*Shits gonna get real in the next chapter or two... Imma spice shit up.. This chapter is big on Freya's background for those who aren't familiar with her character*

 "Are you still spending the afternoon with Madelyn?" 

Caroline grins widely and leans over the kitchen island with Enzo leaning against it as well beside her. Claire sits at the table going over some notes from the meeting they had with the council the previous week.

"Yep. We're taking her and mom out to the park today," Caroline states excitedly. "Maybe if you're done early, you can join us?" Caroline suggests. Claire's smile falters slightly. 

"I'll try," She promises.

"Don't worry if you can't," Caroline tells her. "This is important. I'm not saying Madelyn isn't but there'll be other picnics. You just make sure that New Orleans is still a safe place to keep having them," 

"Don't worry, this is my city and I'll keep it safe," Claire promises. Caroline grins giving her a playful wink.

"You won't be alone in that task, my darling," Finn states, entering the kitchen. Claire smiles and walks into his embrace. "Freya is almost here," Finn whispers, grazing his nose across her cheekbone. 

"Well, then," Claire sighs. "We should get ready to greet our guest,"

"Good luck," Caroline smiles, holding Enzo's hand and pulling him out of the house. She loves her sister but anything that has to do with the Mikaelson's usually ends up with more drama than she cares for. Now there's apparently another one of them. She'll leave Claire to deal with it and just make sure the rest of the vampires in New Orleans behave themselves.

"Is Rebekah and Asher here?" Claire asks, following Finn into the dining room.

"Asher and Penelope decided to take her shopping for the baby. Asher's hoping it'll take her mind off of Dahlia and Freya for a little bit while we sort out what needs to be sorted," Finn explains.

Claire nods. She smiles at her mates before taking a seat at the head of the table. Finn snags the seat to her right with Klaus on her left. Klaus angles his chair to look down at the table while Elijah sits by his side and Henrik across from him.

A few seconds later and Kol enters the room. He had been keeping a close eye on their new sister.

"She's here," Kol states taking a seat by Henrik. 

"Sister!" Klaus greets when Freya enters right after Kol. "Well, come in! Come in! Make yourself comfortable," Klaus waves her in with a smirk. Freya seems nervous but smiles at everyone. She takes the seat across from Claire.

"Hello, Freya," Claire welcomes politely.

"Claire," Freya nods. "Thank you for welcoming me to your home. It's beautiful,"

"Thank you, it's been remodeled recently," Claire says, folding her hands together. "Well, let's not beat around the bush. When we first talked you mentioned your aunt, Dahlia. Tell us about her,"

"The first thing you should know is that Dahlia is the most powerful witch I've ever seen. She craves more power still. Right now, she is like me, limited to one year of life in a century. But, she wants to be free of that restriction. To gain true immortality. And that is why she will come here. She'll be drawn by your daughter and Rebekah's future child, should that child prove to have magic. She'll take their power for herself. And she would kill anyone who would defy her,"

"And yet you would defy her?" Elijah questions.

"I don't have a choice," Freya tells them, her eyes flickering to Elijah. "She will never let me be free. My one chance is to align with you and kill her,"

"Well, now that we're all suitably motivated," Klaus mutters almost bored. "Let's talk specifics," He smirks deviously. Freya's eyes bounce to him.

"For you to understand, I need to start from the beginning," Freya states, shifting in her seat. "After taking me from my family, Dahlia used me to forge a new brand of connective magic, one that augmented my power even as it allowed her to draw from me. Once we were bonded, Dahlia became unstoppable. She wasted no time proving her might. The chief of a nearby village threatened to run us off, accusing Dahlia of witchcraft. She decided to make an example out of the entire encampment- men, women, children.

"She killed them all with a wave of her hand. That was my first inkling of the power Dahlia had. Over the course of a thousand years, she's only grown stronger. And she will bring all of her power to bear against you when she comes for your child," Freya warns her eyes going from Claire to Klaus.

"Your stories are fascinating, and Dahlia does indeed sound dreadful, but we all have killed our fair share of evil witches," Klaus tells her.

"Not like her," Freya denies.

"What are her weaknesses?" Elijah questions.

"She's paranoid. Obsessed with power. She hungers constantly for what's been denied her, be it love, or revenge," Freya answers. More than a few eyes flicker to Klaus. He simply continues to grin. Claire smiles, taking his hand in hers. "When I was a child, he would tell me tales of her own youth, being victimized by those stronger than her. Dahlia vowed never to be weak again. She bargained for the firstborn of Esther's bloodline, intending to raise us in her own image, forming a coven of her own from which she could draw endless power. That plan was foiled the day she learned Esther had ended her bloodline by turning her children into vampires.

"And so the burden fell to me. Dahlia demanded that I bear the firstborn that would add to her power, but I would not allow a child of mine to live as I did... as a slave," Claire's hand begins to grin Klaus's tightly as she sees Freya's eyes fill with tears. "So, I vowed never to love. Never to have a child of my own.

"Of course, the more I resisted, the harder Dahlia fought to control me. 'Til the day she took the last of what little freedom I had left. And so we slept, our magic accruing over time. Until we woke, filled with immense power and allowed to live a single year of life. That has been the existence I've suffered for the last ten centuries,"

"Well," Klaus laughs, earning a glare from Freya. "That's quite the ordeal, isn't it? But it does beg the question, why not end it yourself?"

"Klaus," Claire whispers, giving his hand a squeeze. He ignores her. 

"A high enough bridge, a tight enough noose? You must have considered it,"

"Long ago, I did consider it," Freya sighs, her frustrations growing. "But, Dahlia would never give me even that freedom. I would later learn that the spell made me like her, immortal and impervious to harm," She laughs bitterly and wipes a stay tear. "So, you see, I am like you... A creature of great power cursed for all time,"

"Kill a few dozen people, then you'll be like us," Kol states. "You're not quite in the club yet,"

"I understand that this is... all very emotional and difficult for you," Claire states. "But while you've been sleeping, we've been working. When the boys found me and we came together it wasn't necessarily easy. We've been betrayed and countless people have tried to kill us. How do we know you're telling the truth? And how can we trust you? You bearing the name Mikaelson doesn't mean shit to us,"

"I don't have the time to prove my loyalty," Freya states. "Dahlia will come and she will kill us all,"

"How does she know about Kaylin?" Kol wonders. "She hasn't exactly been showing signs of magic. She is only a baby after all," 

(I know Hope has shown magic by this time but Kaylin hasn't, not that people have noticed at least)

"Kaylin has magic in her blood," Freya states confidently. "Dahlia will sense it and she will come,"

"I don't take kindly to those who threaten my children," Claire states, her eyes narrowing. "If Dahlia comes, as you say, we will kill her,"

"Why aren't you listening to me?" Freya snapped. "You've never come across a witch like Dahlia-"

"And Dahlia has never come across a witch like me," Claire states. "You've explained the Mikaelson bloodline... Now, let me explain mine," Claire tells her. "My family comes from a long line of magic. When a coven member dies, their magic does not go with them nor does it flow into the Earth. Instead, it passes into the coven leader. Every generation, the leader of the coven grows stronger and stronger. I have generations of magic inside of me accompanied with my own."

"Yes, but you can't access that magic on your own, can you?" Freya asks tilting her head. "You're a siphoner. You may be strong when you siphon but that magic will run out and Dahlia will beat you,"

"So, you're what? Our only hope? Seems rather convenient, doesn't it?" Klaus growls.

"I knew it would be difficult to earn your trust," Freya says, her eyes scanning her siblings before returning to Claire. She could talk to her sibling all she wants but Claire is the one that would be able to convince them. "But, if we are to face Dahlia together, you will have to trust me." Freya sighs softly. "I know I appear as an outsider, but I have dreamt of you all for a thousand years," Her eyes go to Elijah. "Elijah, when you were in Esther's womb, she would ask me to sing to you. I would feel her belly as I did," She laughs quietly. "How you would kick. She would say is was as if Thor himself had raised his hammer-"

"And summoned thunder and lightning," Elijah smiles kindly. "Mother rarely mentioned you, but when she did, she would say how enchanted you were with the prospect of my birth,"

"How I wanted more brothers... and a sister more than anything. But between Esther and Dahlia, that wish was taken from me. I was ruined by those who raised me. If nothing else, at least we have that in common," She tells her siblings. "There is nothing that can replace what was taken from us. But, I hope we can make something better in its place. All you have to do is trust me,"

"We'll trust you when we have a reason to do so," Claire states. "As I said, we've been betrayed before and we have no reason to believe you won't do so either," 

"Well, I have an idea," Kol mutters, staring at his sister. Before anyone can question him he has Freya out of her seat and in his grasp. By the time Elijah rips him from her, she is drained of blood and limp on the ground.

"Kol!" Rebekah snaps from the doorway. Kol snarls and shoves Elijah off of him.

"We want to know if she's telling the truth, right?" Kol asks, looking around the room. "If she's telling the truth about being immortal then she'll wake up. If she was lying then she was obviously lying about everything and we won't have to worry about her stabbing us in the back later," Kol shrugs.

"A full proof plan," Klaus praises. "Now, we can have a proper family meeting,"

"Was that absolutely necessary?" Rebekah snaps, walking into the room.

"Oh, please, she was insufferable," Klaus rolls his eyes.

"That was ridiculous, even for you!" Elijah snapped, glaring at Kol. The younger brother merely waves Elijah off and returns to his seat.

"You've only just met her! Let's not get sentimental," Klaus rolls his eyes. "As Kol said, if she's immortal she'll wake up shortly,"

"Yes. Of course, if she wakes, she'll be willing to help us with unbridled enthusiasm" Elijah scoffs.

"She played you for a fool! Can you not see that? She spins a sad yarn about a small child taken by an evil witch, and you fall over yourself to mend what's broken!" Klaus yells.

"The story wasn't a lie, Niklaus," Finn tells him. "I remember the day Dahlia took Freya... It's vague but I remember it. She's not lying about her origin and I doubt she's lying about being immortal. So, why would she lie about Dahlia coming for Kaylin?" Finn questions. "I believe she's telling the truth and we should heed her warning and accept her help,"

"Finn, I know you want the sister you had as a child back but it's been a thousand years since you last saw her. She's changed. We have to make sure she's trustworthy before we let our guard down," Claire explains to him. "I'm not saying she's lying but we have to be sure. We can't afford to blindly trust anybody. Even long lost sisters," 

"What the bloody hell have I missed?" Rebekah questions. Henrik quietly fills her in.

"So, how can we find out the truth?" Elijah asks, his tone sharp as his anger toward Kol and Klaus lingers in his system.

"How about we read her mind?" Asher asks, coming into the room. "We'll be able to see her memories,"

"If she's as strong of a witch as she says she is, she could alter them," Kol states. Asher shakes his head.

"My mom would be able to tell the difference between altered and true memories. Even if she's a strong witch, I'd trust my mom's judgment," Asher tells them.

"See if she won't come over then," Elijah says. "We'll keep Freya here," Asher nods. He sends Freya a long look before slowly leaving to get his mother.

"Well, while we see if Freya wakes up, does anybody have any idea how we should handle Dahlia?" Claire wonders.

"Freya has a point," Henrik speaks up. "If Dahlia's magic has accumulated over the years she will be very powerful but so are you," He motions to Claire. "But, as Freya said, your magic runs out. However, if you and the rest of your coven go up against her then all of your magic combined should be able to hold her off and even defeat her,"

"Should be isn't good enough," Klaus shakes his head. "I'm not about to send our mate and her coven up against a woman we know next to nothing about by themselves,"

"Of course we wouldn't do that," Kol rolls his eyes. "We're a little better at making plans than that,"

"Are we?" Rebekah wonders. Kol sends her a look.

"Dahlia may be immortal but who can survive having their heart removed and being dismembered?" Claire wonders, arching her eyebrows. "My coven and I can go up against Dahlia. If we can't defeat her we can sure as hell keep her attention on us-"

"And we do what we do best," Kol smirks.

"If Freya wakes up, she won't be our only option like she believes herself to be," Claire states. "Which means you can relax," She says looking at Klaus. "And also means she wasn't lying so you can chill," Claire's eyes go to Kol. Kol smiles at her cheekily.

"Well, until we're certain that she is trustworthy, I don't want her in our home where our family, our children sleep," Klaus states standing up. "If she's lying about everything and is working with Dahlia, I don't want her anywhere near Kaylin,"

"Where are you taking her?" Elijah asks. Klaus ignores him for a moment and picks Freya from the ground.

"Somewhere she won't be able to cause trouble," Klaus answers, looking at Rebekah. "Tell Asher that we'll be at the bell tower of the cathedral," Rebekah nods.

"I want to come with you," Claire says standing up. "I'm not done talking with her,"

"I'll take you," Finn volunteers before any of the others could. He picks her up and follows Klaus out of their home. 

When they arrive at the tower, Klaus sets Freya down. Finn sets Claire on her feet but holds her close. Finn sends a small look toward Freya. Claire can practically see memories of his childhood swirling around his mind.

It didn't take long for Freya to wake up. When she did, she demonstrated some of that Mikaelson rage Claire has grown accustomed to. However, without Kol present, she turned that rage toward Klaus.

"You dare lay your hands on me?!" Freya snapped furiously.

"Immortality is a bold play. Kol had to make sure you were telling the truth."

"Why did you bring me here?" She whispers, looking around.

"I couldn't very well have you stay in our home," He motions to himself, his brother, and mate. "That honor is something I reserve for those I consider family,"

"So, you refuse me as your sister?" Freya questions, her eyes dimming. Claire feels a pang of sympathy.

"Well, you had a lovely audition. It just didn't seem to be the right fit," Klaus jokes.

"I think Elijah felt otherwise. Rebekah, Henrik... Finn," Freya looks at the brother she grew up with with hope. Claire slips her arm around his waist. She leans into him to provide some comfort.

"Yes, you did a fine job of convincing them with your melodramatic tales," Klaus rolls his eyes. "However, Kol and I suspect you were not entirely forthcoming. The truth is, the others can be a bit naïve when it comes to family relations," Finn sends Klaus a look but doesn't say anything. "Case in point, their unending faith in me! I repay that loyalty by guarding them against treachery they cannot see and I suspect you are very treacherous indeed. 

"That's enough, Niklaus," Finn growls but Klaus continues.

"You wish to worm your way into my family. I want to know why," Klaus moves close to her. "So, sister," Klaus sneers. "I'm going to give you one last chance to tell the full truth," He states. "I suggest you don't muck it up,"

"You want to know why I hate Dahlia?" Freya asks, her eyes misting. "It goes back to a man. His name was Mathias. We knew each other for one perfect year in the early 1400s. I loved him more than my own life, and Dahlia allowed me to love him,"

"Of course. She wanted you to bear her another firstborn," Klaus nods.

"I broke my vow and gave into love, and that led to the darkest moment of my life," Freya says, her voice slowly beginning to crack. Claire's grip around Finn tightens. "The day when I tried to steal from Dahlia that which she wanted the most,"

"And what, precisely, was that?"

"My son," Frey cries. Claire closes her eyes as tears of her own threaten to fall. Finn gently pulls Claire into his chest. "Mathias only wanted our son to be born free. For that, Dahlia cursed him to death. I knew that I'd never be free of her, that my child would be born a slave. To spare us both the horrors of the life I'd known, I took a bottle of Dahlia's strongest poison. I wanted to die, for only death could give me the release I longed for. But Dahlia knew that my death was never an option. That was the day that I learned I could never die.

"It was Dahlia who made me do what I did. She turned me into a monster and I will destroy her for it. Tell me, brother... Is that the truth you wanted to hear?" Freya snaps, tears falling down her chest.

"Klaus," Claire whispers softly. Despite wanting to continue going at Freya, Klaus backs down knowing how Freya's story was affecting his mate. 

Claire moves from Finn's embrace and stands in front of Freya. The two women stare into each other eyes. Claire remembers Freya telling her how she did research before coming to New Orleans. The death of Aaron and Theodore is no secret. Freya knows about the death of Claire's children. They understand each other's pain.

Claire knew the pain of their death would never go away. However, seeing Freya standing in front of her mourning the death of her child centuries later puts things in perspective. She would truly mourn her children in every lifetime.

"A woman in my coven is good at getting into the minds of other witches. If you'll consent, she'll look into your mind and see if you're telling the truth. If you are, we'll trust you and work with you to defeat Dahlia. If you're lying, I'll grant you the death you've been craving,"