Bring Me To Life | The Originals (1)

Fruit of the Poisoned Tree

The only sound in the Mikaelson Mansion was the soothing tune of Bach's Concerto for Violin in E Major echoing throughout the cavernous house as Rebekah Mikaelson walked down the stairs from the second floor and her stiletto heels tapped loudly on the tiled flooring in contrast to the calming melody of the violin.

Back in the early 19th century, the mansion the Original's now resided in had been called home to the governor of New Orleans with whom the Mikaelson family had an understanding regarding their presence in the Louisianan city. The Governor had often thrown lavish parties in honour of the Mikaelson's in the ballroom of the mansion and had kept their true nature a secret from the general population in exchange for gold.

The blonde Original female froze in her steps at the bottom of the staircase with a frown etched on her pretty face as she looked at the slightly domestic scene in front of her and walked a few paces forward to stand in the doorway of the downstairs sitting room.

Niklaus sat on a red armchair at one side of the living room with an old book in his hands as he rested one elbow on the arm of the chair with his knuckles under his chin and Elijah relaxed on the couch opposite his younger brother while reading through one of the Original witch's ancient grimoires.

In the middle of the living on the vintage coffee table was the corpse of a young woman with pale skin, ink black hair and her eyes closed almost peacefully with her hands folded gently over her stomach much like how bodies were posed at a funeral parlour.

"So, this is what you do the first time we're back together as a family? Vampire book club?" Rebekah asked her older brother's mockingly as she placed her hands on her hips and quirked a pale eyebrow at them as she stopped to stare at them incredulously.

"Reading edifies the mind, sister." Niklaus replied to her absently without looking up from the poetry book in his hands and glanced up at his older brother with a smirk on his lips as his light blue eyes twinkled with mirth. "Isn't that right, Elijah?"

"Yes, that's quite right, Niklaus." Elijah agreed smoothly as he lifted his head from the grimoire he was reading to look at his younger sister with a faint smile on his lips and Klaus hid a small smile as he heard his sister grumble in the back of her throat at his answer.

"And what's this business?" Rebekah asked them haughtily as she wrinkled her nose slightly in disgust and gestured with her hand at the dead girl lying lifeless on the coffee table in the middle of the room.

"This is a..." the eldest Mikaelson began to explain to her as he looked at the corpse and used one hand to motion to the girl as he searched for the right word to describe the situation before them. "...peace offering."

"I presumed, after so much time desiccating in a coffin, that my big brother might be a bit peckish." Klaus explained in a false innocent voice as he shrugged his shoulders slightly at the accusation behind his older brother's words and Elijah internally rolled his eyes at the statement as he looked back down at the grimoire in his hands.

"And I explained to my little brother, that forgiveness cannot be bought. I'd simply prefer to see a change in behaviour that indicates contrition, and personal growth." He bit out in a mock politeness as he tightened his grip on the ancient book to keep himself from taking his annoyance out on his younger brother and Klaus rolled his light blue eyes guilty as Elijah gestured with one hand dismissively at the corpse. "Not this nonsense."

"Well, I couldn't very well let her go to waste, could I?"

"Well, I suppose I'll go fetch the rubbish bin, because she's staining a two hundred-year-old carpet." Rebekah snapped at her brother's with an annoyed frown as she waved an arm wildly at the corpse lying on the coffee table over the vintage rug and Elijah furrowed his eyebrows as he looked up from the grimoire before following his sister's gesture to see scarlet red blood dripping carelessly on the floor.