definition of delightful, you and I need to have serious conversation about your mental stability.” Khalia snarked as she eyed the wires with wariness. She doesn’t know anything about bombs – lethal violence by hand has always been more her style.

“Sister, you are in no position to judge anyone’s mental stability.” Elijah rolled his eyes, full well knowing his sister was purposefully ignoring his sarcasm in favor of trying to rile him up.

“Fair enough.” Khalia conceded.

“Are you two serious right now?” Jackson demanded as his head turned back and forth between Khalia and Elijah. “I’m literally sitting on a bomb, and you’re arguing over who’s more crazy?”

Klaus turns to Jackson, “What about the stones?”

Jackson was frantic, he started wiggling in his chair. “I don't know. Untie me, I'll help you find them!”

“Sit still! You'll be freed as soon as it's safe.” Elijah kneels down to examine the triggers on Jackson's chair, while Klaus and Khalia look into others crates, which holds more bombs.

“Yes, we wouldn’t want you to go kaboom and then have to explain that to my sweetheart and your dear Sierra.” Khalia told Jackson but her eyes held a seriousness that he’s never seen before.

“Our focus should be the stones.” Klaus felt the need to point out.

Elijah turned to Jackson. “Disregard my brother. Over the course of the last millennium, his capacity for tact has somewhat diminished.”

“Well, that's typical, isn't it? Marcel fills a room with dynamite, and yet, I'm the tactless one.” Klaus retorted sulkily.

Khalia tuned her brother’s bickering out, looking at Jackson. “Ignore both of them and just sit still until Elijah tells you to move.”

Something suddenly occurred to Elijah. “I recognize these explosives from the attack on the Bayou. Could you remind me, again, why you believed that Marcel was innocent?”

“Because Hayley believed him.” Khalia answered easily. And Hayley was distrustful and suspicious of everyone around her, just like a proper Mikaelson. So, it wasn’t all that hard for Khalia to believe her when she said that she believes that Marcel didn’t bomb the Bayou. And given the fact that he could have harmed or even killed Hayley before Khalia reached them, also convinced her.

“Remind me to ask him before I pull out his innards.” Klaus shrugged and opens another crate to find that it contains at least six bombs. Khalia suppressed a groan as she finds the exact same thing with the next crate she opened.  “Okay-” Klaus started, gestures around him and the crate. “Exercise extreme caution in this general area. Bit of a mess.”

“A mess is still putting it politely. He’s gone and turned this whole building into a bomb.” Khalia all but snarled, rubbing her hands down he face.

Khalia’s cell phone rings. She sees Hayley is calling her, and she answers it and places it on speakerphone. “Yes, sweetheart?”

“What's going on?” Hayley’s worried voice came through.

“Did you find Jackson?” Sierra’s voice followed soon after. It was like magic, how Jackson’s eyes suddenly regained light at the sound.

“Yes, we did.” Khalia admitted, nodding her head and realizing to late that they won’t be able to see her.

“Jackson is fine. He's...a little tied up right now.” Elijah answers and Klaus’ sniggers at Elijah’s joke. “Can we call you back?” He gave his sister, then her phone a significant look.

The Hybrid flips open another crate. Inside are another handful of bombs, with a folded slip of paper on top. Klaus frowns, just as the red blinking light on the bombs turn green. “Oh, that doesn't bode well.”

Jackson looked at him angrily. “Are you trying to kill us?”

Khalia’s protective hackles unexpectedly rose at the words and the tone the male werewolf was using. “Oh, yes, because Niklaus is the one who rigged this entire building with explosives.”

“Tell me what's going on, now!” Hayley’s worried voice demanded from the phone in Khalia’s hand. Klaus picks up the folded paper, as his siblings watches him.

Klaus reads the note aloud in a whisper, “This is for Thierry.”

“Oh fuck.” Khalia said in dread, coming to the realization – just like her brother’s – that they've been set up, so Elijah quickly grabs Jackson as the three Mikaelson’s vamp-speed away as quickly as they can. The building explode in huge bursts, the four supernatural’s making it out just in time.

The force of the explosion, sends them all barreling through the air. Elijah checks Jackson over for injuries as his siblings get up from the ground. Khalia eyed her broken phone mournfully before they all speed back home.

By the time they reach the Compound, Hayley and Sierra is pacing around in the study. The four all looking very disheveled and covered in ash and soot. Displeasure was written all over Khalia’s face as she made a beeline for the alcohol. At the last second, she changes her mind and speeds downstairs to the kitchen, grabbing three blood bags from the refrigerator.

Up in the study, Jackson groans, and turns to Elijah, who was still holding him. “I got it.”

Sierra rushes to her boyfriend, hugging him tightly. “Thank god you're alive!”

Khalia returns to the room, tossing each of her brothers a blood bag. “Yes, the only casualty was my phone.”

Sierra looks at the three Originals over Jackson’s shoulder, eyes shining with tears. “Thank you.”

Hayley stepped closer to Khalia, who was sipping at her blood bag silently. “Are you really okay?”

“Fine, sweetheart.” She shoots her werewolf a reassuring grin. Sierra and Jackson sit down to tend to his wounds.

“I'm fine, too, thanks for asking.” Klaus snapped, clearly annoyed. He pretended not to hear his sister’s snicker.

Hayley moved closer to Khalia, only stopping when they were a foot apart. Khalia glanced at her, but didn’t say anything about Hayley invading her personal space. How could she when she enjoyed the closeness? Hayley hid a smile and looked at Klaus, “What about the stones?”

Elijah sighs, pausing in drinking from his blood bag. “Scattered across the bed of the Mississippi, I'd imagine.”

“Much to the surprise of no one.” Khalia commented around her blood bag.

Klaus finishes his blood bag and pours himself a drink. “Marcel's not a fool. He knows an empowered werewolf army would mean the end of vampires in New Orleans. The explosion is his way of saying he means to prevent that. For all the good it'll do him.”

“Well, it did him pretty damn well, didn't it?” Hayley pointed out, more than a little bitter. She did not look forward to turning again after she gives birth. She looks at Elijah, who frowns in thought of Klaus’ words.

“This is my fault. I'll find a way to fix it.” Jackson assured them.

“I’d love to see how.” Khalia said with a smirk, gaining a slap on the arm and a glare from Hayley. The smirked dropped and she turned her attention to her brother’s.

Sierra rubs his shoulder affectionately. “No, Jack, you're hurt. No one's blaming you.”

“I'm blaming you! Those stones will be hard to replace.” He looks over at Elijah and smiles evilly. “Fortunately, I always have a backup plan.”

Elijah narrows his eyes at his sister, who didn’t as much as look up at that information. “You don’t seem particularly surprised by that, sister. Something you’d like to share?”

“Only that I’d be more surprised if Nik didn’t have a backup plan.” She shrugged nonchalantly. The female Original really didn’t know about her brother’s extra plan, but it most certainly didn’t surprise her. Klaus is as paranoid as they come.

Not long after, Francesca walks into the compound with five other men, all of whom are wearing suits, and one of whom is carrying a briefcase. Klaus, Khalia, Elijah, Hayley, Sierra and Jackson go down to greet her.

Jealously and possessiveness seared through Hayley with breathtaking force when she laid eyes on the human who flirted with Khalia at the faction party. “You can't seriously mean her! She's a gangster!”

“I see her more as a means of procuring rare items at short notice.” The Hybrid replies flippantly before he turns to Francesca and her entourage. “Greetings, Ms. Correa! I see you've brought company.”

“These are my brothers. I always include them in delicate business matters.” Francesca turns to her brothers. “Fellas, meet Mr. Mikaelson.” Her eyes look around, clearly searching. Finding her target, a seductive smile spreads on her lips. “Khalia.” The human all but purred.

A deep growl rumbled from Hayley’s chest, eyes flashing golden, as she noticed the lustful look Francesca were giving her vampire. She stepped in front of Khalia, trying to block the human’s view of the female Original.

Khalia ignored the human woman, hiding a pleased smile when she noticed Hayley’s jealously. It was hard to miss it, what with the why Hayley was in front of her, clearly intend on hiding her from Francesca’s view. She didn’t say anything, letting Hayley have her way.

Klaus hid a snort. Those two are so gone for each other – and he’d bet his life that if his sister wasn’t so emotionally constipated, then they would have been together already. Instead, he smiles at the human. “Please, call me Klaus. All my friends do.”

“I don't know if I'd call us friends.” Francesca said, as she reaches into the briefcase her brother is holding, and pulls out a small black drawstring bag. Khalia wanted to say something in agreement, but giving the woman her attention would only encourage her advances and fuel Hayley’s jealousy. So, she remained silent. “But, if you and Marcel are planning on having a little throw-down, I'd prefer my family to be on the same side as the inevitable victor.”

“Then, you have what I asked for?” Klaus asked expectantly.

Francesca holds out the bag to him, “Not enough for an army at such short notice, but it's a start.”

Elijah joins the conversation as Khalia frowned. Why did Klaus tell a human about their plans? “Strange, I wasn't aware that she was familiar with our plan.”

“My price for doing business is full disclosure. Your brother complied.” The human said and Khalia watched her with narrowed eyes. There was some thing very off about her. No other human has ever been this involved with Supernatural Politics. And why would the humans give supernatural’s even more power? Power that could easily be used to strong-arm or manipulate them.

“And what does the Human Faction stand to benefit from all of this?” Elijah asked, clearly as suspicious as his sister.

“I only want us to solidify our allegiance to the ruling class. It's good for business.” Francesca answered smoothly and it seemed like a good enough explanation, but Khalia still wasn’t satisfied. But, for now, until she had other proof, she would let it go.

Klaus was examining the stones. “If only everyone shared your capacity for reason.”

“Sadly, they don't. Marcel is being especially vindictive. I'm worried he might come after me, or my family, just for meeting with you.” Hayley very much wanted to skin her claws into her throat. Francesca takes a deep breath, eyeing Khalia subtly. “It might be in our best interests if we combine our efforts.”

“So be it! The more bodies we have to defend the compound, the better.” Klaus agreed and Hayley glared heatedly at him. “Let's get started, shall we?”

“I’m hungry.” Hayley declared, grabbing Khalia by the hand and pulling her in the direction of the kitchen. She wasn’t necessarily hungry, but she could eat. What she really wanted, was to get Khalia as far as momentarily possible away from the human gangster bitch. She didn’t like the way she looks at her vampire, didn’t want her to look at her, or talk to her or even breathe the same air as her.

Francesca’s timid voice – which was clearly fake – came from behind them. “Khalia, can we talk?”

Hayley’s restraint snapped as she whirled to the human, jealousy, anger and possessiveness rolling of her in waves.

“No, you can not.” Hayley growled at her, eyes flashing. She took a threatening step towards the human, but was restrained by a highly amused Khalia, who put her hands on the pregnant girl’s shoulders to keep her from doing anything rash (who also very wisely hid her amusement).

Francesca glared right back at Hayley and any amusement Khalia felt, vanished into thin air. Francesca all but sneered at Hayley. “I don’t recall asking you.”

Khalia felt the way Hayley tensed beneath her hands. The vampire started rubbing her thumbs in soothing circles on Hayley’s shoulder blades. She suppressed a satisfied smirk when a shiver ran thought the werewolf and she leaned backwards into Khalia’s space.

The Original girl looked at Francesca – who was still waiting for an answer from the Mikaelson herself – for a second, “What my sweetheart said.”

“Your sweetheart?” Francesca’s eyebrows rose to her hairline. Last time she used that word, Khalia threatened her with bodily harm. But then again, maybe that’s why she did it.

Hayley was so tempted to just snarl at her ‘yes, I’m hers and she’s mine, so fuck off’, but she held her tongue, knowing that if she ever wanted that thought to be true, then she needs to give Khalia time and space. Not pressure her into something.

“Yes. She’s my sweetheart.” Khalia openly admitted, causing Hayley’s heart to trip over itself. She turned her head up and was disappointed when Khalia’s expression didn’t give anything away. She only arched a perfect brow at the human. “Problem?”

“No.” Francesca quickly assured her. Just now the Original vampire decides to kill her and that wouldn’t be beneficial to her plans. “I just wasn’t aware you were seeing someone. And rumors has it, the Demon Mikaelson is a notorious playgirl, always up for some fun.”

“Well, I have a pair of perfectly working eyes with 20-20 vision, so I don’t just see someone, I see everyone.” Khalia gave her a cold smile that made Hayley feel immensely satisfied. “As far as rumors go, I’m out of the game indefinitely.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Francesca said, still not knowing if the Demon Mikaelson and the pregnant werewolf are together or not.

“I know what you meant. I also know that it’s none of your fucking business.” Khalia had the audacity to smirk at her, before turning Hayley around and started steering them to the kitchen. Hayley said she was hungry.

“One chance.” Francesca said from behind them once more. “That’s all I’m asking for.”

“No.” Khalia didn’t even bother to look around as she rejected her yet again, hopefully this time for the last time.

***

AUTHOR’S NOTE

For those of you who forgot, Sierra is my OC love interest for Jackson. Just for some added drama. *evil grin*

VERY IMPORTANT: neither Hayley or Jackson know that they are betrothed yet. That will come in season two.

Anyone else love a jealous-Hayley? Cause she’s a joy to write.

–Mixie