"You're surprised. You didn't free me from the coffin then."
"It wasn't me either Uncle…it must have been Damon." I spoke earnestly, trying to break the tension I could feel rising between my father and his brother.
I was looking between them for a fraction of a second before my uncle jumped up and punched my dad. I stepped back, horrified at how family could fall apart so. Family was supposed to be above all.
Then, Uncle Elijah threw Dad through one of the glass doors and it broke and shattered. Dad lumbered into a starting position and growled that the renovation had just finished, then attacked Uncle Elijah before I could do a thing.
"You have every right to be mad at me, but I reunited you with our family-" Dad was smiling down at Elijah, until Elijah punched Dad again, and they fought into the other room, where Dad opened Uncle Kol's coffin, pulled out the dagger and threatened the uncle who was breathing.
"You'll have Kol to deal with." Uncle acknowledged, and I looked to the coffin, picturing if he woke, how it would turn out. Uncle Kol was my favorite uncle, followed close behind at a tie between Elijah and Finn. Uncle Kol was the most fun, the one who understood me most, besides my aunt. Kol and Rebekah were my favorites, besides my parents.
Dad announced he killed Mikael and I turned away.
"He was ready to kill not only the doppelganger, but your niece as well…"
Dad sauntered over to me after he put the dagger back into Kol.
"Klaus, you put your own child in danger, maybe she would be safer with-"
"I've gone over this many times with Katarina. Adeline may come and go between us as she pleases now that she is old enough. But I have debated sending her away, just so I can't indirectly harm her…but then I realized, she's a hybrid too. She's a quarter werewolf, and she's a one of kind, not just vampire, but Original as well. People would rather chase her than me."
"Katarina is a master at running though."
"But if my daughter stays here, I can protect her…Elijah I will tell you anything you want. I'm ready. I promise you both, our family will be whole again. Help me destroy Stefan."
I looked down, wanting this and not at the same time. My paternal family, all together again; but I'd have to hurt someone I cared about, someone who cared for me, as friends, despite how we may treat each other constantly. How could I betray the Salvatore's? How could I betray my family? I did not want either. But it was a choice I'd have to make.
Later that evening, Dad was preparing for the dinner he'd be hosting, and I was speaking to him.
"Daddy, don't be stupid and kill them now. They're my friends. Just be peaceful for the night."
"Alright Addy, but you are going upstairs to your room for this all. This is something I don't want you involved in."
"Because I'm young, a girl. I get it." I said sourly, but Dad sighed and said, "No, of course not. But I know you'll get bored very fast at a boring dinner party. So you can hang out upstairs sweetheart."
I groaned and trudged up the staircase. "I hate you, I'll go pack and go find Mom." I called threateningly over my shoulder, but he knew I was bluffing and chuckled. I got to my room, closed the door, and the moment the door clicked shut, the front door opened, and the guests arrived.
I paced around my room for a while, bored as hell, but not wanting to go on the computer or anything- wanting to listen, and hearing about Elena and such was getting old.
"So where's Adeline?" Stefan asked my family members, to shoot back a question after Elijah asked about Elena.
"She's safe." Dad spoke.
Damon snickered, "What, is she in her room upstairs?"
It was silent for a moment, and then Uncle Elijah said, "So I understand you two adopted her as your sister?"
I could almost see Stefan tilt his head and narrow his eyes as he said, "Yes. Even before we were keeping her captive, we were becoming friends. My brother and I love Adeline, as a younger sister. Just like Elena, we'd do anything to protect her. Two people we have in common Klaus. You love your daughter, and you need Elena for your games."
They kept talking, until the deal was brought up. The Salvatores wanted the Originals gone, but Dad said, "I will never leave her behind. Say I did, how long could you protect her?" I felt for a moment, the tiniest bit, he was speaking about me as well.
By then I grew so utterly bored, I had to leave.
I opened my window, jumped out, landed on the ground soundlessly, and fled the property, calling Elena to see where she was.
When I got to Caroline's place on the porch, the two girls were talking.
"I can't just let my father die!" Caroline spoke out.
"The only thing he has is his choice." Elena told Caroline wisely.
Caroline swallowed back her tears. "God, I hated him so much for what he did to me."
I suddenly related. My father stabbing me, taking the risk that I may actually die…leaving me in a coffin for a decade…all because of a boy. It was ridiculous.
"And now all I want to do is save his life."
I wanted to be there to protect my dad from everyone who hated him all the time.
"Of course you do, he's your dad."
Caroline looked down for a moment then picked her eyes up to look at Elena. "What was the hardest part when you lost your dad?"
"Realizing the things he couldn't be there for. The things you just need your dad for, you know?" Elena looked at me at the end, acknowledging me for the first time since I'd got there.
Caroline nodded and Elena took her into her arms as the blonde started to cry, and I shared a look of understanding between my relative, then left, passing Matt as I walked.
I could only imagine what it would be like if Dad died. How I'd be lost…how I'd be shipped off to Mom's…And while I'd have my mother, and my aunt and uncles…Uncle Kol, Finn, and Elijah would never amount up to how much Dad was to me. If Dad got tired of living, and gave up…I knew I'd think he hated me, that he didn't want to bother with me anymore…even though he'd proved time upon time again he loved me more than anyone else.
I could almost picture Dad saying on his deathbed as I begged for him to not leave me that I was the best thing that ever happened to him and my mom, and that they wouldn't trade me for anything in the world.
I was within sight of the mansion where I lived now when I heard screams. I sprinted in seconds inside and saw Damon pinned up against the wall by Uncle Elijah, and Stefan being burned by Dad.
"Stop! Stop!" I begged, yelling at them.
"Bring me the coffin, or I burn him alive." Dad smirked at Damon, who agreed and left with Uncle Elijah.
"You promised." My eyes welled up with tears. "You lied. But then again, why should I be surprised? I bet everything you've promised anyone is a lie. I don't want to see you. Maybe I will go to Mom for a while."
"Adeline wait." Dad commanded but I turned around on the stairs and shouted at him, crying, "No! I hate you!"
I heard Damon and Elijah reenter, never having left. "See I've learned not to trust your promises, and it seems as if your own daughter is learning as well…we're doing this on my terms." There was more footsteps and I inched back downstairs through the door into the room to stand by the round dinner table, in between Dad and Elijah, and there was Uncle Kol and Uncle Finn.
"Kol." Dad put his hands up in surrender and backed away, Kol coming closer, a satisfied smirk on his face.
"Finn don't." Dad warned as Uncle Finn picked up one of the daggers and stabbed Dad through the hand. Going back on everything I'd said a minute ago, I started towards him, hearing him yell in pain, but Uncle Kol pulled me back, locking me in tight.
"Let go of me!" I struggled against my uncle's iron grip. This was fun as a kid, but now it was not a time for fun and games.
"Dear niece, shouldn't you be glad to see me after a 100 years? You've grown…you've aged about 2 and a half years haven't you?"
I didn't answer, and he knew he was right anyway. Dad looked at me, seeing me in trouble, and we locked eyes. I could tell he wanted to grab me and run, but I shook my head and he got the message. He bolted, but was blocked by someone else.
"Rebekah."
A second later, she was stabbing him in the gut, so he screamed out in utter agony and doubled over as she dignified the act as it was for their mother.
"Daddy!" I shrieked, and flipped my uncle off my back with a surge of adrenaline. It was a rush of power I'm sure was a glimpse into what I'd be able to do when I turned 16. "Uncle Kol, Finn, Elijah. Aunt Bekah, please don't hurt him." Even though he'd hurt them…two wrongs didn't make a right.
Uncle Kol recovered quickly of course, and stood up in time to now entrap my father as he stumbled back from his sister.
"You're free to go." Uncle Elijah told the Salvatore's, and they left.
This was a family matter.
"I like what you've done with the new place Nik." Aunt Bekah picked up a glass vase and threw it at a painting which fell as well as the glass shattering.
Dad looked dazed as he said he just wanted us all to live here and be a family again. A place where we'd never be alone again.
"You're right. None of us will be."
"You're staying behind."
"We're leaving you Nik, after I kill that doppelganger witch. And you will be alone, always and forever."
I now stepped forward towards my father and turned to everyone else. "No. I won't leave. I'm a hybrid too. And I'm not letting anyone hurt my friends. Not again. Elena included, she's my family too."
"Oh dear me, I forgot. You're the Petrova girl's child" Uncle Kol smirked.
"So you're the result of the hybrid and doppelganger…" Uncle Finn grinned. He was meeting me for the first time, because he'd been out almost a millennia, and I was half of that time in my age.
"Adeline, minutes ago you were saying how you were leaving anyway. You could come with us, or go live with your mother. But you will be spending some time away from your crazy dad. Maybe in a few thousand years, some plot will have been thought up to kill him, and we won't have to worry about him anymore."
I started thinking of the whole losing my dad business again.
"I'm the hybrid! I can't die!" Dad screamed, veins straining in his muscles evidently.
"And if you hunt us down Niklaus, you'll become everything you hate- Mikael…didn't you say he almost killed your daughter and her mother?"
"I have nothing to fear from you."
"You will when we have the coffin…even now, if Adeline deserts you completely. We all know what she'll be capable of and more if she ages a few more months."
Just then, the door opened, and we all looked to see who it was, and then blanched at the sight. My grandmother, the Original witch was there.
She crossed over to Dad who looked down ashamed immediately, and seemed on the verge of tears.
"Look at me." She commanded, and Dad struggled for a moment to bring his eyes to level with hers. "Do you know why I'm here?" my grandmother asked, almost annoyed.
"You're here to kill me." He said sadly but confidently.
I then started to cry, my chest heaving with sobs.
She looked at me and then slowly came over to me, everyone automatically inched closer, ready to intervene, because I was treasured that much.
I was the baby of the family.
"You must be Niklaus' daughter." She lifted my chin up to look her straight in the eye with a finger and smiled tentatively. "I always wanted to grandchild. And one as beautiful, brave, loving, strong and true as you are is the best I could hope for. I know your powers make you undesirable to witches now, but I do not care."
"Please. Please don't kill my dad." I whispered through my tears.
"I'm not going to. I'm going to forgive him. I want us all to be a family. And that means you and your father included." She turned to my aunt and uncles. I took that time to run to my dad as he held his arms out for me and cry into his shirt as he stroked my hair and held me close.
Everyone was silent. From their mom appearing, and from how evident the bond between the teenage daughter and the single father was. It was obvious anything I'd say against him was only spur of the moment, because my dad was my best companion. I needed him more than anyone else, and without him, I was alone.
...
REVIEW!
ALERT!
FAV!