No One's POV

"What do you mean you can't switch me back!?" Niklaus growls back at the Bennett Witch, advancing closer to the Bennett Witch. "You put me in this body!" He hisses, his voice dangerously low.

"I- I know, but- but-" Bonnie cowers from the Original Hybrid, although he was in the Lockwood boy's body it didn't make him any less intimidating.

"But, what!?" Niklaus hisses, his eyes flicking their hybrid color, though not as pure gold as they would have been if they had been in his Original Hybrid body, still intimidating enough.

"But, Brooklyn, she- she had her- her brother put this band on… I can't- I can't get it off…." Bonnie stumbles out.

"Damn it." Niklaus growls under his breathe, casting a look to the ground as he contemplates; his best friend would never do something without purpose or reason, least of all something like that, it went against everything the Emrys Descendants stood for otherwise, even if sometimes it drove him up a wall.

Paw steps hit the back deck of the Mikaelson mansion before Brooklyn phases back, the French doors then swinging open as Brooklyn walks through, now back as a human.

"Lijah? Finn?" Brooklyn calls out to a suspiciously quiet mansion.

"Sire, you've returned." Finn greets, flashing into the living room a moment later, having come from front of the mansion where Elijah had left him overseeing the movers packing the trucks.

Aaron followed at a much slower pace, his paw steps clicking on the marble floor of the entryway as he trotted through the slowly emptying mansion, only a box or two left to load.

"Yes, where's Elijah?" Brooklyn questions, looking around a little confused as if she expected him to also appear.

"He did not say. But there was a last minute call he had to take. He stepped out." Finn informs, Elijah being less than forth coming about the text he had received nearly 20 minutes before.

"Oh, okay. Well, I guess I'll help finish loading then?" Brooklyn questions.

"There is no need." Finn informs. "Everything is nearly loaded. There is only a box or two left."

"Did you get what you nee-" Finn begins to inquire only to suddenly be interrupted.

"Brooklyn," A familiar voice interrupts, managing to startle Finn and Brooklyn, though Aaron prowls around the newcomer looking menacing and suspicious.

"Tyler?" Brooklyn questions, looking a little startled at why the hybrid would be coming into the mansion, the familiar figure of Tyler Lockwood now leaning against the door frame that came in from the hallway of the entry.

If perhaps Brooklyn had been more in her right mind and less emotionally compromised than she currently was due to the last 24 hours and their events, she would have immediately noticed the posture was far too casual and was held with far too much of an air of superiority and arrogance to be the newly werewolf/hybrid Tyler Lockwood, but rather clearly Niklaus in Tyler's body; moreover, she would have noticed that the air about the Lockwood boy, the actual spirit and magic about him was different, and so clearly not the hybrid.

"Hello Brooklyn, love." Niklaus greets, his patented charming half-smirk on his face as he pushes himself off the door frame, an overwhelming sense of relief coming over him at the sight of his best friend; he hadn't realized how much of a relief it would be until now.

"Tyler, now isn't really a good time." Brooklyn begins rambling, both missing the term of endearment and metaphorically bulldozing through Tyler's presence as she begins to pace around the room, restlessly picking up random over turned things in the living room.

"If- if you're here about Caroline- well, I'm sorry, Tyler. But I can't. I just can't." Brooklyn says, her voice cracking as she suddenly pauses, hands stilling on one of Niklaus' old sketch pads that had been accidentally left unpacked, swept under some debris when Pastor Young's followers had attempted to attack the mansion earlier that morning.

"Brooklyn, darling." Niklaus begins, voice suddenly soft as he steps towards his best friend, heart clenching uncomfortably at the clear pain in her voice and posture.

"I can't, Tyler. They killed Niklaus. They killed him! I know she was important to you. But Nik was my best friend. And they killed him out of some petty, spiteful, revenge. So- so I'm just returning the favor." Brooklyn growls, hands suddenly clenching in anger as she blinks back angry tears.

Niklaus took another step forward, hesitantly reaching for Brooklyn, suddenly more unsure than he had ever been in his entire thousand years of existence.

"But even more than that- even, even if he didn't know, he was my mate. And that's not something I can forgive… So, I know that you cared about Caroline. But I can't help you, Tyler. I'm sorry." Brooklyn finishes softly, shoulders ridged and tension clear in ever line of her figure. "I don't even know why I told you, it's not like you car-" She continues to ramble out.

"Brooklyn." Niklaus repeats again. "It's me, love, Niklaus. I'm alive."

"Niklaus!?" Brooklyn breathes, spinning around to gape at the figure of Tyler Lockwood as if she couldn't quite believe what she had heard.

"Hello love." Niklaus says again, another small smirk appearing on his face.

"Nik…" Brooklyn breaths, feeling relief at first, unable to believe it was him, but the posture and smug smirk was undeniable. "But- how!? Rebekah saw you. Alaric staked you." She stammers out.

Sudden realization at what she had just admitted to him (a confession she never intended to ever make) hits her along with anger and hurt.

Then, a loud crack echoes through the nearly empty mansion as Brooklyn's palm collides with Niklaus' cheek, the force physically turning Niklaus' face to the side, leaving a red mark along his cheek.

"How dare you, Niklaus Mikaelson." Brooklyn growls out, blinking back furious tears as her fingers clench into fists at her sides. "How dare you come back here and pretend that everything is okay. I am your best friend. Your only friend. How could you not trust me? I would never betray you. After everything I've done for you. You didn't even give me the decency to give me this. I grieved for you. I THOUGHT YOU HAD DIED AND THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO!" Her voice raises into a shrill yell.

By this time Elijah has arrived back at the mansion, the text having been from Niklaus calling Elijah to the old Lockwood property cellar 30 minutes prior, when issues had arose in transferring Niklaus back into his Original Hybrid body.

"I admit I deserved that, love. But-" Niklaus attempts to humor lightly, but falling flat as he begins to plead an apology, hands held out in front of him looking fully remorse for his actions.

"NO!" Brooklyn screams, tears now flooding down her face, whether in rage or hurt she wasn't even sure. "I DON'T WANT YOUR EXCUSES, NIKLAUS! YOU DON'T JUST GET TO STAND THERE AND APOLOGIZE AS IF I'LL JUST FORGIVE YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE PUT ME THROUGH THESE LAST 24 HOURS! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! I THOUGHT MY MATE WAS DEAD!" She screams at him, all the furry, grief, hurt, and pain pouring out of her; the truth was out now, there was no going back, so how much more pain or rejection could she face?

Resounding thunder and dry lightning crack in sky outside and dark storm clouds roll overhead, evidence of her growing anger and hurt; building like a wave that crashed upon a bank or the winds of a hurricane.

"Brooklyn, darling… I- I didn't know…" Niklaus stammers out, managing to look properly chastised, despite the shock of the revelation, looking rather ashamed of his actions and the hurt he put his best friend, no, his mate through.

"And why would you!?" Brooklyn continues, glaring at the Original Hybrid, tears continuing to stream down her face. "YOU TOLD ME YOU WOULD KILL ME! THAT YOU DIDN'T WANT YOUR MATE!"

"What?" Elijah steps in now, at first not wanting to get between his brother and Brooklyn, knowing that this was a feud that they needed to work out between them or Brooklyn would not be able to heal and move on. "Niklaus," Elijah frowns disapprovingly. "You told her that you would kill her?" Elijah hadn't know the exact details of why his brother had rejected Brooklyn, but knowing now what had happened certainly made Elijah all that more protective of her.

"No!" Niklaus immediately answers, objecting. "That- that's not exactly how it happened…" He answers, now looking even more ashamed.

"You said you would kill your mate!" Brooklyn screams. "That love was a weakness! HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO TRUST YOU!? I WAS SEVENTEEN!"

"Because it would have been you!" Niklaus protests.

Niklaus suddenly found himself swept nearly head over heels and thrown backwards, flying into the far wall of the living room, plaster and splintered wood exploding around him as Brooklyn's power swept over him.

"Listen here, Niklaus. And listen closely." Brooklyn hisses, voice dropping into a deadly, menacing tone as Niklaus is suddenly pulled towards her in the middle of the living room, as if a puppet on a string, the force of Brooklyn's magic dropping Niklaus to his knees a few feet in front of her.

"We're done." Brooklyn growls. "I don't care why you are here or what you need. Find another witch and another best friend." Brooklyn punctuates the statement with another growl, her eyes glowing with gold as she summons the White Oak.

"What? You seem surprised, as if I wouldn't retrieve it when I paid my last visit to the eldest Salvatore, instead just leave it for any moronic idiot with grandiose ideas of revenge to pick up and try their hand at eliminating the Original family." Brooklyn snarks, the stake spinning in the air. "Alaric, Original Hunter 2.0, may have not managed to kill you, but I like my chances much better to be honest…"

"Brooklyn, love-" Niklaus begins, his voice pleading with a small tremor of genuine fear.

While Niklaus certainly acknowledge and knew Brooklyn was more powerful than him and had the capacity and power to kill him, he had never sincerely feared for his safety or felt threatened by his formidable best friend. Yet, here with the last White Oak stake twirling midair in front of him, the reality of the situation and his tenuous position with Brooklyn was clear. She held all the cards, she always had.

"Just keep in mind, I'm not doing it for you, Nik… I'm doing it for your siblings." She tells him before the White Oak is dropped to the ground, burnt to ash in another moment, swept away into dust and particles.

"I thought you trusted me, Nik. I have done everything for you. I have sacrificed for you…" Brooklyn tells him, her voice now quiet and small. "I am leaving for New York, I am going home. And if I never see you again, it will probably be too soon…" She tells him as she turns to walk away.

"Good bye, Niklaus Mikaelson."