Title: Aftermath 1/1
Author: ihearttvsnark
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Characters: Klaus Mikaelson, Elijah Mikaelson, Kol Mikaelson (brief mention of Klaus/Caroline)
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,067
Summary: Missing scene from 3.15 All My Children when the Originals return to the mansion. Loosely inspired by a prompt from kitmerlot1213
Aftermath
Klaus was the first one to arrive back at the house after they'd watched Finn and Esther disappear. He searched every room, top to bottom, in a matter of seconds to make sure that the traitors hadn't dared set foot in his house after what they'd done. All these years, he'd been so afraid that his siblings would find out that he'd murdered their mother and that they'd turn their backs on him, but now they had to see the truth. He'd been right all along. He just wished she'd had the decency to stay dead.
Elijah was the next to return. The two brothers stood in the foyer, facing each other, neither saying a word for several long moments. Klaus doubted his brother would apologize, but he waited for him to at least acknowledge that it was just them now along with Rebekah and Kol. They had to stick together; family above all else. But instead, Elijah just shook his head and moved past Klaus, heading for the stairs.
"Esther was right about what we've become," he said simply. Elijah knew that the evening had made Niklaus feel justified in his actions and Elijah was not in the mood to listen to him gloat or rattle on and on about family and betrayal or how superior he was because he was the Original hybrid. None of that would change the fact that everything Esther had said was true. Elijah himself had demonstrated every horrific quality he possessed over the past twenty-four hours and there was no justification for it.
Klaus scowled and in less than a second, he was standing in front of his brother on the stairs. "You're going to take the word of a woman who was about to murder her own children?" he snapped. "Her opinion means less than nothing. Elijah, we don't need her or Finn. We'll go on without them just like we did the last time."
"No, Niklaus," Elijah replied tiredly. He was feeling each and every one of his years at that moment. "This isn't about Esther's opinion but our actions over these past centuries. We're monsters. I cannot stay here any longer."
"You're going to run off and hide like a coward," Klaus snapped, disgusted as he scowled at his brother. "Why would you let them win, Elijah? We can all be together now just like we always planned. Mother was never part of that plan and Finn never wanted to be. You never should have pulled the dagger from his heart."
Elijah shook his head again; not surprised that Niklaus's first instinct was to lash out and place blame elsewhere. "I'm not going to stand here and argue with you, Niklaus. My mind is made up and I shall leave shortly." He knew there was no point in telling his brother that he should have never put the dagger in Finn's heart, or any of their hearts, in the first place. Instead, he quickly moved around his brother, the sound of his door closing echoed through the quiet house less than a second later.
"Coward!" Klaus shouted petulantly. Elijah would run away, but he'd be back. Klaus knew his brother cared too much for his family to just disappear forever. But Klaus wasn't going to make it easy on him when he did return. Elijah was going to have to apologize and admit that he'd been wrong. He owed him that much. Klaus headed for the living room, needing a drink and stopped in the doorway when he spotted Kol sitting on the couch with his sketchbook.
"Was she worth it, Nik?" Kol asked, not bothering to look up from the drawings he was flipping through. "Was this girl worth almost losing your entire family for?" He finally glanced at his brother; his expression a mixture of hurt and anger. Klaus knew Kol would embrace the anger over the hurt; it was what he always did.
"This has nothing to do with Caroline," Klaus replied. Saying her name caused a pang in his chest, but he pushed it aside. She had betrayed him and he would deal with that another time. "Our mother did this, Kol. Esther and Finn together but they're gone now," he stressed, almost desperate to diffuse the situation. Elijah was leaving, but he didn't have to lose anyone else. "We're still here."
"Barely," Kol replied. He tossed the sketchbook aside and got to his feet. "They put a dagger in my heart, Nik. Who's going to stop them from doing it again? Who's going to stop you from doing it again?" He didn't bother to give Klaus a chance to answer before he moved toward the doorway. "I'm getting as far away from this town as I can."
"How dare you blame me for this?" Klaus demanded. He moved into Kol's path just like he'd done with Elijah. "Our mother came back from the dead and decided she wanted to murder all of us. She's the one we need to blame and we need to stay united. Where will you go? You've been dead for almost one hundred years," he reminded him. Kol didn't know the first thing about how the world worked anymore.
Kol arched an eyebrow at his brother. "That's right, I have, Nik. I was lying in a coffin because my brother put a dagger in my heart. I'm not going to stay here and let you do it again. I don't need you. I don't need any of you!" He raced through the foyer and out the front door, slamming it behind him.
Klaus remained where he was for a moment, tempted to go after Kol and beat some sense into him. But if he wanted to try and make it on his own, that was his problem. Klaus knew he'd come back; his younger brother was rash and impulsive, but he wouldn't stay away forever. This was just a temper tantrum. He'd probably be back before Elijah even left.
Satisfied with that, Klaus went back into the living room, once again forgetting about the drink he desperately needed as he picked up his sketchbook. The pang in his chest was back as Caroline's smiling face stared up at him. He'd shown weakness and she'd used it against him. That was never going to happen again. He ripped the pages from the sketchbook and tossed it in the fire.