𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐄𝐍 - the late-night swim

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐀𝐈𝐑 was bitter and only grew colder as the sky grew darker. The shades of blue and orange slowly darkened into a midnight blue, black breaking through and plummeting them into darkness if it weren't for the lights from the home and inside the pool, that is.

Though the air was cold and bit at Ophelia and Sophie, Hayley sat with just a pair of shorts and a light tank top, the air brushed her bare skin and yet not a single shiver erupted. Ophelia, from her seat beside Hayley, could feel the heat rolling off the wolf in waves as the cursed injection that was forced into Sophie boiled Hayley's blood.

Rebekah hadn't taken long to gather all of the herbs Sophie required; both she and Elijah assisted the witch as she prepared the concoction of herbs.

Hayley let out a heavy sigh and her face contorted as a ripple of pain shot through her, "Lia, I'm not gonna lie, I feel like shit."

Ophelia placed her hand against the wolf's forehead, recoiling at the temperature. "Right..." the siphon muttered to herself as she stood and shed herself of Elijah's jacket as well as her own cardigan, shoes and socks. Everyone looked towards her with slight confusion as she heaved Hayley to her feet, the young wolf complaining as she did.

The siphon directed her stare towards Sophie, "We need to do this now." her tone held no room for argument and as Hayley let out another huff of pain, Ophelia snapped her attention back to the wolf and carefully helped her into the pool.

"Why are we going swimming?" Hayley sighed as the cool water surrounded her burning skin.

Ophelia ignored the goosebumps that rose on her skin and the way her breathing quickened at the feeling of the ice-cold water, "You're burning up and you won't fit in the freezer, so, midnight swim it is."

The statement made Hayley laugh lightly as she allowed the siphon to pull her along. Sophie hopped in soon after with the mixture of herbs she had prepared in a cup. "The water, with the help of these herbs should cool us down." Sophie spoke as she waded through the water and held the cup out to Hayley who swallowed the mixture with a grimace at the bitter mix, "We need to get her heart rate down."

Ophelia rose a brow at the witch before letting out a deep sigh. The siphon faced Hayley and opened her arms, gesturing for the woman to come forward. Hayley did as instructed and once she was close enough, she frowned, "How are we gonna do that?"

"We're gonna hug it out, holding someone can slow their heart rate and reduce blood pressure." Ophelia explained as she gestured once again, "Bring it in."

"This is weird."

"You're telling me. I don't even swing your way."

"Ditto."

"Can the two of you take this seriously, please?" Rebekah shouted over to the brunettes who were hugging in the pool water. Though she had to admit, she couldn't blame the two for laughing, it certainly was a sight. She turned her head away, biting her lip in both amusement and worry, "This is never going work."

The sopping wet siphon met Elijah's worried eyes over Hayley's shoulder as she rubbed the wolf's back; she could feel Hayley's heart pounding away beneath her rib cage. As the wolf took a sharp intake of breath, Ophelia spoke towards the suited original, "Let me know when."

Elijah's hands ticked by his side; the siphon was doing everything she possibly could for Hayley and her child, but it was clear to everybody that the cool water, human interaction, and concoction of herbs just weren't enough. They needed Davina to come through because if she didn't, they'd have to resort to the siphon and her abilities. It was a risk.

Seconds turned to minutes as Ophelia continued to hold Hayley as close as she could; it was mildly uncomfortable, Ophelia wasn't one for contact, she just didn't hold enough trust and acceptance within her heart to trust someone in that way. That, and the fact that they were both soaked, their clothes gripped at them both with a vice-like grip and at times their skin would stick together. But Ophelia still refused to let the wolf out of her hold. If Hayley's curse was being slowed by the uncomfortable interaction, well, she'd tough it out.

Elijah stood in one spot; his eyes trained on the pair. He was riddled with worry; the thought of losing his unborn niece, the thought of Klaus and Hayley losing their daughter. His eyes moved to Rebekah as she paced, she chewed at her lip and he could see that she too, was drowning in worry. This was their family and they were in danger, yet they couldn't do a damn thing. Elijah let out a deep and inaudible sigh through his parted lips; as the time ticked by, it seemed inevitable that he would have to give Ophelia the go-ahead to siphon Sophie.

Ophelia jolted as Hayley suddenly sucked in a harsh breath. Her heart was pounding and the wolf couldn't hold herself up as she gasped in a desperate need for air but her body wouldn't allow it, her throat felt like it was swollen, each tiny bit of oxygen scraping at her like razors. "I can't breathe!"

Elijah and Rebekah shared a desperate look before casting their gaze's back to the pool at the sound of Ophelia's voice.

"Okay..." Ophelia muttered as she tightened her grip on the wolf as Hayley's legs buckled. She was slightly stronger than she looked and thankfully she managed to keep the wolf's head above the water. The siphon lowered her voice to a calm and soothing whisper, "When I used to have anxiety attacks, my brother would hold me like this and tell me to breath in unison with him, can you do that?"

The wolf nodded and her eyes snapped shut as she rested her forehead against Ophelia's shoulder. She did the best she could and tried to block out the sounds around her and matched her breathing with the siphons. They breathed in unison, deep breaths inhaled through their noses, and exhaled through their mouths.

It seemed to have worked, Hayley's breathing slowed and oxygen finally managed to make its way to her previously starving lungs but just as everybody released a collective breath of relief, Hayley let out a harrowing scream of pain and began to thrash in Ophelia's arms.

Sophie watched as Ophelia helped calm the wolf, guilt prodded at her for using the woman and her child, but she needed to save her people. She couldn't afford to care. But watching the siphon actually care for the wolf, it was an odd sight, seeing as they had been told that siphons were not to be associated with. The witch could feel the link between herself and Hayley slowly growing weaker, "It's lifting... but it won't be fast enough."

Elijah wasted no time in hopping into the pool himself, he was over and by the girl's side within a matter of seconds and pulled Hayley's thrashing form into his supernatural grip. He knew they couldn't put it off any longer, the link needed to be severed. He nodded, trusting the new ally far more than Sophie, "I think it's time."

Ophelia agreed, as much as she didn't want to chance harming Hayley and the child in any way, she had to do something. She shot an apologetic look towards the writhing wolf before wading through the water and towards Sophie who stepped back with wide eyes; she knew exactly what was to come. "Ophelia..."

The siphon's gaze hardened as she looked up just slightly and met Sophie's eyes, "Perhaps think before you link yourself to a mother and her unborn child next time." without another word Ophelia reached out and latched her hands onto Sophie's wrists. Everyone watched onwards as Ophelia's hands began to glow and how Sophie immediately began to scream.

Elijah had already seen the siphon in action, yet he still couldn't help but stare in slight awe at her ability to remove spells and magic. Though it wasn't long until his face dropped as Hayley began to scream in unison; feeling the pain that Sophie did, though for Hayley, it was slowly diminishing. With each second, the wolf could feel it fading.

Ophelia furrowed her brows as she absorbed the linking spell, it was working at least, she just needed it to hurry. The magic that traveled from Sophie and into Ophelia felt euphoric, it always did. She could feel the tingling sensation that buzzed just beneath her skin.

Sophie, on the other hand, felt how she assumed Hayley did. Her body felt like it was on fire. She could feel every little tug as the magic that flowed through her body was siphoned away. The best way for her to describe the feeling would have to be... the sensation of having a tooth ripped from one's jaw without a single drop of anesthetic. It was excruciating.

Less than a minute passed and Ophelia let go. Her brows furrowed; the linking spell was a powerful spell and yet it hadn't taken much for her to sap it away... it had felt weak to begin with. A small, almost proud smile tugged at the corners of her lips, "It's lifted." Her eyes latched on to Elijah's who had already been on her, "Davina must have almost completed it, it weakened the spell enough for me to be able to siphon it away without much trouble for Hayley."

Sophie sighed to herself as she removed one of her earrings and poked her palm with it to break the skin and draw a drop of blood. All eyes landed on Hayley as she hesitantly held up her own palm, and thankfully it was completely free of any blood. The link had been lifted.

Elijah sent a nod of appreciation and thanks towards Ophelia with a small smile on his lips; she had come through for Hayley once again. Oddly enough, she had to almost tug her locked gaze away from Elijah to address Hayley who managed to regain the strength to stand by herself, "Are you okay?"

Hayley sluggishly smiled, her eyes were half-lidded and the wolf looked like she needed to sleep for twelve hours, and to be honest, she deserved to. "You saved me, again."

"I'm gonna have to start charging," Ophelia muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. Small chuckles rang out from everyone but Sophie, of course, had lost her leverage on the original family.

The siphon made her way towards Hayley and held out a hand for her to take, the wolf did so without hesitation and allowed Ophelia to support her aching limbs as she dragged them out of the freezing water.

Elijah stared after them before he moved his sharpening gaze towards Sophie. He sped out of the pool, droplets of water flying everywhere as he made his way towards his phone that he had discarded on the glass table

"Elijah... as soon as your brother finds out that the link is broken, he'll kill Agnes," Sophie stressed and both of the brunettes sitting by the edge of the pool rolled their eyes in unison, having to bite their lips from laughing at themselves as Ophelia covered the wolf in a blanket before wrapping her arms around herself. "I know you don't owe me anything, but please, don't let him kill her."

Elijah said nothing, he simply dialed Klaus' number and swiped up the jacket he had given to Ophelia previously. The line beeped a few times as he walked towards the siphon and the wolf and held out his jacket for their new ally to take. Surprisingly, she mouthed a thank you and took the oversized article from him, hastily putting it over her almost bare top half.

"Elijah! She's our only access to the power we need to survive. Promise me that you'll stop him!" the ever-annoying witch called out once again, unmoving from her position in the pool.

"It's me, where are you?" Elijah's deep tone spoke into the device held to his ear. "Don't hurt her. I'll be there shortly." With a click of his thumb, the call ended and he twirled the phone in his hand before turning his chiseled face towards the witch, "I'll make you one last promise. I won't let my brother kill Agnes."

Now, Ophelia herself had dealt with one of Elijah's 'deals' and she was almost one hundred percent certain that, once again, his 'deal' held an underlying fine print. If she had to guess; he honestly would stop his brother killing the elder. But there was absolutely no way she could or deserved to live. She came after Klaus and Hayley's unborn child, his and Rebekah's unborn niece, he wasn't going to let it slide.

Sophie nodded at the original gratefully, her eyes filled with relief as she watched him gather his shoes and walk inside the home, swiftly followed by Rebekah who had shot a look of question towards the siphon and the wolf, who returned the gesture, telling her they'd be fine.

"Sophie." Hayley called out as the witch exited the pool, a puddle of water gathering at her feet, "I know you were just using me to save your people, but try it again, and I'll kill you, and I'm sure she'd love to help." The wolf nodded her head towards Ophelia as she spoke the last sentence and the siphon grinned in a manner similar to Klaus. Sophie swallowed harshly and off she went, leaving the two brunettes in relative peace.

"Right," Ophelia huffed as she pulled herself to her feet, shivering as a rather forceful breeze brushed her sopping wet form, "You need to dry off and get some sleep."

Hayley smiled tiredly, her head bobbing as she let the siphon pull her off the ground, "That sounds amazing..." the wolf groaned before giving Ophelia a genuine smile. "Thank you, by the way, whatever you did hurt like hell... but I'm okay, my baby's okay."

Ophelia couldn't help but smile in return. And as she thought about it, she had made a decision, once again, that benefitted someone else. She hadn't asked or expected anything in return. "No worries, if you need anything, even a chat, I think literally everyone has my number at this point."

"I'll probably take you up on that because... well... I have literally no idea what I'm doing." The wolf muttered as she placed her hand on her stomach where her bump was beginning to form. She wanted to give her child the life she never had; she just didn't know if she could.

"Well, I'm the third oldest of nine siblings, so I suppose I can lend a hand."

"Nine siblings? Wow."

"Right? I have a lot of experience with children and, well I don't do much else with my time. So you'd be a welcomed addition."

"Thank you, seriously." A loud yawn escaped her lips causing the siphon to chuckle and lightly nudge the wolf towards the open door.

"Go and rest, you deserve it."

With a final smile of thanks, Hayley took her leave and sluggishly made her way inside the warm home. Ophelia herself stood outside for a moment longer as she inhaled a deep breath; she had certainly gotten herself in deep with the Mikaelson family. She had already helped with Hayley twice, she had kept Klaus and Rebekah's plan a secret from Marcel, and she had kept her knowledge of Elijah's ulterior motive to herself also. It was a waiting game for when Marcel would find out about the siphon lending a hand to the family that was trying to dismantle his throne.

The brunette was almost frozen to the bone and so she hastily swiped her cardigan from the table and clutched it close to her body. She thought it best to slide her socks and shoes back on and was grateful for the small brush of warmth they provided; she could only imagine the state she looked like.

With all of her things retrieved she made her way inside just as Elijah made his way down the grand staircase, only a small creak or to sounding out beneath his footsteps. His eyes traced over her form and he could still see the droplets of water beading from her hair and clothes as each clung to her body like a lifeline. His jacket swarmed her, it covered her upper half entirely and the hem brushed her knees. He could see her entire body shivering, her teeth almost chattering together as she looked up at him.

He had the fortune of being able to redress and discard his own dripping clothes, he was more casual; smart jeans, a loose V-neck, but he still wore a suit jacket, of course. He offered her a smile, which was most definitely more of a grimace as he apologized, "You must be freezing, I'm sorry for involving you in our families never-ending madness."

"It's fine," Ophelia breathed, "I actually wanted to help."

His face softened as he stepped off the staircase and approached the short and shivering woman, "Thank you, Ophelia." her name rolled off his tongue in a soothing manner. "Allow me to escort you back?"

Ophelia assessed his waiting face, the way his deep chocolate-colored eyes bore into her slightly lighter ones as he waited for her answer and with a small upturn of her lips, she agreed, "Please."

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Ophelia had never been more thankful for a vampire's supernatural speed quite like she had been when Elijah had held out a hand, waiting for her to initiate contact before seeding her away. It had only taken a few short minutes to make it from the plantation to the end of the road that led to the abattoir. They both thought it best to separate before actually reaching the abattoir, the less Marcel knew about their... deal? Friendship? Whatever it was, the better.

The street was dark, and yet people flocked in the dozens, their bodies moving to the loud and harsh beat of the music that flowed from the abattoir; courtesy of one of Marcel's parties, Ophelia assumed.

"Will you be alright getting home from here?" Elijah's calming voice questioned as he took a step back from the brunette in front of him.

Ophelia couldn't say she didn't miss the warmth his body offered her and immediately shivered once again. Her mind was focused on what he had said, the word 'home'. The abattoir wasn't her home, she didn't have one. It was just a place she stayed because Marcel had allowed her to, and she had an inclining that Marcel wouldn't let her keep the living arrangements if he found out of her involvement with his former friends.

She snapped out of her thoughts as the loud song in the background came to an end and switched with another. Her plump, soft lips offered a small smile as she nodded, "I'm sure I'll be just fine, the vampires know not to touch me."

"I'm certain they do." Elijah almost grinned, "You've made quite the first impression."

"What do you mean?"

"Your words when you spoke to Sabine and Sophie. You have quite the sharp tongue." though his words could have been taken as an insult, the way he said them made him sound... impressed with her?

Ophelia shrugged as she gripped her cardigan closer to her body, "They're arrogant things, harsh words and threats seem to be the only things they listen to."

Elijah chuckled as he caught sight of the rather, well, disgusted look on the siphon's pretty face, "I'm well aware."

Ophelia stared for a moment; she had been whisked away on numerous little 'errands' and 'adventures' if one could call them that. So much so that she hadn't taken the time to actually take anything in, she was just doing whatever she had to do without even realizing it. How was it that the most dangerous family in history were the ones to make the siphon do something for someone else, to feel something for someone, other than Davina of course.

Ophelia and Rebekah, though they had only had small encounters, considered one another to be friends. Hayley, the little wolf who had everyone after her and the baby in her belly, was someone that Ophelia could see herself being good friends with, even back in the pool during a situation that was incredibly serious, the two managed to joke with one another. Klaus was... well, Klaus; but Ophelia couldn't see what everyone else saw within him. She didn't see that blood-thirsty monster; she saw a man who cared for his child and wanted her safe.

As for Elijah, she felt like she somehow knew him the most, but simultaneously the least out of them all. They had spent the most time together, they knew small things about one another and already there was a small spark of trust between the two; Elijah knew he could count on the siphon, she had made that clear already. Ophelia knew, mostly, where she stood with the suited original, she knew that with every deal he made, there was another layer that people often disregarded in their desperation. But she was smarter than that, something he admired. There was something else though; Ophelia covered her true emotions with her sarcasm, her threats and her stoic expressions. She covered her past with half-truths and illusions.

But she knew that he did too. Her façade was carefully crafted with delicate hands, she knew when another person had one themselves. The woman blinked and carefully peeled his suit jacket from her slightly dried shoulders. She could feel the dampness of the material beneath her fingertips but held it out nonetheless, "Never thought freezing to death would be how I'd go, so thank you for making sure that it wasn't. That would be horribly boring."

"You're quite welcome." Elijah hummed with mirth at her words as he gently took the article of clothing from her. He laced it so that it hung on the crook of his elbow, a waft of his own cologne mixed with the heavy vanilla scent of the siphon invading his senses. His gaze locked onto the hand that hung by her side, littered with small and dainty rings, "May I?"

The siphon frowned as she followed his line of sight before her eyes snuck back to his as she rose a brow in question.

"I've noticed that you aren't the biggest... fan, of others touching you." he had certainly hit the nail on the head, but what could she have expected? If she had picked up on some of the things that the noble, most controlled Mikaelson did, it was obvious that he would too. "So, I'll ask." He nodded towards her hand that twitched just slightly, "May I?"

With narrowed eyes that carried no malice, she rose her hand and placed it in his much larger and waiting one. Her eyes rolled and a small smile tugged at her lips as he, once again, softly kissed the back of her hand. His lip's quirked at the sight of her own and as he pulled back, he gave her hand a light squeeze. "Thank you again. Goodnight, Ophelia."

"Goodnight, Elijah."

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The second she had walked through the doors of the abattoir, Marcel was at her side, his dark eyes narrowed as he looked her over. She had rolled her eyes and huffed lightly, "Went for a midnight swim."

"I can see that. You okay?"

"I'm good. Tired as all hell."

Marcel looked around, vampires littered the entire place and the music was so loud you could feel every word in your bones, "You gonna be able to sleep?"

"I'll do my best," she replied through a rather loud yawn. Her watery eyes blinked in her attempts to keep herself upright, and without another word, she trudged her way through the abattoir, ignoring the odd looks she garnered and made her way to the room she occupied. Without hesitation, she made her way into her bathroom as she pulled off the damp clothes that hugged her skin and tossed them to the floor.

Goosebumps covered her bare, tanned skin as she turned on the shower and waited for the water to warm before hopping in, a deep sigh of relief and content made its way through her parted lips as the warm water caressed away the cold from her tired limbs.

As always, she reached for her vanilla-scented body wash and lathered herself in it before picking up her shampoo and conditioner, cleansing her knotted hair deeply, her fingers running through multiple times to help untangle the dark strands.

Thirty minutes later passed as with a look at her pruning skin, she decided it was finally time to get out. The loud music was still shaking the entire building, vibrations shaking through her body as she wrapped herself in a plush towel and tied her never-ending tresses of hair on the top of her head.

Droplets of water trailed behind her, pooling together on the wooden floor beneath her bare feet as she made her way over to her wardrobe and pulled out an oversized sweater and a pair of shorts. Her eyes were struggling to stay open as she dressed herself, completely uncaring that she may or may not have put her sweater on backward.

She flicked her light switch and plummeted herself into darkness, her hand reaching for her phone to switch it to silent as she slid underneath the multitudes of blankets she had gathered. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep, no matter how tired she was. The music was far too loud and the yells and cheers of the vampires made the siphon think her ears were going to bleed.

Nonetheless, she closed her eyes and wrapped herself in blankets, unaware that she was missing a multitude of calls from the family of originals.

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26-09-2020