𝟑𝟑' 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐒𝐨𝐧

꧁꧂

In the courtyard, Hayley and Wanda are eating fruit and other breakfast foods from a basket when Klaus and Kol came downstairs to join them. "So, which restaurant's missing a compelled chef?" Hayley asked making Wanda chuckle as Kol joined her side.

"It's certainly a card I've played in the past, but I had no hand in this." Klaus said, Wanda looked at Kol "Not me either darling." he told her making Wanda furrow her brows.

"Guess we have Elijah to thank then." Hayley mumbled as Elijah walked in joining them, "This wasn't my doing." the older Mikaelson said confused. Wanda and Hayley frowned, "Then who's all this from?" the Maximoff girl asked.

The silver lid on the platter starts to rattle, startling Hayley, Elijah, and Wanda. Kol stands protectively next to Wanda. Klaus looks uneasy when he lifts the platter, which releases two starlings that fly up toward the ceiling, causing the three to reflexively duck. They all look puzzled and nervous.

"What the bloody hell is that?" Kol asked, Klaus reaches for the invitation and opens it. It reads, 

Dinner, Your Home, 8PM

"An invitation from our mother." the hybrid revealed, Kol stiffened at the mention of Esther which Wanda noticed.

Klaus and Elijah stared at each other in concern.

Kol turned and went back upstairs earning puzzled faces from his siblings, Wanda awkwardly smiled before running after him. She found him pacing in her bedroom.

"Kol" she called out but it was like he was in his own world, "Kol" the girl tried again. "Kol!" Wanda finally shouted, the Original turned his head in her direction.

"What's wrong?" she asked slowly approaching him, Kol was getting angsty, which was never good. He pulled the girl towards him as he placed his head in the crook of her neck, by now he knew this girl was his anchor. The only person capable of keeping him grounded. The vampire didn't want to know what would happen if he ever lost her...

Wanda ran her hands through his hair knowing how much it calms him. "You can tell me what's wrong" the girl softly and gently said. "Mother paid me a visit." Kol mumbled, Wanda's eyes widened, she gently pulled back from him even if she immediately missed his touch.

"What did she want?" she carefully asked him not wanting to push him, Kol sighed before grabbing her hand, sitting Wanda next to him on the bed.

Kol lightly traced designs on her hand before beginning to talk, "She wanted me to join her side." he sighed, Wanda gestured for him to continue "I went to cemetery where she wanted to see me, she tried to turn me against my brothers, told me that she could rebirth me as a witch." Kol revealed.

"I almost gave in." the Mikaelson told her truthfully scared to look at her expression "Why didn't you?" Wanda asked, Kol looked up to meet her eyes. Her expression was soft and almost understanding. "Joining her meant betraying you, and never in a thousand years would I betray you." the vampire told her. The girl gave him a small smile.

"I know what it's like to want revenge." Wanda suddenly said, this made Kol confused. "The bombing that killed my parents, those bombs belonged to Tony Stark." she said and Kol remembered seeing a bit of it when she shared her memories.

"Me and my brother willingly made ourselves experiments. We wanted to destroy Stark and his team." Wanda said, Kol kept lightly tracing her hand which was calming to both of them.

"Didn't end well for us." the girl said meeting his eyes, "Those were the nightmares you were having, weren't they?" Wanda said "You noticed?" Kol asked a bit shocked she had.

"I did. But I figured you would tell me about them when you were ready." the girl smiled at him, Kol couldn't help but return the smile, "They were memories of all the times my brothers daggered me." the Mikaelson told her. Wanda's eyes saddened "Well they aren't ever going to dagger you again. They'll prefer dealing with their parents then me angered." Wanda huffed.

Kol smiled widely before leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her sweet spot, Wanda sucked in a breathe as Kol pulled back finally standing while holding his hand out.

"Do you enjoy teasing me?" Wanda grumbled as she took his hand to stand up, Kol chuckled as they made their way out the room, "Always" he smirked.

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Wanda and Kol entered the dining room where Klaus was readying everything. "Quite the planner aren't we, Nik?" Wanda smiled as Klaus waved a cater away. "Only when needed." the hybrid said flashing her a quick smile before picking out the wine.

Hayley then walks in "So, I guess letting Oliver live paid off. He just informed me your mother has a partner in crime, another witch." she said. "Building alliances in her quest to destroy us, I imagine." Klaus scoffed.

"Why does she hate you so much, Klaus? She had six kids, it's not like she doesn't have the maternal gene." Hayley asked making Kol lace hands with Wanda for comfort, which she gladly gave him.

"Seven, actually. And, I think at one time, she loved us very much. One died before I was born." Klaus said, "I didn't know that" Hayley spoke.

"Years later, my brother Henrik was killed by the werewolves in our village. The loss of another child pushed my mother over the edge. So, she used her magic to turn us into immortals. I think that's when she loved us the most. But, it was her undoing. It triggered a sequence of events that led to the reveal of her long -held secret. My birth father was the werewolf whose pack killed my little brother. Of course, when Mikael found out, he murdered my real father, and so, my mother lost her lover, too." Klaus said to her.

"Wow. No wonder she's crazy. I'm out of my mind having just given away Hope... I can't imagine if she'd actually died." Hayley said stunned. Kol walks out of the room having heard enough Wanda went to follow him but he was gone.

Later in the day, Hayley came back updating Elijah, Kol, Wanda, and Klaus. "Marcel's witch is being held captive in the Quarter." she informed them. "Oh, perfect. Mother's a step ahead, as usual." Klaus said clearly annoyed,

"Oliver's with her. I'll go, and I'll get her to do the spell. But, I need the necklace." Hayley said, "I don't like this whatso-" Elijah started but Hayley uh quickly cut him off.

"No. You don't get to ignore me for days and then suddenly act like you're concerned, Elijah. Just, for once, please, will you trust me that I'll do something and it will get done?" Hayley told him.

Elijah looks as though he's about to speak, but shuts his mouth at the last moment. Klaus sighs and pulls the necklace out of his pocket and hands it to her. She takes it.

"Thank you" Hayley said.

Hayley gets ready to leave, but Elijah stops her. "Wait" he calls out, "I don't care-" Hayley starts but Elijah cuts her off.

"No, there's something else. A disciple of Marcel's was instructed to fetch another ingredient. Ask for Gia." he told her, the hybrid nodded and left.

"What's going on with you two?" Klaus asked his brother, "Nothing. She's stronger, that's all that matters." Elijah said.

Wanda sent him an unconvinced look, "Nothing my ass" she said before walking away.

▵▿▵▿▵▿▵▿

The three siblings are in the dining room wearing fancy suits as Wanda just threw on a black off the shoulder dress that went a little above her knees. "Are these outfits really necessary?" Klaus asked annoyed.

"Appearance is a way of showing respect, Niklaus. Mother will be more likely to surrender her true intentions." Elijah said, "I highly doubt that" Kol said.

"I doubt her guard will drop just 'cause I'm dressed like a bloody lawyer." Klaus said, "We need ever advantage we can get." Elijah sighed.

"You always did excel in diplomacy. Just know, if she tries anything, I'll tear her new body to pieces." Klaus grumbled.

A witch then walked into the room, "You two haven't changed a bit!" he turns to Elijah "Linens and silk to disguise your pathetic self loathing." then turns to Klaus "You despite the arrogant facade, you're still the same paranoid little boy, full of hate and fear." He then turned to Kol "And who would have thought that the Mikaelson psychopath would have fallen in love."

Klaus' face turns from amused to offended. Kol glared at him and Elijah looks at him in confusion before turning to Vincent/Finn.

"Forgive me, I don't believe I've had the pleasure." Elijah said approaching him. "Oh, you mean you don't recognize me? So much for the unbreakable bonds of family, huh? Always and forever indeed." Finn scoffed, Wanda furrowed her brows confused.

Klaus scowled at the witch "It's been a long time, Finn."

"Now that the introductions are out of the way, let's eat!" Finn smirked.

The four siblings and Wanda sat down at the table, Elijah was pouring Finn a glass of wine. "What an aromatic bordot." the eldest Mikaelson said.

"Well, it was a challenge to find a good pairing. What wine goes well with treachery?" Klaus smirked, "Don't pout, brother. Tonight is meant to be a happy occasion!" Finn smirked. "What exactly are we celebrating?" Wanda scoffed, Finn eyed the girl making Kol send him a glare that could kill.

"Why, my return, of course! Remember, I spent nine hundred years right? lying daggered in a box. I'm rather enjoying this new body. Strolling about your lovely city that, uh, you've made your home. But, do tell me what'd I miss? Regale me with your contributions to society! Medicine? Philosophy? Art? Or, have you two merely cut a path of destruction across time?"

Klaus rolled his eyes, "The last time we met, you were helping our mother try to annilate the lot of us! Let's not throw stones in glass houses." he said.

"Are we expecting another guest?" Elijah asked, "Mother will sit at the head. And we've had lovely help from a certain witch, care to take a guess?" Finn taunted.

"Well, Kol's here and he wouldn't listen to anything other than Wanda and his ego." Klaus said. "Yes, sadly our younger brother here did not plead our case and side with us." Finn smiled, Klaus and Elijah turned towards Kol.

"You met mother and Finn before-" Klaus started "And you didn't inform us?" Elijah finished.

"Didn't think I was obligated to." Kol said casually as he sipped his wine, "Why? What are going to do Nik? Dagger me?" Kol said giving them a humorless laugh.

"I'm suddenly tempted." Klaus said upset his brother hadn't told him, Wanda sent a dirty look towards the hybrid.

"Try it. I dare you." she spat, Kol placed his hand on her thigh in hopes to calm her.

Klaus held up his hands "Calm down love, it was a joke."

"Ah, this is amusing, you must be the Maximoff girl." Finn grinned, "Heard you're quite the person with powers."

"Mhm, you should probably put stronger barriers on your mind. I can get right through them." Wanda smirked, Finn's smile dropped as he blocked off his mind.

The witch turned his attention to his brothers "I am proud of my new form. As you all will learn to do. Change is inevitable." the Mikaelson said.

For some reason when Wanda heard him say that word she felt uneasy, very uneasy.

"You would dare face us as a mortal? The only thing inevitable is your death." Klaus said. He flings a knife at Finn, but he deflects it with magic, and it ultimately embeds itself into the chair at the head of the table.

"Oh!" Finn removes the knife from the chair and holds it "I suppose the honor of carving should go to the oldest. We have much to discuss."

 After a little while the silence is broken "I'm rather enjoying my evening." Finn said. "Well, I'd rather enjoy you getting to the point." Klaus impatiently said. "I had nine hundred years to learn to be patient. Although, I am curious why you kept me daggered in a box for so long." the oldest Mikaelson said.

"She raised me because I was treated unfairly! Cheated of all but the smallest portion of my life! Elijah, I can understand such cruelty coming from him, but I always thought of you as being the compassionate one! What did I do to deserve you turning your back on me? Were you afraid of Niklaus? Are you still? Or perhaps jealousy is what kept me locked in a box? You coveted the duties of the eldest brother, in which case you had near on a millenium to fix the problems of this family, and instead, produced nine centuries of failure." Finn said letting his anger get to him.

"After all, weren't you two the ones who daggered Kol for a man who isn't even your own blood." Finn spat making Wanda look at Kol who was furious.

"You might reside somewhat parasitically, I might add, in another body, but I assure you, in nine hundred years, your tedious sentiments remain quite the same. You see, Finn, like Father, you've always despised our supernatural existence. Father, of course, slaughtered and consumed his own, whereas you became pretentious and dull. Much like this meal. I will not ask you again... where is Mother?" Elijah snapped.

In the background Klaus is giggling like a girl at Elijah's insults when Cassie/Esther arrives.

"Oh my darling son" Finn immediately rises to his feet "I've missed you too."

The dinner continues on, Kol can't resist the sudden urge to speak "Were you the one who gave those lunatic witches the collar to contain Wanda?" he spat.

"Oh my sweet boy, no I did not provide them with that collar. I do not understand the magic that flows through the girl beside you. Someone else offered it to them in exchange that they wouldn't kill her." Esther revealed. Wanda sat stunned.

"Who?" Kol asked, "I do not know, they only person who knew was Genevieve. I only know that the person is also a type of witch." she told him.

"Why don't you say what you came here to say, so this wretched night can end?" Klaus cut in. "It pains me that you and Elijah look at me with such disdain. I wish you could see that my every action has been to protect you!" Esther shouted.

"You actually believe that, don't you? I knew you were a liar, but now I see you're utterly delusional." Klaus told her.

"If you can forget the hatred that you cling to and remember all the times I've mended and healed you. Elijah, do you recall the day Niklaus challenged your father to a duel? Did I leave your brother to die alone? What did I say, when you came to me and asked me to help him?" Esther asked the vampire.

"That you would rather die than to see any of your children suffer." Elijah sighed, Klaus's eyes widened in realization.

"The necklace" he stated horrified, "It wasn't spelled to protect me. It made me weak." The hybrid realized. "I sought to protect you from yourself! If you had killed your father in that duel, or anyone else in the course of your life, you would have activated your curse!" Esther said defending her cause.

Klaus slammed his hand angrily against the table "You ruined me! You left me to suffer at the hands of a father who valued only strength!" he yelled.

"I kept you from becoming a beast for as long as I possibly could!" she shouted and Wanda called bullshit.

"Oh, you lied to me! To hide your own transgressions because of your own fear!" he slams the table again and stands to his feet "My whole life, I sought the approval I was denied by the man I thought was my father! You turned me into the weakling he hated." Elijah rises to his feet and paces anxiously, while Esther gulps and looks guilty. Klaus glares at Esther "Look at me! You rant and you rave about the monster I have become, but you, Mother... you are the author of everything I am."

Esther looks flustered, and suddenly begins gasping for breath. Finn looks mildly alarmed as Cassie/Esther faints and slumps over in her seat. Elijah manages to catch her before her head hits the table, and he looks at his brothers in shock.

"She's gone" Elijah said, Elijah goes to attack Finn, but he uses his magic to push Elijah away, which throws him over the table and into the nearby wall. Wanda stood quickly as Kol speed towards him only to be thrown in to wall. Wanda created her energy webs only to be disturbed with a high frequency screech.

Klaus vamp-speeds toward Finn and grabs him by the lapels. "Where is she?" he shouts. Finn blows on his fingers and rubs them together, using the same muscle seizing spell he used on Oliver earlier. Klaus falls to the floor in pain while Finn adjusts his jacket and looks around frantically.

Kol recovers from the attack and is quickly helping Wanda up "This is why I hate dresses." the girl complained as she couldn't really move in it to use her powers. Kol sighed in relief and placed a kiss on her head.

"Where's our mother?" Klaus growled, "Where am I? What's happening?" Cassie asked terrified. Klaus loses his temper and grabs Cassie in a choke-hold. She gasps for air and struggles against his grip. Wanda creates her energy webs forcefully removing the hybrids hands from her throat.

Klaus glared at her but Elijah spoke up "She's a puppet. Niklaus, look at her! She has absolutely no idea."

"What are you talking about? Who are you?" the girl asked. "Shut up! Stop talking right now." Klaus yelled. Wanda and Kol sighed in annoyance.

Cassie gulps nervously and stops talking. Elijah pats Klaus on the shoulder comfortingly before Klaus begins to pace around.

Our mother orchestrated this entire evening just to torture us, and then simply vanishes. Why?" the hybrid says.

Elijah's face goes horrified with realization "What if we are not the only minds she was hoping to poison tonight?"

▵▿▵▿▵▿▵▿

Kol and Wanda wait for the two brothers to get back with Hayley, "Of course she used those damn birds to make her offer!" Klaus shouted as they walked into the courtyard, Wanda was on her feet making her way towards them.

"Besides the offer of rebirth, what else did she say?" Elijah asked the hybrid, "I don't know, she rambled a lot. She blamed the two of you for what happened to Hope, to me." Hayley told them. Klaus stopped pacing and looked at her.

"Well, I hope you're not thinking of taking her offer?" he said, Hayley looks guilty and can't meet anyone's eyes in the room. "HAYLEY. I'm talking to you!" the hybrid shouts.

"What do you want me to say, Klaus? I lost my daughter. So, yeah, when your mother offers to wipe the slate clean, excuse me if I'm tempted." she turns to Elijah "By the way, thanks for your help tonight, Elijah. I'm sorry that it takes me being in danger for you to even talk to me." then she storms off.

"Oh my god" Wanda sighed, Elijah looks as though he's about to stop her, but Klaus calls out to him. "Leave her. I need you with me. Our mother, Elijah, the woman who brought us into the world, made us what we are, and the whole time, she lied to me! She made me weak." Klaus yelled upset.

"Well, it looks as though I am not needed anymore." Kol said as he took Wanda's hand and led them to their room. Wanda had already changed earlier out of the dress as did Kol.

The vampire laid down and opened his arms for Wanda, the girl smiled and slid into his arms resting her head on his chest. "Will you ever leave me?" Kol asked in such a small voice that Wanda almost didn't catch it.

"Never" the girl reassured as she placed a light kiss on his jawline. "Why are you wearing so many clothes, darling?" Kol whined. Wanda laughed before replying "Then why don't you take them off."

Kol smirked

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