Because youre my brother

As the three brothers were walking back home laughing at little things that they other may have said until Elijah suddenly just stopped and after taking a shaky breath said.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing Finn."

"Yeah, it's not just you Elijah, you're not hallucinating."

The thing which the two were talking about was the man who was standing over next to their father talking to Mikael. After listening to what Elijah and Finn had said to each other he looked at the man who was talking to their father and as soon as the man had turned around he gasped.

For this man had an uncanny resemblance to his older brother, except for his eyes. For while Elijah's eyes portrayed an almost warm and protective look, this man's brown eyes portrayed nothing except that he clearly would not accept failure or any type of disappointment.

"Who is that?"

Nik finally asked after readjusting his arm around Elijah's waist as Finn told Elijah that he would distract both father and this man Nik had never met.

"That's father's brother Nikolai Mikaelson, he was very upset upon hearing that our father was taking our family here to the new world, saying that family needed to stay together. But father was very upset about the loss of our older sister, and did not want to risk losing another child to the plague. And according to mother Nikolai did not like me along with his son that was about my age at the time."

Elijah said to his younger brother as they tried to get to the house without alerting either father or Nikolai Mikaelson. Niklaus looked almost shocked at this statement because from what he had been told Elijah had been maybe four years old if even that, when their family had chosen to make the voyage to the new world.

"Why did he not like you Elijah?You couldn't have done anything you were only about four before getting on the boat for the new world with mother, father, and Finn."

Nik asked his older brother as he helped Elijah stand up so that he could open the back door to their home so that they could avoid being seen by Nikolai or father.

Then after they had both gotten inside Elijah resumed talking about Nikolai while they both headed towards their room, Elijah waving off his younger brother's help, choosing to try and walk by himself.

Upon reaching his bed Elijah sat down on the bed and then scooted back until he could rest his head on the wall motioning for Nik to come and sit beside him so that he could finish telling him about Nikolai.

" I don't know Nik, he's just never really liked me for some reason, that scar that I have on the right side of my jaw is from where Nikolai backhanded me when I was almost two. That was the only time that I had ever actually seen father shaken up was when he came in and saw his two year old son bleeding profusely."

Then after a moment Elijah laughed, a laugh which sounded like it was full of humor even though what he said next was far from funny in the least.

"I remember this very vividly because father had picked me up and clutched me to his chest as if I was dying, which he probably thought I was."

Nik then after looking to Elijah looked down to his hands and then with an almost shaky voice said to his older brother.

"Do you think that he's going to be staying for long 'Lijah? What if he chooses to stay? What do we do then?"

But this question was left unanswered because the two brothers suddenly heard the front door to their home opening. Upon which Elijah mouthed for Nik to quickly get up as he tried to get up himself only managing to fall back down on the bed forgetting that he was still weak.

Then upon looking to their bedroom door Elijah was relieved to see his younger sister Rebekah standing there with a bowl of what looked like broth.

"Father helped me to prepare something light for you to eat Elijah, he said that its been too long since you're last meal. I hope that you'll be able to stomach it though."

Their younger sister said before helping Nik to get Elijah positioned so that he was propped up against the wall so that he could eat. After Rebekah had handed Elijah the broth and he had eaten about half of the bowl's contents, Elijah suddenly felt a wave of nausea come over him and felt the contents which had just entered his stomach rising back up his throat.

Nik who realized immediately upon seeing the look on Elijah's face immediately grabbed an empty basin which was sitting by the bed. Only moments before Elijah started expelling the tiny bit of broth which he had managed to consume from his stomach.

After a minute though Elijah starting having dry heaves, due to the fact that there was nothing left in his stomach to throw up, making Nik wish that his brother was better. Nik hated seeing his older brother sick because whenever Elijah would get sick it was always pretty bad, and he hated seeing his brother in pain.

After Elijah had finally stopped throwing up his siblings helped him to lay back down on his bed propping him up slightly just in case he started throwing up again.

Then upon seeing the sweat which had accumulated on their older brother's brow Rebekah placed her hand on the back of Elijah's neck to see if his fever had worsened any and was not disappointed.

Luckily for Elijah though the fever was nothing that they needed to worry about so long as they used cold rags and placed them on his forehead. So after removing her hand from the back of Elijah's neck Rebekah left the room to grab both cold water and some rags.

Upon hearing the front door open once again Elijah listened trying to determine who it was that had just walked into the house. Then upon seeing the bedroom door open revealing his father Elijah let out the breath which he had been holding, happy that it hadn't been Nikolai.

After sending Nik out of the room Mikael sat down on Elijah's bed causing the bed to dip down from his father's weight. Then Mikael placed the basin full of clean water which he had probably gotten from his younger sister on the table beside his bed.

After doing this Mikael portrayed an uncharacteristic show of tenderness when he pulled a wet rag from the basin of water and after making sure that it wasn't sopping wet placed it on Elijah's forehead.

Causing Elijah to unintentionally lean into his father's hand which was holding the wet rag and then to sigh upon feeling the relief brought from the wet rag. After situating the rag on Elijah's forehead so that it wouldn't fall of Mikael then ran his hand through his son's hair which reached down past his shoulders.

" I think that you need a haircut, what do you think Elijah?"

His father said with an uncharacteristic smile which came over his face as he continued to run his fingers through Elijah's hair.

"Maybe. Father what is Nikolai doing here?"

"You noticed that huh?"

Upon seeing Elijah nod in response to what he had just said to him Mikael took a deep breathe, then after expelling the air from his lungs he seemed to think for a second and then said to his son.

"Come on, get up let's go outside."

Elijah looked at his father with a raised eyebrow and after looking at him with a look which clearly said 'what the hell is going on' Elijah said to his father.

"Why? Are you going to try and distract me?"

Mikael after coming back into the room with the scissors that they used for cutting hair walked over to Elijah and helped him get up then said to him.

"Absolutely, I'm not beyond using distraction to make you forget about Nikolai. Besides you know that when your mother comes back she's going to want to cut it. And you know that if your mother cuts your hair, then she'll cut it all off instead of just a little bit off like I'm going to do."

"How much?"

Elijah said looking at his father with a questioning look accompanied with a raised eyebrow at his father, surprised at how his father was acting.

Mikael rather than speaking responded by using his hand and then motioned that he was going to cut it up to his mid-neck, making Elijah slightly grimace.

"Your mother will cut it shorter than that so it's either that length or up past your ears Elijah."

Mikael said to his second oldest who did not even need a moment to ponder what choice he was going to pick and simply nodded as the two of them walked outside.

After sitting down on the stool which his father had placed outside Elijah sat still as his father began cutting his hair, inwardly screaming at Nikolai's presence in the village.

"Father how long is Nikolai going to be here?"

"Stubborn aren't you Elijah?"

Mikael said to his son as he continued cutting Elijah's hair trying to think of how he was going to tell his son what was happening.

"Father how long?"

"Permanently Elijah, you remember that your Uncle's family was going to come to the new world as well before his youngest died and they had to remain in the homeland to bury him."

"And I know how Nikolai affects your temper as well as how much Maksik does as well. So please until everything settles down and until you officially get better don't start anything alright?"

"I'll try my best bottom start anything father, but I can't promise that if Maks starts a fight that I'll be able to just walk away. Besides Father you know how much both Nikolai and Maks hate me."

Elijah said to his father at which point Mikael set down the scissors after finishing cutting Elijah's hair and then came to kneel in front of his second oldest looking him in the face and then said to him.

"You will walk away from a fight even if Maksik tries to initiate it Elijah, I know how much they both dislike you, and I haven't any idea as to why, but the last thing that we need right now is for you to be getting injured again, alright."

After making sure that his son had understood and had actually listened to what he had said Mikael told Elijah to get back into bed upon placing his hand on his son's forehead to see if his fever was still there.

Mikael was not disappointed and after sighing Mikael told Elijah that he would get Elijah something to eat before he went to sleep.

"Father, I threw up the broth from earlier."

Elijah said to his father as the two of them stood just inside of the doorway, after which point Mikael patted his son's shoulder and then said to him.

"Just get ready for bed Elijah, but I do want you to drink some water before going to bed, and let me rebandage and reapply some of the poultice which Ayana gave me for the wounds on your back."

After nodding in response to what his father had said to him Elijah headed back to where both his and Niklaus' bedroom was. then started getting dressed in a pair of soft pants which he was going to sleep in but didn't put on a shirt choosing to wait until his father had come in to rebandage the wounds on his back.

As his father came into the room carrying bandages and what Ayana gave him to help prevent Elijah's back from getting infected, along with also a cup filled with water.

After handing Elijah the cup of water Mikael sat down behind his son on the bed and started removing the bandages which were already wrapped around Elijah's torso covering the wounds.

Upon unwrapping the bandages Mikael silently grimaced to himself knowing that some of the wounds were going to scar over, and that he was responsible for some of them.

"These look like they're healing up nicely Elijah.

The next thing that Elijah asked his father surprised Mikael, because he had actually forgotten about it, during all the chaos of the past few days.

"When are mother and Kol going to be back father?"

Mikael was shocked for a moment, because how was he going to explain to Esther that the same man that had backhanded Elijah, his own brother, was going to be living in the same village as them.

"I don't know Elijah, probably tomorrow or maybe even the next day. But I don't want you to worry about that understand? I want you to get better, I'm going to go get Niklaus so that he can keep an eye on your fever, alright?"

After Elijah climbing into bed forgoing the soft tunic leaving him shirtless leaving the bandages uncovered. Elijah moved over to the middle of his bed just in case either Rebekah or Niklaus climbed into bed with him later before nodding at his father.

After his father had left Elijah laid his head down on his pillow about to close his eyes about to fall asleep when he heard the bedroom door open and saw Niklaus walk in their bedroom.

Then Elijah felt the dip in the bed as Niklaus sat down on the bed, moments before he placed a cool rag on his forehead. After Nik had done this he got up for a moment to get changed into something to sleep in before he climbed underneath the covers next to his brother.

Then after turning over onto his side to face his older brother, Nik said to Elijah with a look on his face that made Nik seem much younger than he was when he said to him.

"Are we going to be alright 'Lijah, do we have to be afraid of Nikolai?"

Elijah after thinking for a second as Nik replaced the rag on his forehead after wetting it again replied by saying to his brother.

"I don't know Nik, but we'll protect each other right?"

Just as Elijah closed his eyes, exhausted from actually getting to get up and move around today he heard his younger brother say in almost a whisper.

"Always Elijah, we're family."

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