"So, what did you want to talk about, Nik? World peace, fashion, saving the bloody whales?" Kol said with sarcasm when they arrived in Klaus' quarters.
"Oh, just how your witch lover seduced me and then tried to impale me and use me as an unending power source for her evil coven. Did I mention she also threw you under the proverbial bus and then wanted me to leave my kidnapped sons for dead? That's pretty much it in a nut shell," Klaus started.
"Nik, I met her twenty years ago and at the time you and me weren't getting along that well. I was worried, rightly, that I'd get the dagger and I asked her to free me in the future. I guess I deserved the dagger, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I didn't know she was an evil psycho. I guess I got lulled in by her cooking. I mean, had you tried her profiteroles? I don't even like chocolate that much, but I got seduced too, and here we are brother," Kol drifted off.
"The truth is that I was blinded to her evil nature by her beauty and oui, her profiteroles were also exquisite. If only she could have been a pastry chef instead of a witch? I am relieved that you weren't here when all this went down or you would have gotten striped within an inch of your undead life," Klaus mused.
"I know. I thought by leaving that maybe I could free Mary Alice and Astrid, too. That was stupid. I know that now. So are we good here? I know you have Marcel to tend to and check up on. I'm sure you need to check on him, right?" Kol asked hopefully.
"No, Elijah is doing that. I have plenty of time to tend to your disobedience. You should have come to us and told us the truth. Do you understand that?" Klaus asked sitting down on the bed and leaning over to get something.
"Yes, Nik. I do. You know, Elijah already had a very 'thorough' discussion with me before we left. I don't know which was worse that bloody hairbrush he used or the switch. Anyway,..." Kol muttered, getting nervous about his impending punishment.
"I promise no more daggering, but there must be consequences. Here we go," Klaus said pulling out his plimsoll.
"The slipper? Come on, Nik, you said you weren't angry anymore..." Kol whined wanting to cover his backside already. He had been wearing a suit for dinner and slung off his dress jacket on the chair.
"I'm not angry, but I want you to know that I do care about your behavior. I will no longer let you get away with misbehaving and then having it fester into incidents such as these. We have to be honest with each other. Our trials are not finished. Mikael still hunts us and other evil forces. Do you understand?" Klaus said patiently.
"Yes, Nik. Where do you want me?" Kol said knowing it was useless to procrastinate any further.
"Touch your toes. You can take off those trousers, but you may leave your drawers on for now," Klaus said lightly, hefting the shoe.
"Is that a Converse?" Kol said looking back at the implement that was about to assault his backside.
"Yes, Rebekah bought them for me at the mall. Not really my style, but I guess I found a use for them. Remind me to confiscate her credit card soon. Hurry, unless you want to spend tomorrow helping Matt and Jeremy on kitchen duty, trousers down now," Klaus ordered.
"No, that's okay. I'd rather be slippered than do the wash," Kol said undoing his belt and unbuttoning his dress pants. He slipped them off and handed them to Klaus who folded them over the chair.
"These were a gift from Nicole, weren't they?," Klaus blurted on seeing Kol's white briefs, Calvin Klein. He pulled up Kol's dress shirt so it wasn't covering the target area.
"Bloody hell, you too? From Nicole. I feel dirty," Kol confirmed.
"Aye, no worries. We'll burn them and buy new ones. Ready?" Klaus said lining up the rubber soled shoe as Kol bent over. He noticed Kol alway had old fashioned garters holding up his socks. He smiled remembering the conversation he had with the boys about suspenders and elastic. The new ways were not always better.
Thud!
The shoe landed on the center of Kol's backside with that dull thud before he felt a bloom of pain. He hated being in this position with his backside stretched tight, it was somehow more humiliating than anything else.
Thud! The next whack was on his left cheek.
Thud! Center again overlapping the first crack. This caused Kol to inhale sharply.
Thud! Right cheek.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Klaus gave him two quick ones on each sit spot.
"Oww," Kol growled almost popping up.
"Down, now," Klaus reminded him.
Crack! Crack!
Klaus whacked the slipper down hard on the center of each cheek for the last ones. Klaus dropped the shoe and kicked it under the bed. He hoped to never have to do this again.
"Ouch, Nik," Kol groaned popping up.
"That was for lying and not telling us the truth. This is for running away to New Orleans. What if Mikael found you before Elijah did? Or what if the witches down there captured you? Danger stalks us, Brother. Our enemies never rest," Klaus lectured as he pulled Kol between his knees. He pinned his arms by his side so he couldn't rub his stinging behind.
"It hurts. Blast that damn slipper," he said stomping his feet and sniffing.
"Come now. Watch your language, please. Almost over," Klaus said gently, sitting back. "Over my lap."
Kol was angled so that his upper torso was supported by the bed and his legs were free to kick. Klaus was hoping this would be a short spanking and then they could all put this behind them. Like Elijah had mentioned yesterday, he did want to make the impression on Kol that he did care about him, a lot.
Klaus folded the dress shirt up and and smoothed his hand over Kol's backside. He mused if they were human, he'd feel some heat. Little areas of red peeked out below the white seams of his underpants.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Klaus cracked the flat of his palm in a random pattern all over. Kol was immediately kicking and squirming as the smacks smarted over the slippering he already got.
Kol clamped his mouth shut and pledged not to complain about a simple hand spanking. He was afraid Nik had borrowed that hairbrush that Elijah had paddled him with earlier. Had that only been earlier today?
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Kol couldn't stop his legs from kicking and his hips from swaying from side to side. It stung fiercely.
"Still," Klaus chided.
"I can't, dammit," Kol admitted trying to squirm off Klaus's lap. Klaus started to pull him closer and then had a better idea.
Klaus pulled Kol's briefs up between his pink cheeks to swat a little more on bare skin.
Kol's resolve broke and he started sobbing. He was rocking as much as possible and pinwheeling his legs. He gripped onto the comforter with his fists so as not to reach back, Kol would be damned if he was going to get stuck on kitchen duty after taking this spanking.
Klaus gripped the cloth of his underwear to hold his swaying backside still as he applied another litany of smacks on the bare area. Kol couldn't move his scorched behind and had no choice but to take the whacks. His brother's hand felt like steel.
Klaus continued the firm spanking until Kol seemed ' hand was numb and he couldn't imagine what Kol's backside felt like.
He stopped and rearranged and smoothed his underpants back down. Then, he patted his behind lightly whispering, "That's a good lad. Calm down."
"Sorry, Nik. I really am. If anything had happened to you lot or the lads...," Kol wept still over's Klaus' lap with his backside red and swollen.
"Hey, now. It's all good. We handled it and you found Marcellus. And you two are going to try to get along, like you used to. I'm not saying you need be partners in crime and destroy the town, but you must be civil," Klaus lectured. He gave Kol one light swat and helped him stand. Klaus also helped him unbutton and pull off his dress shirt and tossed it in the laundry. He still had a white undershirt with short sleeves on that was underneath the dress shirt. Kol rubbed his backside and grimaced while Klaus when to get a wet rag for his face.
Klaus cleaned his face gently and then pulled down the down feather comforter. He had first chastised Rebekah when she admitted that she spent $900 on it, but it was worth every penny. He sat and situated Kol onto his lap, trying to arrange it so his backside was not rubbing.
"I'm not a baby, Nik," Kol said softly, resisting a little.
"Yes, you're my baby brother. Shh, it's over and we need not mention it again. I'm sorry for daggering you so long ago. I don't want to scare you and Rebekah, but there are sometimes things happening that we don't always share with you. Please trust us to keep you safe," Klaus admitted thinking of Finn disappearing and Mother's corpse absconding.
"Thanks, Nik. For taking care of us," Kol said sleepily.
"Time for bed, Brother. You can sleep in here tonight," Klaus said putting him in the bed.
"Nik," Kol protested embarrassed at being treated like a baby again.
"Kol, you want another good smacking?" Klaus warned raising his palm.
"No, no, I'll stay. I'm pretty knackered...," Kol said drifting off.
Klaus lightly put the comforter over him and getting into the other side of the bed. It was a king-sized bed, but he found Kol snuggled up against him in the middle of the night. Klaus fell back to sleep without worrying more about Finn and Mother. He put his arm around his brother and let himself feel content for a moment. Marcel was home. Kol was good. Rebekah was happy and the boys seemed to be adjusting. Elijah was by his side again. They could handle whatever came next.
Elijah got up and peeked into Finn's old room. The sheets were rumbled, but no Marcel. So he and Rebekah picked up right where they left off. He supposed he was happy for them. He wasn't sure how Klaus would feel, but he couldn't worry about that now. Kol's room was empty, too. He cracked open Niklaus' quarters and saw them sleeping. His mind flashed back to their hut from the village.
He opened the boys' room to find Tyler and Matt arguing about something quietly from their bunk beds.
"Gentleman, it is long past the time you are to have been asleep. I expect you all up at a decent hour tomorrow," Elijah said in a non-nonsense voice.
"Come on, Uncle Elijah, it's like barely midnight. And it's summer for God's sake," Tyler defended.
"You have just earned yourself an early bedtime for the next week. 9:30 pm sharp. Do you want to continue your backtalk?" Elijah challenged.
"Really? Jeez, I was just saying-" Tyler continued.
"Shut up, man," Matt whispered to Tyler.
"Tyler, you are in danger of going to bed with a very sore backside tonight. Do you understand me, young man?" Elijah said tightly.
"Yeah, fine," Tyler said petulantly.
"One last chance," Elijah said stepping further in the room.
"Sorry, Uncle Elijah. Good night," Tyler said in a slightly more respectful tone.
"Good night, boy. Love you," Elijah said shutting the door.
Elijah heard something thrown and Matt whisper, "You dumbass, you almost got your ass handled to you."
Elijah smiled and finally went to bed himself.
The next few days passed quickly. Marcel and Kol seemed to bond with the boys and spent the days throwing footballs and playing street hockey in the wide front street. Rebekah started to join in and occasionally took advantage of her Original vampire strength and speed to overpower them all. She quite decided she liked modern sport. She and Marcel would go off on their own shopping or site seeing trips often in nearby towns. Rebekah was hoping to intercede the credit card bills as she went way over her generous monthly allowance. Marcel also picked up the tab as often as he could.
In the evenings, Elijah would cook a big dinner. Everyone pitched into help cook and clean, except Tyler and Kol, who volunteered to do garbage duty and even lawn work to avoid the dishes. An older couple named the Camps took residence in the servants' quarters on the edge of the property. Louise Camp was a hefty, woman in her 50s with steel gray hair, but kind eyes. She wasn't a cook, per say, but could prepare small meals. Her hands would be quite full with the duties of shopping, cleaning, and laundry. Her husband Mathias was quiet and thin, but could fix anything needed on the property. As long as they weren't witches, Klaus was grateful to have them. Elijah suggested that they all do a set list of chores each week to avoid the need for more staff. It was hard for them to trust anyone after Nicole. He drew up a chart and was prepared to present it to the family soon.
Marcel would often use the study to communicate with his guys in New Orleans about business concerns. He, Klaus, and Elijah discussed various strategies. Marcel was impressed with Klaus' insight into the different factions. He was eager get back to lead, but at the same time, he didn't want to leave so soon.
"Rebekah, would you ever consider moving back to New Orleans with me?" Marcel asked suddenly one night in her room.
"Nik would never let me go, you know that. Can't you stay?" Rebekah implored him with big eyes. He had a hard time denying her anything.
"I want to, but I can't run the city from here. I don't know what to do," Marcel admitted.
"Have you talked to Nik?" Rebekah wondered.
"He's been...great. He's acting like I can come and go as I please. Is it real? It's not like him to give people choices. I'm just not sure if this is a ploy or real," Marcel wondered.
"I can tell you that he didn't lock Kol up in a dungeon or dagger him even after he betrayed him weeks ago. When did you know my brother to ever forgive anyone or anything without punishing them for years or decades? And adopting the boys? He asks nothing from them, he just takes care of them," Rebekah said getting emotional.
"Is it too good to be true?" Marcel said as he started to kiss her again. His desire for her was as strong as the day he kissed her after swimming in the Mississippi River. Klaus had caught them that day and gave him the choice: her or immortality. He picked eternal life and let her stay in a box for 52 years. Even after that, they were still together now. She forgave him, could he forgive Klaus for leaving him. Was it even Klaus' fault? He wasn't sure what he thought anymore.
Finn sharpened his knives using a whetstone like he used to use a thousand years before. With his Original vampire abilities and fangs, he really did not need weapons to hunt or kill.
Mother has said tonight was the night. The ancestors had allowed her to return to slaughter the abominations she had created ten centuries before. As he and his dog Sage were hunting by the lake, she appeared to him in the form of starlings. He was not surprised. His mother always found a way to do the right thing. As a human, he always liked to help her with her chores and the other children. He could never understand their disobedience and exuberance. After Freya died, he never connected with any of them. They resented him when they got a well-deserved thrashing when he reported them to Mother. All they wanted to do was jest and make merry, while he kept an eye on things. It was as if his only true sibling was gone and he had no room in his heart for more. What if they died, too? Then, Henrik did and he has been in Hel every since.
"That is good, Son. Keep it up. We have much left to do. Your time of suffering is almost at an end," Mother promised him.
"Did you end the witches?" Finn asked watching her clean blood off her hands with a bowl of water. They were living in the wolf cave where they used to hide on the full moon.
"Yes, it was satisfying to fulfill the mandate of the ancestors. They begged for their sorry hides as I burned them alive. They killed themselves when they broke the Law," Mother said lighting some more candles she would need for her next spell.
"The Law, Mother?" Finn asked confused.
"Witch Law dictating that each coven do not harm or draw more power than dictated. The balance of nature must be maintained. I broke that law when I did the immortality spell. I have paid every time one of you drank from a human, slaughtered a family, or harmed an innocent. Son, the depth of the suffering I caused can never be measured. I have much to atone for in the eyes of the ancestors," Ester said grinding up herbs in her mortar and pestle.
"Mother, can you really return us to our mortal states?" Finn asked slowly.
"Yes, it will be...painful. But they assured me that it can be done. And they gave me a boon if I can destroy all the vampire lines," Ester said lightly, as if it were nothing more than killing a fly.
"A boon?" Finn asked confused.
"They will restore your lost brother, Henrik," Ester smiled.
"But did he not go to Valhalla?" Finn inquired.
"He also was not Mikael's son, he was Ansell's like Niklaus. I suppose that is why they couldn't resist the pull of the full moon in this very cave. He is in purgatory," Ester admitted.
Finn did not like hearing about his mother's betrayal of his father. True, his father had never shown him a moment of kindness after Freya died, but no man should be treated as such.
"So all we need do is, kill them all?" Finn said dully.
"Yes, we kill your brothers and sister and all their vampire lines die. Then, I bring them back as mortals. We start again. I can go back to the ancestors victorious," Ester declared proudly.
"Slaughter them all? How can we kill Niklaus? He is stronger than them all," Finn wondered.
"The ancestors will tell me that when the time comes. Come, we have much left to do," Ester said.
Finn nodded and followed his mother to the darkest part of the cave.