Their arrival to New Orleans put the plan in motion.

Beatrix cast a preliminary spell over Rebekah while Klaus checked in with Kol, Marcel, and Davina, who Beatrix was eager to meet. They then drove to Lafayette Cemetery, having Rebekah go in first, alone.

At first, Klaus and Beatrix simply waited in the car. The Heretic had climbed into the passenger's seat and leaned back against the door, tucking her legs up into the seat and remaining fairly quiet. She noticed the hybrid glancing at her every now and then, but she did not speak until he let out a loud huff.

"Yes?" she asked, looking back up at him.

"There is something on your mind," he noticed, raising an eyebrow and half smirking as if he had solved a complex puzzle. "I know you, Beatrix. You cannot keep that mouth of yours shut unless your life depends on it."

She debated between denying it, but there was no point. All she felt was pain. Once, long ago, Klaus had been her outlet, as she had been his. Between heated moments of passion where they'd sought to forget everything but bliss, words had passed to keep them both from losing their minds, because there was a time when they could only be open with each other. Therefore, she straightened up and let out a soft sigh. "What is there between Hayley and Elijah?" she asked quietly.

Klaus laced his fingers together, pausing a bit, perhaps to listen if Rebekah was in danger. He then turned to Beatrix. "They did have a fancy with each other," he stated. "I am not sure they ever acted upon it. But there are feelings. I am aware of that."

She slowly nodded her head. "Okay," she said quietly. "So I was not wrong in that."

"He will be better soon," murmured Klaus, leaning his own head back. "I know my brother is not in his right mind. Perhaps at the moment he does not remember you the same."

"The last thing I want to do is break them apart if they developed a romance, Klaus. I don't want to tear them away from each other for my own sake. It's different with Elijah and I. He thought I was dead."

"Not entirely. When my siblings were undaggered in Mystic Falls, Kol insisted you couldn't possibly be dead. Elijah heard him. That was far before he met Hayley. I do not tell you this to harm you, but rather to tell you the truth."

She gulped a bit loudly. "Yes... he told me that Kol had told him about that...." But she had never considered what Klaus had said. Elijah had heard Kol's theory before meeting Hayley. And yet, he did not wait. Beatrix had not expected him to— it would have been foolish, since there were no traces of her anywhere.

"None of us wanted to believe it," said Klaus, more gently than usual, seeing she looked stricken with loss, and pain. "We watched the fire raging and we never thought you and Marcellus could have possibly made it out alive. When we saw him again and he did not mention you, it was just confirmation of what we had thought."

"I feel hurt," she said. "I feel confused. I don't know what I was expecting but it certainly wasn't this. It... It is a lot to get used to in such little time, Klaus. I've only just gotten out and already I'm being bombarded with... everything."

The hybrid sighed. "You are no stranger to the problems that always follow us Mikaelsons. I wish we could have acknowledged your reunion differently. New to this world and yet you're not given time to become familiar." He nudged toward her pocket. "Let me at least teach you to use that phone that you purchased."

That was how they waited for the right moment. Beatrix tried to absorb all the information that Klaus was feeding her. It was just so out of the ordinary for her to be set back like this. Usually, she was ahead, doing Klaus's bidding and gaining them an advantage from the shadows. She had been their secret weapon in the past, a witch who could perform all sorts of spells without many devastating side effects. Just a loss of strength, as expected from anyone, since she was certainly not all-powerful.

At last, Klaus perked up. "They've moved," he mused. "They have finished their task. Come, love, it's time for you to see if your little best friend did his part correctly."

He meant Kol. After checking in with him, Kol had left first, and Beatrix hadn't seen him. She was worried. She had been so hopeful to see him again, when she was in the prison world, and then she had thought him dead, but had returned to see him alive, just in another body. Sometimes, it was rather hard to keep up with Kol's antics.

The two hybrid creatures exited the vehicle, and Klays led the way toward an altar in the cemetery. They hid in the shadows, seeing an hourglass on the altar, surrounded by salt and sand in a circle. Esther, in her new body, was at the center, and Rebekah and Kol had just walked to join her on either side of it. Klaus beckoned for Beatrix to follow him to the top of one of the crypts, and they climbed quietly, observing below as Esther suddenly lay the white oak stake at the end of the altar.

"What the bloody hell is that doing here?" cried Rebekah nervously. Beatrix was sure that hadn't possibly been part of the plan.

Esther smiled cordially at her. "As each of you comes to your senses and takes my offer, I will destroy your vampire bodies."

Kol looked confused. "Mother, you said you wanted the stake to protect them!"

"Yes, but not in their current bodies," said Esther. "Once they accept my offer, I will be righting two wrongs—"

"No!" said Rebekah firmly, but Esther ignored her.

"—Having brought this evil into the world, then having subjected my own children to it—"

"No, that wasn't the deal!" cried Rebekah. "Stop the spell!"

"The spell is already done!" said Esther, unfazed. "I prepared it to be locked in the moment I turned over the hourglass."

Rebekah was not about to settle, and Beatrix made a move to lunge forward, but Klaus held her back. "Mother, think this through," said Rebekah pleadingly. "You gave birth to this body, you can't destroy it!"

Esther could probably care less about Rebekah's attachment to her body. "I am only destroying its flesh! Your beautiful soul will live on in the body of another. I have chosen well for you. A beautiful girl. Strong."

"Now," growled Klaus lowly before getting to his feet. "MOTHER!" he bellowed, drawing Esther's attention toward him. "Stop the spell!" He sped toward the woman, coming to stand next to Rebekah. Beatrix followed suit, coming to rest beside Kol, who looked shocked. Certainly he hadn't known Esther's true plan. Klaus glared at him. "You and your traitorous son."

Kol shifted anxiously. "Nik, I didn't know anything about it, I swear!"

Esther seemed shocked at this revelation, but composed herself, albeit looking annoyed with Kol. "Oh, good. I'm glad you two boys are friends again. I did wonder what you'd been up to in your time away. Now, I know."

"Stop the spell Esther," said Beatrix, raising her hand threateningly. "Before I blow the hourglass in your face and wash you full of black magic."

"I'm afraid it's impossible to stop the spell," replied Esther. "But feel free to try. I am afraid you will be no match for me. I have been practicing since long before your descendants went extinct."

"Take me instead," said Klaus loudly, moving to stand protectively in front of Rebekah.

"Nik, no!" the blonde cried.

"If only you'd taken my offer when it was still mine to give!" said Esther, clearly not about to be swayed by his sacrificial act. "Unfortunately, you've left me no choice but to make a... deal... with Mikael."

"Mikael?" gasped Rebekah, horrified.

"When Finn and Kol went missing, I needed a new ally," said the woman before glaring at Klaus. "All he wanted was the right to kill you." She then turned to Kol. "Kol, I would ask you to deliver the stake to your father, but it seems your loyalties have been compromised."

"Stop the spell, Esther," snarled Beatrix, though she worried that her attempt would just go wrong. If Davina hadn't timed it right back at the compound...

"No, it's okay," said Rebekah weakly. "I can do this."

Esther was hardly paying attention to her daughter, her eyes instead fixated on her son. "So, you're feeling murderous again. You should know, I've already chosen another body."

Kol then gave the signal. "NOW!"

Klaus dove forward and grabbed the ceremonial blade off the altar, before plunging it into Esther's neck. She fell to the floor, dead, and Beatrix wrapped her hands around the hourglass, siphoning just enough energy when the last of the sand left it, to hopefully keep Davina's hourglass from being overwhelmed. Rebekah's body seized, and her eyes rolled back. Klaus caught her before she could fall, yelling out her name in fear.

"She's not supposed to have collapsed!" he snapped, looking up at Beatrix just as the hourglass exploded in her hands, making her fly back and hit the ground with a painful crack.

Kol sprinted to her side just as she let out a loud wheeze. He pulled her up, and she grasped her chest. "What the bloody hell happened?" snapped Klaus as he picked up Rebekah's unconscious body.

"I-I don't know," said Beatrix weakly. "I siphoned it— Davina's spell should have worked. The hourglass shouldn't have blown up, though... something went wrong."

Klaus's eyes widened. "Camille," he whispered, holding Rebekah firmly and speeding back to the car. Beatrix grasped Kol's arm and sped away with him, shoving him into the backseat as Klaus laid Rebekah's body down. The Heretic went into the passenger's seat as Klaus began to drive, looking more worried than she'd seen him in awhile.

When they arrived to the Mikaelson Compound, Beatrix leapt out and pulled Kol out of the car, helping ease Rebekah out so that Klaus could scoop her up and carry her inside. They found the young girl, Davina, sitting beside a blonde, presumably Camille, who was unconscious in an armchair. Davina looked up as they came in. "Cami's not awake yet, either," she said worriedly as Klaus set Rebekah down gently on the couch.

No one got a chance to answer her. Marcel ran in from another room, looking concerned. "Well, when she's up, we gotta get her out of the Quarter," he said. "She's not safe here. Someone busted Finn out!"

Klaus let out a loud, angry sigh. "My mother is using Mikael to do her dirty work now."

A loud gasp made everyone turn to Cami, her eyes wide as she shot up a bit, before slumping back slightly into the pillow behind her head.

"Camille?" whispered Klaus, moving forward slightly, but not near enough to touch her.

The woman looked around, taking in her surroundings, before bringing a relieved look on her face. "I suddenly love that stupid name!" she said, her voice still slightly shaky.

Davina let out a laugh and pulled her into a hug. Beatrix smiled weakly at the paid of them, though her attention turned back immediately to the still unconscious Rebekah. Marcel crouched beside her, caressing her face gently with his hand. There was a brief silence as everyone turned to look at the Original sister, who was not even stirring slightly. Beatrix gulped.

"I couldn't stop the spell," the Heretic said shakily as Klaus adjusted his jacket and began to storm out. Marcel stood up, looking at Klaus for clarification. "Klaus! Please tell me that your mother's dead!"

Klaus turned around briefly. "Rebekah and I took extra precautions. Esther is exactly where she needs to be." He then walked out the door without another word.

"I don't know what went wrong," said Beatrix, examining the hourglass Davina had been using, which was now just as broken as the one in the cemetery.

"We turned it just at the right time," said Davina, standing up. "I could sense you siphoning it. I don't know how, but I could feel it happening. It should have worked."

Cami, behind them, started to get to her feet, and Beatrix swiftly caught her just before she crumpled down. "Easy, there," she said, sitting her back down. "You need to gather some strength first before you try to walk."

"You're her," breathed Cami, apparently already knowing who Beatrix was.

"Er— in what context do you mean 'her?'"

"Oh, Klaus mentioned you in a um, therapy session," she said. "You're the Mikaelson witch, as he put it."

Beatrix offered her a smile. "I suppose I can be called that. Now, when Klaus comes back, we're taking you to a safe house. Is there anything you want us to gather for you?"

"I can do it," offered Davina. "I can go to her house and get any essentials."

"Yes, please," said Cami, smiling.

"I'll go with you, love," said Kol, his characteristically flirtatious smile finding its way to the surface even though he was in another body. The two departed, and Beatrix raised her eyebrows at Marcel.

"So, Davina's like a daughter to you, and you haven't slaughtered that boy that Kol is inside of?" she said with a teasing air as she went to go put her hand on Rebekah's forehead.

"If I could have it my way, Davina and Kol would be very far away from each other," said Marcel with an exasperated sigh. "No offense to your best friend, but he's not the one I'd have liked her to be with."

"You'll warm up to him. Kol may be rambunctious but he's not cruel to anyone he dates. Plus, he seems to really like her. He's not the same man he was before, Marcel, I know that even though I haven't seen him in ages."

Marcel shrugged, mostly looking worried for Rebekah. "Can you sense her, somewhere in there?"

"No," murmured Beatrix. "I'm afraid she'd gone from her body. Once we get the girl that Kol prepared, everything should be fine, I can perform the spell to get her back in here and all will be well."

It seemed things might go well, at first. When Klaus returned, Beatrix helped Cami, with her bag courtesy of Davina, into the car. She herself crawled into the backseat and curled up, falling fast asleep for the entire drive. By the time they got to the safe house, it was morning, and Klaus had parked the car. She cleaned herself up quickly, and followed them out toward the house.

"I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family," Klaus was telling Cami. "The little troublemaker all the fuss has been about."

The door opened, and Hayley came out onto the porch, holding Hope in her arms.

"Camille, this is Hope," said Klaus, making Cami's eyes drift between the three of them, shocked.

"Oh my god!" she cried. "But— You said— I thought she was—?"

"The only way to truly protect her was to convince the world of her death," mused Klaus. "I hope you understand, once it is safe for you to leave here, this secret cannot leave with you."

Cami didn't seem to mind. She nodded, smiling and crying a bit simultaneously, before going up to grab one of Hope's fingers. "Oh, she's perfect!"

Beatrix, though heartwarmed at the sight, walked past them and entered the house, seeing Elijah cleaning up in the kitchen, presumably from the breakfast he and Hayley had shared. Beatrix said nothing as she walked past him to get some water, but she sensed something different in his attitude. He seemed elated, and she put her hand gently on the counter, since his hand was against it. She spoke the words in her head, and her senses became magnified. It was with a pang that she deduced exactly what was making him seem so bright. It was all over the room— an aura, pheromones, all things that Beatrix could tune into.

He had slept with Hayley.

The realization made her leave the room immediately. Of course. She should have expected it. Hayley and Elijah, who clearly had something going on. Alone together in a safe house.

She didn't realize she was crying until she heard herself let out an involuntary sob. She covered her mouth quickly and sped upstairs, locking herself in one of the rooms.

"Fuscus silencio," she murmured, remembering to cast a spell around the room so this time, Klaus couldn't come and pry. She dropped down by the door, hugging herself and letting out a loud sob.

This was too much. Trying to internalize it all in such a short time was something ridiculous to be asked of her. She should have taken her time integrating herself back into the world, but even that wasn't a choice. What else would she have done? She wouldn't have been able to resist helping especially when Elijah had been missing. She just wished that it would have happened differently, that she'd arrived back in the real Mystic Falls and the family was there, together, in their proper bodies.

Elijah. Her lover, the one who had crept up and become the most important person in her life even though in the beginning, they didn't get along very well. He had moved on, which she'd expected, but seeing it first hand was like getting her heart actually ripped out. It ached, a loss that she could not just get over. She had waited eighteen years to come back, and everything had changed far too drastically.

Beatrix wasn't sure how long she'd cried, but she knew it must have been awhile when she heard a knock on the door.

"I can't hear you in there, but I can still smell you, Beatrix," came Klaus's voice. "You forget that I am a hybrid."

How could she forget? She groaned and buried her face in her knees, not ready to confront the world yet. Not wanting to see Elijah.

"Hayley and I will be heading back to New Orleans," he continued, expecting her to have heard him. "You will remain here with Camille and Elijah, to care for Hope. Rebekah should have already woken up in the body of Angelica Barker. Once she has cut the ties of Miss Barker's former life, she'll make her way directly here. You should expect her shortly, so that you may begin preparations to put her back in her old body. I trust you can take care of that."

Beatrix just sniffled. She could take care of that, sure, but was she really meant to go down and socialize? She'd prefer to remain there, able to cry without judgement.

"You'll need to eat sometime," he mused. "I took the courtesy of leaving some blood bags here on the floor."

She heard something drop behind the door, and her stomach rumbled. Against her better judgement, she stood, opened the door, and yanked the bags in, tearing into one and beginning to drink, moaning in relief. Klaus looked down at her, and shook his head. "You need to rest, Beatrix," he said quietly. "You've overworked yourself. I thank you for your help. Please, remain here as long as you need to."

"I don't know if I have the willpower to stay, Klaus," she murmured. "Did you sense it? It's all over the two of them... I don't know how long I can stand to be next to Elijah. I'll lose my mind. Or do something terrible, and I don't want that."

"You were stuck somewhere for eighteen years and all of this is new. It is confusing. I do not blame you. You have my number now, in your phone. If you believe it is in your best interests to return to New Orleans, let me know. I can pick you up or meet you somewhere."

Klaus was shocked when the Heretic dropped the blood bag and pulled him into a tight hug. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, shaking as she tried to stop herself from sobbing again.

And when he left, she didn't know how to feel. She went to shower, got some fresh clothes, and came down to find that Cami and Elijah had some sort of board game out. She ignored them, tuning out whatever their conversation was and going toward Hope, who was playing happily on the floor. She crouched down beside her, offering the little girl a smile before waving her hands and making the toys leap up, as if they had a mind of their own. At least, babies always made her feel better.

"Elijah?" asked Cami, making Beatrix become alert. "Are you okay? Hey, Elijah—"

The Heretic turned just as Cami reached out to grab the Original's hand, as he'd been frantically trying to dry his sleeve. Elijah grabbed her wrist to stop her, and Cami froze. "I'm not as fragile as my brother suggests," he said in a hard voice. Beatrix made a move to get up, but he released her, and his phone began to ring. He answered it quickly, looking exasperated. "Rebekah, where on Earth are you?" He paused to listen, and his facial expression changed. "I see. No, I must have been dialing the wrong number. Forgive me." He hung up, and turned to Cami. "I must call Klaus."

He sped away, and Beatrix stood, going to Cami's side. "Are you okay?" she asked immediately. "Did he hurt your wrist?"

"No," she said softly. "He just scared me, a bit. I-I spilled something on his sleeve... I didn't know that would trigger him."

The brunette winced. "I don't know what to do about that. He'll need time to heal. And I don't think either of us should get close to each other."

"What's your story with them?" Cami asked. "I-I don't mean to pry, I'm sorry if that was a bad question. I just got curious. Klaus talked about you like you two were... close. But you and Elijah seem to have history too."

Beatrix cast her a wry look. "It's more complicated than that. As of right now, I am not involved with any of the Mikaelson brothers. I don't think I will be, for a long time. Or ever again, honestly."

"Well... if you ever need to talk, I am good at that sort of thing," said the blonde. "Elijah doesn't seem to want to talk to anyone, but... just know that I'm here."

Beatrix gave a slow nod. That's right, she had heard Klaus briefly mention Cami was studying psychology. "You know what?" she said, looking around. "I think I'll take you up on that."