The following morning, Beatrix felt suspicious of Klaus.

He'd started by going to her room to wake her up. He'd asked her to lower the spell on the house, stating that he felt it safe enough because Hope was no longer in the vicinity. He'd then rather enthusiastically invited her down to breakfast.

She'd been greeted with a table full of treats, and awkwardly sat down to eat next to him, wondering what on Earth had him in such a happy mood. By the time Elijah came down, it was clear something was up with Klaus. He was scheming, certainly.

"Is something the matter, brother?" asked Klaus when Elijah looked at him for the millionth time without saying anything. "Can I fix you a drink, perhaps?"

Elijah rolled his eyes. "Strangely enough, Niklaus, I'm not in a mimosa mood."

Klaus turned to Beatrix, who was calmly sipping her orange juice. "And for you, Beatrix?"

"I'm good, thanks," she said.

"Fantastic! More for me," the hybrid responded pleasantly.

Elijah and Beatrix shared a strange look. "Let's discuss strategy, shall we, Niklaus?" said Elijah. "Just wondering if you actually have one. We can begin with Mikael's ashes— given that they are the main ingredient in our weapon against Dahlia, would you care to tell me where they disappeared to?"

Klaus set down his drink and gave his brother a rather fake smile. "Elijah! I have compelled the city's finest pastry chef for your own personal edification, and yet, you ignore my efforts in favor of needless concerns! Can't you be more like Beatrix and simply enjoy a meal in peace?"

Rebekah let out a groan from the hallway, entering the room looking exhausted. "Can we stop talking so loudly?" she implored as she went over to get herself some coffee.

"What's the matter?" asked Klaus. "New witch body not up to last night's bender?"

"So? I had a few," said Rebekah, sitting down on the opposite end of the table. "It's not every day you lose your father at the hands of your brother. Again."

Klaus laughed heartily, and Beatrix narrowed her eyes at him. "Whoever said opportunity only knocks once, eh?" When his siblings didn't respond, he threw his hands in the air. "Oh, come on! We fled Mikael's tyranny together for centuries! He attempted to kill Marcel and Beatrix! I would have thought the mood this morning might be a bit more jubilant!"

Elijah shot him a cheeky grin. "Under normal circumstances, the annihilation of our father would be rather commendable, Niklaus. Unfortunately, we have a greater threat to contend with."

Klaus stood and went to pour himself another drink, looking disappointed in Elijah. "You know, for someone who's been invited to a celebratory breakfast, you're proving quite the buzzkill."

Elijah sighed loudly. "Well, Niklaus, if anything indeed has killed the 'buzz,' as you say, perhaps it was because murdering Father alienated the one person who truly knows how to defeat Dahlia!"

"Oh, come now, you've forgotten our very trusted Mikaelson witch is sitting right here with us," said Klaus, pointing his drink in Beatrix's direction. "Besides, if Freya wants to be part of this family, she should be willing to accept us, warts and all!"

"Elijah's still right," said Rebekah. "Beatrix can only do so much on her own. Freya knew Dahlia, and she loved Mikael, and you've likely ruined everything."

The hybrid rolled his eyes. "Pity. whatever shall I do?"

"Whatever you please, apparently!" snapped Elijah.

Klaus slammed his hands onto the table angrily. "Do not mistake my high spirits for lack of clarity!" he snarled. "I know full well the threat we face. And, I intend to deal with it— personally." He then stopped, his head moving up like he heard something. "Someone's here. Beatrix, you let up the spell?"

"Yes, you told me to," she murmured as they all stood and rushed to the courtyard. They found an older woman waiting for them, with a velvet scarf choker around her neck.

"Josephine," said Elijah, looking confused.

The woman smiled. "Forgive me for calling so early, Elijah, but, I've come bearing a message from your aunt Dahlia." She looked between the four of them, fixating her eyes briefly on Beatrix, before turning to Klaus. "She is owed a debt, and she means to be paid."

"She can writhe in Hell first," answered Klaus.

"For merely taking what your mother promised her?" inquired Josephine. "If you must harbor hatred, isn't it better spent on the one who traded your child away a thousand years ago? Blame Esther, if you must, but I seek only to fulfill a bargain. A bargain that, consequently, resulted in your very existence. Perhaps you should be thanking me?"

Elijah took a step toward her, staring intently before gritting his teeth a bit. "Dahlia."

The woman grinned. "My child— I prefer Aunt Dahlia."

"You dare enter my home?" sneered Klaus, stepping into her face. From beneath the choker, blood began to pour out.

"The time has come to add the child's power to my own," she answered. "Though, I do not detect her here. I see you've used a spell to cloak her. No matter— such spells will yield, as will you. Say your farewells. You have 'til nightfall tomorrow, and then the child shall be mine. Be a dear and inform the mother? No reason we can't be civilized about this."

Klaus smirked slightly, before swiping his hand out and knocking the head right off the body. It fell to the floor, and Beatrix scrunched her nose up. "So much for celebratory breakfast," she said. "She'll find Hayley and Hope— it's only a matter of time. I can fortify the spells as much as I can from here, and try and make her connection with Josephine linger long enough to delay her. But she'll eventually pinpoint their location..."

"Fortify the spells," said Klaus immediately. "Now."

He dashed off, and Beatrix sighed, returning to her room. She prepared several of the notes she'd been gathering, and set them aside as she created a circle of candles to sit in. She began to hum, letting her fingers sway over the candlelight. She reached back for a bowl she had, and ground a few herbs into it, waving her hands over it again. "Enfortir posílit praesidio, barrera skrývat jiřina naděje. Praemoenio enfortir protegir, obice dissimular jiřina naděje. Opevnit roboro chránit, bariéra abscondo jiřina naděje."

She felt a strong tugging sensation in her gut, and she sighed quietly. At least, that would help keep Hope safe for longer. She cleaned up quickly and picked up her notes, tucking them under her arm, and popping her head into Elijah's room, since he was the first that she saw.

"I'm going to Davina, to see if we can figure anything else out," she said, sweeping away before he could say anything else. She didn't need a confrontation. He had been kind last night, but she did not want to talk to him more than necessary. Now was not the time to solve their problems. Perhaps, once Dahlia was gone.

Beatrix promptly arrived at the Claire tomb, and found Davina already inside with Josh, one of Marcel's vampires.

"Oh, hey Trix," said Davina, looking a bit better than she had in past days. "Are you here because of Aiden?"

"Er— who's Aiden?"

"Definitely not," said Josh with a light chuckle. "I don't know if you remember the guy that was with me at Hayley's wedding? That's Aiden."

Beatrix furrowed her brows. "I think I know who it is, then. I don't talk much to the wolves. But why? Is he doing something important?"

"Told us he'd meet us here soon, he's retrieving something from the compound," said Josh. "He said he's got some idea about a way to protect Hope."

"Well, that's good news. I actually came to deliver some notes to Davina. I've been researching some things we can do to bring Kol back, and this is my research so far." She dropped the stack of paper on her table. "I thought you might like to look it over, pinpoint anything you'd like to try."

Davina smiled. "Thanks, I appreciate it. No one else has really been much help. But, at least, the dagger is made so I have my full attention on this problem."

Beatrix went over to look at what Davina was writing— some spell from an old-looking grimoire. "You're a hard-worker. Got to remember to get some sleep, though."

"That's what I've been telling her," sighed Josh.

"I don't need sleep, I need progress," said Davina in response. "I'll sleep soundly when I know Kol will be back."

"D'you know what he looks like in his real body?" asked Beatrix curiously. "I'm sure I have a picture somewhere, I could give it to you."

Davina's eyes lit up, and Beatrix wove her hand through the air, her eyes closed. She reached into thin air, and when she dropped her hand, an old photograph rested in her palm.

"How the hell did you do that?" inquired Josh.

"I vanished a lot of things over time, just so that they're safe," she said, handing the picture to Davina. It was of Kol in a kaftan, from their time in Arabia when he wanted Beatrix to learn Kemiya. "Mostly keepsakes. Rather advanced bit of magic, takes years of practice to create a safe space where they vanish, and can only be found in your mind and another plane."

The younger girl smiled as she took the picture, and Josh looked over her shoulder. "Well, damn, I think he's better looking here than he was as Kaleb."

"Oh, definitely," said Beatrix with a light chuckle as Josh's phone buzzed. He looked down at it. "Aiden's on his way to the compound— says he's going to pretend he's getting one of Hope's stuffed animals so he can retrieve the shackles Klaus put on Kol and Finn when they were in witch bodies."

"See, if Aiden and I knew each other, I could have brought the manacles here without suspicion. Klaus wouldn't care if I took the entire piano from his house, as long as I said I was doing something witchy with it."

"I hope he knows what he's doing," said Josh worriedly. "If he makes one wrong move, he'll be on Klaus's bad side..."

When Aiden arrived, Beatrix was surprised he'd walked into the tomb in one piece. "Klaus doesn't suspect a thing," he said pleasantly without so much as a greeting, setting down the shackles and a small stuffed bunny.

Josh seemed to be quite skeptical of this. "Oh! Right! Yes, I'm sure that Klaus 'Color Me Paranoid' Mikaelson totally fell for your whole, 'I came across the river for Hope's bunny' ruse!"

Aiden smirked at him, and just shook his head, before facing Davina and Beatrix. "Look, these manacles are spelled to neutralize witch power, right? So, if you could transfer the magic from these onto something smaller? Just think about it— if the baby can't give off magic, then Dahlia won't be able to track her!"

"But what difference does it make?" asked Davina. "I thought the baby was already safe?"

"Yeah, I re-fortified the spell just before coming here," said Beatrix.

Aiden pursed his lips. "Hayley and Jackson are getting ready to run."

Beatrix frowned. "Um, well, that's grand and all, but they do know that Dahlia is just going to chase them, right? And even with the wolves, they'd be pretty alone— it's a dangerous idea. No offense, but how do they expect to run and be safe from Dahlia without taking a witch with them?"

"Couldn't you come with?" suggested Aiden. "You'd be one hell of an asset, and you can make sure that Hope is continuously being concealed with magic."

"It's not that simple, Aiden. Hayley doesn't like me, first of all. And the wolves, well— I'm a vampire, they're going to dislike my presence quite a bit. Besides, what I'm gathering is that they're leaving without informing the Mikaelsons. That's not going to bode well."

"I think it will be good for them to get away, though," said Davina. "I mean... if Kol had asked me to run before he got hexed, he wouldn't have had to ask me twice."

"I don't know," said Josh anxiously. "Aiden— what if Klaus finds out what you did? He may be buddy-buddy with Beatrix but even she's in danger if she helps out in any way."

"Let me worry about that," said Aiden. "It'll be fine. Do you two think you can get these spelled?"

"Yes," said Beatrix, a bit hesitantly. "I just don't really like this. There were five of us yesterday against Dahlia— a thousand year old witch, three Original vampires, and me, a Heretic. She bested us without even trying. Even with the entire Crescent pack backing you... I think Hayley is being reckless about this."

"They've thought it out well, I promise," Aiden insisted. "Jackson knows the bayou insanely well— all of us do. We have the advantage there. I won't implore you to join us, but at least, keep it a secret for now."

The Heretic winced as Davina removed a bracelet she was wearing and set it on the table beside the manacles. "Fine. Let's just spell this."

_

When they finished, Josh and Aiden dashed out to deliver it to Jackson and Hayley.

Davina picked up the paragon diamond, which rested on the table comfortably, watching them do their spells. "Do you think there's actually a way to bring him back? Genuinely?"

"Of course," said Beatrix. "Necromancy is still practiced, but very few witches have the ability to perform it alone, and most are not eager to help perform such spells, so it is rare. But not impossible. There are many branches of magic that have ways to bring back the dead. I have studied many, and I'm sure we will find something. Kol himself taught me a lot of magic. We just need to find the right spell."

The girl half-smiled, but suddenly tensed, and turned, snatching up the paragon diamond and thrusting her hand out toward the doorway, hearing footsteps of someone entering the tomb. Beatrix watched Marcel walk in, and smiled. "Hey," she said happily.

Marcel smiled at them, and Davina lowered the diamond. "I come in peace," he said.

"You should know better than to sneak up on me," said Davina.

Marcel walked closer, and shrugged. "I wasn't sneaking, just... haven't talked to you in a while."

Beatrix stood. "I'm going to go walk around a bit," she said, noticing that it seemed Marcel wanted to talk alone with Davina. She dashed out of the tomb and began to stroll through the cemetery.

"That went as well as expected," she heard someone say after she had passed the tomb for the second time. She turned to see Marcel. "I feel like I messed up."

"Well, what do you think you messed up on?" she asked.

"Being a father figure for her," he said, beginning to walk beside her. "She's hurting and I haven't been there. She mentioned I hadn't checked in since Kol died. I let my dislike for him get in the way of making sure she was okay."

"The important thing is you learned now," she said. "You can't change the past. But you can make sure nothing like this happens in the future. Be there for her. Support her. She still looks up to you, and she clearly cares. She's a teenager, it's not the easiest thing to parent one of them."

He chuckled quietly. "I'm definitely not someone with experience in that area. I kind of just learned to be 'manly' and not get worked up about most things."

"I always tried to teach you it was okay to show emotion," mused Beatrix. "Even now, it is true. Make sure she knows that you're not judging her. Don't invalidate what she feels. Accept her as she is, and help pick her up from there. She's working herself really hard and it's making her feel more alone. She doesn't want to break because she's trying to reach her goal. I'm sure she's thinking that if she pushes hard enough, he'll be back and she won't have to cry anymore. Hold her. Show her it isn't shameful to cry. You may not have firsthand experience as a parental figure, but even as you are, it can be fairly simple to encourage her into letting herself feel."

Marcel leaned onto her, and sighed. "Kol is not the guy I would have picked for her. Not in a million years. But I took in mind what you said before. He did care for her, quite a bit. He's not the same reckless and twisted man I knew in the 1820s."

Beatrix put her arm around him and rubbed his shoulder. "He changed for the better. I was glad to see that."

"Are you feeling alright? You seem so distant every time I catch a glimpse of you. I'm sorry I don't come around more."

"Don't worry, Marcel, it's okay. I'm okay. Still adjusting. The world is very different from how I last saw it, and there is still so much to absorb, you know?"

"It's probably been more difficult to adjust with Elijah and Klaus being the way they are."

"Yes, certainly. But I'm optimistic when it comes to Klaus. He and Cami seem to... connect well. She's a good friend for him to have. As for Elijah, well... it's too hectic right now to try and work that out. I'll surely find time to discuss it in depth eventually."

"If you need me to knock some sense into him, I can definitely try," he said, smirking as she nudged him in the ribs. "I'll see you around, Beatrix. Have to go meet with Rebekah to cook up a plan."

"See you," she sighed as he sped away.

She returned to the Claire tomb, finding Davina still observing the diamond. The two witches continued to work for a while after, together, just reviewing notes and writing spells separately when they seemed promising. When they stopped for the day, Davina went to check her phone. "I'm going to go meet Josh and Aiden," she said. "You're free to stay if you'd like."

"I think I might go back to the compound just to check on things," said Beatrix. "It was fun being here today. Stay safe."

They bade each other farewell, and Beatrix began to walk back home, taking the long way and choosing to be alone with her thoughts for a bit. She was nearly back when her phone began to ring, and she looked down to see Elijah calling.

"Yes?" she answered.

"Meet us at the safe house in Algiers quickly. Hayley said it's urgent."

"Alright, I'm on my way," she said, turning on her heel and speeding back the way she'd come. She found Elijah inside the safe house with Hayley, who looked terrified.

"What happened?" said Beatrix worriedly.

"Your re-fortification spell didn't do any good," said Hayley immediately. "Dahlia came. She didn't step in but she was standing right outside, talking about how she's going to take Hope."

"Why didn't you try to call us?" said Elijah.

Hayley gave him an exasperated look. "Of course I tried to call you, Elijah! But since Dahlia was able to take down both Klaus and Mikael, and a spell that'd just been refreshed, I'm guessing that a cell phone tower was a piece of cake.

"And where were the wolves who stood guard?" the Original inquired.

"Getting their asses handed to them by Dahlia, just like Klaus did!"

At that moment, Klaus walked in. "That's it— you're coming with me to the compound."

"Where Dahlia sent Josephine this morning?" Hayley scoffed. "No way! We'd be sitting ducks, just like we will be here as soon as that spell fully breaks. Which is why we have to go. Jackson is out getting supplies, and then we're taking the wolves and we're headed to the Bayou."

"The swamp?" said Klaus. "So my child can be protected by the very wolves Dahlia so easily defeated? Absolutely not!"

Hayley shoved Elijah aside and marched right up to Klaus's face. "You know, I am so over taking advice from you, Klaus. All it has done so far is put Hope in danger. From now on, I am going to do what I want to do. We're leaving."

Klaus pushed her back and pointed at her. "You're not going anywhere unless I tell you to!"

"I am not your prisoner, Klaus!" spat Hayley.

"Both of you, please— we're playing into Dahlia's hands," said Elijah.

"Not doing as I say plays into her hands!" Klaus insisted. "While you two have been kow-towing to Freya and devising ways to flee with your tail between your legs, I've been forging a new path. I know what Freya was planning, and I know how to kill Dahlia! Once I have fixed every last detail, I am certain Beatrix will be able to do her part of it quite well."

"And yet, you do not wish to tell us any of those details," challenged Elijah.

Klaus rolled his eyes and ignored him. "Freya objected to us making a single weapon because it spoiled her plan—"

"KLAUS!"

"Jack?" said Hayley, facing the door.

The others turned to see a very furious Jackson carrying a body over his shoulder, followed by three other male werewolves. "KLAUS!" the Alpha roared, setting the body down.

"Oh, my God!" cried Hayley, running over to them. "What happened?"

Beatrix covered her mouth in horror as they approached, seeing Aiden, his heart ripped out of his chest, and claw marks on his face and neck.

"Klaus made Aiden spy on us," said Jackson angrily. "Instead, he told me everything—" he turned to the hybrid, giving him a mutinous look. "—so you killed him!"

Klaus looked very much surprised, his eyes darting down to the body. "You killed one of the wolves sworn to protect our daughter?" said Hayley incredulously, her voice shaking.

There was a silence where they all stared at him, waiting for his reaction. Finally, he just glared up at them. "So what if I did?" he said, making Hayley and the other wolves stare at him, eyes filled with malice. The hybrid jabbed his finger down toward Aiden's dead body. "This is what happens to anyone who dares cross me!"

"Just give us the word, Jackson," sneered one of the wolves.

"Yes!" Klaus shouted. "Come and have a go! But you'll be putting your life on the line for one who is all too willing to betray you. Perhaps this never would have happened if he'd had a real Alpha."

Jackson immediately lunged forward and punched Klaus in the face, making the hybrid retaliate by slamming the Alpha back into the wolves. Hayley launched forward to push Klaus back, but he hit her hard in the stomach, sending her flying off to the side.

"Klaus!" snarled Beatrix, stepping between them and pushing him back right as Jackson aimed another punch, managing to hit Beatrix in the jaw and sending her onto Klaus, making the both of them nearly fall. The Heretic turned and was about to aim a kick at Jackson, but Elijah quickly stepped between them. "Do you wish to die?" Elijah said darkly to the rageful Alpha.

At this, Hayley leapt up and shoved Elijah away. "You want to kill me, too, Elijah?" she spat.

"Don't make this about you, your husband threw the first bloody punch!" snapped Beatrix, darting to step between Hayley and Elijah. Hayley's eyes flashed Amber, and Beatrix growled, her hands outstretched and ready, the two women glaring at each other as if debating whether to make the first move.

"I don't need magic to tear you apart, Marshall," Beatrix snarled. "You may be a hybrid but I've got three hundred years on you, and when you inevitably fuck up and throw me outside, I'll be able to break your body without much effort."

"Enough," said Elijah, yanking Beatrix away. He moved to stand beside Klaus. "If you come at him, you come at me." It was no surprise when Beatrix moved to stand at the other side of Klaus, who looked pleased with the outcome.

"You lot should make better use of your time," he said maliciously. "I suggest burying your dead."

"GET OUT!" Hayley screamed ragefully.

"Niklaus, you mentioned a plan," said Elijah urgently. "I recommend you begin. Hayley and Hope are safe for the time being and not going anywhere."

Klaus dared to smirk smugly in the wolves' direction. "Shan't be long." He turned and left, and Beatrix huffed, going toward the body, only to have Hayley get in her way.

"Don't you dare touch him," she spat.

Beatrix shot her a cheeky look. "I won't, then. But doesn't it strike you odd that Klaus, who up to my knowledge hasn't once even turned into a werewolf, left claw marks on a victim? He's always preferred the heart ripping out part, I know that. But the claw marks don't make sense to me."

"Don't tell me you're trying to defend him after what he did!"

"Yes I am, because this doesn't make sense to me. I was with Aiden earlier, and not long after, Klaus was here— sure, there is a blank space between, but this doesn't add up anyway."

"He admitted to it," sneered Hayley. "Don't rub in the fact that one of our own is dead!"

"I'm not rubbing anything in!" Beatrix hissed. "Aiden was the one who had Davina and I make that little bracelet for Hope to keep her safe! He was supposed to meet Josh and Davina! My gut is telling me something is off, and I'm just listening to it. Not that you would know anything about that, considering you can't do magic even if you step out of this building."

"You think that rubbing in that I'm not a witch is an insult to me, but let me remind you that were it not for Klaus turning you, you wouldn't be able to do magic on command either!"

It took quite a bit of willpower for Beatrix not to pounce on her and beat her face in. Instead, she brushed her aside and leaned down, observing the marks that were left.

"What are you trying to do?" asked Jackson gruffly.

"The body looks like it's been dead awhile, but there will still be a trace of some supernatural power. There are many spells that can give me a more detailed insight on what happened just before his death. If you help me carry him just outside, I can try and figure out what might have occurred."

Jackson nodded immediately, motioning for Hayley to step back. He lifted the body gently and carried it right out of the doorway, setting it down carefully. Beatrix knelt beside it and slowly put her hands on Aiden's chest, mumbling some words very fast and quietly, her palms beginning to glow. She started to hum, and then frowned.

"There are traces of a witch's spell," she said, looking up at the wolves. "I cannot tell who, but a witch did this." She ran her hand over the marks, and pressed two fingers down, beginning to siphon. Little by little, the marks disappeared, and the only thing that remained was the gaping hole in Aiden's chest. "There. It was made to look like that."

"So, Klaus put a witch up to it when he found out Aiden told Jackson the truth," muttered Hayley. "Just fucking perfect..."

She walked into the other room, and Elijah followed. Jackson slowly picked the body back up and lay it back on the table. He rummaged in his pocket and extracted the bracelet Davina and Beatrix had spelled, going over to the sleeping Hope in her cradle and putting it on her.

"I'm sorry that I hit you," said Jackson when he sensed Beatrix was watching him.

She walked closer to him, and rested her elbows on the bars of the cradle. "I'm sorry that someone killed Aiden. He didn't deserve to die. He was a good man. I may not have known him well, but I got to speak with him today, and he was clearly a caring and trusted wolf."

Jackson looked back over his shoulder, to where Hayley and Elijah were having a very angry conversation. Beatrix made no effort to hear. She didn't care.

"We're the odd ones out when it comes to those two," mused Jackson quietly when he noticed her watching them as well.

"Seems so," she murmured. "Hayley likes you but she likes Elijah more. Elijah likes me but he likes Hayley more. We're the ones that get screwed over. I don't wish to have a problem with her, but her presence flares my temper up."

"Same whenever I'm with Elijah. It makes me murderous. I've loved Hayley since I learned about her. Since I found out that I was meant to have married her. And from what I've found out so far, you and Elijah were quite the thing before. This Mikaelson crap is too complicated."

"Tell me about it..."

They shared an empathetic look, finding slight peace amidst the chaos in knowing that at least, one other person could relate in some form.