A/N: Unlike the majority of "Jagged Pieces," some of this chapter is not from Riley's perspective. I hope no one gets confused by the divergences. There are only a few and they are short ones.
I found myself standing near the fireplace in the Mikaelson living room with Nik, Bekah, Caroline, Bonnie, and Anita. C was glaring at Nik — probably because he had killed her boyfriend's mother — but Nik was ignoring her. Bonnie was standing closest to the entrance to the room, which meant she was also the closest to the front door, looking as apprehensive and terrified as she usually does when circumstances require her to be in this house.
It was amusing when it wasn't pitiful.
This was, apparently, the second of (somewhat) such a gathering in the Mikaelson living room. The first one had a larger attendance than this one, and was formed because of me, when I had foolishly and impulsively (though I would absolutely do it again) gone to the uptown apartment building on my own to save C. This time I was present when we gathered. And yet again, the gathering was called because of Lewis. And me, unfortunately.
Bekah, Nik and I were on one side of the room, Caroline and Bonnie were on the other side, and Anita stood somewhat in the middle.
Anita spoke first. "The time has come. The confinement spell surrounding the warlock is weakening. In a few hours, at most, he'll be able to escape before we can reinstate the confines."
"This is exactly why I've never had much to do with magic; it almost never follows through." Bekah said.
"The wonder of nature," was all Anita said in reply.
"Then let's just kill him and be done with it."
"Silence, Rebekah," Nik said. "This is not your decision to make. It's Riley's."
"No," Caroline said as she took a step closer to the middle of the room. "She's just been kidnapped by the hybrids and they nearly killed her. She's still recovering. She can't be asked to do this."
"They vervained me and chained me up, Caroline. My brain was not affected, I assure you. And he's my father, right, so I guess that makes him my responsibility."
I had been thinking about this — about what to do with Lewis — but I kept changing my mind. I couldn't stick with one choice; every time I thought I had made a decision, I could see the glaring obviousness of the other option.
I looked to Anita. "Can you take his magic away permanently?"
"No. It is forbidden for a witch to strip another of his or her magic. In doing so, I would lose my own magic as well."
Ah, the hocus pocus laws. "That's very reciprocal," I noted.
I felt as though everyone's eyes were one me. It was making me incredibly uncomfortable and I found it difficult to speak.
"He can't—" I paused, unable to form the words.
Nik stepped closer, moving in front of me, blocking my view of the rest of the group. I instantly felt more comfortable, either because I could no longer see that everyone was looking at me, or simply because of his proximity.
Everyone's eyes were on Riley. But when Klaus stepped in front of her, blocking their view of her, most eyes changed their direction. Bonnie and Caroline turned to look at each other, while Anita's eyes shifted to the clock.
But Rebekah continued to watch Riley. And she watched the way her brother and Riley interacted. She was in awe of the way Riley was nearly breaking down under the weight of the decision she had to make, but still she was able to control her panic because of the way Nik was there for her.
Some people were suspicious of their love, Rebekah knew, but that kind of connection couldn't be faked. Even if Riley said she didn't know if it was love, Rebekah could tell that it was.
She smiled because she knew they were lucky to have found that kind of love.
Nik stepped closer, moving in front of me, blocking my view of the rest of the group. He placed his hand under my chin and raised my head until my eyes met his. His other hand rested lightly against my cheek. "Ignore them all. What do you want to do?" He spoke softly.
I wanted not to have this responsibility. I wanted someone else — anyone else — to make this decision for me. But I knew Nik was right: I had to decide. I didn't want to risk the chance of someday possibly hating whoever for making the decision to kill him. This had to be all on me.
And I realized at that moment that I couldn't let Lewis live. He would never stop trying to sever the Originals from the vampire bloodlines they sired so they could be killed. I couldn't risk that. I wouldn't let him take Nik or Bekah away from me. And I couldn't let those two lose the siblings they still had — the family they had left.
I took a deep breath before speaking. And I only spoke to Nik, but I'm sure everyone else in the room heard me quite clearly. "We have to stop him. He can't be trusted. And if we can't use magic to take away his magic, then we'll have to do it another way."
"Sweetheart, there is only one way to take away his magic."
I nodded. "I know. But we have two options: one involves feeding him vampire blood before killing him and the other does not."
I saw his eyes widen, just slightly, as I nodded.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. He will never stop coming after you and Bekah, and I will not allow that."
Klaus held Riley's gaze as she nodded. "I know. But we have two options: one involves feeding him vampire blood before killing him and the other does not."
Klaus licked his lips, nervous. He wasn't sure how to deal with what she was saying, what she was implying. "Are you sure?"
She nodded again, only slightly this time, as she wrapped her hand around Klaus's wrist. His hand was still cupping her cheek. "Yes. He will never stop coming after you and Bekah, and I will not allow that." She took a deep breath and then spoke with determination and conviction. "So yes, I've decided. We have to kill him. We have to do whatever it takes to keep all of us — everyone — safe."
"All right," Caroline spoke from behind Klaus. He didn't bother to turn; he kept his eyes locked on Riley's. "Let's shove some vamped-up blood down his throat and break his neck so I can get out of here."
"No," Riley said. Everyone turned to face her again. "I said we have the option of feeding him vampire blood before killing him; I didn't say that's what we'll do."
"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked.
Riley stepped closer to Klaus and spoke only to him. "If we give Lewis the option to transition into a vampire, I don't know if he'd take it. But if he did transition, I don't believe he'd ever stop coming after you. He may not be a warlock anymore, but he'd still have the knowledge he gained while he did have magic. He could mentor another witch or warlock, guiding that person down the path he began heading down." Riley moved and faced the rest of the group in the Mikaelson living room. As she turned away from Klaus, her hand slid from his wrist into his hand. She let out a deep breath and squeezed his hand slightly before speaking. "Lewis dies without vampire blood."
The words triggered something inside Klaus that he hadn't felt before.
Riley spoke with such authority and empowerment in her voice. She really was something different all together: she could be deadly and ruthless if she chose to be, but the key was that she had the patience and the wisdom to choose when to be so. That is what made her so powerful and amazing.
She used her wisdom and her patience, and she proved to be an excellence balance to his rage and anger.
But when she did choose to be deadly and ruthless, she did so knowing there was no other way. She knew she was justified when her main goal, her reason, was to keep those people who were important to her safe.
She made every move with a conscience.
Being with Riley, Klaus felt like he had found his home. Finally.
Now that I had made a decision, the scarier part seemed still to come. Who? And how?
Bekah gave voice to my thoughts: "How are we going to do this?"
"As quickly as possible, please," I requested.
I meant that I didn't want this dragged out — knowing he was going to die was painful but necessary, and I didn't want to prolong this experience. I saw Anita nod and glance at the clock again; I knew she wanted it done quickly as well, in case she had underestimated how long the confines around Lewis would last. I could tell that she didn't want to see Nik's wrath come down upon her.
Bekah turned to Nik. "Break his neck, you think?"
He nodded, not moving from my side or dropping my hand.
"Who?" I asked.
Everyone paused. Or froze. I guess that meant I'd have to do it.
"I'll do it," Bekah volunteered. I looked at her, confused. "He took my best friend captive, twice, and now he wants to kill me and my brothers. I'd like to make sure he's never successful on either account again."
I nodded at her. I was grateful that it would be Bekah and not Nik. I know that sounded terrible of me, but it was the truth.
"Riley," Caroline spoke up. "Are you sure about this? I know you two weren't exactly close, but he is your father."
"Only biologically. That man hasn't been fatherly towards me in years. And he's coming after the people I care about. I have to do everything I can to protect them."
Nik pulled me closer to him, dropping my hand so he could wrap his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side.
Caroline didn't make another comment. We were all quiet until Bekah broke the silence.
"Let's get it over with, then."
"No." My word halted Bekah's steps. "I mean, I'd like to speak with him first, if that's all right."
I needed to say one last thing to him before he died.
Nik nodded at Bekah and we all made our way down to the basement. This was another place in this house that I'd never seen before.
Lewis was standing in the middle of a holding cell. And he was seething angry.
"Is this my execution party?" he asked with a sneer.
I felt Nik's arm tighten around my waist. I crossed my arms across my chest and rubbed my fingers gently on his arm to let him know that I was okay.
I stepped forward. "You should have known that we'd never let you continue down this path you're on, not once we figured out your true goal."
"So you've come to say goodbye? How sweet." He was glaring at me in a disgusted manner.
"No," I scoffed. "I've come to thank you." Lewis seemed taken aback by my words, and I revelled in that feeling. "I didn't realize it at the time — in fact, I've only realized it very recently — but I need to thank you for creating the circumstances that allowed me to turn into a vampire. I am so much more, and so much better, as a vampire than I ever was as a human."
Lewis seemed unable to process my words. He tried to take a step towards me, but he met the invisible wall of his confines. "You think you're better as a monster?"
I shook my head slowly. "The only monstrous being in this room is the one I'm currently speaking to."
I meant every word. I wanted to see the world. Moreover, I wanted Nik to show me the world. I wanted him to show me what an eternity could really be like. I think a part of me will always miss being human, but living forever was something I knew I would enjoy. After turning, I had become a better person. I found myself after I turned.
Was it possible that I was born to be a vampire?
I stepped back, away from Lewis and his still-shocked expression at my words, until I was standing next to Nik again.
Bekah stepped forward.
I saw the smug smirk on Rebekah's face as she waltzed over to Lewis. I saw her hands grasp the sides of his head.
It seemed like an odd thing to think about at this time, but I noticed that Bekah had no problem crossing into Lewis's confines, but he was unable to cross them. I guess they only held the person affected; the restraints didn't mean anything to anyone else.
This time, Lewis didn't fight against what was happening to him; he saw the pointlessness.
I saw Rebekah move her hands and arms, and I squeezed my eyes shut just before I heard the distinctive crack of Lewis's neck breaking.
I took a step back, further away from Rebekah, and I found myself ascending the stairs and leaving the basement before Rebekah had even had a chance to let go of Lewis's body.
I moved as fast as I could and I didn't stop until I was inside Nik's bedroom, leaning against the door.
I took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm down before I removed myself from the door. I walked over to the chair and curled up into it, sort of looking out the window. I could see the tops of the trees outside, but I wasn't really paying attention to what I was seeing. I was just looking in the direction of the view out the window.
I was only sitting in the chair, looking at nothing in particular, for a few moments before the door opened and Nik walked in. I knew it was him, even though I didn't turn to look at the door.
"You were right," I told him. I still hadn't looked over at him. "When family is involved, things do get rather muddled." Even I was shocked by how dull and emotionless my voice sounded at that particular moment. "He was an ass and an idiot who made all the wrong choices, but he was still my father."
He walked over to me and leaned against the window sill in front of me, placing his hands over mine. I looked up and saw the question in his eyes, even though he never gave voice to it.
I moved my gaze back to the window before I answered his unspoken question. "I'm not second-guessing what happened, I'm just sad. I spent part of my life not knowing him or even if he was alive, but now both of my parents are dead."
He didn't say anything, but he did add a bit more pressure to my hand. It was odd how such a simple gesture could bring me comfort and mean a lot to me.
"I think I'm just going to hang out here for a while," I told him after a few moments of silence.
He finally spoke. "Okay."
"And I'd like to be alone, please."
"Of course, love." He stood and placed a kiss on the top of my head before leaving the room. He paused, only for a moment, as he opened the door. "I'll be around the house, if you need me."
I nodded and heard the bedroom door close.
And then I was alone.
I heard Nik return to the basement. Caroline and Rebekah were kind enough — is 'kind' the appropriate word here? —to dispose of Lewis's body, so Nik could keep his word to me about not leaving the house.
After they left, Nik moved up to the main level.
I heard Rebekah return to the house, but she was only home long enough to change her clothes before she left again.
All the while, I was sitting in the same curled-in position in Nik's bedroom. I never moved.
I was still sitting in that chair, alone in Nik's bedroom, when I heard Rebekah come home. I heard her walk through the house until she had found Nik in one of the downstairs sitting rooms. He had been painting since Rebekah left; I recognized the soft, irregular swooshing sounds of a paintbrush pushing paint across a canvas. It must seem like an odd sound to find comforting, but it had comforted me for however long he had been painting.
Rebekah asked Nik where I was because she, apparently, had great news for me. Nik told her I was still upstairs, but he warned her against disturbing me.
Bekah ignored him, of course, and shortly thereafter I heard her footsteps on the stairs.
She came bounding into the Nik's bedroom. She was practically jumping out of her skin with excitement.
"Riley!" she all but squealed. "I have the greatest news!"
I looked up at her, and I tried to look interested, but I couldn't yet manage a smile. "What's that?"
Rebekah was smiling enough for the both of us. And then some. "I just came from the Grill. I saw Matt there, and when I said hi to him, he actually said hi back." I smiled slightly at her joy. It was rather contagious. And more so, Bekah definitely deserved some happiness. "I know that sounds incredibly lame, but he usually just glares at me. Or he ignores me. A smile and a 'hi' sound like progress, right?"
My smile widened as I saw how she resembled a love-struck teenager. It reminded me of how young she actually was when she was turned. "Absolutely." I nodded. "This is good, Bekah."
I smiled because I loved seeing Bekah so happy. But another part of me thought she was rather too chipper for someone who just killed my father earlier today.
"You know what would be fun? A double date."
I stared at her, blankly; the smile faded completely from my face. What?!
"Not now," she explained, noting my expression. "But sometime in the future. Wouldn't that be great? You, Nik, me and Matt."
"That sounds awkward, Bekah. There's no way it'll happen."
She pouted. "Why not? Nik will agree to it if you do, and it would be such fun!" She was almost bouncing out of her shoes as she spoke.
I shook my head. "I don't think so."
"Oh, come on Ri. Please, please, please!"
"Oh my gosh, Bexs," I said, in an exasperated manner, as I stood up from the chair. "The guy said 'hi;' he hasn't asked you out or anything. You'd think someone who is a thousand years old would have a better grip on reality."
I stormed out of the room, trying to ignore the way her face fell.
As I stepped into the hallway, I saw Nik near the top of the stairs. I scoffed — of course he overheard that. I turned my head away, hiding my face from him.
He came near me but I stepped away from him.
"I'm fine."
"You are not fine, Riley…"
"Yes I am," I snapped at him. "Just stop crowding me." I turned and walked in the opposite direction of the stairs until I found that sitting room with the balcony.
He didn't follow me.
I stayed in the sitting room for the remainder of the day. The sun had been long set when I went back to Nik's bedroom. I'm not sure if I wanted to find him in there, or even if I had expected to find him there, but the room was empty.
I sat down on the edge of the bed, facing the door, thinking about how stupid I had been today. I was angry with Lewis, and maybe a little guilty. Not guilty that he had died, but I certainly felt guilty that a decision I made had cost someone his life, even if that someone was Lewis.
But nothing was a good enough excuse for snapping at two of the most important people in my world.
I really could be an idiot at times.
My thoughts were interrupted when the bedroom door opened and Nik walked in. He shut the door behind him and stood there, silently looking at me.
"I'm sorry. I've been angry and I've taken my anger out on everyone around me. I've been a big jerk today."
"I know." I loved how he said that — with no anger or judgment, just understanding. "What happened to never walking away angry?"
I smirked, remembering our 'rule.' "I vote to issue an amendment to that. Sometimes you need to walk away, for fear of saying something you'll regret. Or for fear of ripping someone's head off."
I watched his every move as he came closer and knelt down in front of me so he could look into my eyes. "Do you regret that we killed Lewis?"
"No. I know he had to die; he never would have stopped coming after you. I know we did the right thing. I just wish he would have smartened up and made better decisions. And I wish someone else had killed him. Not Bekah. But certainly not you or me either."
"You can't expect Rebekah to feel much remorse over killing the man who killed and then tortured his own daughter, her best friend. She did what she knew was best for the situation."
"I'm sorry for freaking out."
"I deny your request to change our 'no walking away angry' rule," he said. "It stays in its original format, as is." He removed that one chocolaty lock that always seemed to fall into my face. When my eyes met his again, I saw something in them that I only ever caught rare glimpses of. I saw something so genuine and so true that all I could see was him. I saw Niklaus, the man. Not the monster everyone tried to tell me he was. "You can take your anger out on me any time you wish, love. I'm over a thousand years old and nearly invincible; I can take it."
"Thanks for not ripping off my head," I whispered.
"I would never. I can't kiss you if you don't have a head, love." He caught my chin as he stood up slightly and leaned in to demonstrate how he could kiss me when my head was still attached to my body.
He said that so seriously, I couldn't help but laugh.
"I should go find Bekah and apologize."
"No." He grabbed my wrist as I moved to stand, pulling me back down onto the bed as he sat down beside me. "Tell her in the morning. You are mine tonight."
I found Bekah the next morning in her room. She was brushing her hair while standing in front of one of her dressers.
I stood in the doorway. "I apologize for my behaviour yesterday. I was rude and mean and I'm sorry."
She set her brush down and turned to face me. "I know you have a lot on your mind, Ri."
"That's no excuse."
"You were right, though. I should control my excitement over the little, pointless things."
"No, actually, I think it's good that you get so excited about little things. I envy and admire that about you, Bexs. If you wait for something monumental, you might miss out on something important because it doesn't seem monumental enough. I think there's a saying about celebrating the little moments too, or something like that."
She nodded. "I like that idea. And now I have to thank you."
"Thank me?"
"Yes. I know it's because of you that Matt isn't still glaring at me and wishing he had a silver dagger."
I sighed. "Nik told you?"
She shrugged. "He didn't want me to be too upset with you over what you said yesterday."
"It was still wrong. What I said was awful. I really am sorry."
She smiled and pulled me in for a big, long hug.
We were still hugging when I spoke again. "Hey, for all I know, you could still be in the mindset of a time period where a smile meant an engagement."
She scoffed and pushed me away slightly before smiling and laughing and pulling me in for another hug.
A/N: I've already told this to some of you in the responses to your reviews, but if I write it here, then everyone will know: the next chapter will be the final one.
