Chapter 50
When Niklaus found them, Kol and Nora were dancing in the middle of the ballroom. It was a slow dance, with her hands around his neck and their chests pressed together as they moved around, avoiding bumping the other people. Kol was whispering in her ear all the gossip he heard from the guests in the room.
His senses had been focused on their surroundings ever since they entered the mansion so Kol was aware of someone approaching them long before Niklaus' hand landed on his shoulder, interrupting Kol and Nora's dance.
The amazing thing was that, as soon as Niklaus appeared, all the people around them took a step back, creating a large circle around the three of them.
"I heard congratulations are in order," his brother said with an expression on his face that was neither smiling nor frowning.
Kol wrapped an arm around Nora's waist and gave the original hybrid a faint smile, "The same could be said for you, Nik. After all, it isn't every day that someone breaks a thousand years old curse. Tell me, brother, how does it feel to change into a rabid dog?"
The very little trace of politeness on Niklaus' face was immediately wiped off. Before he could say anything, though, Nora scoffed loudly, "Please Kol, as if this is what matters. The most important question is what kind of dog he is. A poodle? A chihuahua? Or perhaps a Jack Russel?"
"Or a bulldog?"
She tilted her head and peered at Niklaus with a smirk. "Well, he does look the part."
Of course, their playful chitchat was not to the liking of the original hybrid.
"Careful there," Niklaus hissed angrily, "I wouldn't mind ripping off that thin neck of yours, Nora."
Kol's smile widened even as his grip on his wife tightened.
"Amazing. Brother, how come I never knew we share a telepathic bond? You see, I was thinking exactly the same about you. We both know your head separated from your body looks rather good nailed on a wall."
"Kol, continue like that and I'll start questioning your taste. Who would want such a disgusting thing on their wall?" Nora laughed before turning to Nik, "Don't worry, brother-in-law. Your mother isn't the only one capable of making someone immortal. Just like yours, my neck is the kind that grows back well."
"Can't say the same for your brain though, brother," Kol sighed, looking at Nikaus with an expression that was a curious mix of pity and ridicule. "From what I heard, you are now fighting with teenagers. I fear that we will soon find you pulling the pigtails of little girls in a sandbox."
"And then you will be stealing dummies. Kol, should we start stocking up on diapers for your brother?"
A low growl sounded from Niklaus' chest as he stepped forward. The threat was apparent and his gaze darkened. "Elijah told me we supposedly already killed you a few times, sweetheart. Do we need a repeat? And perhaps your dear Kol would like to take a nap in his coffin?"
Both Kol and Nora instantly lost their smiles upon hearing that, a thick layer of ice covering their eyes. Nora pushed Kol's arm aside and moved to stand in front of him, stepping in between the two brothers.
"I always wondered… Back then, in New Orleans, you sent a bunch of morons after me. Did Rebekah show you the guy I left alive? Knowing her, I bet she didn't."
With that said, she leaned in and jabbed Niklaus' shoulder with her finger. Since he didn't expect any threat from her, he didn't try to defend himself, looking down at her in contempt. However, his expression was soon forced to change and a hiss of pain came out of his mouth when Nora's finger left a small hole in his clothes and a burn the size of a fingertip on his shoulder.
"You better keep your dagger away from my husband and Finn, or I swear I will burn your hands and teach you how to live like a crippled dog." She shifted her eyes down and snickered. "Unless you would rather lose your third leg? As useless as it is."
When she stepped back, Nik didn't move. The burn on his shoulder was small. But it wasn't healing.
After a while, he asked in a low but angry voice, "Is this your plan, Kol? Trying to get rid of me just like you did in 1914?"
Kol waved his brother's comment away before pulling Nora back against his side. He kissed her cheek before answering, "Nik, stop thinking everything is about you. Nora and I decided to stop bothering with you. We will just leave and forget I have a bunch of uncaring siblings who would rather see me dead than alive."
Somehow, and this was the very first time Kol saw his brother like this, Niklaus lost his composure. His face lost its colors and he stared at the two of them with eyes wide open.
"What? Why would you do that, Kol?"
"Do you really need to ask?" Nora sneered. "After all you've done?"
"Stay out of it, it has nothing to do with you!" Niklaus snapped at Nora before turning back to Kol. "We are your family, Kol. Your only family."
The Niklaus in front of them felt unfamiliar and strange. In the last thousand years, his siblings had never begged him to stay by their side. And now Niklaus was doing that while dismissing Nora as if she was merely a spot of dirt on his shoe and not Kol's wife.
Once, Kol would have given everything to hear his older brother ask him to stay. Now, all he felt was disgust and anger on Nora's behalf.
"It has everything to do with her since she is my wife," Kol reminded Niklaus with a cold smile. "And honestly Nik, I'm quite surprised you even understand the meaning of family."
He paused for a moment, though not long enough for his brother to say anything. "But then again, I'm pretty sure your understanding of the word is quite different from mine since you like to keep your 'family' in boxes. If you really want to act pitifully, go play with Rebekah and Elijah. God knows they are the only ones who still care for you."
"You can't leave, Kol," Niklaus repeated with a growl. "No matter what you say, you are a Mikaelson."
"That's rich coming from you. Especially when in your sick mind, being a Mikaelson means catering to your every wish. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though. What else can I expect from a mangy dog?"
Kol's words were acerbic and angered Niklaus even more. But so what? This was him cutting off all his ties with those so-called siblings of his. At the end of the day, no matter how far a tie could stretch, it was bound to snap at one point. And this right now was this exact point.
Besides, Kol was not alone. So why would he be desperate to be acknowledged by a family who obviously didn't want him?
Mikael was dead and Niklaus couldn't use their father to defend his actions. Also, Elijah seemed to have grown tired of Niklaus' behavior and probably wouldn't help him with the daggers again.
As such, his siblings were no threat to him.
When Niklaus was angry, he tended to forget about his surroundings. Thus Kol wasn't surprised by his next move which was to strangle him. Just as Niklaus' fingers were going to touch him, Kol grasped his wrist in a strong and firm grip. Although Niklaus was stronger than ever since he became a hybrid, the difference in their strength wasn't actually that big. They were both a thousand years old after all.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Nik," Kol said in a sweet voice, his lips curling up mockingly.
"You think I won't dare to dagger you because of Mother?"
"Again with the dagger? Don't you have any other tricks? I'm really worried about you, Niklaus. It can't be healthy to keep throwing childish tantrums while brandishing daggers."
"Because you are any better? Pulling out a wife out of nowhere and making it seem as if we never cared about you for all those centuries. Poor Kol, always misunderstood by his family, bound to remain a lonely, pitiful brat."
"Better be a brat than a bastard who spent centuries trying to become one of the monsters who killed Henrik. Remember him? Our little brother. Young, sweet, and innocent. Oh, and dead, because of you."
The glare in the original hybrid's eyes was colder than the top of Mount Everest.
All of a sudden, Nora patted Kol's hand - the one that was still gripping his brother's wrist.
"Honey, don't you think Klaus has a lovely hand?" she asked if she was speaking about the weather. "It would look good in a vase to decorate your mother's gravestone. Better than his head on a wall, at least."
Kol and Niklaus froze, turning their attention to Nora. After a while, Kol let go of Niklaus' hand. The arms of the hybrid slowly fell back to his side as he stared at Nora in bewilderment, his anger momentarily forgotten. Most likely wondering how Kol ended up marrying a crazy woman.
"Whatever you said, my love," Kol chuckled. "Although, I do need to remind you that my mother has yet to be properly buried."
"Oh right… we should rectify the situation, then. Where is the body?"
"Still moving and breathing, unfortunately. Remember? She was standing next to Finn when we arrived."
"Oh, that was her. And here I was thinking she was some female Frankenstein that one of your siblings invited." Nora let out a sigh and patted his hand again. She then looked at him with a regretful expression. "That's really a pity. I had already prepared the incense for the grave. Alas, I guess that will have to wait."
Somehow, Nora had eased the tension between Kol and Niklaus with just a few words, the latter looking more annoyed than angry. Unlike Rebekah, Niklaus' happiness regarding their mother coming back to life was probably seventy percent faked, and thirty percent… also faked. Being curse for a thousand years tended to make one resentful.
Bursting into a wide, cheerful grin, Kol rested his head on Nora's shoulder, his cheek brushing against the golden, hot skin of her neck.
"My darling knows me so well," he said in a sing-song voice.
"Naturally", she responded with a twinkle in her eyes. "We are husband and wife. Who else but you could I know so well?"
He nuzzled her neck, discarding Niklaus who was standing awkwardly next to them.
"Indeed, who else?"
A few more sweet words were exchanged before Niklaus couldn't bear it anymore. "Are you done?" he drawled, the three words coated with a thick layer of pure annoyance.
Nora started and her head snapped towards Niklaus with wide eyes. "Oh, dear, I forgot you were there."
She furrowed her brow and apologized, looking truly sorry. "You kind of blended with the background. It's really an impressive skill that you've got here."
Not comforting at all, her words caused Niklaus' cheeks to twitch.
I almost pity Klaus here! Let's all light a candle for his self-esteem. Now that Kol and Nora have stopped hiding, Klaus has no chance to win against them at all xD
Although this chapter was fun to write, the next one is my favorite for the ball part. A clue: a certain human doppelganger meets Kol and Nora.
See you next time!