CHAPTER EIGHT | BROTHERHOOD OF THE DAMNED

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─── 

RILEY WAS RELIVED THAT ELIJAH HAD ACCEPTED CAMI'S OFFER TO TALK THROUGH HIS FEELINGS. The pair had decided to arrange their first session that morning and Riley wanted to make sure that she gave the two space, considering she knew that if she were in the same situation, she would want space, too. 

Riley remained in the kitchen, preparing herself a coffee as she did every single morning. She carefully stirred the boiling hot drink before her attention was taken by Elijah, who appeared in the doorway. "How're you feeling?"

"Uneasy." Elijah hummed, almost chuckling slightly. "To open myself up to someone is a bizarre feeling."

"But, perhaps it might give you a better understanding of what you're feeling, too." Riley offered him a sympathetic smile before she placed the spoon into the sink and picked up the cup. "I'm gonna give you some space, I'm sure the last thing you'd want is me listening into your therapy session."

The Original vampire shook his head in immediate disagreement with Riley's prior statement.  "That is exactly what I want. I would feel better having you sit in— slightly more at ease." 

"If that's what you want, then sure." Riley gave him a smile before he led her into the living room, where Cami had already sat down and prepared herself for the session. "Really getting into character, aren't you, Cami?"

"I take my role as Original Vampire Therapist very seriously." The blonde chuckled softly, but her attention soon drifted toward Elijah. She could see from the moment he had sat down beside Riley that he was tense. "Okay, Elijah, our goal here is to confront your subconscious. An element of my thesis is on suppression of past trauma and how it can manifest in aberrant and often violent behaviour."

"You know, I believe it was 1897 that a dear friend of mine, let's just call him the Godfather of modern psychoanalysis, mentioned something similar to me over tea in a Viennese cafe." Elijah offered the blonde a lingering smile, whilst Riley rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee.

"Are you namedropping Freud right now?" Cami laughed. "Okay. Well, here's something I know that even Freud didn't—"

The Original adjusted himself in his seat, preparing himself to listen. "—Oh, do tell." 

"What it's like when someone takes away your deepest, ugliest pain without your consent. It is both a blessed relief and a complete violation." As the blonde human spoke, Elijah's face fell. "Sound familiar? Good. Let's start with what you've referred to as The Red Door."

Riley's breath hitched in her throat as she recalled Elijah's explanation what it means for him. "That's an imagine from my past. My youth. It was the door to a slaughterhouse. Sometimes it appears to me in flashes. It's a memory, but it's also a metaphor. It's a place where unspeakable deeds dwell in darkness."

"And have there been many?" 

Abruptly, Elijah had gotten up to his feet and moved over to the window. "Look, Camille, you know I'm no stranger to violence. Typically, however, I am possessed of a certain control. However, now and then, I can become consumed with chaos and untethered from that control. This is where the deeds are concealed, behind that door."

"Why the Red Door? The one from your childhood?" Riley chimed in. The moment she spoke, she scolded herself for interrupting Cami. However, the blonde sent her a smile. 

"This is where the first woman I ever loved told me she loved me in return." Elijah simply stated, though as he turned to face the women, his face grew darker. "It's also where I laid her body after I took her life." 

"Tatia?" Riley raised an eyebrow and Elijah nodded in confirmation. 

"No one knows this apart from Riley. Not even Niklaus. My brother loved Tatia as deeply as I did. He still believes that mother killed her, and not only is this a lie. This is a lie of my creation, and my brother doesn't forgive. He doesn't forget. Therefore, I think it's best that I forget for both of our sakes."

There was a moment where Elijah's entire body jolted and he grew unsteady. "Elijah?" He stumbled forward, gripping onto the back of a chair whilst Riley rushed up to her feet to hold him, but before she could, he fell unconscious to the ground. 

Riley pulled her phone from her pocket and immediately tapped Klaus' caller ID. After a few moments of dial tone, the call was answered. "Riley?" 

"Davina? What's going on, I'm sure I called Klaus." Riley furrowed her brows with confusion as Cami wandered back into the room with Hope in her arms. "No offence." 

"No. No, you did. I can't wake him up." 

"Oh, my God. You're joking?" The strawberry-blonde witch frustratedly placed a hand against her forehead. "Elijah's down, too. What's happening?" 

"Ugh, I'm an idiot. The spell Finn used was to trap his brothers." A grunt left the teenage witch's lips. "Meaning Kol's in trouble."

Riley had began to panic even further when she realised that Finn was the architect of their current situation. "Spell? What damn spell, Davina?"  

"Klaus wanted me to find out where he was getting his power from. I saw him combing sacred objects. You know, totems. It was some sort of representational magic, but given that Klaus are down—"

"—He's got them in a Chambre de Chasse. Which means, until they figure out what represents them, we're unable to help."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─── 

Riley was utterly helpless to save the Mikaelson brothers whilst Finn had them trapped in the Chambre de Chasse, and she hated it. If there was one thing Riley was not good at, it was doing nothing. So, in an attempt to distract herself from the unconscious Mikaelson laying on the floor, she had decided to spend some time with Hope.

"What shall we call this one, hm?" Riley waved a small stuffed Duck in front of Hope, who she rested in a play matt on the ground. "What about Ducky? Because he goes quack quack quack." She gently tickled the sides of the youngest Mikaelson whilst Hope ticked her legs and squealed happily. 

Cami quietly admired Riley's playful nature from the doorway, reluctant to enter in case she interrupted Riley. The witch felt a pair of eyes on her, and turned her head to notice Cami at the doorway. "You're really good with her, you know that?"

Riley hummed and continued to wave the duck in Hope's face. "Which is odd, all things considered." 

"How so?" 

"Well, I grew up living with my Grandma, so I didn't exactly have much exposure to children." The strawberry-blonde innocently shrugged. "To be honest, kids always scared me but Hope's completely changed my mind on that one."

"She's a terrific kid and if anyone could change your outlook, it would definitely be her." Cami admired the littlest Mikaelson lovingly before she sat down on the chair beside Riley. She noticed the witch's gaze drifted back to Elijah every so often. "He'll be okay."

"I— I know. I just worry." Riley hummed softly. 

These days, she felt like all she did was worry about Klaus and Elijah. It was a bizarre feeling because she never thought she would truly care about Klaus, considering everything that he did in Mystic Falls. She believed he was the Devil, and now she cared about him enough to risk her own life. 

"You two have history, huh?" Cami tilted her head to the side, whilst a chuckle escaped Riley's lips. 

"Hm. We met when he was trying to assist us against Klaus, who wanted to sacrifice the doppelgänger." Riley trailed off as she remembered back to the first time she laid eyes on the Mikaelson man. "He inspired fear. God, nobody was ever sure who they were more fearful of; Klaus or Elijah."

"And were you?" Cami asked, causing Riley's eyebrows to knit together. "Scared of him?"

"No." The witch responded almost immediately. She had caught herself off guard with the lack of hesitation she displayed. "I always felt safe around him. But, I think a part of me overlooked that because of my relationship."

Before Cami could even push Riley any further for answers, Elijah's entire body jolted and a gasp escaped his lips. In a fright, both the females panicked at the speed in which he had regained consciousness. Elijah's eyes desperately scanned the room, almost as if he could not comprehend the fact that he was free.

"Hey. Hey. Elijah." Riley placed her hand against his, trying to calm him down as his breathing became less erratic. "Are you okay?"

He swallowed thickly. "For now." His phone began to vibrate from his inner jacket pocket, whilst Cami had taken Hope within her arms. 

"How is my daughter?" 

"She's in good hands. As am I." Elijah's gaze lingered upon Riley. He sent the witch a thankful smile, which she returned. "However, if you say the word, I shall return."

"No." The Hybrid was quick to respond. "You're needed where you are."

Elijah continued to slowly pace up and down in front of Riley, shortly after Cami had excused herself to place Hope down for a nap. "So, the city is safe?" 

"Well, I wouldn't exactly go flinging around terms like safe. Marcel and all his vampires have inexplicably disappeared. Kol is in the wind, Rebekah is still lost, and Finn is dangerously suspicious of the secrets we keep." Klaus faltered for a moment. "Speaking of which, I meant what I said. I am capable of forgiveness. We need to remain focused on our common enemies. I'll be in touch."

"So." Riley lifted herself up to her feet once Elijah ended the phone call and slid his phone into his jacket pocket. "Are you going to tell me the truth now? How are you?"

"Finn misrepresented me, meaning the spell would simply collapse had I exposed the misrepresentation. The noble stag." He chuckled softly to himself, and shook his head. "If I were noble, I would not have kept Tatia's demise a secret from Niklaus."

Riley's eyes widened as she realised where Elijah was going. "You told Klaus you killed Tatia?" With a guilty look, Elijah nodded. "Oh, I— how did he—"

"—He forgave me, Riley. My brother, the man who never gave forgiveness and solved conflict with the blunt end of a dagger, forgave me."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───