Thank you to all those that take the time to read this story and leave me reviews, comments, etc. The flashback scene here turned out to be longer than I expected but hey, when you have 3 originals yelling at you, you cave in. A little darker, no rainbows or ponies in this one. Still no beta. See you at the bottom.
Caroline showed at Nik's house with a small overnight bag. She rang the doorbell and waited for him. There was no answer. She rang it again and wondered what he was doing. She looked around and saw his car wasn't there either. She took her phone out and called him.
"Hello sweetheart"
"Nik, open up, what are you doing?"
Nik closed his eyes as he realized Caroline was at his house. He was in Rebekah's hotel room watching over her. She had been like this for a few days. He had to cancel dinner with Caroline and forgot about him asking her to stay over night.
"I'm with Rebekah at her hotel room. She's having a bit of a rough spot"
Caroline sighed. She picked up her bag and turned around. She had hoped that she didn't put her trust in him too soon. She teased him about earning the over nighter and here she was willing and eager for him. Talk about karma biting her back in the ass.
"I'm sorry Caroline, it's just that it's been crazy the past few days. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to forget. I can leave now and be there soon"
"No, it's ok, I'm gonna head back, stay with her"
"Caroline-"
"I'll call you later" Caroline said before hanging up
Nik sighed and looked back at his sister in bed. He sat down on the bed next to her. He saw she was asleep. Rebekah was dreaming of happier times. She and Nik were children playing in their parent's house. Elijah was away at school and Finn had just run off. Kol was having his piano lessons on the other side of the house, rather mansion. Henry was asleep in his crib upstairs.
"I don't want to play policemen and firemen!" Becca whined
"I played with your dolls before!" Nik complained back
"But why do you always get the fire truck?"
"Because it's my fire truck!"
"Then wait for Kol to be done then! I don't want to play this anymore!"
The two of them stopped complaining when they heard their parents yelling. Rebekah covered her ears and closed her eyes. Nik got up and hugged her.
"Make it stop!" Rebekah cried out
Their parents fighting started to become a more regular occurrence. It started after Nik had his tonsils removed, and got worse and worse. He closed his eyes and tried to shut it out. There was a crash down the hallway, a vase smashed onto the floor. The two siblings flinched at the sound of it.
"Make your decision Ester!" Mikael yelled
"They're all my children!"
"No they're not. They are not all my children!"
"Please be reasonable!"
"No, I will not be made the fool by you or anyone ever again!"
"No one has to know"
"No one has to know? I'll know! I'll know exactly what you did every time I have to look up his face! Now, are you going to help keep this family together or not?"
"I love my children, all of them"
"Fine, then stay out of my way!"
Mikael stormed out and headed towards the room where Nik and Rebekah were playing. Ester tried not to cry, and got up and walked to the other side of the house where Kol was having his piano lessons.
"It stopped, they stopped" Nik said as he pulled Rebekah's hands off her eyes
"Why do they have to yell at each other like that?"
"I don't know, I wish they would stop"
"Me too"
Mikael stormed into the room.
"There you are" Mikael said as he approached them
He reached and grabbed Rebekah's arm and pulled her away. Rebekah cried out.
"What are you doing?" Nik asked
"You are to pack your things and leave for boarding school tomorrow!" Mikael yelled
"Why?"
"Don't question me boy!"
"Yes father" Nik looked down
"Don't use that tone with me!" Mikael released Rebekah's arm
Rebekah started crying and watched Mikael slap Nik across the face. Nik fell back onto the floor. He looked up at his father with fear in his eyes. He had never been afraid of his father until now. Mikael yanked Nik up by his collar and looked at him.
"You are no son of mine" Mikael threw Nik into the glass cabinet behind him
Nik's body fell forward onto the floor. Blood and glass covered the floor. Rebekah was frozen unable to move. She watched Mikael walk over to Nik's body as he lay on the floor. Nik looked up at his father. He didn't understand why his father was doing this. He felt the shards of glass in his back and it hurt to move. Rebekah saw Mikael crouch down.
"I will not have you destroy this family"
Rebekah looked around and grabbed the toy fire truck.
"Leave him alone!" Rebekah screamed as she ran and hit Mikael on the head with the fire truck.
Mikael fell back. The truck was broken into pieces and fell to the floor. He reached up and touched his head and saw blood. Rebekah stood there in front of him. She would protect her brother.
"Is this how you repay me?" Mikael lunged at her
Rebekah stood her ground.
"Throwing your toys at me? Toys that I bought for you?" Mikael said shaking her
"Leave her alone" Nik said
Mikael turned back to Nik as he lay on the floor still.
"You wretched boy. You taught her that didn't you? To be disrespectful?
"Stop it" Nik managed to say
"Time to teach you some manners boy" Mikael picked Nik up by his shirt
Rebekah ran at him kicking and screaming against his leg.
"Leave him alone! Leave my brother alone!" Rebekah screamed
Mikael dropped Nik back onto the floor and pushed her onto the floor.
"You will mind your manners and respect me! I am your father!" Mikael yelled
"You're a bully!" Rebekah yelled
"You've turned her against me" Mikael said glaring towards Nik
"Father, please"
Mikael was filled with rage when he heard him use that word. Father. He was not his father. He was a fool, he was a joke. And Niklaus was a constant reminder of it. He took off his belt and struck Nik hard. Nik yelled out.
"Stop it!" Rebekah yelled as she got up
"Silence or you'll be next!" Mikael yelled
Rebekah stood there contemplating for a moment. She had never been struck by a belt before. She took a step forward.
"No Rebekah" Nik said
Rebekah stood there and watched Mikael strike Nik's body repeatedly with his belt. She cried as she watched and was powerless to stop it. She watched as Nik's shirt was shredded up by the whelps of the belt.
"You will respect me boy, and this will serve as a reminder"
Mikael picked up a shard of glass and carved the letter M into Nik's back. Nik was already tired and worn from the belt, he felt the glass go into his skin. His eyes widened from the pain of it, but then passed out. Mikael tossed the glass shard aside and got up and walked out as if nothing happened. Rebekah immediately rushed over to him.
"Nik! Nik are you ok?" Rebekah cried out
She looked up and saw her mother standing in the doorway.
"Mother! Help us!"
Ester stood there for a moment and turned her back and walked away.
"Mother?" Rebekah cried
Rebekah looked at Nik's body. It was covered in glass and blood. She saw the M on his back and it was bleeding. She didn't know what to do.
"KOL!" Rebekah screamed out
Kol heard the commotion as he was walking back to his room. He heard Rebekah scream and headed towards the room. He stopped in the doorway when he saw Nik laying there and Rebekah crying.
"What happened?" Kol asked
"Father, he was so angry, I don't know why. He came in here so angry at Nik"
"We have to stop the bleeding" Kol ripped the sleeve off his shirt and covered the bleeding M.
"Mother knew what he did, she wouldn't help us, she walked away!"
"Becca calm down, please. We have to get the first aid kit, and we have to get him to his room."
Rebekah nodded. Kol stood up and lifted Nik up onto his back. Rebekah picked up the smashed fire truck and walked to the doorway and looked around. She saw that no one was there and waved for Kol to follow. Kol carried Nik up to his room and set him down. Rebekah came running into the room with the first aid kit.
"Father's always been moody, but this is scary" Kol said
"He's always mad at Nik"
"Let's not think about him right now"
Kol looked at his brother's back, the bruises were starting to form. He pulled out the glass shards from his back while Rebekah wiped Nik's face with a washcloth.
"He made me watch him do it" Rebekah said
"What?"
"He threw Nik into the glass cabinet, I was scared, I wanted to protect him, I hit him with Nik's firetruck. I made him bleed"
"Rebekah! How could you be so careless!"
"He was hurting him! He got so mad, and he kept hitting him with the belt. He said I'd be next if I didn't listen to him. But Nik told me not to. It's my fault"
"It's not your fault. Father's just angry"
"I hate him"
"Rebekah, don't say that. Let's not talk about this right now. We have to help Nik"
The two siblings cleaned Nik's wounds and placed bandages over them. Rebekah even opened her spongebob band aids for Nik. They sat on both sides of Nik watching over him.
"He's sending Nik away" Rebekah said
"What?"
"He's sending Nik away to that boarding school"
"But they he's not old enough. Elijah was 12 when they sent him away"
"They're sending him away tomorrow"
Kol looked down at his brother.
"At least he'll be with Elijah" Kol said
"That just leaves us"
"We have to stick together, we'll protect each other" Kol reached over and held onto Rebekah's hand
"I'm scared Kol"
"Me too"
The two siblings fell asleep next to Nik. Morning came and Rebekah woke up first. She looked around the room and saw her two brothers sleeping. She got out of bed and looked out the window. She saw the car pull up to their house. The same car that came and took Elijah away.
"Kol! Wake up!" Rebekah yelled
"Too early!" Kol whined
"They're here to take Nik!"
"What?" Kol jumped out of bed
"The car, its the same car that took Elijah!"
"We have to help him pack!"
Kol pulled out one of Nik's bags. He opened Nik's drawers and started throwing clothes into it.
"Becca, empty your piggy bank, and bring me my box in the top drawer in my room"
Kol threw in more clothes and socks. He pulled out another bag and threw in some more clothes. Rebekah ran into her room and grabbed her piggy bank and her pencil case that she kept hidden in her drawers. She ran into Kol's room and took out the box. She ran back into Nik's room.
"We have to hide it somewhere where father won't find it" Kol said
Rebekah took a sock and threw the money from Kol's box and her pencil box into it. She took another sock and balled it together and threw it into the bag. She looked at her piggy bank filled with change. She shook her head.
"Our brother doesn't need your pocket change"
Rebekah dropped the ceramic pig onto the floor. It shattered and all the change fell out. She reached down and pulled out the large bills she had in there.
"Where did you get that from?" Kol asked
"It's mine, and I'm giving it to Nik, if he ever wants to come home he can" Rebekah folded up the bills neatly.
Kol pulled out a new shirt for Nik to wear and slipped it on him. He put on new socks and Rebekah hid the bills in his sock. She put on his shoes and laced them up neatly as he taught her before. She ran over to his broken fire truck and pulled out the metal piece sticking out. She pulled the ribbon out of her dress and looped it through the loop in the metal piece. The white ribbon had splashes of Nik's blood on it. She felt guilty for breaking Nik's fire truck and decided she would buy him a new one for Christmas.
"Nik wake up, wake up" Rebekah said as she moved his pillow
"It hurts" Nik said
"They're coming to for you. The car's here"
"What so soon?"
"Yes, get up"
Kol helped Nik sit up on the bed and started buttoning his shirt. Rebekah put the necklace over his head. She went into his closet and pulled out a jacket for him. They helped him put the jacket on and watched as he winced in pain as he pulled it on.
"My shoe feels weird" Nik said
"I put 50 pounds in there. If you ever need help leaving that school" Rebekah said
"The rest of it is in the sock in your bag" Kol added
Nik looked at his two siblings. He didn't know what to say. He could tell they cared for him during the night.
"Thank you" Nik said
"We'll miss you" Kol said
"I'll miss you both" Nik said
"Elijah will be there, he can take care of you" Rebekah said
"Take care of her Kol. You know how father can be" Nik said
"Don't worry. Take care of yourself. Maybe it's better that you're not here. Father is very moody these days" Kol said
"And take care of yourself Rebekah. Don't give Kol too much of a hard time. Write to me, both of you" Nik said
"Of course I will. I'm sorry I broke your fire truck" Rebekah said
"It's ok, it's just a toy" Nik said
"I made a necklace for you, from your fire truck" Rebekah said
Nik looked down at the necklace and smiled.
"I love it" Nik said
"Promise you'll wear it, that you won't take it off?" Rebekah asked
"I promise" Nik said
"Maybe father will send me next year, then we all can be together" Kol said
"What about me? I'll be all alone here" Rebekah said
"You still have Henry" Kol said
"He's just a baby!" Rebekah said
"Just like you!" Kol said
"Am not!" Rebekah yelled back
"Hey, stop it! I won't be here anymore, please look out for each other" Nik said
"We will" the both said
"I hate that he's sending you away" Rebekah said
"Father's mood swings are getting rather dangerous" Kol added
"I don't know why father is so mad at me for. Is it because my hair isn't like his? Is it because I never do what he says?" Nik asked
"It doesn't matter, you'll be back for Christmas in a few months" Kol said
"Yes, Christmas, we can all be together again" Rebekah smiled
"Together again" Nik smiled
Rebekah leaned her head onto Nik's shoulder and Kol leaned onto Nik.
"We'll be here when you get back brother" Kol said
"Always and forever" Rebekah said
"Always and forever" the two brothers said in unison
The door flew open and Mikael stood there. Rebekah screamed.
Rebekah screamed and her eyes flew open. Gasping for air she saw Caroline sitting in a nearby chair.
"What are you doing here?" Rebekah asked
"I'm checking up on you. Nik had to go home because he hasn't showered or eaten"
"There's a shower here"
"Yes but he didn't want to smell like plumeria. Plus he does have a job to go to"
"Oh"
"He said he'd be back to check up on you"
"Well, I'm fine as you can see so you can leave"
"Whatever," Caroline got up and picked up her bag and headed towards the door, "You were talking in your sleep. Who's Mikael?"
"No one"
"Well you seemed to know him pretty well, you kept yelling at him to stop"
"He's someone I really don't want to remember"
"What did he do to you?"
"It wasn't me, it was Nik"
Elijah was in his office on the phone with Finn.
"What time is it there in Australia?" Elijah asked
"It doesn't matter. I've been away from all of you for so long. Tell me what else have I missed?"
"Rebekah is a model now, if you can believe it"
"Sage said she saw her on a Billboard here, I thought she was crazy"
"It's true, our baby sister is a model. She's in New York City right now, along with our other brother Niklaus"
"How is he? Is he alright?"
"Yes, he's fine, and happy it seems. Rebekah is happy that she found him"
"I'm glad things are better for him now. It wasn't right what happened to him, how father treated him"
"That's all in the past. He can't hurt us anymore"
"Then maybe I can use my last name again"
"You're not?"
"No, when I married Sage I took her last name, so he couldn't find me"
"Really? I never figured you to take a woman's last name"
"I did everything I could to hide from him"
"We should all meet up soon. Kol suggested Bali"
"Kol? How is he?"
"The same, except now he's chasing girls. He just started university, but it seems he's more interested in girls than academics"
"My brother the lady killer"
"Don't encourage him"
Elijah saw he got a new email on his computer and clicked on it. He had people keep track of what Mikael was doing. The email was from an investigator telling him that Mikael headed to New York city.
"Finn, I have to call you back, it seems our father is at it again"
"I want to help"
Caroline was watching Rebekah at another photo shoot. They were at a pool and Rebekah was pretending to be splashing around in the water. Caroline looked down at herself and mentally told herself she had to go back to gym again. She felt incredibly self conscious around Rebekah. She glanced at her phone and saw that she had no missed calls. Rather no missed calls from him. She saw that she still had the video of Tyler humping the ground and everything else. She decided to upload it to her facebook and youtube. WIthin a few minutes, people were commenting on the video. She laughed.
Kol walked back into his parents house. He left school and went home to see how his mother was doing. Elijah had asked him to check up on her since their father had left her. Kol knew something was up. He walked into the empty mansion. He called out to his mother. There was no answer.
Kol walked down the hallway and found his mother in the study infront of a fire. She was throwing papers into the fire.
"Mother? What are you doing?" Kol asked
"Kol? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at school!"
Kol approached her mother slowly. His mother wasn't the usual drunk lush she was. She was quite sober and livid.
"Mother, are you alright?"
"Yes, wait for me in the kitchen please"
"What are you doing mother?"
"Kol please!"
Kol snatched the remaining papers out of her hands and pushed her at an arm's length as she tried futilely to get them back.
"Give that back Kol! They're not for you to see!"
Kol quickly looked at the papers. He caught his brother's name Niklaus and another man's name that he didn't know. He quickly read some more before his mother snatched it back and threw it all into the fire.
"What does that man want to Nik?" Kol asked
"Nothing, and you are never to tell him about it!" Ester pleaded
"Why?"
"Some things are for your own good"
"What are you hiding?"
"Nothing!"
Kol quickly took his phone out and texted his brother Elijah. He texted the name to him because he knew he'd forget. He sent it to his brother hoping that he'd know more about him.
"What are you doing?" Ester asked
"I'm not going to keep quiet about this. Not the same way you had me and Rebekah be quiet the way you treated Nik. We're not going to be quiet anymore!"
"Please, he'll be so mad"
"Father is always mad! His anger is always pointed at Nik! And you never once stepped in to stop him! What kind of mother are you?"
"Kol!"
"No! I understand why Rebekah left you, if fact I'm going to join her!"
"NO! Kol! Please, try to understand!"
"Understand what? That you're a drunk and would rather find yourself at the bottom of a bottle than care about your family? No, don't bother. Father tried so hard in controlling us, but it only made us run away from both of you"
"That's enough! I am your mother!"
"Then act like it!"
Kol turned to leave. He didn't hear his mother's pleas as he walked out of the house, never looking back.
Caroline walked into her apartment after another hard day of work, mostly dealing with Rebekah. She called out for Bonnie or Elena and was met with a quiet apartment. Caroline sighed. She had missed her girlfriends, but Bonnie was in the middle of midterms, and Elena still had Stefan/Damon drama. She went to her room and changed. She decided to take a bath, so so took her clothes off and put on her fluffy robe. She smiled as she remembered the last time she put it on was when Nik did the walk of shame. She put her hair in a bun on the top of her head and headed to the bathroom.
Caroline was thinking about the expensive bubble bath she was going to use as she opened the door. She screamed when she saw that the bathtub was already in use.
"Damon! What are you doing in here?" Caroline screamed as she pulled the robe around herself tighter
"Taking a bath, I like bubbles don't you?"
Caroline grabbed her bottle of bubble bath and saw that it was empty.
"Did you use my bubble bath!"
"It smelled nice"
"That's why I bought it! Get out!"
"Alright," Damon started to get up and Caroline covered her eyes
"Hand me a towel? Unless you want to get a good look" Damon smirked
"Get it yourself!" Caroline turned around and left the bathroom
Caroline went back to her room and picked up her phone and called Elena.
"Hey Care" Elena answered
"Elena! Damon is here in our apartment, in our bathtub, using MY bubble bath!"
"He's what?"
"He's here! Being a complete ass!"
"Ugh, I'm sorry Caroline. He must have taken my purse. I've been looking for it everywhere!"
"Well he's here, and he's being really annoying!"
"I'll be there as soon as I can! Oh, and that video of Tyler you posted. It was amazing!"
"Elena! Just get here!"
Caroline hung up and was angry. Her day wasn't the greatest again, she was tired, Damon used her bubble bath, and she hadn't heard from Nik in days. He knew he was taking care of his sister but she felt pushed aside again. She was always pushed aside for someone. It was a feeling she knew too well.
The doorbell rang and she went over to answer it. She wondered if it was Elena since she was missing her purse and Damon had taken it.
"Elena!" Caroline opened the door
Instead it was Nik, standing there holding a box of donuts.
"Hi" Nik said
"Hi" Caroline smiled
"Blondie, why are there flowers on your towels?" Damon asked as he walked out, dripping wet, with a towel wrapped around his waist
Caroline could see the look on Nik's face change. She realized how it must have looked. Damon in a towel, her in a bathrobe. She could kill Damon right now. She could kill Elena.
"It's not what it looks like!" Caroline managed to say
Nik stood there for a second with a blank expression on his face. Damon looked over Caroline's shoulder.
"Oh donuts" Damon said
"Shut up Damon! Get out! Elena's not here!"
"But your friend has donuts!"
"Shut up Damon!"
"Oh, he doesn't think that we hooked up does he? Cause we clearly didn't! Not this time. Been there done that. She's a real blond if you're wondering."
Caroline wanted kill Damon for letting that part slip out. She and Damon had hooked up, but that was a drunken night and it was right after Tyler dumped her and Damon decided he was done with the whole Stefan/Elena/Damon triangle. He left Elena that not and drank himself into a stupor. Caroline was drunk after being dumped after 3 years and they slept together. They vowed never to speak of it ever. She felt mortified.
Nik said nothing. His face remained blank, and his eyes became cold.
"Nik, no, it's not what you think" Caroline reached out to touch his arm
Nik dropped the box of donuts when she touched him. He turned to leave.
"No! Wait!" Caroline grabbed onto his arm
Nik pulled away and walked down the hallway. Caroline chased after him in her bathrobe barefoot.
"Nik! Nik!" Caroline called after him
Damon picked up the box of donuts from the floor and closed the apartment door. He opened the box and took out a donut. He smelled it and smiled.
"Ah my precious"
Do you think those donuts were really that awesome? Yes I left it there.