Lightning Strikes Twice

Twenty One

It's been a month since Rebekah left and Alana hadn't been in touch once, but Méalla was still on her guard. Hayley had left to go stay in the Bayou, but she had conveniently forgotten to tell Méalla that, as Elijah was the one who broke the news. Méalla knew she wasn't acting herself around Hayley ever since she got back from the cemetery, pulling away and the werewolf sensed it. Méalla couldn't blame her for the tension when they see each other when Méalla goes out to visit Alex.
Alex's dad is still MIA, so Eve has asked Méalla to become more involved with her, which she absolutely adored. Alex was a sweet little girl, so full of life and wonder, and she brought out something in Méalla that's long been hidden.
Besides Méalla needing space from Klaus, he's frustrating her even more as he's been doing nothing but sleeping with Genevieve and painting. He wanted this damn kingdom but he won't run it.

Méalla glared as a half naked Genevieve came stalking out of Klaus' painting room carrying heels and her clothes. By the look on her face, Elijah had obviously cut her visit short. Méalla heard Klaus speaking breezily before she entered the room, but he fell silent as she walked in.
"Niklaus, it has been a month. Now, I feel our sister's loss as deeply as you. But, you must stop distracting yourself with this ridiculous behavior and channel it into some kind of action." Elijah said, not turning to his sister.
Klaus grabbed a paintbrush and turned back to a canvas.
"Why must I, exactly?"
"Because over the course of Marcel's tenure, the city grew accustomed to having a king. You wanted this throne. Now, you must accept the responsibility that accompanies that." Klaus was barely paying attention while he answered.
"Apologies, but I'm rather ensconced in other pursuits."
"Ah, yes. Sleeping with witchbitch and trying to kill your demons with a paintbrush. You wanted New Orleans, now you have to do the goddamn work." Méalla remarked. Klaus stiffened but continued painting.
Elijah took the paintbrush from Klaus' hand.
"If you can so easily neglect your home, I wonder what will become of your daughter. Have you forgotten what it was like to live beneath the threat of violence? We must work together, Niklaus. Let's make this city whole again."
"Perhaps it is too broken to mend." Klaus took his paintbrush back from Elijah and started to paint again.
"If that were true, you wouldn't be moping so goddamn hard." Méalla muttered, knowing Klaus could hear her. Klaus didn't respond and Elijah sighed. He took Méalla's arm and they left the room together. Méalla had started to be warmer towards Elijah, after telling him that she knew what he did.
"I've called a meeting with representatives from each fraction at St. Anne's. Will you be joining me?" Elijah asked as they walked down the hall.
Méalla shook her head. "No, I promised Alex I'd help her with something today." Elijah nodded and went to the courtyard while Méalla went to grab her bag from her room. It's been a rough month but Alex always saw a bright side. If only Méalla had that outlook herself.

Méalla called a greeting to Alex as she walked into the main clearing of the Bayou. The girl was sitting on a log with Hayley, watching Oliver and another man roughhouse. Alex waved as she approached. Hayley looked up with a small, tense smile. Méalla gave a small one back.
"Hey there, wolf pup!" Méalla ruffled Alex's hair. She sat down next to her and put her bag on the ground.
"Méalla, do you know how to weave?" Alex asked.
"Yes, I do. Is there anything in particular you're wondering about making?"
"I found a really soft yarn that's brown and red and I wanted to make a pillow." Alex said, a grin lighting up her face.
"A pillow is not so hard! Why don't you go get the yarn so I can show you which technique and tools are best to use?" Méalla told her. Alex nodded, jumping up excitedly and rushing to her tent, leaving Hayley and Méalla alone on the log. Méalla felt the tension and decided she didn't want it to last any longer.
"I'm sorry I pulled away after the cemetery. I didn't mean to alienate you, there was just a lot of emotions swirling in my head." Méalla said softly. Hayley didn't look at her for a few seconds before answering.
Turning to Méalla, she said, "We're doing this together, remember? I don't think you did."
Méalla nodded. "You're right. I pulled away because I didn't know who was in this with me anymore after finding out about what Rebekah and Klaus did, and I didn't want any more pain. But you are and I should've remembered."
Hayley stared at Méalla for a long moment, taking in the sincere regret and emotion in her body language.
Hayley moved a bit closer and extended her hand until it softly brushed against Méalla's. "I understand. I'm feeling a bit that way myself. Just don't do it again." Méalla lifted her head and smiled at Hayley, and gently rubbed her hand against the werewolf's.
"Don't worry, love, I won't."
The two sat like that for a moment or two before Alex came rushing back up, two balls of auburn marbled yarn in her hands.
"Isn't it pretty? And feel it, it's so soft!" Alex pushes the yarn into Méalla's hand. She was right, it was extremely soft.
"You're right, it is really soft. It's so lovely!"
"Can I feel?" Hayley asked Alex, who stretched the yarn out for Hayley to touch.
"This feels like heaven!" Hayley exclaimed. Alex laughed and stroked the yarn after pulling it back.
"Hey Alex, to start, do you have four thin sticks about the same length?" Méalla asked.
"Probably. Will you come check with me?" Alex grabbed Méalla's hand as she started to pull her up from her seat on the log.
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Méalla chuckled, following the excited girl to a pile of kindling. Alex picked up skinny pieces about 12 inches long and about as wide as a pencil.
"Those are perfect. Now we're going to make a frame and tie the corners together. Yup, exactly like that!" Méalla started to instruct Alex, who was eagerly listening.
"Now, we're going to take the yarn and wrap it length wise over the frame." Méalla showed Alex how to tie a knot at the corner and wrap the base of the weave in loops over the horizontal sticks.
"Now, we start a new strand of yarn. We start at the bottom and we work our way across by going over and under. We go under one string, over the next. And then when you reach the end, you work your way back the same way, except reverse the weave. Reversing the weave means you go over a string you went under in the last row, and under one you went over." Alex nodded her head, her eyes intent on watching her small hands carefully weave the yarn on her makeshift loom. Méalla watched her, giving her tips every now and then. Alex had picked it up quickly, and was about a third of a way up the frame when someone called everyone for dinner. Alex picked up her loom and yarn, and headed in to go wash up while Méalla joined Hayley and Jackson walking into the cabin.
"Hi, Jackson." Méalla greeted politely. She could tell Jackson didn't trust her or like her or probably both but she wanted to be civil. He inclined his head in response.
Oliver had come up to them and started talking, presumably about Hayley and Jackson's conversation before Méalla joined.
"Then, all we got to do is just forget that she spent half her life with humans, and the other half with vampires."
"Ollie, back off." Jackson said, annoyed.
"It's okay. If the runt of the litter has got something to say, he should say it." Méalla hid her laugh at Hayley's comment.
"You know, word from the Quarter is your boy Elijah's holding some kind of power summit. Guess who wasn't invited?"
"Where did you hear this?" Hayley asked, suspicious. Méalla was not going to like where he was going probably.
"It doesn't matter. The point is is that we're stuck here living in the swamp, while your vampire's deciding who gets what in the city. But, I guess that shows how much respect he's got for the werewolves, huh?" Oliver walked off, and Hayley turned to Méalla. Méalla stopped her before she could open her mouth.
"Before you ask, yes I did know about the meeting but no, I did not know the wolves weren't involved. Elijah told me all the fractions were meeting at St. Anne's."
Hayley's mouth set in a firm line. Méalla knew Elijah was going to have a stern talking to.