Klaus had been on pins and needles since he heard the news that Marcel was alive from Elijah. He didn't tell Rebekah in case something fell through. A part of him also didn't really believe it. He saw that stage at the Opera House, the fire that terrible night, their last night in New Orleans together. His mind raced with how this could have happened. How did Marcel even survive? How did they not know? No matter, now. He had things to do.
Elijah usually enjoyed hiring staff and other banal house matters, but Klaus contacted a service. The house was a mess. They promised to send a house keeper and groundsmen over in the next few days. Klaus asked for a couple that could live in the cottage on the edge of the property. He couldn't keep up with the housework and the number of things that the boys seemed to break or destroy. The security system wasn't working correctly and Klaus just didn't have time to deal with it. He supposed there was no better security system that four Original vampires.
Klaus asked Rebekah to keep an eye on the boys who were hanging around the house creating a mess and playing video games. Music was blasting and they eating junk that he didn't even know the names of. What the bloody hell were Hot Cheetos, were there Cold Cheetos. Klaus did not want to know. He was going to have to get them a tutor soon, they were rotting their brains like this. Klaus had promised Elijah that he would check in on Finn and bring him some supplies.
When Klaus pulled his black SUV in the lake house property, it looked deserted. He got out of the truck and used his key to get into the house after no one responded to his knocking.
"Finn? Are you there?" he called out. He listened and heard only small animals and birds outside. The inside looked fine, nothing was out of place. Clearly, Finn was trapping his own meat and salting fish in the kitchen. His hunting weapons were all stored in a back bedroom. There was a dog bowl for water, but no dog. From the smell of it, a dog hadn't been in here for several days. In the back, Klaus found a cook fire and other tools that Finn was using for various pursuits.
Klaus assumed Finn was off camping, and then he heard the starlings' song. He froze. It was the exact song that his mother said her mother taught her to teach the birds in the forest. The starlings would then hear it, mimic it, and the song would spread. He glanced at the trees and the birds all flew away at once.
Without a doubt, Klaus knew that Ester had been here. And now Finn was gone.
He called Rebekah to have her check their mother's coffin. As he suspected, it was empty.
Elijah was getting irritated with Marcel and Kol already. There were on a private charted jet flying back to Mystic Falls.
Marcel was resigned to the fact that he was going with Elijah and hadn't put up a fight. His right hand man, Thierry, was going to take over while Marcel was gone.
"No, it's not. That's the dumbest thing I ever heard, mate," Kol was saying to Marcel, trying to flick little balls of paper at him.
"You're stupid, 'mate', I guess you don't know much when you spend half your life in a little box!" Marcel retorted.
Kol took his knife from his dinner and threw it at Marcel's face. Marcel easily caught the knife with his vampire reflexes and stood up angrily.
"Boys! That is enough. We're almost there already. And Kol, didn't I warn you to behave?" Elijah patted his jacket with the hairbrush in it. He didn't want to threaten to spank him in front of Marcel, but he was losing his patience.
"Sorry, I'm not used to being talked to like this anymore," Marcel said with a touch of attitude.
"Well, guess used to it," Kol smirked. His backside was still tender. The blood and his natural healing allowed him to sit, but the remaining sting reminded him to not push it.
"Sorry, Elijah," Kol said petulantly.
Elijah cleared his throat and indicted Marcel, who was now looking out the window.
"I'm sorry, 'Marcellus'," Kol said. He know Marcel hated being called his full name.
"I go by Marcel now," Marcel said proudly.
"Yes, well, I suppose a lot of things have changed. Niklaus has built a large house for us all to reside in. I think you will find it quite comfortable during your stay, however long that might be," Elijah started.
"Aye, you can stay in Finn's old room. He went mad and had to be put out to pasture," Kol added.
"Kol, that's not what happened. But he is correct that his room is free," Elijah said evenly.
"Finn? You mean the one brother I never met. Papa, I mean Klaus, alway told me that he was too dull to undagger. What happened?" Marcel said interested. Things really did change.
"Oh, maybe your 'papa' can fill you in on that one, it's a good one. I'm going to sleep. Wake me up when we're there," Kol said grabbing his pillow and going to stretch out.
"Don't mind him, Marcel. It's been a rough few days for him. We are all very pleased that you are back, even if it is for a short time," Elijah said again mentioning a short trip.
"Yeah, a short trip, huh? He's never going to let me go again, is he?" Marcel said looking out the window. "Klaus, I mean."
Elijah took a deep breath.
"I honestly don't know. Your father,-Klaus, has changed, you might be surprised," he replied, straightening his tie.
Klaus investigated the tomb and tried to see if he could catch the scent of anything or anyone that may have been in there. The jewels and gold in the chests were untouched. He really had to get that moved. There was nothing to give him a clue as to what may have happened. Unlike his siblings, Mother had not been merely staked, she was dead and lay unconsecrated.
Klaus' supernatural hearing picked up on a car pulling in. He vamped back to the house and was irked to see the kitchen was in disarray again.
"Boys, come down here please," Klaus called.
"They went to the Grill. I told them it was alright. You don't mind, do you?" Rebekah called from the living room.
"No, of course not. I think Elijah and Kol are home," Klaus said nervously, pouring himself a mug of blood.
"Nik, promise me you will hear him out before..."
"We're home," Elijah called out. "Finn, would you take the bags in, please?"
"Sure, I guess I'm the blimmin' footman now," Kol muttered under his breath, setting down his bag and going to get the rest out of the car.
"It is you," Klaus cried, slamming his mug down on the counter where blood splashed out on the tile.
"Hey, I thought..."Marcel started as Klaus vamped to him and hugged him.
"Marcellus, I thought we lost you forever. Let me look at you," Klaus said holding him at arm's length. Klaus became overwhelmed and couldn't speak for a moment.
"What? Who?" Rebekah sputtered helplessly coming into the kitchen.
"Rebekah," Marcel said breaking away from Klaus.
"I can't believe it. How did you...? Where were you? When we left you were dead!" Rebekah cried, finally hugging him.
Marcel laughed flashing his white teeth as he returned the hug, "Well, I was already dead but you can see I'm still as dead as I was then. I've been waiting for y'all to return for me for a long time."
As Kol brought in the last of the bags, Klaus noticed him.
"Nik..." Kol started.
Klaus grabbed him and said, "I'm glad you're safe, Brother. Are you alright?"
"Aye, I'm sorry about...I should have told you, but-" Kol admitted.
"How about we talk after Marcel is settled? I swear, I'm not angry anymore. Marcel is home and this is a happy night," Klaus said kissing his head and hugging him again.
"I'll put Marcel's things in Finn's room?" Kol asked relieved that Nik didn't slam him through the wall or bite him. That was a good sign.
"Indeed. Marcel let me look at you again. Can I get you a drink? Something to eat? I'm afraid our maid, well, left and we've been a bit understaffed," Klaus explained, pouring everyone a drink.
"Thanks. This is quite a house. Did you design this yourself?" Marcel asked looking around.
"I wish. No, I used an architect and he put in some special features for me. I'm happy to hear that you have been ruling our fair city of New Orleans. How's it going? Human faction still a bunch of greedy pirates? Wolves wild and mean? Witches still hexing and hawing about how they aren't respected enough?"
"Pretty much. We do have a few good ones in the human faction now, even a priest. I got my guys giving the witches in the cauldron a little heat for breaking some of my rules. And don't get me started on the wolves," Marcel smiled charmingly.
"Well, Marcellus, perhaps a vacation from it all will do you good. I must say, I never saw this day coming. To Marcel," Elijah said holding up a glass of blood.
The others drank to the newly found son.
Rebekah, why don't you give Marcel the tour?" Klaus said looking at Elijah.
After they left, Klaus gripped Elijah's arm, "I'm stunned. It's really him. How did this happen, Brother?"
"I don't know. I think he's hurt that we didn't come back for him," Elijah explained in a low voice.
"We thought he was...dead, well dead for real," Klaus said.
"I know. If only we could go back in time, but we can't. How was Finn holding up?"
"He's gone," Klaus said.
"Nik, what do you mean?" Elijah said alarmed.
"The house was abandoned, the dog gone, and I heard starlings. It reminded me of that song Mother trained the starlings near the forest in the village to sing. It made me suspicious and I called Rebekah to check on Mother's coffin. I hate to tell you this, Brother, but Mother's corpse is gone," Klaus said in a low voice.
"Let's not alarm anyone. Does anyone else know?" Elijah said.
"Just Rebekah. We'll have to deal with this later. Track down Finn. We never should have let him go," Klaus said.
"We'll sort this out. Say, Niklaus, I was pretty hard on Kol already," Elijah confessed.
"I was thinking of just giving him a pass. Everything turned out okay and if he never fled, he wouldn't have found Marcel," Klaus said happily.
"I'm not sure that is wise. I think he is a little unsure of his place in the family. I'm not saying flog him with a cat a nine tails, but I think ignoring this latest offense might-"Elijah began.
"Make him feel like I don't care enough to-" Klaus started.
"Discipline him. Oh, and we brought you beignets back from a French Market coffee stand.
"Hey Dad! Uncle Elijah, how was your trip?" Jeremy said coming in ahead of Matt and Tyler.
"It went well. Thank you for asking. I hope you boys had a good time while I was gone," Elijah responded.
"We may have met a few ladies, well, Jeremy and I did!" Tyler joked as Matt pushed him to the side.
"Boys, we have a guest," Elijah started as Rebekah and Marcel came in,"this is Marcel Gerald."
"My first son," Klaus said putting his hand on Marcel's shoulder.
The boys all looked at each other in total confusion.
"We'll explain later," Elijah ensured them.
After a boisterous dinner where everyone get reacquainted, Klaus remembered that he owed Matt and Jeremy a follow up hiding for their fight from the other day. He still had to talk to Kol.
"So you guys look like you are football players?" Marcel asked at dinner.
"Yeah, the two of us are," Tyler indicated him and Matt. "This guy refuses because he's afraid it will mess up his drawing arm."
Marcel asked, "Oh, so Klaus has a new painting partner?"
Jeremy defended himself to the guys, "Maybe I just don't like football!"
"Dude, there's no such thing as not liking football,"Matt went on.
Elijah added, "Kol and Rebekah will be attending the high school this year also."
Marcel flashed his smile, "I'd like to see that!"
Everyone laughed and Klaus wished that it could always stay like this.
"Boys, I have a proposition for you," Klaus said pulling them aside later.
"Dad, you're not going to, you know, tonight, are you?" Jeremy said, not wanting to ask if they were going to bed on their stomachs again.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. How about we switch your punishment to kitchen duty for the next day or so? Clear the table, load the dishwasher, and put the leftovers away? Oh, and take out the garbage. The others may even help you and no one need know. What do you think?" Klaus asked quietly. If they decided they would take take the spankings, he promised himself he wouldn't go easy on them. They had done very little in the way of chores these last weeks.
"Yes, we'll take it. I swear we won't fight anymore," Matt gushed happy to have dodged another butt warming.
"Thanks, Dad," Jeremy said gratefully.
"You're welcome. I am proud of how well you all have been behaving. I think with so many people living here now, we may have to talk about some new rules about the loud music and messes around the house. But for tonight, just do the kitchen and go to bed. Love you both," Klaus said, leaving them to their duties and patting them on the shoulders.
Klaus then indicated for Kol to follow him upstairs. This conversation might be more difficult.