Present Day
Elijah had often thought about his own death. That seemed so much more real to him. Or even Niklaus' death. This was worse.
He would have gladly exchanged his life or anyone else's in return for Rebekah's. It wasn't fair. And his stupid, stupid brother. If he was able to face his problems, instead of just staking his siblings whenever they talked against him, Rebekah would be fine now.
A loud crack from the entrance door echoed through the house. Someone must have smashed open the door. He was already dreading whatever meaningless confrontation was coming. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the sofa frame. He didn't care. No matter who it was he couldn't care less.
After several trampled steps through the hallway, he could tell from the sound that it was Davina. He wished he could stop her from coming any closer. A second later the door to the living room flew open.
"There you are," Davina shouted without breath.
Davina felt like a memory from a life long ago. He barely remembered why they had been looking for her at one point. It seemed so unimportant now.
When she saw him and Rebekah lying next to him on the sofa, she stopped in her pose. Elijah could tell from the expression in her face the second she had reached the crucial conclusion.
"What…" she began, then broke off.
"Uhm," she said, now with a much more shattered voice, "where is Niklaus? I need him."
Her eyes stuck on the body on the sofa.
"I don't know," Elijah replied blankly, turning away.
Why couldn't she just go away?
"It's, uhm" Davina began to stutter. "It's Marcel. We need your help."
"Not right now, okay?" Elijah replied, barely looking up.
Elijah waited. Davina didn't move.
Her voice had regained some of her strength again. "He was bitten by a werewolf. I need to find Niklaus right now."
Slowly her words registered in his brain. It sounded important. Elijah pulled himself up to sit straight. His whole body ached but he tried to make a coherent thought. Where did Niklaus go? He hadn't bothered to ask. He hadn't cared. There had been absolutely no need for the additional drama Nik had created. Part of him was glad that Nik had gone away. Elijah just wanted to be alone. But at the same time he wished his brother hadn't left. He wanted to shout at him, hit him, hurt him. Now he felt terribly lonely. He tried to shake these feelings off. What had Davina said again? Marcel.
"He was bitten by a werewolf?" Elijah repeated.
"Yes!" Davina almost shouted.
Even though he couldn't feel anything but grief, the seriousness of the issue began to sink in.
"Where's he now?" Elijah asked, getting his thoughts straight. "Marcel?"
"Outside. In the car," Davina said without breath, motioning to the hallway.
He needed to act. It felt unbearably hard to do, but Elijah stood up.
He wasn't sure if she had been there the whole time, but suddenly he heard Freya speak.
"What is going on?" she asked.
"It's Marcel. He's dying," Davina replied, trying to sound calm.
She already stood in the doorway, waiting for Elijah.
Freya's face became concerned. "What?"
"Stay here," Elijah told her. "Please."
It felt wrong to leave Rebekah behind.
He tried to get rid off the ton of grief from his skin. He couldn't. But this was important. He had to concentrate.
He followed Davina out of the house to the car that had been parked in a rush in front of the house.
It was bright and sunny out there. He'd have preferred darkness right now.
Elijah opened the door to the back seat.
Marcel was much worse than he expected. He lay on the back seat cowering. His eyes turned in a weird as he continually cringed together in pain. He was very pale.
"Marcel?"
Elijah tried to get his attention, but he soon realized that Marcel wouldn't be able to give him a coherent reply. As if in a vivid fever dream Marcel moved back and forth his eyes getting in and out of focus within seconds. Elijah doubted that Marcel could even hear him.
"How long ago was this?" Elijah asked in terror.
It looked like he had been bitten several hours ago. What had Davina been doing this whole time? She must have known that she'd need to act quickly.
"An hour maybe?" Davina said, checking her watch.
She too seemed surprised on how terrible Marcel looked.
How did this even happen? Who had bitten him? Elijah wanted to ask her but there was no time. Marcel was in serious danger to die. They had to act fast.
"Where's Niklaus?" Davina asked again.
"I don't know," Elijah said.
He thought hard. He was sure that when his brother had impulsively pulled Briony out of the house that he didn't take his phone with him. He considered rushing into all possible directions, checking the summer house. But that would be unwise. In the time he went there and back again, Marcel might be dead. For a second he considered carrying him, but the additional movement for Marcel would only make the werewolf venom spread faster. And that couldn't happen under any circumstances. Elijah's mind began to race, thinking for any possible solution.
Usually he could solve anything with logic, a reasonable thought out plan. There was nothing. He couldn't think of anything bullet proof to do.
The cold terrifying thought crept over him that they very likely were not going to make it.
"Okay, we'll take the car," Elijah decided, looking at Marcel's ever paler face. "And drive to the summer house. Most likely he'll be there."
"Most likely?!" Davina exclaimed. "We don't have time to drive back and forth in case he's not!"
"I can see that," Elijah replied, his mind blank.
"What if he's not there?!" Davina shouted in desperation.
Elijah didn't reply. He didn't want to think about a scenario where Niklaus was somewhere else. This was their only hope.
"Hold him still. That might keep the venom at bay."
A moment later they were on the road. Elijah tried to blank out any kind of stress, and focus on the street in front of him. There was no time to lose. From the back seat he heard inconceivable noises from Marcel and Davina's constant trembling voice that spoke to him. Her voice got more desperate by the second. In the reflective mirror he saw she was trying to hold Marcel still, but there was only so much a thin girl like her could do to hold down a vampire.
Had the road out of town always been that long? It felt like they had been driving forever.
It must have been halfway to the summer house when something in Davina's voice changed.
"Oh no."
Elijah watched her from the reflective mirror. For a second she stopped completely still in her motions and took a long silent breath. Then, out of nowhere, Davina started to shake Marcel violently.
"Wake up!" Davina wailed. "Wake up!"
At one point Elijah must have stopped the car and got out of it, because suddenly he found himself on the back seat with her, pulling Marcel out of the car and looking at his dead, unmoving body.
This could not be happening. It felt so unreal. Was this a strange never-ending nightmare he couldn't wake up from?
1895, Savannah, Georgia
They had almost reached the house after their long night out. Niklaus looked over his shoulder. Somewhere on the road behind them Elijah and Finn did this thing where they talked about serious adult-like things that made everyone else feel excluded. Niklaus couldn't but feel annoyed by it.
"Are you jealous?" Kol asked in disbelief.
"No," Nik said, trying to not bit his lip.
"Because that's what you look like when you broodily stare at them from a distance. And besides-"
Kol stopped in his tracks. They had reached the house. But he wasn't smiling anymore. His eyes were filled with concern.
"What is it?" Nik asked.
"There's no heart beat in the house."
Nik couldn't follow. "What?"
"I mean there's no heart beat in the house," he stressed again.
It took Niklaus a moment to put together what Kol meant. Then he noticed it too. The house was quiet. There was no one alive in there. Briony wasn't in it. Nik was sure that there must be a logical explanation for this. She had to be somewhere else. It didn't mean she was dead. But Kol must have felt different, as he charged towards the entrance.
Close to his brother's steps, Niklaus followed him up the stairs to the door. The second he saw that the front door wasn't properly closed he knew something was off. Before he could hold him back, Kol had already pushed the door open. He didn't get very far. The chest of drawers that used to stand next to the door had fallen over and blocked their way. The whole hallway was smashed. Pieces of glass and furniture were spread across the long corridor, now only dimly lit by the few light sources that had survived the struggle.
Protectively, Nik tried to put his hand on Kol's arm, but he had already began to move the drawer to the side and stepped through the debris, marching towards the living room.
"Wait," Nik said, but Kol didn't listen and scanned the room for clues.
"Briony? Rebekah?"
By now Elijah and Finn had caught up as well.
"What happened here?" Elijah asked, clearly not expecting an answer.
"Where is everyone?" Kol asked.
"I'll check upstairs," Finn said, taking a few steps up the stairs.
There had been a fight for sure. But where was everybody? And especially, where was Rebekah? Niklaus couldn't imagine that she was in any danger. She was stronger than basically any other supernatural being they had ever met. And certainly not with Briony on her side, who he deemed the only capable witch he knew. The only explanation would be that they got into a fight with each other, but that seemed unlikely. Someone had attacked them. But who would be strong enough to actually harm them? Except…
The realization crept unto him with the force of an iron hammer.
Retreat.
His feet told him to run away as fast as he could.
"We need to get out," Niklaus said quickly.
Kol looked at him curiously, then brushed it off and continued his search.
"I mean it," Nik repeated and took hold of his arm again.
Elijah was standing close to the door. They only needed to get Finn who was now upstairs. They still had a chance to get away.
"What are you talking about?" Kol said irritated, shaking off his brother's grip.
"He's talking about me."
This voice. An ice cold shiver ran down Niklaus' spine. Niklaus twirled around to face the voice, while grabbing Kol's arm once again. This time Kol didn't resist.
Mikael. There he stood on in the frame of the living room. Niklaus couldn't even explain where he came from.
For a second they all watched him in complete shock. Mikael glanced at them each, even though Nik was sure that he looked at him the longest. His face didn't look particularly angry. But the eyes. They were full of disdain and hatred. Nik hated that face. And he hated how scared it made him.
"What do you want?" Kol asked, his voice unusually dry.
Mikael's face barely moved when he spoke. "I've had this conversation just a moment ago. And I don't like to repeat myself. In short, I want to end you. If you must know more, then ask your sister. We had a very interesting chat before."
"Where is she?" Elijah demanded.
Mikael considered him for a moment, then looked at the others. "If I were you I'd be less worried about her and more about what's about to happen to you."
Without taking his eyes of Mikael, Niklaus went through his possibilities. There was a window behind him and Kol. Across the hallway he could get to the kitchen. And the entrance door. He quickly glanced over. The entrance door was the best option. Elijah was still standing there, his eyes fixed on Mikael. They wouldn't have to split up. Good. And Finn was still upstairs. He hoped that he had figured out what happened by now and had escaped already. All his instincts said flight. But what about Rebekah? Maybe she had escaped? There was no sign of Flora or Briony either, dead or alive. He doubted Rebekah would have left if they were still here.
"Where are the others?" Kol asked determined.
Niklaus was surprised at Kol's courage. He certainly didn't have any in that moment.
"Rebekah was here a minute ago. You have just missed her," Mikael replied.
"And the others?" Kol repeated, less patient now.
Mikael considered him for a moment.
"You're talking of your witch friend I suppose. I'm not particularly interested in her. Although she is to blame for the spell, which makes her as tainted as you. And she should be punished for it. But I guess nobody will miss her when she's gone."
Kol took a menacing step towards his father, but Niklaus tightened his grip on him. That's what Mikael wanted. To make Kol angry so that he attacks him. An attack Kol would lose.
Kol's anger only encouraged Mikael. "What now? Are you giving up on her that easily? Maybe I should compel her stay with me then. She's easy on the eyes. I give you that."
Within a split second Nik knew what was going to happen. More out of instinct than anything else he jumped after his brother, who had pulled his arm out if his grip in order to attack. He pulled at Kol's body and threw him and himself onto the ground. He felt the wooden stake sear through the air, just at the spot where Kol had stood. Beneath him Kol was swearing, trying to break free. Nik let him get up. Kol was about to attack again, but Nik held him back.
With a heavy struggle, he pulled Kol away, pushing him into the adjacent room.
"We need to leave!" Nik shouted.
"No!" Kol said, irritated and angry.
They had to leave immediately. Mikael wanted them to attack like that, irrationally and without a plan. That's how he could kill them, and he had almost managed with Kol. There was no way they could beat him like that.
It was no use to persuade Kol to leave right now. He'd go back for Briony no matter what. But there was no time to argue.
Before Kol had a chance to break free again, Nik tightened his grip and smashed himself and Kol through the door that led to the garden.
"LET GO OFF ME!"
Without wasting time for recovery, Nik got onto his feet with a leap, and more carrying than pulling, he teared Kol with him away from the house.
He ran and ran, with a constant battle from Kol. It slowed them down immensely. Kol was biting and scratching him in an attempt to get free. But now more than ever, it was vital to not let go off him. If he let go off Kol, his brother would certainly run back into his death.
He was worried about the others. But there was nothing he could do for them right now. All he could do was hoping that they were okay.
"LET ME GO BACK!"
After a sprint that took him at least twenty minutes, Niklaus deemed it safe enough to slow down. They stopped in a dark garden of a dimly lit townhouse. He threw Kol away from him, a bit harder than anticipated, and Kol smashed against the garden fence. In pain he pulled himself up on his feet again. From the grumble, Nik wasn't sure if his brother was about to attack him or try to escape.
"Kol, stop it." Nik tried to sound as calm as possible.
He raised his hand in case Kol was about to run off again.
"Let's think about what we're doing. We need a plan."
Angrily Kol took some steps towards him. "We don't have time for that! We need to go back! Right now!"
"You know what Mikael is like! We don't have a chance against him if we run right into his lap!"
"We can't forsake the others and leave them behind, Nik!"
"I'm pretty sure, Elijah, Finn and Rebekah got away, too."
He already regretted his phrasing.
"Not who I was talking about," Kol said offended.
"Kol," Nik began, it was hard to say but he knew it was the truth, "we have to face reality. When we came back there was no one left alive in that house. And considering for the amount of time Flora and Briony had been alone with him, I don't think they made it."
It was a harsh truth but there was no way that either of them had a chance against him, unprepared, without knowing who he was. Flora was a lost case altogether, and he doubted that Briony had figured out so quickly who Mikael was that she managed to save herself when he was already inside the house.
"Don't say that!" Kol said. "And you're wrong. I know she's fine."
"How?" Nik asked.
"I just do," he replied.
Kol wasn't being very helpful.
Not far from them the thickest rustled . Nik grabbed Kol's arm, ready to run off if necessary. A second later Finn appeared, panting.
"Are you alright?" Nik asked, relieved to see him.
Finn nodded and walked up to them and sat down on a garden bench. He too seemed like he had just run for his life.
"Have you seen Elijah or Rebekah or the others?" Kol asked.
"No," Finn said.
After a pause he added: "I'm not sure they got away."
They needed a plan. They should look for Elijah. When they had left he had been close to the entrance door. That was good, Nik thought, because he most likely got away too. Or did he? Mikael didn't come after him and Kol. Maybe because he had gone after Elijah instead.
"Rebekah should be fine," Finn said. "She could have easily got away."
Niklaus nodded. But if she escaped, where was she?
"What I'm worried about is Flora," Finn continued. "Forgive me, but she's the one who needs the most of our help. She has the smallest chance against Mikael compared to the rest of us."
"Exactly!" Nik said. "Her chances are abysmal."
Niklaus tried hard to sound less insensitive.
"You have to admit it doesn't look good," he added carefully.
Kol gave him a nasty look.
He wanted them to understand that he didn't want either of them to be dead. Not at all. But any experience they had with Mikael told him that the only chance they had was escape. And if he got that close that they had got into a fight, Nik doubted that neither Briony nor Flora got away.
"Actually I think they have a better chance for survival than Elijah or Rebekah," Finn replied.
"How?" Nik asked.
"Primarily, it's us who he wants dead. And right now, they're much more useful as bait than anything else. He knows we'd come back for them."
"Then we obviously don't go back! It's a trap," Nik concluded.
"If we don't, he'll kill them," Kol said.
"Exactly," Finn added. "He hasn't given us a choice, really."
Niklaus didn't like this. He'd want to wait and hide. Maybe Elijah or Rebekah would turn up after all. Then they would be one person more against Mikael. Their odds could only improve.
Except of course they didn't. The longer they waited, the less likely anyone would survive in Mikael's hands. Finn was right. He hadn't given them a choice at all.
As always, I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think!
Wow, exactly a year ago I began to write this story! So much time, so many words!
Another important issue: I have almost caught up with 1925 in my past timeline, and I guess my hints that lots of stuff is going to happen then weren't very subtle. I don't want to drag it out for forever though, so I have been playing with the idea of interrupting the present day-part, and focus on the past for a few chapters so I can write everything 1925 in one bit. Please tell me if you don't like this idea at all (because you've only been reading the "present day" or just can't imagine a break from that). Else I'll probably interrupt the present day timeline after chapter 38.