•Emotions•

Aphrena in her wolf form, roamed around the former werewolf encampments with stealth. She ran through letting the air hit her fur. Suddenly her head snapped to the side upon seeing her sister at her side, matching her pace.

When Aphrena finally got tired of being in wolf form she went to where their clothes were on a clothes line and shifted. Hayley quickly followed suit and they both quickly redressed theirselves before walking toward an old shack. But before either go any further Hayley noticed a burnt and melted baby doll that was damaged during the bombings laying in the grass.

She bent over and gulped slightly before picking it up. She caressed the burnt cheek and a tear fell from her face.

"They will come back to us Hayley." Aphrena assured her younger sister. The doppelgänger walked closer and picked her sister up and gently placed her hand over the doll before taking it away. Hayley looked up at her sister, the heartbreak clear in the wolf's eyes. Aphrena smiled gently making sure she herself was emotionally strong enough to take care of her sister. "And your tears will be no more. I'll make sure of it."

•••

Aphrena crossed her arms over her chest as tears built in her eyes. She'd wouldn't let anyone but strangers see how sad she was.

She stopped for a moment and stood against a wall, not ready to go back to the compound.

"Now what's a pretty girl like you crying for?"

Aphrena wiped at her eyes and uncrossed her arms. She stood straight, no longer leaning on the brick wall as she turned to look at the stranger. She rose a brow and scanned him. Not once has anyone talked to her when seeing her outside and he surprised her.

He was a tall, handsome looking man with medium length curly brown hair and bright blue eyes. "Well?"

"I don't think that that's any of your business."

"Sorry." He bowed his head slightly looking up at her through his lashes. "Just don't like when girls cry."

"Well thanks for the concern..."

"Kaleb. Kaleb Westphall." He held his hand out to her as a soft smile took over his face. "At your service."

"Kol Mikaelson at your service my lady."

"You really are the cheeky one aren't you Mr. Mikaelson?"

She smiled slightly at the memory. "I'm Aphrena. Aphrena...Mikaelson." She announced, taking his hand in hers.

"Lovely name."

•••

"Aphrena!" Cami yelled causing the doppelgänger and her sister to look down at Cami. "Hayley? I know you are both here. We need to talk." Cami called out loudly.

Both girls hid behind a wall as Elijah walked past them and told the human, "they don't wish to see you."

Cami turned around, startled by Elijah's sudden appearance. "Elijah. Where the hell did you come from?"

Elijah looked unamused as he stared the woman down. "I beg your pardon? Aren't you the one who is trespassing?" He retorted.

"Where is Klaus? Aphrena, Hayley? I know they're around." She persisted.

"They don't care much for conversation these days. They are all still grieving. And I'm sure they certainly wouldn't care for the fact that you've put yourself in danger by coming here."

"I don't need them to keep me safe. I'm already in danger," Cami told him frustratedly. "Because I already have Guerreras following me like it's a police state. The city's being run by gangsters, and you guys aren't doing anything about it. Marcel took them out a hundred years ago without any of you. Don't you think he might be up for lending you a hand?"

Elijah watched her with a blank look on his face for a long moment before he spoke up, "thank you for coming, Camille."

He gestured toward the door to show he would like her to leave, and she reluctantly followed him before turning and stopping him. "I know your family is grieving. But I know you don't believe those rumors that Marcel killed the babies. So, if you want help taking down the Guerreras, you have a weapon across the river just waiting to be fired. Use it."

Cami turned away and finally left, while Elijah watched her from the balcony.

Aphrena stepped out of her hiding spot and stood next to the Original. "I like her stubbornness."

"That will get her killed." Hayley told them as she came up beside her sister.

Aphrena sighed.

•••

After sending a message to Caroline about her day - because ever since the vampire heard about what happened she refused to let Aphrena not talk to someone or more likely her- she went into the nursery where she heard noise to see Elijah in the middle of packing up.

"What do you think you're doing, Lijah?" Aphrena asked angrily.

"Welcome back. What is it, the second night this week?" He asked, stopping his cleaning.

"I don't need you to babysit me." She retorted. "Now answer my question: what are you doing, Lijah?"

"As we have discussed, our illusion needs to be flawless. Now, months have passed. I believe it's the appropriate time," Elijah told her as he went back to packing up the nursery.

"No Elijah. It will never be the 'appropriate time' to take our daughters stuff down so stop it!"

Elijah sighed heavily before turning to face his upset mate. "This is difficult for me to Rena. It is. But-"

"No. The difficult part of this is knowing that Francesca Guerrera is still breathing after she was the one who plotted with the witches to kill Harmony and Hope." She seethed.

"You will have your vengeance, I promise you this." Elijah promised her with a serious look on his face.

"Well, until then, this is my room, and I'll do with it as I wish when I wish." She glared at him as she turned to her side and motioned for him to leave. "Please go now."

•••

After taking down a mass of werewolves Aphrena and Hayley left to deal with Francesca.

The two stood quietly in the middle of the road waiting. Aphrena had her arms crossed while Hayley had her hands clenched at her sides - a stoic look on both their faces. Aphrena clenche sheer jaw upon seeing Francesca desperately speeding down the road in her attempt to flee town before any of the Mikaelsons could kill her.

The Guerrera wolf anxiously turned around to see if anyone was following her, but as soon as she turned back, she saw the sisters standing in the middle of the road and she scrambled to slam on her brakes. When Francesca finally stopped, she looked up again, but the figures had disappeared.

Suddenly the drivers side door was ripped open and Hayley grabbed the woman's head slamming it into the steering wheel before grabbing her around the neck and throwing her out of the car and to Aphrena's feet.

As Francesca landed in a heap, still disoriented from the blow to the head, Hayley slowly walked up to them.

"Hello Francesca. Miss us?" Aphrena asked coldly, not a single emotion on either of their faces.

"Please." The woman sobbed as she held the front of her head that was bleeding but started to heal. "Please don't kill me. Please!"

"Now you know how it feels to not want to die." Hayley told her.

Aphrena bent over and picked the woman up by the throat. "To beg. And fear what's to come." The tribrid looked up at her sister. "What do you say to a little torture before we end her?"

"I'd say she deserves it."

A scream rang loudly as the girls went to work.

•••

Aphrena was finally done as she stood in Harmony's nursery crying and tearing things down.

"Aphrena. Stop this," Elijah said sternly for what seemed to be the eighth time but the mother still continued.

Elijah tried to grab her arm to stop her but the wolf just backed away from him as though she'd been burned by his touch.

Elijah's face morphed into one of pain as he watched his mate break down for the first time in months. Aphrena just glanced down, disgusted with herself.

"We killed her you know." She told him and he noticed the tears in his eyes. "Francesca looked me in the eye and begged us for her life as we tore her to pieces. But I don't feel any better! I don't feel peace! I don't feel anything." She seethed before reflecting on herself for a moment.

"It's perfectly natural given what you're experiencing-"

"Nothing about what I am, is natural Elijah. None of it."

Elijah, seeing how distraught his mate was, tried to calm her down. "As all your sense have finally came together, you will begin to experience feelings with a greater intensity then anyone ever has. It will take time to master control."

Aphrena shook her head. "I don't want to live like this, Elijah! I hate it! I hate this!" She paused for a moment. "I helped kill nine wolves tonight before I got to Francesca. Nine of my own people. What's noble about that? I acted no better than any of-"

"Than us Mikaelsons?" Elijah asked with a sad look in his brown eyes.

"Everything has changed. And not just for me." She walked toward him and looked at him with a heartbroken expression. "I saw the way you looked at me before. Like I was an angel sent from the gods. Someone not capable of so much damage. And, I see the way you look at me now. I was a mother, and left in the wake of our daughters departure is just a monster." Elijah looked at her with sympathy and took a step forward, but Aphrena was in no mood to be comforted by him. "Things are different now. And you can't tell me that they're not. Because I'm not dumb enough to fall for that."

•••

Aphrena sat in her bed cradling a stuffed animal that she didn't pack when Klaus lightly knocked before walking in. She silently stared out the open balcony as he sat beside her.

"It will get better." He assured her, taking the bear out of her hands and setting it beside him.

Aphrena looked up at the hybrid, hollowness in her once lively brown eyes. "When? Because if I can't get through today, then how am I supposed to get through forever?"

Klaus sighed, unsure of what to say, and hesitated to speak for a moment. "You know, over the years, I've had my share of friends, enemies, lovers, losses, and triumphs. With time, they all begin to run together. But, you will find that the real moments are vibrant. The rest... just fades away. Your pain will fade." He promised patting the back of her hand that sat on her lap.

She looked from the outside to him. "Not until I am able to hold my baby again."

"And so you shall. But, in order to do that, we need to regain control of the city. Now, we worked separately to unite those wolves. We can work together to do it again. They don't need to be our enemies."

"After ambushing them, they're not going to want to be our friends, Nik." She shook her head.

"You waged a just war on those who would harm our children. Not only will they respect you, but they most certainly will answer to you, love."

"Why would they do that now?"

"Because you're their Queen." He told her with a smirk.

"What about all our other enemies?" She asked again. "The witches won't stop even after they're dead."

"We defeated my mother and her witches because we stood united. That is how we will face all our enemies. As a family." Klaus stood up and pay her shoulder. He looked up to see Elijah and nodded. "Let him in, Aphrena."

Before she could say anything Klaus sped out to be with his mate and Elijah replaced the spot he was in. "I just want what's best for you Rena. I hurt just as much as you but I'm willing to be strong for you."

Aphrena let the tears fall as she jumped into Elijah's arms, knocking him down onto the bed. "I love you Lijah," she said but it was muffled by his jacket.

"I love you too." He told her, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist and letting her cry.

Here ya's go! ❤️