Lightning Strikes Twice

Twelve

Méalla had left the Bayou, leaving Alex in her shack, with the reminder to call her if anything happens, and Hayley taking care of Elijah. To be completely honest, Méalla thought it fair he suffer a few days of torment but then again, she had her own issues with him. She had decided not to go back to the house or the Quarter for the next few hours and instead roamed aimlessly.
Making her way home, Méalla knew something was off as soon as she set foot inside. She saw Klaus' baby vamp and sped over, pinning him to the wall by his throat.
"Where are my siblings and what did Marcel do?" She growled.
"Nothing, I mean everything's fine. They're just out drinking." The baby vamp's eyes filled with fear.
"It's Josh, isn't it?" Méalla sickly sweet tone and gentle head tilt had him nodding his head with fear.
"Josh, I know you're lying. Tell me what's going on and I might let you live. I might even get Klaus not to harm you." She spoke.
"Tyler and Marcel told the vamps about the baby's blood, Rebekah's with them and they're gonna dagger Klaus at the Compound right now." Josh spat out.
Méalla felt him quivering in her hand. She growled, her amber eyes showing. She dropped Josh and knew she needed to get to the Compound.

Méalla burst into the Compound, having killed her way through the vamp minion crowd. She saw Klaus easily dropping bodies, and Rebekah with the dagger.
"Rebekah!" Méalla bellowed. This gained the attention of the vampires Klaus currently was beating to a pulp and everybody else in the room, including her sister and the cockroach.
"Méalla, hi?" Rebekah slid slowly behind Marcel. She knew not to mess with her sister when she was angry.
"Dagger, now." Méalla held out her hand. Rebekah sped over before hesitantly dropping it into Méalla's outstretched hand. Rebekah gave her sister puppy eyes but Méalla just glared.
"Marcel! End this! Either we win by you ceding or we win by you dying. Take your pick!" She growled, eyes darkening with murder.
Marcel hesitated, glancing between enraged Klaus, pissed off Méalla, and terrified Rebekah. He slowly goes and picks up a coin on the floor.
"Well, well, well. The great Marcel, self-proclaimed king of New Orleans, bowing before me." Klaus spoke smugly.
Marcel threw the coin at him. "There. I hereby pledge my allegiance to you. You have the keys to my kingdom. It's yours."
Klaus smiled, blood staining his mouth.
Méalla grabbed Rebekah's arm and sped over to grab Klaus. She then sped them home.

"Why couldn't we have settled this normally for once in our abnormally long goddamn lives?" Méalla screamed once through their front door, throwing both of her siblings onto the hall floor. Klaus glared while Rebekah gave her the evil eye.
"Because he's a controlling bastard!" Rebekah yelled back.
"And you think being controlling yourself is any better? I love you, sister, but I swear I am the only goddamn person in this family with any fucking brains! Fucking hell!" Méalla hissed.
Méalla left them on the floor and stomped up the stairs to her room, pissed, frustrated, and in the mood to kill something. She knew Rebekah had a point but she had a horrible way of going about things. She also knew Klaus had his reasons but he was awfully smug about them.

Méalla slammed her bedroom door shut, heading to sit on her bed. She groaned to herself as she realized her little show had revealed her baby bump to the vamps, if Tyler didn't already tell them. Just one more thing to add to the list of that day's grievances. She fell back onto her pillows, staring at the ceiling. For a few moments she lied there quietly, before sitting back up and leaving her bed. She went to her dresser and pulled out a drawer, lifting a fake bottom to reveal pages and pages of her cramped cursive. She took the pile of papers out, and went back to her bed. She sat crisscross and pulled the baby's blanket onto her lap. She started spreading the pages out by works on her covers, to reread, and maybe tweak. She wanted to get lost in words for a while.

Hayley sat in the car, contemplating what she had seen while Elijah had a fever. She decided to ask.
"What happened between you and Méalla? In your memories, there is no tension but now, it's thick enough to cut with a knife." Hayley's question brought Elijah out of his own contemplation.
"Has she told you anything?" Elijah said slowly.
"Only that what you did, she found unforgivable and didn't want to speak with you until the pain faded."
"Then I suggest you talk to her about it." Elijah shifted in his seat.
"Elijah, please."
"Fine. Méalla had a friend named Niamh. It wasn't romantic, at first. They were inseparable. For years, they told each other everything, and eventually, Niamh convinced Méalla to turn her. However, their plan never came to be as I killed Niamh. I had found things suggesting she was helping the vampire hunters, the werewolf killers, and the witch burners with the knowledge Méalla had entrusted her. Méalla was devastated and believes I was wrong. Méalla made me agree to never contact her unless it was important. She took to traveling solo after that."
Elijah finished his brief explanation and went silent, focusing on the road before them.
Hayley's heart broke for Méalla. She also understood why Elijah did it. Didn't mean she liked it, though.

Méalla was so focused on writing, she didn't hear the screaming match between her siblings or even notice Hayley at her bedroom door until Hayley spoke. She jumped at the werewolf's voice.
"Klaus got the Compound back. We're moving there as soon as you're ready."
"Figures. My stuff is still in my bags mostly, I need to just gather some small things." Méalla replied, starting to collect the papers on her bed. Shoving them into a folder in a computer bag, she grabbed her box of dreams from its drawer, the baby blanket, and her journal with its pen and shoved them into a backpack. She slung it across her shoulder and picked up her other bag.
"Were you writing just now?" Hayley asked, watching Méalla curiously.
"Yes. It's why I didn't notice you. I get lost in the words sometimes."
"Klaus said our child is the only thing that matters to him. Elijah and Rebekah aren't joining us."
"Yeah, well partly true. He'll put your child over everything and everyone, but threaten Elijah or Rebekah and he'll go on a murder spree. Then again, they've both been complete assholes lately." Méalla joined Hayley and together they walked down the hallway and the stairs, to the car Klaus was in outside. He was in the driver's seat, so Méalla threw her bags across the back and climbed into the seat behind the passenger, where Hayley sat. Klaus started driving as soon as they were seated and held a tense silence all the way to the Compound.

Méalla had gone ahead to find her own room and retreat to it, but Hayley hung back, watching Klaus. She saw traces of what Méalla seemed to see fully. There was pain in his eyes, and traces of anxiety.
"Klaus." Hayley called softly. He turned to her abruptly.
"I want to believe this baby means something to you. I want to believe in you. Don't let us down."
Klaus nodded softly. Hayley gave a small smile back.