When Elijah had originally said he was going to New Orleans to find out who was plotting against their brother she hadn't believed it would take long. Of course the idea of him being tormented by someone else had brought her sick joy after the years of suffering all happiness ripped from her. Did she want Klaus dead? Of course not he was still her brother and she did still love him.

Now she was back in a city they'd helped to build out a swamp her reasoning for coming the fact that Elijah had gone off the grid. There were many things she knew about her family and Elijah didn't just disappear, especially not when Klaus was involved.

Of course finding out her brother had been daggered and given to a teen super witch with a nasty hadn't been helpful. Though much like usual Elijah's charm and honesty had gotten him returned safely to them. If Klaus had been the cause for Elijah's death she would have spent an eternity looking for a way to put her brother down, looking for any remaining White Oak stakes.

The loss of Finn hadn't hurt in the way she was sure if should have but he'd betrayed them all and tried to killed them. Kol...his death she hadn't excepted any after everything that had happened with the Cure and with Silas, in the end he had been right just never a strategist of how best to get what he wanted.

Now they were once again one big dysfunctional family with Elijah stick up for Klaus and the hybrid stabbing them in the back every chance he could get. Add in Marcel and this was just becoming her favorite month ever. Though the wolf Hayley was growing on her like a strange fungus that wouldn't go away and she wasn't sure she liked it.

Hearing a knock on the door she already knew it was Elijah, Klaus never knocked, it was apparently a part of those human manners he'd sense forgotten. "Come in." She said placing her phone down after checking it for any messages, Matt was being true to his words no strings attached, no calls and no texts and for some reason it made her feel lonely.

Looking up at Elijah she gave him a smile, her honorable brother, her good brother. Where as most of her siblings including herself had their worst personality traits increased upon turning Elijah had become the most noble of them all. He wasn't selfish, vindictive nor psychotic. Elijah was who he'd always been it was the rest of them who had changed so much they she couldn't even recognized when she thought back on their life before all this.

"Yes, though it isn't exactly filled with the fondest of memories." Yes for the most part it was been a happy time in the life of her family but she thought of the Governor's son who she believed herself to have been in love with. She thought of Marcel as first the slave boy, later her sparing partner and then the love of her life who had chosen power and immortality over her.

When Elijah spoke of Marcel and how Nik didn't want them on his bad side she felt an ember of anger begin to grow. "Nik and Marcel are two boys fighting over toys, the toy is just going to end up broken." Of course she'd already killed a couple of Marcel's men though in her defense they were rude and she didn't know they were his. If she had she would have taken more time and inflicted more pain.

"As to where I intend to put myself with Marcel, that's not for Nik to decide." She didn't care what information Nik was looking for it was a battle of jealousy and Nik didn't know how to rule he just knew how to hold people down.

Elijah placed his hand on her knee and she felt as if she were a child again Elijah explaining to her why something was for the best even if it was not what she wanted. "I'm not here because my family needs me Elijah, Nik will take and take until we have nothing left. I'm here for Hayley and I'm here for you, for the baby." For Elijah it was always about their family no matter what they did to each other or the amount of pain they caused he always saw it as fixable because anything damaged could be repaired though she wasn't so sure she agreed.

It was hard not to listen to Elijah when he spoke and not because he demanded attention but because the even tone he used was calming. He and Nik could say the same thing and it would have two very different affects. Ever the optimist when the odds were very much stacked against him. The mediator, the protector all the things he’d always been.

How could Nik be a father when theirs have never shown them kindness? Never cared for any of them really? He had been hated almost since his birth and though she knew that her brother had once been capable of love she questioned it now. What he had with Caroline hadn’t been love, he had sought something he knew he couldn’t have, sought to cause conflict and chaos. Maybe he did care for her but with Nik there were few certainties on the matter.

“This child is something none of us could have ever imagined. At first I thought maybe we could be a family again, the past stripped away.” Her face fell slightly, “Nik would rather fight an unnecessary war and gain power than take care of the one thing we’ve always wanted.”

She found herself nodding in agreement with Elijah’s words as he spoke of the witch, Hayley, the child and their salvation, “It’s our salvation but do you truly believe Nik will grasp hold of it?” She understood the need to put the witches down, every move they took against Hayley sent her closer to Klaus like homicidal rage, as she’d told Hayley before, girls had to stick together.

Elijah spoke the promise they’d made together so long ago that she should barely remembered it but it the most vivid memory she had. The three of them in a circle holding hands relying on no one else but each other, to stay together no matter what. “Always and forever never meant in a box Elijah.” Though they had the best of intentions at the beginning years of running and the fear of being alone had caused Nik to become paranoid and take it out on them.

If Elijah could still believe in Nik after everything he’d done, after Nik had caused the death of the last woman he truly loved then there was no reason Rebekah couldn’t have some faith. “Always and forever Elijah, not for him, for you Hayley and the baby. I don’t know if I can hold out hope for a man who’s been dead inside for so long. So afraid to love and so quick to put down others for trying.”

Of course Nik still believed in their family, if he didn’t they’d all be laying in coffins and he would be out living it up no thought of Hayley and their child. Yes there was still good in her brother but it was buried so deep down it would take one of those ice drills from the Artic to find. She had always loved her family and always would, even Finn who tried to kill them all along with her mother and father. Did she particularly want them all back…no.

“You meant he has the wrong way of going about everything in life.” Her brother’s words were strong and his voice unwavering reminder her that he never wavered in his beliefs there was right and wrong and Elijah stayed mainly on the side of right which was less than easy where their brother was concerned. “The witches threatened our brother but even without them he would have started this war with Marcel. Threats our bother can handle, seeing someone else with what he perceives to be his is another story.”

She didn’t disagree that they needed to protect they child, she would never disagree with that. Hayley was strong and capable but she was living in the lion’s den enemies at every door. The witches, the vampires, other threats that may be lurking in the dark. Her fondness for Hayley grew day by day but so did this thing between Elijah and Hayley. “I will protect this family with my life Elijah but you must swear to be not to damage it from the inside.” She gave him a look that spoke volumes of understanding and sympathy, “You know what I’m talking about so don’t deny it. Nik is already paranoid, don’t give him more cause to be.”