Days passed with no news.

Marcel had gone radio silent, which Yara assumed was a good thing. It was likely that Aya was watching him like a hawk and he was doing what he needed to survive. It didn't stop her from hating every second of it, but she wished for it to mean that the de-linking wasn't ready to be carried out; surely he would have managed to rip away and warn them if it was time.

"Still nothing," said Freya one morning. "I suggested that we try to brainstorm what has happened so far, what may happen yet."

"Good," said Yara tiredly, drinking coffee even though it would do nothing to strip away the emotional exhaustion of waiting for news. She, Kol, and Freya were forbidden from going out to search on foot. It had been lonely in the Compound, no visitors allowed. "The prophecy says the three remaining Originals will fall by friend, family, and foe."

"We can assume Rebekah was fallen by either foe or family," said Freya. "I'm inclined to say family because we had to make the decision to dagger her... I suppose I'm hoping desperately that we're not meant to anticipate a larger betrayal on behalf of those of us who remain. But if we think of her being fallen by family, that leaves friend and foe. Elijah and Klaus have a lot of foes, thankfully not so many friends."

"But, if you are so determined to find foe amongst friends, then look no further than Marcel," said Klaus, eyeing Yara as she stared at the bookshelf where Hamlet had been put away.

"Marcel is the least of our troubles," said Elijah impatiently. "You know as well as I that we would have risked a great deal of conflict if the wolves had thought us responsible for Jackson or Hayley's deaths. You ought to remember the reason you have your daughter. Not to mention that Hayley and Jackson have both vowed to protect her and will teach her because, in time, she will become the Alpha of that pack. Marcel did what he had to do, as Yara reminded us."

She smiled weakly, glad Elijah seemed to be less cross than Klaus, but it didn't make her feel any better about the situation. "Marcel or no Marcel, we know who's really running things in The Strix. Aya. She and her posse are eager and free to break the sire line whenever they please. If they sever that link, they'll come for us all. And given the things we know about all of us and our misdeeds, I don't doubt those enemies would stoop low enough to hurt Hope. Let's not forget there were many that tried to stop her from being born."

"They cannot kill us unless they have the white oak," whispered Elijah pensively.

Klaus didn't seem to understand that he was only brainstorming. "Aurora has the last of it," he snapped.

"Then she dies first."

"You once told me you wanted to use her head as a footstool. Why wait?"

"We need to find her first," said Kol, munching on one of Yara's loquats, given the bowl had remained untouched. "Or have someone find her."

As it turned out, someone already had.

The Crescents had had another incident with poachers, and in getting rid of them, had discovered a path that led to an abandoned train car at St. Charles Yard with voice coming from within. Hayley had overheard a conversation between Aurora and Aya, something about a way for the younger de Martel sibling to see Tristan again.

Elijah and Klaus had left before Yara could think clearly. It reeked of a trap the more she thought of it, and it was confirmed when Hayley and Marcel arrived with a barely-able-to-move Lucien.

They hadn't needed someone close to them to lure them into a trap. They just needed someone they wanted to hurt bad enough to go ahead without a plan in place.

"I heard something else, something about a Chambre de Chasse," said Hayley as Freya and Kol tried and failed to find their brothers. "Lucien was there–" she nodded to him gulping down a blood bag, having been severely in need of blood, "and it looks like Aurora helped Aya set the trap. I think Klaus and Elijah are stuck in that Chambre thing, whatever that means. Sounds like... chamber?"

"It is one," said Kol. "A hunt room. It's where witches bring their prey for mental target practice. Their bodies are somewhere in the real world, laying dead on the floor, whilst their minds are held elsewhere, keeping them unable to retaliate as they carry out this bloody delinking."

"When and where are they planning to do it?" inquired Yara, facing Marcel. "Did you know–?"

"Of course I didn't know! And regardless, why the hell are we trusting this guy all of the sudden, huh?" He motioned toward Lucien, who wasn't prepared to leave. "He's the one who ran off with Aurora the first chance he got."

Lucien scoffed. "You can hardly fault a man for following his heart. Yet, the moment she started raving about firing white oak into Klaus, well... Words were said, hearts broken, veins drained."

"We're not trusting him," said Yara, trying to remain calm. "But he's the only person we've got. It's just us right now, and we need to figure out what to do."

"Simple," said Hayley. "We can storm the Coven house, stop The Strix from completing the de-siring spell, can't we?"

Marcel made a face. "Okay. Well, that's easy for you to say. You're not sired by anybody, are you?"

"It's not just about de-siring," said Lucien. "We've got to stop an execution."

"Execution?" demanded Yara. "Oh... oh no...."

"Exactly," said Lucien. "There is no guarantee that the de-siring will even work, but Aya has both Mikaelson brothers in one place already. She partnered with Aurora, and what does Aurora have? White oak bullets. She will test the spell's success by firing a white oak bullet into Klaus's heart. I mean, it's a win-win for her. If you live, Marcel, well, she's won, and she is free to kill Elijah. If not, at least she's eliminated the rival sireline, including me."

"The prophecy says Klaus will die and his sireline will burn," said Yara in a small voice.

Lucien nodded. "She watched us fall, she watched us burn, every soul Klaus ever turned. When Aya tests this spell, Klaus will fall either way. And, if the spell fails, as it likely will, the two of us will die as well."

Freya and Kol moved their research upstairs, desperately looking for a way to break their brothers out of the Chambre de Chasse so they might have a shot at escaping from the inside. Marcel pulled blueprints of the Davilla Estate and stepped aside to make some calls, letting Lucien, Yara, and Hayley stare down at the maps.

"Access tunnels," she muttered, pointing at different areas of the page. "Back doors... everything likely to be guarded. Main entrance will probably be filled to the brim with Strix vampires. We could draw them out of the house so we can get in?"

"And how would we draw them out?" asked Lucien. "I see no alternative but for us to rely on those tunnels and trudge through disgusting sewage."

"What," said Hayley, "worried about the fate of your thousand-dollar shoes?"

Yara smiled, but Lucien didn't find it funny. "Actually, I'll be doing most of the heavy lifting, since the vampires we're facing are, what? Seven times your age?"

"Doesn't matter," said Marcel, hanging up his call. "We're not getting their bodies back. Strix from all over the world are flying in to make sure this spell goes off. They're guarding every entrance and exit, just like Yara said."

Lucien frowned. "Well, you're their leader. Call a meeting. Schedule a retreat. Order them to stop."

"Nah, nah, nah, nah. I do that, Aya has no problem staging a coup."

"Marvelous. I guess it's on me to come up with our grand plan, then."

"I already offered something," said Yara hotly. "Draw them out. We just need to figure out what's major enough to get them to stop focusing on the de-linking."

Freya cleared her throat on the staircase. "I've found a way to get the boys out of the chambre. I just need a strong enough power source. I'd channel Finn, but he's all for letting our brothers perish. So, I'll channel Lucien. The older the vampire, the better the battery."

Lucien was surprised he was being volunteered for this. "And in the meantime–?"

"I guess it falls on us to buy her time and keep The Strix busy," said Yara, gesturing to herself, Hayley, and Marcel.

The vampire stared at her. "Wait, so you want me here holding hands with the leftover sister while you take the toddlers and tackle the Strix? You must be jok–"

Freya flicked her wrist, snapping his neck. Behind her, Kol wove his hand, pulling Lucien's body toward him.

"Wait," said Marcel, "so the plan is that the three of us are gonna keep one hundred of the world's most ancient vampires occupied?"

"It may not have to be the three of us," said Hayley quietly as Kol walked down to join them. "The Crescents... they may be able to help us. Marcel's vampires are nowhere near strong enough and we can't expect anything from the witches. But what about the wolves... in wolf form?"

"It's possible," said Yara. "I mean, I've never fought a wolf in wolf form, I'd definitely lose. I imagine it may be the same with The Strix. There aren't many opportunities for encounters like that and anyone still alive now probably has never had one or they'd most likely be dead; I figure the cure is a relatively recent discovery. The wolves would be huge and their bite is lethal, even more so when delivered in such large chunks. If they did turn at will, I think that could work. Catch The Strix off-guard... get them out of their element. They're used to fighting people, other vampires. Not animals."

"Good. Then Jackson can lead the attack and I can go in with you."

"I can cloak you," offered Kol as Hayley went to call her husband. "Marcel could drive you into the property, you two in the trunk. Once the wolves begin their attack, you go in. There will be less vampires inside. By then, I hope, Freya and I will have gotten them out of the chambre. All that will be left is fighting your way back out. I can even ask Davina if she's willing to help me with another spell to handle any Strix that are coming in. No other vampires will be able to enter once you do. Make sure that no reinforcements can come in to aid them. Whoever is there right now is whoever you'll have to deal with, that's it."

As soon as the wolves were mobilized, Hayley and Yara armed themselves, waiting in the trunk for Kol to cast his spell. Marcel began to drive, the two of them quiet even though they didn't have to be.

For Hope. For Rebekah. For the family. I can't lose them. I can't, not today, not ever.

As soon as Marcel parked the car beside the Davilla Estate, gates shut to anyone else, Hayley called in the wolves. They waited until they heard their howls and the rush of vampires exiting the house to help before sneaking out of the trunk and using one of the back entrances, now unguarded, to enter the house and move toward a large room with a pool, which Marcel claimed was going to be used to perform the spell.

Little by little, they moved forward, waiting for the majority of the vampires to be gone before they started to move faster. Yara led the attacks, jumping on the vampires to catch them off guard before Hayley bit them, disorienting them enough for Yara to rip out their hearts. They continued bit by bit until they reached the pool room, where The Strix Coven girls were already chanting, two guards left to monitor their progress.

Marcel was already there, leaping into action when he saw them, the three overwhelming the guards and snapping their necks. Yara made sure to step on their necks until their heads popped off, taking no risks. The Strix witches were trying to figure out what to do, perhaps having rehearsed with everyone chanting. One girl swept her hand up, blocking them from entering the pool to retrieve Klaus and Elijah.

They didn't need to leap in. Elijah awoke with a gasp, vamp-speeding toward the nearest girl and biting into her throat, dragging her into the water and drowning on her as he fed. Hayley and Yara dove to another two, breaking their necks and leaving less and less girls to chant. Those that remained where determined, holding out their arms and throwing the vampires into the far walls, forcing them away.

Yara tried to fight it, she tried to claw her way forward. It did nothing. Klaus awoke too late to jump out himself. He let out a scream of pain, followed by Marcel who collapsed, holding his arm as it began to turn red, veins bulging.

The pool exploded into half a dozen geysers. The spell on them was lifted, and Yara wasted no time in rushing to Marcel, making sure he was conscious then leaping into the pool where Klaus lay, completely grey and desiccated for a moment.

"Drink, drink," she said shakily, biting into her wrist and letting him feed. Color began to return to his face. "Oh thank God– thank God–"

"I felt them leave," he rasped. "My sireline is broken."

"It's okay, it's okay," she mumbled, pulling him out of the water. Behind her, Hayley and Elijah killed the remaining Strix witches, tossing their bodies aside. "We'll figure it out. Let's get you home."

"Go, quickly," urged Elijah, listening to the sound of the fight outside growing quieter. "I'll deal with them."

"So will I," offered Hayley.

"I have something I need to do first," said Klaus as he climbed out of the pool. "Yara, take Marcel home. Now."

She didn't argue. She dragged Marcel back, leaving his car there to avoid running into any wolves. When they reached his loft, she set out a fresh pair of clothes after drawing him a bath, waiting with some tea and a blood bag to nourish him before coaxing him into bed and tucking him in just like when he was little.

"We got lucky today," she whispered, caressing his face. "If the wolves did their best, The Strix will have lost manyvampires. Lightens the load on you. I will hope for Aya to be gone. That way we never have to worry about them again."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "For what I had to do. I ignored you, I just... I felt bad."

"I know. And I will forgive you for anything, my love." She kissed his forehead. "Try to get some rest. I need to make sure Freya and Kol were okay."

They were fine, but it seemed Kol was annoyed with the fact that Lucien had been flirting with Freya the entire time. Yara chose to stay out of it, instead popping in to see Davina, who had, in fact, helped Kol.

"It's good to see you again, my sweet girl," said Yara, drawing her into a hug.

"It's good to see you, too," sighed Davina, letting Yara run her hands through her hair. "It's been a hard couple of months. And you haven't stopped trying to check in on me."

"I'll always check in on you. We're here for you, okay? I'd... I'd like to see you more often, to try and help you. There's a lot I don't understand about your situation but I can try, I promise. I can give you anything you need."

Davina half-smiled. "Right now, I really just need a break from all this. I'm considering going on a trip with Tim... he'd like to see Europe."

"That sounds like a perfect outing. I'd very much like to sponsor it. Can I make you something to eat? You can tell me all about it."

"Maybe another time. I need to get back. Josh and Aiden are waiting for me."

"Very well. Get home safe. And remember you always have a home here, Davina."

She made her way downstairs once Kol had left to walk Davina home. Lucien was already pouring himself a drink with Freya and Elijah, who'd arrived covered in blood.

"Looks like we halted that prophecy train just before it dragged us all over a cliff," said Lucien happily, holding up a glass of sazerac. "The key vision has come to pass. Klaus's sires did burn, no one perished. We stopped them. Well, technically, we stopped them," he gestured to only himself and Freya, "but, no room for false modesty between friends, eh?"

Freya rolled her eyes, not at all amused by his attempts to flirt. "Rebekah was felled by family, Klaus was robbed of his sireline by Aya, a foe, unless you consider Marcel, who could be friend."

"My brother and I do have a history of confusing the two," muttered Elijah. "Aya was both friend and foe to me. If she'd succeeded–"

"Well she didn't," said Lucien, patting his shoulder. "Whatever else was broken by the path paved by that bloody prophecy, well, I find there's nothing a good sazerac can't fix." He flicked a finger at Freya. "Care to show me where they hide the good stuff, love?"

"If you must," sighed Elijah, wanting Lucien to just stop talking.

As soon as they were gone, Elijah sighed, "I have killed Aya," he said. "The Strix is nearly extinct. The few who remain have no problem following Marcellus. The threat from them has passed. We've retrieved the gun with the white oak and have acquired the bullets within."

"All the bullets made from that chess piece?"

"That I don't know."

"Then we should find out."

Klaus arrived in a sour mood and didn't wish to share a drink with Elijah and Yara. He went right up to the nursery to check on Hope, who was still awake and glad to see her parents.

"What's wrong?" asked Yara softly, leaning onto his shoulder. "Where did you go?"

"I've entombed Aurora in the Lafayette Cemetery," he muttered. "Bricked her up with a Boundary Spell. She won't be getting out anytime soon. While the fish eat Tristan, the worms will eat her."

Yara refrained from asking why Aurora wasn't dead, given all the threats he'd cast so recently regarding footstools and flagpoles. "Okay. Um, Hayley said the wolves are great, not many casualties, and everyone was glad to do it if it means booting The Strix out of town, and it seems Josh and Aiden made it clear that I'm the reason Jackson and Hayley are still alive, so... they are fine with it. Not fine, of course, but um... accepting it. They're proud of themselves, they had a good time, I think."

He nodded slowly. "Freya claims a nexus vorti was created by the spell. Do you care to wager a guess on what she intends to use it on?"

"No idea. I forfeit my guess."

"She wants to resurrect Finn the way Kol was... into his Original witch body."

"Oh, well, I guess that means he'll be happier... and probably free." She could tell Klaus wasn't happy with it, and she figured that Elijah wouldn't be, either. But if this was what Freya wanted, who was she to deny her? Yara didn't like Finn because of his threats against Hope, but perhaps he would be more cordial now that Dahlia wasn't a threat and he wouldn't be cursed with a vampire existence. She would get to know him if the opportunity arose. If not, she was sure he'd have a grand time living anywhere but New Orleans.

"Go on," she urged, "tell me what's bothering you."

"My enemies will come for me," he whispered. "It's only a matter of time."

"And if they do, we will deal with them."

"Elijah tells me there is a chance of more white oak being out there." He scowled. "A few decades ago, in the midst of his incessant pursuit of me, Mikael disappeared without a trace. No witch could locate him. Of course, I lived as though he lurked around every corner, until one day, I, too, disappeared. Just cut all ties and vanished."

"Would you feel comfortable doing that again? We could, you know... the threat hasn't passed and if you wished... Hope and I could take our turn with you at the safe house. Or we could go back to Brazil."

He hesitated. "I don't wish to run. But I have no idea who will come for me, what they will do when they are here, who they will hurt." He stared at his feet. "Aurora already tried to hurt you. She was able to find you so easily, Yara. If she did it out of jealousy, imagine what others will do to destroy me."

"So we destroy them," said Yara. "We destroy anyone who comes for this family, anyone who threatens to hurt our daughter. Just as we always have, we will give them hell. Or we can, if we stay. But we don't have to, Klaus. If you want to disappear, I will follow you. We don't have to fight this right away."

Klaus sighed. "Give me a few days to think about it, love. I will get back to you. Until then... I only wish for you to hold me."

Hope was glad to cuddle with them for another night.