AN: Set after 5x08. Klaus and Rebekah have a little conversation about her departure and her situation with Marcel. First time ever writing The Originals characters so be honest about what you think in your comments and if you liked it! ;)

The Brother You Need

Klaus was staring down at the Quarter from Hope's balcony, admiring nightfall as the stars shone into the dark sky like gold nuggets. How familiar it was…

He remembered how he would do the exact same thing every night, wherever he was, looking up at the sky and imagining that Hope was doing the same back in New Orleans. All these years spent far away from his own blood, these little moments had been the only source of comfort he could manage to provide for himself. And now it was over. It wouldn't be a few hours before his daughter returned home and he couldn't wait. They could finally be reunited as a family, for real this time. No more voices whispering in their heads, no more flowers withering at an alarming speed at their proximity, no more snakes slithering out of his little girl's mouth. The only flaw in this picturesque family gathering was the presence of The Hallow in Hope. They had won the battle, but not the war. And Klaus knew that whatever was coming next would be much worse, so might as well enjoy the little rest they were granted.

"I thought I'd find you here," Rebekah's soft voice interrupted his thoughts.

From where he was, Klaus couldn't guess the sad smile on the blonde's lips, nor the look of regret that crossed her blue eyes when she passed a picture of herself and a seven-year-old Hope on the nightstand.

"I'm still processing the outcome of this Chambre de Chasse episode. I haven't realized quite yet that our family is no longer doomed to stay away from each other," came Klaus' truthful reply.

He was still facing away from her, arms extended on the balcony bar as he observed the late distractions of the passersby. Few of them dared looking up at him, and the hybrid couldn't help smirking. Some things never changed.

Rebekah walked up to him. "I'm happy for you, Nik. Hope needs you more than ever now that Hayley is…gone. And you need her just as much. It comforts me to know you two have each other," she came to stand next to him, copying his activity.

The Quarter had always been full of life. No matter how many times she left, it was always a pleasure to come back. Everything just seemed familiar here. It felt like home.

"Why does it sound like a goodbye speech, little sister?" Klaus pointed out, not taking his eyes off the horizon.

Rebekah remained silent, avoiding eye contact as she figured she would give her brother a few seconds to swallow the bitter pill. Somehow, he was always the one reacting more harshly than the others at her departures. Except Marcel, of course. The bond that had formed between them ever since they were children made it so hard to let go.

"You're leaving. Again." His tone wasn't angry. It held a shade of resignation and hurt, which was even more striking to Rebekah. Klaus finally tore his eyes away from the crowded streets and turned to gaze at his sister. "We're all back together as a family again, and you choose to leave us when you certainly are the one who suffered the most throughout this forced separation. Why?" he asked calmly.

Rebekah knew him enough to decipher the calculative nature of his question. He knew why. He wanted her to admit it to him. Yet, she found a way to clutch at the lie she had made up in her mind. Mostly because the truth hurt.

"Settling has never been my thing, you know that, Nik," the blonde shrugged in a manner that was meant to look casual, but the hybrid knew better. "Besides, that forced separation has taught me one thing – at some point, each of us is going to want to live their own life and we will have to separate. I'm just starting mine a bit sooner than everyone is all," she gave him a small smile.

That Klaus didn't buy. Now facing her completely, the infuriating hybrid crossed his arms and shook his head disapprovingly. The reason behind her departure had nothing to do with family, but love. After all, it had always been Rebekah's Achilles' heel and it always will be. But he no longer wanted to be the brother that caused her heartache. As crazy as it sounded, especially coming from a psycho like him – he wanted to be the one to give her advice, to be the confident she had always hoped to find in him, in vain. All in all, he simply wished to be a better brother.

"Do you honestly think I don't know about your little heart-to-heart with Marcellus?" Klaus betrayed himself, staring at his little sister with such intensity in his eyes that Rebekah had to swallow. "I immediately knew something was wrong when I found him alone without you by his sides. After today, I was expecting to walk in on you two being all tangled up in sheets and whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears," he stated with his usual touch of irony.

Rebekah hated the accuracy of Klaus' description. It should've been that way, indeed. And had she found the courage to push her sadness aside, that's probably what would have happened. Instead she was walking away from the one true love of her life. The thought made her heart clench painfully.

Seeing that his sister had nothing to say, Klaus sighed deeply.

"But instead he told me that you wouldn't be with him because you were afraid your sadness would destroy him," he sent her a bewildered look. Enough to demand explanations to this nonsense.

Rebekah took a deep breath before meeting her brother's profound stare. She didn't want to justify her choice – and honestly, she didn't have to – but it felt good to talk about it.

"What do you want me to say, Nik? I'm trying to protect him."

"By breaking his heart and yours in the process?" he raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

From an external point of view, it seemed like Klaus was mad at Rebekah for hurting the man he considered to be his adoptive son. But for anyone who knew them, it was clear that Klaus was concerned for his sister's happiness and confused by the decision she had made.

"By being something you're unfamiliar with – selfless," Rebekah deadpanned. Klaus narrowed her eyes at her and she sighed, tucking a strand of blond hair behind her ear. "It's no secret I hate being a vampire. All those years ago, I went after the cure because I wanted to be human, I wanted a family of my own, I wanted to have children," her eyes teared up as she looked away from her frowning brother. "And I still want that. But I know I can't have it," she continued.

"And how is your endless turmoil a reason to turn your back on the one chance you had at true love and happiness?"

The blonde looked up at Klaus. He was genuinely lost, and she would've found it amusing on another occasion. It was sad to note that the first conversation they had about love - without it being about Klaus having murdered another one of her suitors – consisted in reflecting on why she had given it up. Dramatic irony.

"Because eventually, all this resentment I have against our fate will eat me alive. It's already been killing me slowly for a thousand years, I feel it. And the one who'll be on the receiving end of my despair will be Marcel," she sounded solemn, resigned.

Klaus didn't cut her off, her words hitting him like a punch in the heart. He had never realized how deep was the scar their parents' felony had left on his sister's soul. How much she was suffering. He could bring those bastards back to life just to kill them again for causing so much harm to Rebekah. His precious little sister.

"Soon, I'll be dragging him down with me because I won't be able to stand looking at his face anymore, all because he'll be the reminder that he chose this life and I didn't. I can't let it come to this point. I can't be the one destroying what we have," her voice broke as a few tears slid down her cheeks.

Getting emotional himself, touched by Rebekah's dilemma, Klaus shook his head. "So, you're gonna let this pipe dream you're chasing ruin the very thing you've always wanted – true love? After all these years searching for it and you give up fighting on the first obstacle thrown your way?" he sounded spiteful, but Rebekah knew he was only trying to strike her chord.

Hadn't she been so hung up on her decision it might have worked. But as Marcel had once told her, she was the toughest one of the Mikaelsons, and stubborn was her second name.

"It's more complicated than that, Nik. Sometimes it's wiser to withdraw from a battle you know you can't win."

"Oh, come on, Rebekah!" the hybrid exclaimed, throwing his arms up. "You and I both know it's not wisdom, selflessness or any other pretty word you find to label it. It's cowardice," he let out passionately, his eyes never leaving hers.

Even though Rebekah knew he meant to provoke her, it still cut her to the quick. Maybe his words echoed so loud in her soul because there was some truth to them. It hurt to think that he might be right, that she might be a powerless coward running away from everything she'd ever wanted because she was scared it would all vanish into dust the second she embraced it.

"Perhaps you're right," she whispered shamefully.

The way she said it was shattering and Klaus almost regretted being so hard on her. But he wanted her to fight for her happy ending, because she deserved it more than any of them did. Just as he was about to say something though, she beat him to it.

"Why do you care, anyway? You've never been a fan of me and Marcel together," Rebekah reminded him, glad to move on from pain to curiosity. "You acting all couples counselor on me is unusual, not to say blatantly scary."

Klaus had to smirk at his sister's wittiness. "I realized I was wrong - there's a first time to everything."

"Wrong? About what?" Rebekah frowned, crossing her arms.

"About you and Marcel. About the way I've behaved everytime you found someone to love," he admitted reluctantly. Klaus wouldn't be Klaus without his overinflated ego and oversized pride.

Rebekah gaped, blinking away the shock of her brother's lucidity. "Come again? I think I just heard my bloody brother admit he's been an overprotective cockblock and a narcissistic spoilsport for more than a thousand years now," she playfully mocked.

Klaus laughed. "You've always been good at portraying me," he smiled before uncrossing her arms, so he could take her hands in his. "More seriously, sister. There's something I told Marcel years ago that I didn't tell you."

"And what is that?" the blonde lifted an eyebrow.

He took a deep breath and planted his eyes on hers.

"When I apologized to him for being a bad father, I told him why I despised the idea of you two together. I told him your love for him was a threat, that I couldn't see how either of you could love each other and still have room for me," he confessed, eyes shining with unshed tears.

Rebekah swallowed the lump in her throat. She'd always known it had something to do with his fear of being alone but hearing him admit it to her was beyond heartbreaking.

"You and your eternal fear of abandonment," she gave him a small knowing smile, squeezing his hands.

"You were right – each of us is broken, and I shouldn't have let my fear rule over me."

Rebekah nodded understandingly. She couldn't blame him anymore. She wasn't mad at him anymore. She had forgiven him a long time ago.

"Which is precisely why I won't let you do the same," Klaus tightened his hold around her hands. "Do not make the same mistake I did and sacrifice your love for Marcel because you're afraid of what you'll do to him, to you both."

Tears rolled down Rebekah's cheeks. "I don't want to," she choked up.

"Then, don't." He let go of her hands to grab her face and watched her intently. "I want you to be happy, sister. Out of all the men you've fancied, Marcel has always been the only one worthy of your love and that's why I hated it. I love you, and I will always need you, but so does he."

Rebekah was speechless. She couldn't get her lips to work and form any words because Klaus had been the last one she would have guessed to be on Marcel's side. On both of their sides, in fact. He was practically giving her his blessing to be with Marcel and even marry him. Her heart tightened even more at the realization. It had taken her to leave Marcel for Klaus to see they were meant for each other. How tragic.

She continued crying silently and watched as he dropped a loving kiss on her forehead.

"And if one day I'm walking you down that altar, I do hope it leads to him."

And on these words, Klaus left her pondering alone, not without sending her one last meaningful look.

As he walked out of the room, Rebekah closed her eyes and let the tears flow as she let his words sink in. She knew he was right, but would she find it in her to overcome this crisis?

Sighing, she stared at the twinkling stars in the night sky. Marcel used to write that her blue eyes shared the same sparkle in his letters, and that this way he always thought about her when he was away.

She smiled at the memory.