ELIJAH walked into the living room, looking for Klaus, when he found Ingrid sitting crossed legged in the couch with a large, family-size carton of Goldfish crackers and a white Styrofoam cup in her lap. On the table next to her, there was a pile of peanut butter cup wrappers along with a small, now empty, pint of ice cream.

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, he walked into the room and gestured to the scene before him. "What's going on?"

"Nothing much. What's going on with you?" She questioned, trying to avoid the question she knew would be coming, and slurped on the drink in her cup.

Elijah snatched it from her and smelled the contents through the straw. "Peanut butter milkshake." He mused lowly in a knowing tone.

Ingrid took her drink back with a scoff and brought the straw to her lips again, not responding verbally.

Her lack of denial or confirmation, fueled Elijah's suspicions and his dark brown eyes widened. "Ingrid..."

"Elijah..." she said back in the exact same tone and shoveled a handful of Goldfish into her mouth.

Elijah was about to push further for answers when Klaus and Freya walked into the room. Klaus noticed his wife's mess and smiled slightly with a low chuckle. He walked toward the couch and sat down next to her.

Freya felt Elijah's mood and glanced at him in concern. "What's wrong?" She asked him then looked between him and Ingrid. "What's going on?"

Elijah licked his lips with a small smirk and shrugged his shoulders. "Ingrid's pregnant." He blurted out quickly, unable to contain the news anymore. Ingrid glared over at him while Klaus laughed wholeheartedly.

Freya's mouth hung agape as she stared at the couple in excitement and surprise. "Really?!"

Ingrid nodded slowly and gave Elijah a look. "We wanted to wait until this prophecy nonsense was over but yes."

Freya rushed toward them and hugged the couple tightly in her arms. "This is amazing!"

Kol walked into the room and smiled awkwardly at them. "What's with the yelling?"

Freya let go of them and turned toward him with a wide smile and tears in her eyes. "They're having another baby."

Kol beamed at his sister in law and wrapped his arms tightly around her, shaking her side to side. "Congratulations, Indy!!"

She held a finger up and choked back the vomit that had risen in her throat. "Yes, thank you. Could you let me go please?"

Kol let her go and placed a kiss on the top of her head. Klaus stood up and walked toward her, placing a comforting hand on the small of her back. "Yes, super exciting. But let's get back to the matter at hand please."

They all grumbled lowly before nodding in agreement and walking off to do what they were originally doing prior. Once Klaus and Ingrid were alone, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly on the lips. "Looks like the cat's out of the bag now."

Ingrid nodded with a slight disappointment look on her face. "Yeah..."

"What's wrong, love?" He questioned in concern.

"Nothing's wrong but yesterday it was just us in our own little bubble. Blissful. " She replied with a happy smile then frowned slightly with her next statement. "Now, the bubble has burst and everyone knows. It's going to be constant babying me and everyone in our business."

Klaus knew she was right and sighed with a frown as well. "I'm sorry, love."

Rubbing her hands across his arms, she smiled affectionately at him. "It's okay, my darling. I'll live with everyone caring about me I guess." She commented in playfully annoyance causing him to laugh in amusement and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

Freya was sketching a rough draft of a spell in an empty grimoire in the study upstairs. However, she stopped what she was doing when she heard footsteps pacing back and forth behind her. It was Klaus, who looked extremely anxious with his arms crossed over his chest.

Freya sighed loudly in frustration. "You're hovering."

"Yeah, he tends to do that." Ingrid comments with a smirk as she entered the room.

Klaus glared at them both and rolled his light blue eyes. "I'm supervising." He corrected pointedly. "How else to speed up your endeavors? Let's see. Perhaps I should bring Vincent here? Force him to aid you by removing his legs?"

Freya rolled her eyes at his behavior. "Vincent doesn't know how to kill Lucien, either. Besides, if he leaves the St. James, who knows what the Ancestors will make him do next?"

Just then, Elijah breezed into the room and joined them. "The Ancestors are thoroughly occupied, according to Davina, terrorizing our brother."

"Is he alright?" Ingrid asked in genuine concern, furrowing her eyebrows and looking at her brother-in-law in worry.

"What a surprise! Another day, another witch-inspired vendetta." Klaus snarled bitterly, throwing his hands up.

"Well, Davina can take care of Kol for now." Elijah assured them and tried to turn their interest back to the task at hand. "Let us focus our energies on Lucien. How do we demolish that rodent?"

"I'm working on it." Freya snapped in aggravation and sighed heavily again.

"Yes! While we all have our roles to play, Elijah can stay here and oversee whatever Freya is doing. I'm going to actually accomplish something." Klaus jeered impatiently causing Ingrid to roll her eyes.

Elijah looked uneasy as Klaus walked toward the door and he tried to stop him with little success. "Brother, accomplishing something--"

Klaus turned toward him, losing his temper and cutting him off. "The time for talking is done!" Visibly frustrated, Klaus walked out the door without another word.

The trio shared surprised looks with one another and stared out the door where he had taken off.

Frowning, Ingrid followed suit and chased him down through the hallways. "Niklaus!"

He spun around to face her and felt some of his anger ease when he saw her face. She caught up to him and instantly reached out to grab his hands. "Hey, hey." She said softly with a small smile and intertwined their fingers. "What's going in that head of yours? Please, talk to me."

Resting his forehead against hers, he let out a deep breath and licked his lips. "Okay. But I need some air."

She stared up at him, worried for his well-being, and nodded her head in agreement. "Okay."

The couple then left the compound and began walking around the NOLA Music Days Festival where a huge crowd was drinking, dancing, and eating fair food. Klaus stopped at one of the vendors and bought Ingrid a funnel cake. Ingrid grinned widely in appreciation and mused happily when she took the first bite.

He laughed affectionately and looped his arm with hers. She held the fried dough up to him but he shook his head in rejection. "No, it's okay. Enjoy it, love."

She took another bite, powdered sugar covering her face with pouched cheeks in a chipmunk fashion. She caught his eyes and froze, speaking through a mouthful. "What?"

Shaking his head, Klaus smiled in admiration nd wiped the sugar off her face with a napkin. "I love you." He expressed in affection, thinking to himself just how adorable she was in that moment. He sighed while preparing himself to speak on what was troubling him. "I fear the end is truly coming." He admitted softly causing her to look at him in confusion. "Lucien is practically unstoppable and he could potentially kill us all."

Klaus was going to speak further until he sensed something and turned around to find Lucien standing near the fountain, smirking at him. Klaus glared at him in return but his line of sight was broken by a crowd of people walking by him and once they passed, Lucien completely vanished.

Klaus scowled at the empty spot before looking at Ingrid with a stern expression. "He's here." He whispered in a panic and felt her body stiffen next to him. "Don't follow me." He said strictly, giving her a quick kiss on the lips, before setting off to track Lucien down.

Ingrid stood there with a frown, and some powdered sugar, on her face and watched him walk away before she could utter a single word of argument.

Klaus eventually ending up in an alley behind a large brick building and pulled out Papa Tunde's blade from his jacket, prepared for a fight.

He pressed his back against the wall and looked around for Lucien. Just then, Lucien appeared and backhanded Klaus across the face so hard that he flew backward and rolled across the pavement.

Klaus quickly righted himself into a defensive position as Lucien chuckled in amusement. "Hello, Nik!"

Klaus scowled at him, standing to his feet before shrugging nonchalantly. "Not bad. Perhaps I'll return the favor?" He taunted and lunged for Lucien, swiping the blade at him, but Lucien easily dodged all of his strikes as the two spun around and blocked each other.

Lucien had once again backhanded Klaus and sent him flying backward, where he landed on the hood of an old car and smashed the windshield. Klaus spat blood out of his mouth just as Lucien leaped forward and landed in front of him on the hood of the car. "Do you see now, old friend? You cannot beat me."

Klaus, though slightly weakened, still scoffed in offense at this remark. "Defeated at the hands of a stable boy? I sincerely doubt it."

Lucien chuckled at his arrogance and mused nonchalantly. "I'll have my moment. Yet, you still have a role to play in the prophecy I am to fulfill. You're gonna help me get Elijah."

Klaus spun around and kicked Lucien's legs out from under him, causing him to fall off the car as Klaus fell back into a defensive position. He leaped down onto the pavement and prepared to stab Lucien with Papa Tunde's blade. However, Lucien got up off the ground faster than Klaus and grabbed him by the wrist to stop him.

Klaus struggled to break his hold and used his free hand to give him more strength as he aimed the tip of the blade toward Lucien's heart and growled at him. "I'm not gonna let you hurt my brother." He snarled protectively.

"Sadly, you don't have a choice." Lucien snapped Klaus' right wrist and used it to aim the blade at Klaus' own heart, eventually plunging it into his chest and causing Klaus to roar out loudly in pain as the blade embedded itself in his heart.

Lucien seemed shocked by this turn of events, but was definitely pleased as Klaus gasped in pain and fell to his knees before him. However, unbeknownst to Lucien, Ingrid had walked by across the street just in time to see the ending of their fight. She quickly fled before he could see her and sped toward the compound.

Ingrid ran into the study with tears falling down her cheeks and breathing heavily. She mouthed several words but no sounds came out when she tried. Absolute terror and panic filled all of her senses.

Elijah immediately stood up from his seat and approached her in concern. "Ingrid, what's wrong?"

"Lucien took Niklaus." She answered, her voice cracking from the tears.

Freya looked up from her sketches, a piece of charcoal in her hand. "Did he bite him?" She asked, worried, and set the charcoal down on top her rough drafts which were covering the coffee table.

"No." Ingrid answered with a shake of her head. "Not from what I saw. He intends to use Niklaus as bait for Elijah."

Elijah turned toward his sister, impatient and panicked. "Freya, we are out of time."

"A sigil is a complicated magical symbol, weaponized and condensed to its most potent form. If I combine the right elements, we'll have a chance at stopping Lucien, and if I don't..." Freya trailed off anxiously, hinting at what would happen if the spell didn't work.

Elijah's phone buzzed in his pocket and he scowled when he read who sent him the text. "Lucien is demanding my presence at the Whiskey Cask-- alone and immediately. He says if I delay, Niklaus will die." He read aloud for them and sighed heavily with a dark expression on his face.

The other two looked anxious and overwhelmed as Elijah turned and walked toward the door. Ingrid grabbed ahold of his arm and glanced at him with a stern yet troubled face. "Be careful and be smart. Lucien is stronger than us now. He took down Niklaus as if it was nothing. So I am begging you... be vigilant."

Elijah nodded in understanding and placed his hand over hers. "I'll bring him home in one piece."

"Good." She remarked in approval with a nod of her head and licked her lips while anxiously shifting on her feet. "But... Make sure to bring yourself home in one piece as well."

Elijah was shocked to hear her concern for him but he quickly covered it up and nodded curtly. "I will. Now, I am begging you. Stay here." He ordered strictly before removing his hand from hers and walking out of the room. She watched him disappear down the hallway and let out a shaky breath of air.

Ingrid looked at Freya and quickly wiped away her tears. "I'm going to see Marcellus." She informed the witch then walked out of the study.

"Wait, Ingrid!" Freya attempted to stop her and stood to her feet.

Ingrid turned toward the witch and shook her head. "I can't just sit by and wait. I'm just going to Marcellus'. I'll be fine." She reassured her, not willing to back down. "It's fine."

Freya looked like she wanted to argue further but decided against it, knowing she was going to lose. Nodding in acceptance, she glanced down at her sister-in-law in concern. "Just... be safe."

Marcel was sitting in his loft with Vincent and Josh when there was a knock at the door. The leader of the Strix walked over to answer it with a confused expression until he opened the door to reveal Ingrid standing there with a small smile and Hope on her hip. Marcel's confusion immediately melted into a large warm smile and he gestured for them to come inside.

Ingrid smiled at him, walked across the threshold, and noticed the other two men sitting in the living room. "Oh, my apologies. I wasn't aware you had company. I can come back--"

Marcel shook his head and waved a hand in dismissal. "Nah. It's okay." He reassured then looked at Josh and Vincent. "Mind giving us a minute?"

Josh nodded immediately and stood to his feet, walking past them. Vincent glanced at Ingrid in suspicion, and she narrowed her eyes at him, but did as requested and left the loft after Josh.

Once they were alone, Marcel held his arms out toward the hybrid and motioned toward the child in her arms. "Give her here. I want to hold my baby sister."

Ingrid laughed wholeheartedly while shifting Hope on her hip and handing the toddler over to him. "There you go."

Marcel grabbed Hope in his arms and smiled happily at her. "Hey, honey!" He kissed her on the top of the head then leaned over to kiss Ingrid on the cheek. "Hi, ma."

She was caught off guard by this term of endearment but snapped out of it and leaned into his touch while beaming happily at him. "Hi." She whispered softly with a wide smile and blinked back the tears.

Marcel then walked over to a storage bin he had in the corner and opened the lid, revealing a series of children's toys. He set Hope on the ground and sat down next to her, pulling out some toys to show her and catch her interest. Hope settled on a set of colorful blocks and began stacking them on top of each other.

Marcel looked up at Ingrid with a curious expression. "What can I thank for this visit?"

Ingrid made a face of realization and held up a finger before pulling a book out from Hope's diaper bag and handing it to him. "I wanted to return this. Thank you for letting me borrow it. I see why you recommended it."

Marcel took the book and glanced at it for a moment then tossed it to the side and shook his head. "That's not why you're here."

Fiddling with her fingers, she narrowed her eyes at him with a playfully annoyed expression. "Why do you have to be so smart, Marcellus?" She mocked earning a laugh from him. "Uh... well, I do have some news." She vaguely informed him and cleared her throat anxiously.

Marcel stood to his feet and walked toward the bar, offering her a drink. She shook her head in rejection and smirked. "No. I can't do that for awhile because... I'm pregnant." She whispered the last statement with a smile.

Marcel choked on his whiskey and coughed harshly while looking at her in surprise and excitement. He composed himself and rushed over to embrace her in a tight hug. "Congratulations!" He pulled away and noticed the look on her face and grew concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I'm scared." She admitted in a hushed voice with tears welding in the bottom of her dark brown eyes.

Marcel furrowed his eyebrows and ran his hands comfortingly on her arms. "It's okay." He attempted to reassure her. "You're a wonderful mom."

Ingrid shook her head and licked her lips. "No, it's not that..." she trailed off and looked down at her trembling hands. "Lucien has taken Niklaus and I... I can't do anything about it." She admitted in a watery voice and he quickly pulled her close. "If I lose Niklaus... I---I--I..." She stuttered, unable to put the grief into words. What she wanted to say was that if Lucien killed Klaus then not only would she be losing the love of her life; her husband, the father of her children, but she would lose her son.

He didn't need her to speak the words out loud to understand what she meant or how she was feeling. "I know." He whispered softly, staring at the wall in front of him. Marcel was feeling the dread that came with thinking your life was about to end. His life was in the hands of Lucien at the moment and he would never truly know when his last moment would be his last.

Taking that into consideration, he wanted what could possibly be his last moment to be spent with the woman he affectionately viewed as his mother and the toddler he knew to be his sister. Closing his dark brown eyes, he placed a hand on the back of her head and held her while they both began to drown in their own fear. The pair using the other as a life preserver.

What felt like hours later, Ingrid was sitting on the couch with a sleeping Hope curled up on her chest. She was staring blankly at the wall as she anticipated a phone call or a text message from another Mikaelson, letting her know whether her husband was gone.

Marcel was sitting across from her, drinking what was his fifth glass of scotch. The two tried to keep mild conversation but they both knew it was pointless. There was no comfort or solace in that moment. Marcel leaned over and grabbed her hand in his, squeezing it gently.

This snapped Ingrid out of her trance and she looked up at him with a small smile. The corner of her mouth barely twitching it as she kept the tears from falling down her face. Marcel could see how much she was trying to keep herself together and formed a new prospective of her.

Ingrid loved her family more than anything in the world and she would do absolutely anything she could to save them, keep them safe. There she was, unable to do anything because she was in the midst of growing a new Mikaelson to bring into the world. She felt helpless, lost, and furious.

Ingrid wasn't the monster that her reputation paved her out to be. Deep down, reserved for those who truly deserved it, she was kind, caring, joyous, protective. With that affection came the dark side that everyone else saw. She was the vindictive, ruthless, paranoid version of herself.

Having spent time in her loving side Marcel knew the rough side of her was a front. One she put up to keep others from trying to take advantage of or walk all over her. Marcel also knew that meant Ingrid would protect him as well with the same aggression she did the other Mikaelsons.

They were both broken out of their worlds when there was a frantic knock at the door. They shared anxious looks and Ingrid felt her heart pounding harshly away in her chest, the sound flooding her ears. The tears involuntarily fell down her face as she prepared for the worst.

Marcel let go of her hand and stood to his feet. He set his glass down and nervously rubbed his hands together while walking toward the door. Ingrid grabbed Hope and got up from her seat then gently set Hope on the couch cushions and tucked her in with a blanket.

He opened the door, revealing a disheveled Klaus standing outside. His hair was tussled into a mess, there was dried blood on his chin. Upon seeing Ingrid, Klaus immediately pushed through the doorway and rushed toward her. He placed a hand on the back of her head and pulled her into a firm hug. She melted into his touch and let out a loud breath of relief. She gripped tightly onto the back of his jacket, her small hands balled up into fists as she held onto the leather.

His kissed the top of her head repeatedly and soaked in that moment. Gratitude filled his senses as the scent of her usual perfume and shampoo wafted up his nose. "I am so sorry." He whispered apologetically and smoothed the back of her hair. "I never wanted to put you through that."

"I'm just overjoyed you're safe." She whispered against the soft cotton of his tee shirt. Ingrid sniffled softly and pulled away from the embrace. She studied his face with a frown and placed a hand on his cheek. "Let's get your cleaned up."

Klaus cracked a smile and laughed lightly at her. He placed a hand over hers and leaned into her touch. He closed his eyes briefly before nodding in agreement. "Sounds like a plan, love." He grabbed her hand, kissing the palm, and walked over to the couch. He whispered in a hushed tone to his daughter and softly picked her up. "Come on, my little wolf."

Hope groaned but otherwise didn't wake up. Klaus rested her head on his shoulder and walked toward Ingrid, holding his hand out. She grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers, and allowed him to guide her toward the door. When they approached Marcel, Ingrid grinned at him and let go of Klaus so she could hug him. "Thank you." She expressed in genuine appreciation. "I'm sorry for intruding and ruining your night."

Marcel shook his head with a wide smile. "No, it's okay. You're always welcome here, ma." He assured her kindly and kissed her cheek farewell. "I'll call you later."

Ingrid smiled affectionately and nodded her head. "Yes. You will." She ordered in a fake stern tone and pointed a finger at him with a scowl.

Marcel laughed in amusement and held his hands up in surrender. "Yes, ma'am."

She swatted his arm as the trio began to walk to the door again. "Don't call me ma'am!" She yelled to him from down the hallway then smirked when she heard the sound of his laughter.

Klaus grabbed her hand again and smirked down at her. "He called you ma."

Ingrid stared down at the space in front of her with a giddy smile plastered on her face. "Yeah, he did..."

Klaus, Ingrid, Elijah, and Freya were all recapping the day's events in the dining room of the compound as Klaus lied a pair of enchanted chains onto the table and spoke to his sister in a snarky tone of voice. "Mission accomplished. And it only took you the better part of a day!"

Freya glared up at him with an unimpressed expression. "Do you want the chains back on?"

Ingrid chuckled to herself while Elijah smirked mischeviously. "You'd be doing us all a marvelous favor. Perhaps you could fasten something to his mouth?" He joked causing both women to laugh while Klaus glared at him, unamused.

Ingrid covered up her smirk and tapped her fingers against the dinning table. "How long do we suppose Aurora will stay nice and quiet?"

"Oh, my spell will keep her down long enough to use the serum in her blood to figure out a way to kill both her and Lucien." Freya responded smugly with a pointed look on her face.

"I must say, I'm rather looking forward to it." Klaus commented, clapping his hands together with a grin..

"You're welcome." Freya smiled at him and left the room without another word.

Elijah stood up with a small sigh and nodded at them curtly before attempting to follow his sister suit. Ingrid shifting in her seat and called out to him. "Elijah."

He turned around to face her with a curious look. She licked her lips anxiously and cleared her throat. "I am glad you're safe."

The older Original stared meaningfully at her for a moment then nodded again with a small smile. He debated on how to respond. Before their feuding, he would have kissed her on the forehead and made a joke about how she can't get rid of him. However, times were different and they weren't the same. "Of course." He gave her an appreciative face and walked out of the room.

Klaus chuckled to himself and reached across the table to grab her hand. He brought it to his lips and placed a small, tender kiss on her knuckles. She tilted her head to the side, glancing at him lovingly, and stroked his lips with the pad of her thumb. He was about to say something when she let out a loud, exhausting yawn then smirked. "How are you tired? You've done nothing all day."

She gaped at him in shock and slight offense before nudging him with her foot. "Are you---!"

He laughed loudly, proud of his joke, and leaned away from her when she tried to swat his chest. "I was joking!" He said quickly, trying to stop her. "Noo." He whined loudly after she stood up, pulling her hand out of his grip.

Ingrid glared at him as she stormed out of the room. Klaus stifled a laugh and chased after her, shouting her name throughout the compound. "Ingrid! Ingrid, wait. Come on, love!"

"Piss off, Niklaus." She grumbled at him causing him to chuckle louder, unable to contain it any longer.

---
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-the1andonlytifftiff