"To what do I owe the uttermost pleasure at eight in the morning, wonderful family of mine?" Gabriel sarcastically grumbles to the group of his siblings and Hayley.

"And what has you so grumpy this morning?" Rebekah questions with a raised brow.

"Let's just say I'm feeling the side affects of separation anxiety." He admits.

"Separation anxiety?" Klaus mocks. "Really Gabriel, I thought you were above that."

"Tell me about it." He sighs.

"Well lets hope Caroline makes a swift return then, we need you on your A game now that Dahlia has made her move." Elijah somberly comments.

Gabriel feels wide awake when he hears this. "What happened?"

"Hayley and her lover took Hope out on a walk this morning and Dahlia possessed a lone flower boy." He turns to said woman. "Isn't that the point of a fortress? It does a better job of protecting you when you stay within its walls?"

Hayley scoffs in annoyance and slight embarrassment. "We get it. Now, let's just figure out what the hell we're gonna do."

"Niklaus, your ire is justified. However, Hayley is quite right. We need to find a new strategy. Freya, if you please..." Elijah interrupts and gestures towards Freya.

"The spell you described, Dahlia calls it "kenning", using proxies to watch her enemies from afar. But, I've never seen it done on quite this scale." She sheepishly admits.

Hayley groans in anger. "Awesome. So, basically every hurricane-chugging, boob-flashing tourist on Bourbon Street is a potential spy."

"The good news is, I know a little about how her magic works." Freya offers as she gestures at a tray she has set up that has a silver tea kettle and five tea cups full of brown liquid on saucers. "This tonic will at least prevent her from using any of us."

Gabriel's phone begins to ring and he answers it, waving off Freya who was holding out a cup for him to drink. Klaus see's this and sassily declines himself from a cup as well. "No matter how strong you both think you are, you are not immune to Dahlia's ability." Freya urges.

"Hi, yes one second love. Freya hasn't been informed that no one tells me what to do." Gabriel bluntly speaks into the phone before turning back to his pesky siblings and Hayley.

"Gabriel, Niklaus." Elijah warns.

"You know what Lijah, you're always such a pain in the arse. Until you're the one always doing the saving don't ever tell me what to do. Freya, darling sister of mine quite the contrary. My mind is impenetrable being a tribrid it takes a whole lot more power to control me than one witch who knows how to flee death and Niklaus is a stubborn paranoid hybrid, the only way you're getting into that mind is if he's daggered. Which if you haven't noticed has never been done." Everyone looks at him in slight surprise and Niklaus with a smug smirk on his face. "But Lijah Freya you should drink it."

"And me?" Rebekah questions.

"You've had a protection spell on your mind ever since we got you back from Eve, little sister." Now it was Rebekah's turn to look at her siblings smugly.

Gabriel turns around to continue his phone call out of the room but Elijah calls out his name. "And what of Hayley?"

Gabriel turns around and looks said woman in the eyes. "What Hayley and her husband do are none of my concern. But for Hope's sake I would definitely recommend, not sure it would be any difficulty to take over their minds. Not much will power there."

With that, he walks out leaving the room quite and tense.

"Sorry about that, love." Gabriel sighs into the phone as he walks out of the compound.

"Are you okay?" Caroline worriedly questions after hearing everything with his siblings and Hayley.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine." He says. "I'll admit, I've been a bit on edge since you left."

"Well I'll be back in a few days before you know it." Caroline assures.

Gabriel pauses as he hears rapid movement in the backround. "Are you getting ready for the wedding already?" He checks his watch. "Doesn't it not start for another six hours?

"Ugh." She groans. "Don't remind me, we're already behind schedule."

He chuckles. "I miss you, Care."

"I'll be home before you even know it." She promises.

Once they hang up he smiles at the phone. "Home." He whispers to himself.

—

Gabriel curiously walks past a restaurant he had felt two very familiar and powerful auras at and sighs. Shaking his head he mutters to himself. "Always the problem child."

He casually walks into the restaurant and takes a seat beside his troublesome brother who smiles innocently. "Now this is something I never thought I would see, but why should I be surprised?"

Gabriel eyes the fake white oak stake in his brothers hand and mentally rolls his eyes. 'Idiot'

"I despise this city." Mikael spats as he glares at the waitress who just sent a wink to Gabriel.

"To fill you in dear brother, Mikael and Freya have teamed up, so." He turns to his so called father. "Cut to the chase, shall we? Your precious Freya told me she sent you off to procure certain items that will expedite the death of your sister-in-law. May I assume you completed your task?"

Gabriel crosses his arms feeling the real white oak stake brush his shirt from the pocket of his trench coat. Truth be told he had figured it out for himself what Niklaus was up to. And regardless how stupid his brother could be he was smart when it came to Mikael. He knew not to let his guard down. But how could he possibly expect his brother to protect himself with a fake stake?

"There are 3 elements total. Combined, they represent Dahlia's sole weakness. If you'd like to try and take them, by all means, have at it." Mikael taunts the hybrid with a sly smirk.

"Dont tempt me." Gabriel retorts with a blank face.

Klaus waves his brother off. "Your mind always drifts to violence, doesn't it, even when you're so clearly outmatched. What was it you tried teaching us? Ah, yes,"The true Viking warrior hones his fear like a blade!"

Mikael narrows his eyes at him in annoyance. "Did you come here to critique my parenting skills or to whine about how little you were loved? You were weak before, but you are weaker still."

Klaus mockingly holds the stake up. "If you truly thought me weak, you would snatch this weapon from my hand, but you don't because you know better. I suggest we focus on our common enemy. Rather than bringing your materials to Freya, drawing her into a fight she may not survive, why not join me? If we win, both our daughters will be free. If we lose.. well, at least you'll die knowing the bastard finally got his due."

Mikael sighs but seems to be considering the offer. Klaus taps the table. "You know where or at least how to find me when you agree."

With that both Mikaelson brothers leave the little restaurant in slight silence. "I'm proud of you." Gabriel admits.

"For what exactly?" Klaus questions.

"If you had a heart it would have been beating out of your chest in their Nik." Klaus scoffs. "You don't have to lie to me. No one would blame you for being afraid. We ran for over a thousand years from that fool. We aren't some powerless supernatural, we are the strongest of our kind. We wouldn't have been running if we had a choice."

"You don't think I know this?" Klaus aggressively questions, speeding up his pace but Gabriel easily follows and grabs his brothers shoulder to stop him. "That's my point Niklaus. Two years ago you couldn't stand to be in the same state as him. But you sat tall and confident in that diner for the sake of your daughter."

Klaus looks to the ground in thought and taps Gabriel's shoulder back in thanks. "Thank you for always standing by my side Gabriel."

Gabriel looks around awkwardly and sends him a sheepish smile. "Right... So is now a good time to tell you that stake is fake?"

—

Mikael shortly joins them on their walk through the quarter leading towards the church where they know Dahlia will show herself. Gabriel allows both men to open the church doors and stomp in. "Well? What are you waiting for, you crone?"

The knife a witch had enchanted is held tightly in Mikael's hand that supposedly was enchanted with all of Dahlia's weaknesses. All three men st on the look out when she suddenly appears in-front of them. "Now that you've arrived, not a thing!"

The first thing her eyes travel towards is the knife in Mikael's hand. She tilts her head slightly in curiosity but nonetheless raises both hands to summon dozens of humans who are quickly invading the church. "Let us begin."

They all look at the large crowd infront of them. In Gabriels head he had to remind himself that he needed to blend himself in with these two in order to make her underestimate him for the final fight. He knew his brother and step father thought this was it but Gabriel knew this was far from over. Mikael chuckles. "We are well-met. So be it. Are you ready?"

Klaus smirks. "I was born ready."

They all simultaneously vamp out and lunge for the human minions. Tossing bodies across the room and snapping necks left and right. Dahlia see's they're gaining the upper hand and uses her hand to begin running magic through them making them even harder to fight. After they take out another several humans, one of the women raises her hand into a fist and gives Klaus a mystical migraine. Shortly afterward, another magically-enhanced human does the same to Mikael, temporarily incapacitating them both. One attempts to do it to Gabriel and it takes everything in him to not laugh, he was a warlock. But per his plan he had to pretend to be like his brother and father in immense pain. Once the spell is released, Klaus, Gabriel, and Mikael pant for breath on their knees, and Dahlia smiles patronizingly.

"Ah! Agh... I should have warned you! My acolytes are rather formidable. I gifted them with a fraction of my own power..." She giggles.

The one who had given Klaus a migraine prior thrusts her hand once more and throws Mikael across the room breaking a few pews. Klaus and Gabriel angrily lunge for the woman who throws the two across the room at the same time. They both fall through and onto the balcony. And while Dahlia is preoccupied with Mikael for a second Klaus gives Gabriel an angry and suspecting look, wondering why he wasn't doing anything.

"Trust me." Gabriel mouths to his brother who doesn't look happy about it but huffs and jumps right back down the balcony.

—

Only minutes later and Gabriel is tearing out the last of the minions necks. He drops the last human to the floor and look at Mikael and Klaus who are doing the same. Now that they were all gone there was only Dahlia left. They slowly walk towards the alter where the woman was standing with an entertained smile, slowly clapping her hands. "Quite the operatic performance...though that is the thing with these grand tragedies. In the end, all the heroes..." She thrusts out her hands and clench them in a fist. "...Die."

They all groan in pain clutching their chests. Mikael is unable to keep ahold of the knife and the three painfully watch as it quickly falls to the ground. All three of the men fall to their knees as their skin slowly turning grey. Klaus is barely able to send his brother another pointed glance in which he only barely responds with a head shake that wasn't noticeable to anyone but Klaus.

All three men attempt to crawl towards the knife slowly inch by inch as they desiccate. Dahlia looks at the three impressed. "You struggle with such passion. All in defense of the ones you love...an honorable quality, one I had not anticipated, given the reputation which precedes you."

Klaus is the one to finally grab the knife in his hand but Dahlia saw that coming from a thousand miles away as he gains the strength to stand and lunge at the woman. "Still... a bit too little... too late."

She doesn't even flinch as she waves a hand that throws him backwards and knocks him unconscious. Dahlia walks past Gabriel and straight towards Mikael with a snarl. "And you... husband of my sister, you I would like to make suffer."

She cups her hand, using magic to make him choke and smiling as he gasps for air. Gabriel nearly felt sympathy for the man. Almost.

All four of the beings are surprised when they hear Freya's voice. "Enough!"

Dahlia releases the magical hold on the man and turns towards the blonde. "My Freya..."

Gabriel sits himself up against one of the remaining pews as Mikael picks up a piece of wood and Dahlia walks towards Freya. "You do realize that this so-called family of yours is simply using you for your power?"

"No. You're the one that used me for a 1,000 years! No more!" Freya furiously screams.

Dahlia sighs in frustration. "So be it!"

She uses the same tactic just used on Mikael and begins choking the girl. Mikael seeing this is furious and longed for the witch, managing to stab her with the piece of wood in the abdomen. It distracts her enough to free Freya from the hold. "Stay away from my daughter!"

Gabriel notices Elijah trying to sneak towards him to help him but he subtly shakes his head and gestures towards the broken wall in the corner where their younger brother lay.

Dahlia telekinetically throws Mikael across the room and pulls out the stake he stabbed her with as Klaus feeds on Elijah, renewing his strength. "Don't you know I'm too powerful to kill?"

Elijah speeds towards the witch trying to take her by surprise but he's thrown back just as they all once were. Klaus picks up the enchanted blade and rises to his feet, and the two glare at each other before Klaus vamp-speeds toward her, jumping up in the air so he can dodge her telekinetic blast. However, before he makes contact with her, Dahlia completely vanishes, and Klaus crashes into the alter. As he picks himself up, he digs through the pile of broken wood and is completely alarmed when he cannot find the enchanted knife. He stands and looks backward at Elijah, both of whom look as though they're terrified by what just occurred. Mikael and Freya are still gasping on the floor, but Dahlia is nowhere to be seen.

Gabriel just sighs to himself missing his little bossy blonde more than anything. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and sighs to himself when he see's it's damaged beyond repair. But a large part of him was glad she was no where near his deranged aunt. He would die before he let something happen to her but he wasn't god, he couldn't control everything.

—

Freya is tending to Mikael on on side of the pew while Gabriel stands between his two pacing brothers. He along with everyone else spin around when they sense the witch had reappeared. "We all have weaknesses. You came here united hoping to exploit mine, and in doing so, you lost the one thing that you could have used against me..."She holds the knife high in the air for them all to see. "The weapon you created, now rendered useless."

She drops the knife in a basin of holy water and smiles as it bursts into flames, completely destroyed. Everyone looks completely distraught and beat. "Now that we've dispensed with that little trinket, perhaps we can focus on the issue at hand? After all, I seek only that which is owed to me, nothing more. Give me the child, and you all may live. Deny me, and, well... you've had a taste of my power. I can't imagine you hunger for more."

And just like that she was gone again.

—

Klaus and Gabriel are drinking a scotch at the bar room as Elijah, Rebekah, Mikael, and Freya walk in to join them after their epic defeat. Klaus was already wound up because he couldn't understand why his brother didn't fight to his whole potential and now the weapon he believed that could beat her was gone.

"Well, that sounds like a bloody fiasco. Where's Dahlia now?" Rebekah questions the men.

Elijah looks around in defeat. "She could be anywhere. There wasn't a trace of her left in the church."

"She's done with us for the night. No doubt, she wants us to take some time to wallow in our defeat." Freya spits in spite.

Klaus takes a sip of his drink. "Defeat? I disagree. We saw her face. We took her measure. If that's the best she's got, quite frankly, I'm unimpressed."

Mikael growls at the man. "Her aim was not to impress us. She wanted us to reveal our sole weapon, and, like fools, we did."

Gabriel and Klaus share a secretive glance. Rebekah looks between the two in shock. "Am I hearing things, or did Nik just exchange words with our father?"

Mikael smiles at the host body knowingly. "Rebekah. I'd know that wicked tongue anywhere. What mischief have you gotten yourself into now? No doubt the bastard's doing."

"Enough." Gabriel orders.

" My patience, like this farce of a reunion, is at an end." Klaus demands.

Elijah scowls at his father and sister. "Agreed. There only is one question here: What exactly are we doing?"

"This was not my plan! You rushed it and made but a single weapon! Of course she took it from you, and now we've lost what advantage we had and used up the very materials we needed to kill her." Freya counters angrily. Gabriel raises a brow at her anger.

Klaus pretends to think. "It's a bit histrionic. Your materials are easily found. Let's take stock, shall we? There's an ample supply of your blood. Norwegian soil is hardly scarce. What else? Ah, yes... the ashes of Dahlia's viking oppressors."

"That'd be you." Gabriel lowly whistles towards their father.

"Only priceless relics gotten with great difficulty at a museum, lost due to your worthless strategies." Mikael growls.

He watches as his little brother speeds towards Mikael and pins him to the wall, shoving the tip of the very real white oak stake into his chest, directly above his heart. Surprisingly he doesn't fight back. He simply stares at Klaus. Freya tries to intervene but Elijah holds her back.

"If I feel even the faintest touch of your magic, Freya, I will end him with a flick of my wrist!" He turns back towards Mikael. "You don't seem surprised."

The stake brushes the man's heart and he gasps in pain. "Betrayal is in your nature, boy."

"No. I wasn't born like this. Her you fight for... Lovely Freya, the daughter you barely know... yet there was a time when you knew me as your son, a time before all the disappointments, the revelations of betrayal. There were moments when all you had to do was be my father, and even then, you despised me, didn't you? I want to know why." All of the siblings stop in place knowing their brother needed this after centuries of all of this resentment and hurt.

Mikael for the first time in his life looks at the boy with no anger or bad intent. Only genuine honesty. "I don't know. I just... did."

Klaus forces himself to stop crying after he got over the initial surprise of his honestly. "Are those your final words?"

Mikael slowly turns his head towards Freya. "Freya... I'm so sorry. I love you."