𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 43

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Seventeen year old Anna smiled to herself as she trudged through the woods. Her smile was bright and her mood was cheery.

The young witch looked ahead at the tiny gazebo that laid only a few feet away. Her gaze softened as she saw her beloved vampire fixing up the flowers that were beginning to die.

Francis smiled as he turned and met the eyes of the witch he loved, "You're late darling."

"Apologies my love, my friends had me answering their questions for a spell they wished to perform."

Francis watched the brunette with endearing eyes, he glanced over her and sucked in a breath. She was absolutely beautiful, her hair was put back in a loose braid with a few strands of hair peeking out. The witch was wearing an off white dress that fit her perfectly.

"You're staring." Anna couldn't stop the amused smile that spread onto her lips.

Francis stepped towards her and tucked in a loose curl as he gazed lovingly into her eyes, "You are absolutely enchanting, my dear."

Anna pursed her lips as she felt her cheeks heat up, the vampire before her chuckled at her embarrassment and leaned down, placing a chaste kiss on her lips.

Annalise fluttered her eyes closed as she relished in the feel of his loving endearment.

The heretic snapped her eyes open as she breathed heavily, the girl let out a groan as another headache shot through her mind.

Anna attempted to pull on the chains once again but it was no use. Elijah stared at the ground rather glumly.

"What's wrong?" the heretic questioned her soulmate. Elijah pursed his lips in annoyance that he was feeling such jealousy course through him, "You and Francis truly loved each other."

Anna's lips parted, "You saw my memory?"

"Believe me, it wasn't by choice."

The heretic grumbled in irritation, Esther must have linked their minds so they can see what the other hallucinates.

Anna focused on the throbbing pain in her neck and siphoned a bit of the magic. She had been keeping herself alive for the past few hours that way. Esther didn't know what she was doing, but the Martin girl had been reducing the pain but not entirely so the original witch wouldn't suspect it.

Annalise didn't need Klaus' blood, but she also had to think a few steps ahead.

Annalise was strong, but not even she dared to take on Esther without her full power. She was currently weakened and going up against the original witch would be foolish and naive. The most she could do was keep herself alive until another plan popped into her mind.

Anna winced as a memory from Elijah's mind flooded her thoughts.

A girl with long, wavy brown hair who is wearing a long, white dress frantically runs for safety toward a red door at the end of a hall. Elijah stalked towards her as he was completely drenched in blood.

The female whimpers in fear as she rattles the door handle, desperately attempting to rip it open. When the girl turns around, it's Anna that is seen.

Annalise looks at the original vampire in pure terror as she pounds on the door before her to no avail.

Elijah finally stands before her and grabs the girls arm, he forces her to meet him but it's no longer Annalise. It's the original doppleganger, Tatia. He grabs her by the hair and turns her neck toward him before vamping-out and feeding on her, screams echoed through the memory.

Elijah jolted awake and breathed heavily. Anna slowly lifted her gaze to meet her soulmate's. It seems he had his own demons that haunted him.

The vampire desperately tugged on the chains, but it's no use. They won't break.

Anna's gaze becomes sour as Esther walks into the crypt, drinking tea.

"Have you forgotten where you are, son? Save your strength. My chains don't break so easily." The original witch pointed above the two where a large poppet hangs from the rafters, magically fortified so they won't break.

Esther/Lenore glanced between Anna and Elijah with an innocent smile, "Having sweet dreams?"

"Get out of our heads." Elijah growled menacingly at his mother who shrugged, "I'm not in your head, dear. You were screaming."

Anna grit her teeth as she attempted to lunge for the witch, "I am going to kill you."

Esther turned towards her, "Not in that condition. I'll let you two enjoy your time down memory lane." the female grinned before walking back out.

Anna hung her head tiredly as her vision began to blur up, she couldn't siphon too much from the bite. Esther would notice and that would be much worse. The heretic's magic was also nullified, making it harder to think up a plan.

Elijah gazed at his soulmate, "I need to get you out of here. If I don't-" the vampire cut himself off with a hard yank of the chains. He knew what Annalise was doing, but he still needed to get her to safety so she could properly heal herself. Right now, she was putting her body and mind through slow torture, and here he was, not able to do one thing about it.

Esther re-entered the crypt and smiled at the two, "So, you dreamed of ripping apart Anna was it? When you awoke earlier? A new plaything." the witch turned towards Anna who was breathing heavily with her eyes set in a murderous expression.

Elijah aggressively lunges for her but still can't get any closer.

Esther chuckled, "Oh, stop fighting, Elijah! I brought you here to listen, and you're not going anywhere until I've said my piece."

The vampire grit his teeth in anger, "So speak."

"I want you to rejoin our family, but as a witch. I want you to leave behind the grotesque savage vampirism has made of you. Take the body of a mortal, and we can all be happy again. Start over."

Elijah gaped at his mother, "You do know you're entirely demented, don't you?"

Esther smirked smugly as she glanced at Anna, "Am I? I'm not the one who pulls the wings off of every beautiful butterfly that he finds." she reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind the weakened heretic's ear.

Elijah thrashed in the chains feeling his blinding anger consume him, "Don't fucking touch her."

Esther pursed her lips as she watched his fangs extend, "Hmm. How quickly you slip back into your more savage self."

Elijah's anger wavered as he took in her response, the original went slack with shame as his fangs hid themselves once more.

Esther sighed, "The moral son I raised is now but a mask worn to hide ancient demons."

"You know nothing."

Anna rattled the chains, she couldn't bear hearing Esther attempt to manipulate the vampire.

The witch shook her head at her son, "See, that's where you're wrong. I know more about the secrets you carry than you do. Shall I list them? I can begin with the first little butterfly you destroyed." Elijah's face goes pale at the mention.

"The sweet young widow from our village who caught your eye when you were still human." Esther grinned as she watched the original shift uncomfortably.

"Do you ever get tired of muttering complete nonsense?"

Esther turned to see Anna gazing at her with an annoyed glint in her eyes, "I will deal with you later."

The witch turned back towards her son, "You're afraid of hurting the one good thing that has slipped it's way into your life, my dear child. I have seen you hesitate your feelings for the one woman who you will truly love, all because of your savage ways."

Elijah purses his lips. He was hesitant to let Anna in, all because of the events that have happened in the past. Annalise was the one person in this cursed world he couldn't imagine himself without anymore. The original shook his head, "I have only cared for the woman in my past, and Tatia. She was your doing." he knew his mother was attempting to rile him up.

Esther clicked her tongue, "I know that's what you believe... which is precisely why you are here." she picked up a candle and held it closely towards the vampire's face.

Anna lunged for the witch but grumbled a curse as the chains held her back.

"I need to show you the monster you really are. When I do, you will beg for salvation, and happily I shall provide it."

Anna watched the witch send the original into another memory but this time, she couldn't see it.

The heretic watched wearily as Elijah winced at whatever he was seeing. Anna wanted nothing more to rip Esther's throat out and feed it to hungry vultures.

Elijah's eyes slowly opened up once more and gazed sadly as his mother shook her head, "But, that was just the beginning. A brief moment of happiness. That is how it always begins. A butterfly lands upon your finger, unaware that it will lead to her tragic end."

The vampire scoffed as anger replaced his sadness, "Her tragic end came when you drained her body of blood. All for a spell to smother the wolf within Niklaus, if my memory serves."

Esther sighed in frustration, "Actually, Elijah, your memory doesn't serve you at all. You just don't realize it yet. But, by the time we are done here, you will."

"You're a bloody lunatic."

Esther turned away from her son to glance at the brunette, "Are you not the same? Francis died because of your poor choices."

Anna pursed her lips as she mentally winced, "It wasn't my fault." she reminded herself. She told herself those four words in hopes it would become true.

"My dear, Francis would have never been caught if not for your arrogance."

"Shut up."

"You know it's true. You never wished this immortal life upon yourself, I am offering you a way to regain the life you once had. You would be reborn a witch, and you could finally live that happily ever after Francis and you dreamed of. You could finally have it all."

Elijah's gaze dropped to the floor as his mother's words rung in his ears, would she choose her past lover over him? The mere thought of it physically pained him. The thought of anyone but him feeling her soft lips and delicate hands, the adoring gaze she gave him, the thought of it being someone other than him, sent a dreadful pit to his stomach.

Anna stared blankly at the witch before glancing over at her soulmate who held a pained expression. The heretic turned her attention back towards the original witch, "Your words aren't very convincing."

Esther sighed, "Stubborn as your father said you were."

Anna's gaze hardened, "Do not speak of him."

"I forgot he was such a sensitive topic for you." Esther grinned as she noticed the effect it had on the heretic.

"You're rabid instincts are what led you to create such mass destruction, Annalise."

Anna gulped anxiously as she tried to rid her thoughts of that night. Esther turned towards her son, "What is the lie she made known to be true? That a herd of vampire's massacred her coven?"

Elijah's brows knitted together in confusion as the witch smiled.

"Have you never wondered why Anna's so haunted by these grounds? This city? Why the ancestors want her killed?" Esther quirked up a brow at her son while Annalise clenched her jaw.

Elijah's lips parted as he gazed over at the heretic, Annalise chewed her lower lip as her eyes shifted to the ground, unable to meet her soulmate's gaze.

Esther sighed, "I truly am sorry for having a hand in what happened to you, Annalise."

The heretic scoffed harshly, "Your sentiment isn't needed."

"I think it is."

"Well, I wasn't asking for it." Annalise snapped at the Mikaelson witch. Esther pursed her lips, "Stubbornness will not get you anywhere."

The witch strolled out of the room leaving a confused Elijah to stare at Anna.

"What does she mean?"

Anna shook her head, "Nothing." but her thoughts betrayed her.

A memory flashed into her mind, for the two soulmates to watch.

Annalise groaned in agony as the smell of fresh blood flooded the air around her. The newly turned heretic attempted to raise her hands but noticed she was chained, she began to breath heavily as all the events that had happened crossed through her mind.

The seventeen year old Martin thrashed as her yells echoed through the cell she was being kept in.

A figure began to approach the brunette and she stilled seeing her father.

The Elder witch watched his daughter with intrigued eyes, "It worked." he sounded relieved.

Anna's lower lip began to tremble, "How could you do this to me?"

"How could I? How could I not? You are the first witch to ever be turned into a vampire and keep her powers. This is just the beginning. Imagine how unstoppable we would be?" Harlow held a wicked smile as his daughter stared at him.

"You took my mortality away. My choice!" Her voice shouted as she attempted to lunge at the witch but the chains held her back.

Harlow narrowed his eyes at the girl, "Let's not forget who was it that broke our coven's rule."

Anna's eyes went wide with anger, "Seriously? That is your defense?"

"The vampire had it coming."

"His name was Francis." Anna felt a single tear roll down her cheek, "And I loved him."

Harlow shook his head, "That is disgraceful."

"Falling in love?"

"With a vampire of all species!" her father's voice boomed through the chamber. Anna winced and instinctively flinched.

The heretic began to breath heavily in fear of what the Elder witch would do.

Harlow sighed, "You should be thankful that I reasoned with the coven. If it had gone their way, you would have been hanged."

"I would have preferred it." Anna's tone wavered. "You are an ungrateful child."

"And you are a horrible father." the heretic felt fresh tears well up in her eyes. Harlow scoffed, "Keep that attitude, it won't be getting you anywhere."

"I don't care." Anna gazed blankly at the ground. Her lover was dead, she'd had her choices taken from her, and she couldn't even recognize her father anymore. What did she have left?

Harlow turned away from his daughter, he glanced back at her for a mere moment before straightening up and strutting out of the room.

Anna let out a quiet cry as she hugged her knees to her chest. Everything she was feeling felt multiplied. Her anger, her fear, and the grief.

Annalise shook her head harshly as she glanced up at Elijah who was watching her with a saddened gaze.

"You did not deserve that."

Anna pursed her lips before looking away, "My father seemed to think otherwise."

"That insolent male clearly lacks several brain cells." Elijah grit through his teeth. Seeing the heretic's father speak and shout at her in such a way, it made him angry. In a way he had never felt.

Esther rolled into the room before watching the two, "You two must be hungry?" the witch glanced at her son, "It's been hours since you fed. What an awful thing, to feed upon the blood of others. For this, I blame myself. And your father. We tried to make you children strong. But, instead, we cursed you all."

Anna braced herself as a memory of Elijah's flooded her flooded her thoughts.

Klaus sits in the forest, naked, covered in blood, and surrounded by the dismembered corpses of several men that he killed while he was shifted in his wolf form. Elijah finds him a moment later and looks at him with sympathy as the newly turned hybrid struggled to hold back his tears.

"Brother?" Elijah carefully called out to him. The vampire handed him fresh clothes, which Klaus took from his grasp. Yet, the hybrid made no move to dress himself, instead he stared ahead as if taking in everything that had happened.

"What am I...? How many...?"

Elijah frowned as he watched his younger brother, "Six."

Klaus hid his face in his hands as he shivered in disgust at himself. Elijah pursed his lips, "You slaughtered six villagers, brother. You tore them apart as though they were nothing at all."

The vampire held out a hand that the hybrid took and helped him up to his feet, "Brother, what have I become?" Klaus whispered in horror.

Elijah sighed, "You seem like the wolves in the village, cursed to turn when the moon is full." he pulled the younger Mikaelson into a comforting hug before continuing to speak, "Listen to me. Father is beside himself with rage. It seems this... affliction... can only be passed by a certain kind of conception-"

Klaus frowned as he spoke up, "And do our siblings share this affliction? Do you share this affliction?"

Elijah paused for a moment before firmly shaking his head, "No. I don't."

Klaus' face went slack with devastation, "He is not my father, is he?"

Elijah stared at the hybrid in sympathy before meeting his gaze, "You listen to me. This changes nothing. For any of us. We are here for you, as we shall be always."

The hybrid's lower lip trembled as he felt his brother's words strike him in the heart. The sounds of leaves crunching, signaling someone was coming.

The two Mikaelson's turned to see Tatia, who's eyes widened at all the torn up bodies that laid beside the two, and Niklaus who was covered in blood.

The doppleganger gasped in fear before immediately turning to run away. Elijah's feet move on his own as he chased after her to explain the situation, "Tatia. Tatia!"

Annalise blinks back as she is brought back to reality, Elijah glared at Esther harshly, "I fail to see your point, here. I compelled Tatia to forget what she saw, and she did."

Esther shook her head in protest, "You'd only been a vampire for a few days. You hadn't yet learned compulsion."

Elijah's lips parted in disbelief, "No. I remember that. Clearly."

The original raised a brow, "Do you? You thought there were still lines you wouldn't cross."

The vampire stared at her as his features visibly shows his distress at the thought of what she was suggesting.

"People you wouldn't hurt. Things you wouldn't do. But, you're wrong. That is what I'm here to show you."

Elijah continued to chase after Tatia in the woods. The brunette eventually tripped on an exposed tree root causing her to fall to the floor allowing the vampire to finally catch up with her.

"Tatia. Wait."

The doppleganger scrambles to her feet as she fearfully backs away from him. Elijah held his hands up in a defensive manner.

"Stay away from me." the human muttered.

"I won't hurt you."

Tatia stared at him with a horrified expression, "What have you become?"

"I'm what I've always been. I'm the one who loves you."

The brunette shook her head visibly scared by his new form.

Anna hung her head tiredly as the werewolf bite began to ache. She softly siphoned a small portion once again and almost sighed in relief as the pain subsided a bit.

Esther angrily stared at her son, "You knew how special she was! I always thought you would protect her. That she would be your wife, that one day I might call her daughter! Instead-"

Anna frowned at the thought of Elijah married to another woman.

Elijah quickly cut his mother off, "I didn't hurt her."

The original witch clenched her jaw, "You've taught yourself to hide from who and what you are for a thousand years!"

"I did not hurt Tatia!"

"But you did."

Tatia gazed at the newly turned vampire in fear as Elijah tried to ease her terror.

"Your mother asked for my blood. She said nothing of the dark magic that would turn you into a monster!" The doppleganger shouted, clearly stunned at what had happened.

Elijah's face went visibly slack with hurt, "Look at me, I'm not a monst-" but he cut himself off as the scent of fresh blood coursed through the atmosphere. He glanced down at Tatia's wound from when she had fallen.

The vampire took a deep breath as he struggled to contain himself, his veins protruded under his eyes for a brief moment causing the human to cower away from him.

"Tatia..."

Esther takes the vampire's face in her hands as she forces him to meet her gaze, "Oh, my beautiful boy. No more hiding. It is time, now, for you to remember it all."

Tatia slapped the Mikaelson across the face as if it was some sort of way to defend herself.

Elijah looked taken back by the sudden act of violence, "I said I will not hurt you. I don't want to-" but despite his best efforts, all he could smell was her blood seeping from her wound.

Tatia's eyes widened in fear as the male's eyes went red and his fangs bared themselves.

"Elijah...?"

The vampire groaned as tried to shake the hunger off, to stop himself from feeding on her. "Run."

The doppleganger backed away and began to run as fast as her feet would allow her. Elijah's efforts were admirable, but he could not hold back on his hunger as he chased after her.

Esther spoke up, "You didn't want to hurt her. You loved her."

Elijah winced as the horrific memory submerged once again.

Elijah grabbed ahold of the brunette human before pulling her head back and sweeping her hair to the side so her neck was bared at him. Tatia yelped and began to struggle against his grip.

"But, you couldn't fight what you had become. What I had turned you into."

Elijah viciously bit into the humans neck and ignored her cries of pain as she attempted to push him back.

Anna breathed heavily at the sight she had just seen and looked over at the mother and son.

Esther pursed her lips, "A predator. And she became your prey."

Elijah yanked himself free from her grasp and narrowed his eyes down at her, "This was you. You murdered her for her blood. And then, you used it to cripple Klaus for centuries."

Esther merely stared at him as the original backed away and yanked on the chains once more, "I won't listen to another word."

"You don't have to listen, son. All you have to do is remember."

Elijah's gaze hardened as he watched his mother, "You're distorting my memories! It was you who killed Tatia."

"Oh, I used her blood to bind the spell that suppressed Niklaus' werewolf aspect. But, by the time you brought her to me, she was already dead."

Anna frowned as she watched her soulmate's face go wide with horror.

"You can't rewrite history."

Esther shook her head, "No, I cannot. And I did not. Not until I had your consent."

Esther is out by the pig pen where she is cleaning a knife with a white cloth, when Elijah approached her, carrying Tatia's dead body in his arms. Esther backed away from slowly him, visibly terrified by the sight of the two.

"When you became yourself again, you brought her to me."

Esther takes Tatia's body from a devastated Elijah who looked ashamed in himself.

"But, too late. I told you you were a good son, to let me take care of it. That I could help make it all go away."

Esther drags Tatia's body away into the old shed. Elijah, overwhelmed to the point of numbness, falls to his knees in terror. Esther closes the wooden door to their slaughterhouse behind her, the wood stained with red blood.

"And then, I said to you, 'You will not suffer from this memory, or be tormented from the guilt of your misdeed. What goes behind that door shall stay there and be forgotten.'" Esther watched her son's expression become glum.

"I told you to clean yourself up. That if you were clean, no one would know what you are or what you'd done."

Anna yanked her chains with more force than before, she desperately wanted to reach for the vampire. To hold and console him. Usher sweet endearments in hopes that it would soothe his troubled mind.

Elijah shook his head in doubt as his mother continued, "And you did exactly that... and more. You created a place in your mind to put your victims. You began to believe that as long as your suit was immaculate and your hands clean, you could look in the mirror and tell yourself it's all okay. No one need know what's behind that red door."

Esther softly sighed, "But, a thousand years is a long time, Elijah. And a place meant to hold one unforgivable sin is now full to bursting with your most monstrous deeds."

"Stop!" Elijah's voice shouted through the crypt.

"How long before it's your beloved Anna's corpse behind that door?" Esther raised a brow.

Elijah weakly raised his head to meet the eyes of his worried soulmate. He would forever hate himself if he even inflicted any type of pain onto her.

"Stop." the vampire desperately whispered.

Anna grit her teeth, "Leave him alone."

Esther ignored the heretic as she continued, "You must be afraid that- that loving you will destroy her. As it destroyed Celeste. Tatia. Take my offer. Both of you. In new bodies, you will be alive again!"

Anna's lips parted, mama original was completely nuts.

Elijah pressed his lips into a firm line, "You will not break me."

"Oh, you are already broken, my dear boy, but not beyond repair. I am here to fix you. I am here to fix you all."

"I am so sick of hearing you preach nonsense." Anna panted as she began to breath heavily as the hallucinations were beginning to set in.

"You, Annalise, could redeem yourself of the atrocities you had created. All you have to do, is take my offer."

Annalise raised her chin as a determined look flashed through her eyes, "No."

"So be it."

The witch flicks her wrist sending her two hostages into a deep sleep, where they would dream.

"You two will learn the hard way."