#chapterthree

The ambulance bay doors burst open before the room is fully set.

First stretcher hits fast. Gravel in hair. Blood is soaking through a hoodie that used to be a lighter color.

“Driver, mid-thirties, restrained, hypotensive—”

“Get pressure-bagged fluids,” you say, already moving.

Hands, lines, voices. The room narrows to function.

Second stretcher.

You pivot for airway—

—and stop.

Someone is already there. Not in your way. Not blocking you. Just… in position.

Head of the bed. Laryngoscope checked. Oxygen ready. Calm where the room isn’t.

“I’ve got airway,” he says.

Not loud. Not defensive. Certain.

It takes your brain half a second to adjust to it. Then you shift. Different angle. Same job. Because that’s what you do. Adapt.

“Dr. Rowan Hayes,” Lena says as she moves past. “This is Dr. Y/N, Dr. Abbot—”

“I know,” Rowan replies, not looking away from the patient. “I read her case last week.”

You glance up despite yourself. “Did you?”

“Yeah.” A beat. Then he adds, lighter, “You always move that fast, or is this a special?”

You almost smile. “Try to keep up.”

His mouth shifts—just enough.

Then the patient desats, and the room closes in again.

Rowan intubates cleanly. No wasted motion. No commentary. Just skill.

Across the bed, Abbot is working the rest of the case—orders, access, timing—like the center of gravity hasn’t shifted at all. Except it has. Only a little. You feel it more than you see it. A pause that’s half a second too long before he calls for labs. A glance that flicks toward the head of the bed, then back down. Gone before it can be named.

The third patient is yelling.

Good sign.

“Where am I?” he demands.

“Alive,” Crus tells him. “Stay that way.”

“Shut up,” Lena says, already moving him to the next bay.

The room runs. You and Rowan fall into rhythm faster than you expect. You ask for suction—he has it. He calls for pressure—you’re already watching the numbers.

“BP’s dropping,” he says.

“I see it.”

 He glances at you, brief and assessing. Then nods. That’s it. No correction. No second layer. Just alignment. The first patient stabilizes. Barely. Enough. The noise in the room shifts from urgent to controlled. Gloves come off. Surfaces get wiped down. Someone exhales like they’ve been holding it for ten minutes. You step back, rolling your shoulders once. That’s when it hits. Not adrenaline. Not yet. Just awareness.

Something about that felt… easy.

Too easy.

At the sink, Rowan ends up beside you.

Not close. Not far. Just there.

“You were right about the pressure,” he says, rinsing his hands.

“You didn’t hesitate,” you reply.

“Didn’t have a reason to.” A beat. Then, lighter, “I like working with people who don’t make it complicated.”

You glance at him. “Careful,” you say. “We’re deeply complicated here.”

“I’ll take my chances.” There’s humor in it. Not pushy. Not pointed.

Just… easy.

Across the room, Abbot strips off his gloves. You feel it before you see it. His gaze lands on the two of you.

You don’t catch it fully. Not consciously. But something in your shoulders tightens anyway.

Then he’s moving again.

Back at the station, the shift resets around the next set of problems. Ellis drops into her chair and looks between you and Rowan once. Then again. “You two sync fast,” she says.

You don’t look up. “We’re working.”

“That wasn’t a criticism.” She smirks. 

“That wasn’t an invitation.” You quip back. Ellis raises her hands in surrender.

Crus leans over the desk. “It was definitely something.”

“Go away,” you tell him.

“I refuse.”

Shen, without looking up: “He refuses most things.”

Rowan sets a chart beside your keyboard. Not in your space. Not out of it.

“What do you think?” he asks, nodding toward the labs.

You skim. “Could escalate.”

He nods once. “Same.” No pause. No evaluation. Just an agreement. It’s… clean.

You don’t realize how used to something else you are until it isn’t there.

“Dr. Hayes.” Abbot’s voice cuts across the station.

Rowan turns.

“We need room ten seen.”

“On it.”

He steps away, brushing the back of your chair as he passes.

The contact is nothing. Still enough that you notice.

You don’t look up right away. You feel it anyway—

Abbot’s attention was settling there for a fraction too long. Then gone.

The rest of the shift runs like it always does. Too fast. Too loud. Too many moving parts. Rowan appears where he’s needed. Fixes a printer without comment. Talks a patient down from yelling to listening in under thirty seconds. Hands you a chart before you ask for it.

Each time, small.

Each time, unremarkable.

Each time, easier than it should be.

At 2:11 a.m., you’re reaching on your tiptoes for a chart on the top rack when a hand appears beside yours.

 Rowan pulls it down easily. He glances down at you, then at the shelf.

“You look kinda cute down there.”

You straighten slowly, taking the chart from him.

“The air must be too thin up there,” you shoot back.

He doesn't miss a beat.

“I’ll come down and check.”

You pat his shoulder before replying, “Don’t. You’ll get lost.”

He huffs out a quiet laugh and steps back, still watching you for half a second longer than necessary.

Across the hall, Abbot is speaking with Bridget.

His stills.

Not rigid.

Not obvious.

Just… held.

Near sunrise, the board finally starts to thin. The air in the department changes.

Less sharp. More tired. You grab your jacket and head toward the exit. Footsteps behind you.

Rowan.

“Heading out already?” he asks.

“That’s usually how leaving works.” You deadpan, attempting to pull your keys from your bag. 

He grins. “I’m new. I need guidance.” 

That pulls a real laugh from you. He notices immediately. Of course he does.

“Do you want to get a coffee sometime?” he asks. “When we’re not covered in other people’s blood.”

It’s casual. Easy. The kind of question that doesn’t demand an answer.

You open your mouth—

—and the door opens.

Abbot stands there. Already outside. One hand on the handle.

It hits your face before anything else. Cold air is spilling in around him. His eyes move. Rowan. You. Back again. Nothing on his face.

Everything in the pause. He steps aside.

You pass through first.

His hand touches the center of your back.

Light.

Guiding.

Gone immediately.

You don’t react. Not yet. Three steps later—your pulse does.

Behind you, Rowan says, amused, “I’ll ask you again later.”

You keep walking. Don’t turn around. But you feel it. Both of them. Watching. Just long enough to matter.

You don’t know what changed.

Only that something did.

Nathaniel and his worshipers had made themselves scarce still within the town limits of Helton but making themselves out of sight while Rebekah stood in those woods for what felt like forever as she awaited for her three brothers who were lying on the cold ground to awake from their sleep without even noticing that day had turned into night before either of them had awakened.

After what felt like several hours Rebekah started to notice her brothers Klaus, Elijah and Kol beginning to wake up and slowly rising to their feet completely confused to where they were while completely oblivious to what had just happened.

“Rebekah what the bloody hell have you done?” Klaus snapped at her.

“Fixed everything while you were off doing god knows what.” Rebekah snapped back. “But don’t bother to say thank you or anything.”

“What do you mean exactly when you say you fixed everything Rebekah?” Elijah asked her to make it clear to his siblings he remembered them.

“Looks like somebody got their memories back too.” Kol butted in before looking over at Rebekah suspiciously. “Just what kind of witch did you get to do the spell?”

“What bloody Spell?” Klaus asked clearly growing impatient. “What the bloody hell is going on?”

“The Hollow has been removed by all of us and Elijah’s compulsion has been reversed. See what happens when a girl is left to her own devices without her brothers playing dictators.” Rebekah answered rather proud of herself.

Klaus vamp sped over to Rebekah until he was standing right in front of her the two looked at each other for a moment before Klaus smiled at his little sister and pulled her in for a tight hug.

“I’ve missed you!” He admitted as he continued to hug her tighter and tighter.

“Okay Niklaus,” Rebekah laughed as she pushed him off her before looking at Elijah who looked deeply troubled. “What’s wrong Elijah?”

“Everything.” He replied.

“Oh well I guess a happy family reunion was never going to be on the cards.” Kol said as he rolled his eyes.

“I say it’s about time the Mikaelson’s returned home.” Klaus replied with his signature smirk as he wrapped his arm around Rebekah. “After we make a little visit to Mystic Falls that is.”

“Yeah I’m going to pass on that one I’m heading back to my home with Davina.” Kol responded. “No doubt I’ll be called upon with the next family emergency.”

Before Klaus or Rebekah could talk to him Kol vamp sped away much to their own annoyance as they looked over to Elijah who still look deeply disturbed.

“What about you Elijah are you up for a return to New Orleans?” Rebekah asked her eldest semi-living brother.

Several Days Later

Josh stood behind the counter of an empty Rousseau's in New Orleans drying glasses with a dish cloth enjoying the rare peacefulness of the empty bar until that peace was interrupted by Klaus as he vamp sped into the bar without warning and placed himself sitting on a stool at the counter much to Josh’s horror as he dropped a glass he was drying causing the glass to smash into broken pieces on the ground.

“Klaus,” He said as he struggled for words. “You’re not meant to be here.”

“You’re not the first nor the last I imagine telling me this, but you all seem to forget I don’t follow any rules I make them.” Klaus replied clearly not liking Josh’s reaction to his return.

“Hey, you want to stay in New Orleans, or you want to leave New Orleans it’s all good to me I’m just trying not to get killed.” Josh admitted honestly. “If you’re here for a killing spree or some revenge scheme then please just give me a pass.”

“Well if you get me a drink and make it a good one, I’ll think about keeping you alive.” Klaus said with a sinister smirk clearly amused by Josh.

“Sure thing,” Josh replied as he grabbed a bottle of whisky and began pouring into a glass before placing it on the counter in front of Klaus. “so, don’t kill the cat for it’s curiosity but are you here visiting or back for good?”

“I thought you wanted a pass.” Klaus responded as he picked up his glass and took a drink.

“Good point I’ll shut up and keep refilling your glass when needed.” Josh answered making it clear that Klaus made him very nervous.

Rebekah walked up to the gates of Lafayette Cemetery only to find herself shocked to see Bonnie stood outside them clearly waiting for her.

“You know when I agreed to come to New Orleans, I was promised exactly this would never happen, but I gathered sooner or later you and your siblings would be back.” Bonnie said to her clearly not amused to see the original once again.

“I’m glad to not disappoint but what the bloody here are you doing here I’m meant to be meeting someone else.” Rebekah wondered. “You’re not working for him, are you?”

“Please some of us have morals Rebekah, I’m not working for him however the New Orleans are working with him.” Bonnie revealed. “I’ve only recently learned what the hell this Malus magic is and to be honest I’m still learning we’re not particularly thrilled to be working with someone of his kind, but it just so happens what he wants is what we now want.”

“His kind? He’s a witch, isn’t he?” Rebekah asked as she realised Bonnie knew more than her.

“Nathaniel and his kind of witch practice a long-forbidden death magic which basically grows stronger by deaths particularly the supernatural kind his kind are consider leeches amongst the witch community.” Bonnie went on to say. “Think heretics practising expression who like to kill everything in sight but have a particular interest in killing each other the most.”

“So, tell me then what is it you both want and why am I here?” Rebekah questioned Bonnie as she walked closer to her.

“He wants to destroy the ancestral plane and considering I’m not a particular fan of it or the witches that still draw power from it I was more than keen to help.” Bonnie admitted. “However, I am cautious about having to work with you and your mother once again and even more cautious about what the hell we’re going to find in this well of magic to which the ancestral plane draws its power.”

“What the bloody hell has my bitch of a mother got to do with all this?” Rebekah asked furious at the mere mention of her mother.

“I’m considered a New Orleans witch by the city but not by the ancestral plane due to my unwillingness to be their go to girl so to get to be where we need to go we need a New Orleans witch which your mother somehow became.” Bonnie revealed with a sly smirk amused by Rebekah’s fury.

“Okay I’m going to need to talk to Nathaniel right bloody now.” Rebekah snapped.

“Yeah he’s not here so are we going to do this or not?” Bonnie snapped back making it clear she wasn’t taking any demands from her.

Elijah walked into the compound truly terrified about coming face to face with Hayley once again after half a decade of being apart especially considering they didn’t end things particularly well but he didn’t have too much time to think about it as Hayley stood in front of the fountain waiting for him clearly looking just as nervous as him.

“I heard you got your memories back.” Hayley said to him. “I’m glad you and your siblings are back together again.”

“I can’t begin to tell you how amazing it is to see your face again.” Elijah admitted to her as he continued walking towards her. “I found myself missing something all these years and to have my memories back I now realize that something was you.”

“Hope was really glad to see all of you I’m glad she has you all back in her life now.” Hayley replied.

“What about you?” Elijah asked as he stood in front of her hoping for a good response.

“Elijah it’s been a real long time when I loved you, I was lost within myself. I was pregnant to a man I loathed, and enemies were at the gates.” Hayley told him. “I found myself I’ve fully embraced my duties as a werewolf queen and this city has finally found some peace.”

“I’ll take that as you’re not happy to see me.” Elijah sighed clearly wounded by Hayley’s words.

“Of course, I’m happy to see you Elijah,” Hayley revealed as she placed her hand lovingly on his cheek. “I’ve missed you too but I’m building something here something good for Hope to one day takeover and I can’t jeopardize that for anyone not even you.”

“I’m not asking you to jeopardize anything,” Elijah told her while grabbing a hold of Hayley’s hand. “I would never ask you to jeopardize anything.”

“No but I have a feeling Klaus will.” Hayley said as she pushed away from Elijah. “And I know where your loyalties lie.”

“You’d be surprised where my loyalties have been lately.” Elijah admitted before asking. “Is there any chance for us?”

“I really do hope so.” Hayley replied with a soft and genuine smile. “But I’m really afraid that it’s never going to work out for us.”

Rebekah and Bonnie stood in one of the run-down crypts within Lafayette Cemetery clearly having barely said much to each other since they had met earlier the silence eventually being broken when Bonnie pulled out a knife from her jacket pocket.

“Unless that knife is dripped in vervain or scattered with the ashes of some white oak tree you and I both know that’s not going to do anything to me.” Rebekah told her.

“Well it could have been dipped in the kind of poison that comes from a bite from your ex-boyfriend Marcel.” Bonnie replied with a sinister smirk making Rebekah question her sincerity. “Don’t worry it’s just a knife for the spell to work I’m going to need your blood.”

“I wasn’t worried well maybe a little but when you reject a guy’s proposal you can expect them to consider revenge from time to time.” Rebekah revealed to her before holding out her hand.

“I don’t get what he ever saw in you,” Bonnie told her as she slashed Rebekah’s hand with the knife before the wound instantly healed. “Or why you would squander your chance for somebody loving you when you’re not the easiest to love.”

“I have really missed these girl talks.” Rebekah replied sarcastically as Bonnie began chanting in Croatian while holding the knife with Rebekah’s blood on it.

After a few moments Bonnie’s chanting came to a sudden silence as both her and Rebekah fell to the ground becoming unconscious before their bodies even hit the floor as the two of them suddenly found themselves transported to the middle of Lafayette Cemetery only for day to have become night and a dark fog seeming to surround them both.

“I’m going to go out on a limb and say we’re in the ancestral plane now.” Rebekah said to Bonnie as the two looked around the seemingly empty cemetery before seeing Esther appear from behind of one of the tombs.

“Rebekah, what are you doing here?” Esther asked clearly confused by her daughter’s arrival.

“You know why we’re here Esther and apparently you’re the only ancestor willing to help us with our mission.” Bonnie said as Rebekah gave her mother a cold death stare.

“Well willing would be putting it rather strongly.” Esther replied to Bonnie. “I’m willing for this plane to exist no longer and to finally find some peace for myself and Finn, but I’m not especially pleased about the part I’m playing in order to make it happen.”

“Finn’s here too?” Rebekah asked her voice clearly softening at the prospect of seeing her oldest brother.

“Is it really necessary for her to be here too?” Esther asked Bonnie dismissing Rebekah’s questions about her brother.

“Yes,” Bonnie answered her looking guilty about something. “I think it’s time for you to tell her the truth better now than when we get to the well.”

Rebekah looked at her mother instantly with fury in her eyes knowing whatever she had to say wasn’t going to be good but little did she know the true extent to which her mother’s exposed lies were about to change everything for her and her siblings.

Marcel was sitting on his couch within his loft drinking a large glass of whisky when Josh vamp sped into his living room looking completely and utterly terrified as Marcel took another sip of his drink knowing exactly why Josh was so scared.

“He’s back apparently their all back minus Kol of course who’s living it up in San Francisco but their back and I’m completely and utterly terrified about winding up dead.” Josh admitted to him.

“I know.” Marcel replied as he finished his drink and stood up.

“You know, cheers for telling me I had come to think of us as friends over all this time but clearly not if you’re not even willing to notify me about possibly winding up dead at the hands of the Mikaelson’s.” Josh responded clearly working himself up.

“You have nothing to worry about my feud with them is over.” Marcel laughed before putting his hand on Josh’s shoulder to calm him. “You’re not going to be caught up in any feuds and even if you did you’ve survived this far.”

“Yeah your right.” Josh said with a sigh of relief. “However, when the Mikaelson’s are here something always follows whether it’s you or one of their endless enemies.”

“You know your kind of adorable when you get all scared.” Marcel admitted to him.

“Great so everyone keeps terrifying me because I’m super cute when scared wish I could take that to the clubs.” Josh replied while rolling his eyes.

“You’ve got no reason to be scared I’ve got your back,” Marcel said as he grabbed a hold of Josh’s hand and placed it on his tight butt. “And you’ve got mine.”

“That’s certainly some back.” Josh gushed while he kept his hand on Marcel’s butt. “What the hell is going on?”

Marcel pulled Josh in towards him before passionately kissing him much to Josh’s surprise as Josh enjoyed the kiss for a moment before pulling himself away from his friend.

“Okay if you are playing some kind of game, I don’t like it,” Josh said before Marcel looked at him with a seductive smile. “Okay I kind of like it.”

“Don’t question it.” Marcel told him as he ripped Josh’s shirt open with one pull of his hand exposing Josh’s bare chest before grabbing him and vamp speeding the both of them onto the couch as Marcel pulled his own top off climbing on top of Josh in the process and beginning to kiss him passionately as their bodies began grinding against each other.

Rebekah, Bonnie and Esther found themselves walking through the bayou in the ancestral plane followed by the fog as Rebekah tried to process what her secret keeping mother had just revealed to her struggling to adjust to the news that would forever change her family and undecided if it was good or bad.

“I’m struggling to believe anything of what you’ve told me is real let’s face it mother you certainly have a history of lying to your children.” Rebekah said to her mother as the three of them continue to walk through the bayou.

“Trust me it wasn’t my choice that he went down this path nor could I have stopped it even if I saw it coming.” Esther replied. “Despite my actions I never wanted any suffering for any of my children.”

“How is any of this even possible?” Rebekah asked Bonnie clearly dismissing her mother.

“Malus is a magic which specializes in death I’m not too sure of every detail but it’s the opposite of nature so the rules in which it follows is different to what we witches follow.” Bonnie explained. “It sure doesn’t help that nobody living has come across a Malus witch in centuries and a lot of what it is and isn’t is folklore.”

“I knew a Malus witch once,” Esther revealed. “Nathaniel’s father before the darkness of the power he held possessed him to the very core. He grew up in the same village as me and my sister in fact he was the love of Dahlia’s life, but she wasn’t his that privilege was reserved for Nathaniel’s mother.”

“But Nathaniel came to Mystic Falls because his father murdered his mother.” Rebekah butted in.

“Once the darkness of which Malus entails takes over the witch there is nothing left but the Malus itself.” Esther explained. “Their magic very much like this ancestral plane comes from spirits and often the lives they take. Each death they claim darkens their soul until there’s nothing left but the need for power even if it means fathers killing sons or sons killing fathers.”

“So, Nathaniel has lost himself to this ancient magic but that still doesn’t explain how that has to do with him.” Rebekah said even more confused than before.

“Long after you and your siblings fled Mystic Falls a newly empowered Nathaniel returned eager to put his Malus to use in order to bring back those that were lost however no magic is ever that powerful and it took a serious toll on those that returned. Their spirits were returned but not their bodies soul or mind leaving them as nothing more than a power source for Nathaniel and I guess some mindless comfort from familiar faces.” Esther revealed to them both as they found the well placed in the middle of the woods.

“Oh, so it’s an actual well how literal.” Bonnie said clearly unimpressed by the well itself.

“Get to the bloody point and tell me what the hell my brother Henrik has to do with all this madness?” Rebekah snapped as she grabbed her mother by the neck lifting her up in the air before tightening her choke hold.

“Rebekah,” Bonnie shouted. “Henrik is the thing that’s in the well.”

Raven Devereaux sat on the bonnet of her suave black car outside of the city limits of New Orleans both eagerly and anxiously awaiting Elijah’s arrival after not hearing for him for days she began to fear the worst especially considering the two of them were plotting the downfall of his own family.

She feared he had been daggered by Klaus or worse for his betrayal and that it was another Mikaelson who send her the text to meet them here only for her to meet a grizzly end but either way she sat there waiting hoping for Elijah willing to take the risk in order to see the man she loved return to her.

Raven didn’t wait long before Elijah vamp sped his way to be standing in front of her much to her joy and relief not knowing that her relief would be short lived.

“Elijah I was so worried about you.” Raven said to him before walking closer to him only to notice Elijah backing himself away. “Elijah what’s wrong?”

“A lot of things have changed over the last few days Raven my memories have been restored and with it my alliances have been realigned.” Elijah revealed to her. “Which obviously means any plans we had together have well and truly come to an end.”

“What about us?” Raven asked him. “I don’t care about revenge or even hunting I only ever cared about you. What about us Elijah?”

“I’m afraid there can’t be an us any longer.” Elijah told her noticing the look of heartbreak on Raven’s face. “It’s also probably best for you if you leave New Orleans.”

“Are you threatening me Elijah?” Raven questioned as tears began forming in her eyes.

“No, I would never threaten you,” Elijah replied moving closer towards Raven only for her to be the one to back off this time.

“You said you loved me that you were lost before you found me.” Raven cried as tears started falling down her cheeks and her voice began to break. “I loved you despite everything and now your memories are back you’re just done with me.”

“My family needs me, and the truth is I need them too.” Elijah admitted to her clearly struggling to see the woman he had loved for the last few years heartbroken by his own words.

“Don’t lie to me it’s because of her,” Raven snapped back “the minute you got your memories back you were always going to love her how can I ever compete with the werewolf queen who gave birth to the infamous Tribrid.”

“I’m so sorry.” Elijah said sincerely before vamp speeding out of sight.

Raven began to sob as she struggled to contain her heartbreak until she started to see a black smoke forming until Nathaniel appeared in front of her.

“Who the hell are you?” She asked while drying her tears.

“The Mikaelson’s are always sorry aren’t they but yet they keep creating chaos wherever they go.” Nathaniel replied. “I’m an old friend of theirs which means I’m an enemy of yours.”

“I’m done having anything to do with the Mikaelson’s.” Raven made herself clear.

“Yeah you see I want to believe you I really do,” Nathaniel said as he began walking closer towards her. “But I know most of all what a broken heart can lead a witch to do and I can’t have you getting in my way when you inevitably seek revenge.”

Nathaniel grabbed a hold of Raven and started to chant in the dead language he frequently chanting causing Raven to scream in pain as her eyes went black before Raven body began to desiccate and turn to dust until there was nothing left of Raven but a pile of dust as Nathaniel’s eyes went jet black.

“I’m sorry but I can’t afford to take any chances.” He coldly replied to the remains of Raven Devereaux.