Kol was frantic. He couldn't get the girls out of the Dowager Fauline Cottage. Aside from Mary Alice and Astrid, he didn't know any of the New Orleans' coven anymore. He tried to approach a few of the younger witches, but they wouldn't speak to him.
There was only one witch who would speak to him, this quiet, odd girl who reminded him of Rebekah. She said her name was Frances, but no one else had ever heard of her. He thought maybe she had been cast out of one of the other nine covens. He explained the situation with the girls being trapped at the cottage. The blue-eyed blond promised to work on a few spells to see if she could help. In the meantime, he had invited her to the Christmas party. Maybe she could get in with Nik and find out something about how to get the girls out. It was worth a shot.
The night of the party was full of promise. Kol searched Nik's room and found the diamond. Ha, he had won. Then, Rebekah, in her lovely red dress, had promised to help him make the dagger to subdue Nik. Bex had caught him red handed, for a moment, he thought he was toast. Yet, she sided with him for once. Kol promised the dagger would be used so she could be alone with Marcel for a few months, maybe years. Maybe this new witch, Frances, could recruit other witches to convert the white oak dagger? With the diamond, in his pocket, anything was possible.
Standing on the stairs for a photograph during the festivities, Kol glanced down to see Rebekah whisper something into Frances' ear. His supernatural hearing kicked in and he thought she said, "You can do better." The resemblance between the two blonds shocked him. If their eldest sister Freya hadn't been taken by plague, he could have sworn...No, that was silly. She had never been made vampire and witches didn't live 900 years. Kol raised his glass of champagne to Frances and she did the same. The flash of the bulb snapped Kol out of his thoughts.
Klaus tapped on his glass to get everyone's attention, he never missed a chance to give a long speech. He wanted everyone to know who was king of these parts, the supernaturals at least.
"As you know, when the Mikaelsons arrived in Louisiana, we brought with us the tradition of holiday bonfire season. Now, we invite you chosen few to join us in our family's own tradition of writing wishes for each other and burning them for luck. The holidays are a time for celebrating family, and friends," Nik said looking with love at Marcel.
"It is especially gratifying in times when treachery runs deep," Nik said glaring at Kol.
"To know you have someone you can trust. A toast, to you, my sister," Nik announced to everyone.
Damn her to hell...Kol knew instantly that Rebekah told Nik about the diamond, he turned to flee. He wouldn't put it past Nik to bend him over the railing and give him a taste of the strap in front of everyone. He had gotten worse, for doing less before.
"Not so fast, little brother," Elijah said with a tight smile on his face, now gripping his bicep tightly.
Kol wiggled away, but then Marcel was gripping his other arm. With the guests below watching, Kol was dragged off to his room. Nik was still speaking. Someday, Kol promised himself, he would get Rebekah back for this!
After marching Kol to his bedroom, Elijah turned and dismissed Marcel. Marcel made a point to smirk at Kol before he left. Bloody bastard.
Kol sat heavily on the bed and put his head in his hands.
"Elijah, I can explain!" Kol started.
"Kol, I cannot express how disappointed I am in you. That you would continue to plot and conspire against our family, against Niklaus, after all he has forgiven recently. It is disgraceful. I cannot even deal with you now. I want you to sit in here and think about what you did. Do you even know how Niklaus is feeling now? He was willing to forgive you for stealing the diamond, but trying to have Rebekah join you? Do not leave this room for any reason?" Elijah said in a tight voice.
"But Elijah, what about the bonfire?" Kol whined.
"Forget about it, you will not leave this room, or so help you Kol, I'll..." Elijah started.
"What? Beat me like Mikael used to beat us? Go ahead, Elijah, I don't give a fig anymore, you're probably a bastard, too!" Kol yelled.
Elijah vamped over and slapped his face hard enough to leave a red mark.
"Elijah, stop!" Kol moaned as Elijah slapped him again.
Kol's hand went up to his cheek in shock.
"Now, stay in this room," Elijah roared, vamping out.
Kol laid down in his bed and cried.
After the bonfire event, the party began to die down. Rebekah and Marcel disappeared. Niklaus went to look for Elijah.
"What news, Brother? Did you thrash Kol or save that for me? Or shall we both teach him a lesson he'll not soon forget?" Niklaus inquired. There have been times they had both spanked Kol, sometimes pulling him from over one knee to the other.
"Niklaus, I lost it with him. I slapped him across the face. Hard. I'm sure he hates me," Elijah confessed.
"What? You slapped him? I will admit that I am surprised..." Niklaus admitted. Even Klaus himself never hit any of their younger siblings in the face.
"The look on his face. I'm not sure I can face him," Elijah admitted.
"Brother, if we can forgive him this latest betrayal, he can forgive you losing your temper, one time," Niklaus said patting his elder brother on the shoulder. "Without your wise counsel, we would fall apart."
"No, I'm falling apart as late. Marcel running away from me, Rebekah afraid of me whipping her...and now me losing it on Kol, I hit him twice," Elijah admitted. "I don't know if I can continue like this."
"Excuse me," a lovely blond woman interrupted, "I'm looking for Kol."
"Speaking of the devil," Niklaus muttered under his breath.
"Excuse me?" the woman repeated.
"I'm sorry, love, our little brother has been a bad boy. He has been sent to his room without supper. Can I help you?" Klaus offered.
"Oh, it's just he invited me and I wanted to say thank you," the young woman offered, her cheeks flushing.
"May I ask you where you are from, Miss.." Elijah interjected.
"Please, Sir, call me Frances," she politely said, extending her gloved hand.
"Miss Frances, it is my pleasure," Elijah said kissing her hand.
"Excuse me, I'm going to go check on our naughty brother, Miss. I'll get him your regards," Klaus said walking away.
"Naughty? I'm afraid I don't understand. You speak of him as if he is a child," Frances said lightly.
"Do you have siblings, Miss Frances? You look too young to have children of your own," Elijah asked.
"I used to have quite a few brothers and a sister," she said sadly, "however, my family lost touch a long time ago."
Elijah felt a pang of sorrow for her, "I am sorry to hear that. They can be a blessing and a curse. Our brother, you see, never really seemed to grow up. He constantly acts like a child and tests me...Tonight, I lost my temper and..."
Frances prompted, "and what?"
"Struck him. In the face. That is something I promised never to do. You see, our father, was quite the brutal beast," Elijah admitted.
"Your father? A beast, I'm sure you exaggerate, sir. Many fathers can be quite firm and I suppose, children resent them," Frances started.
"No, Miss Frances, there were times we had to pull him off our other brother lest he kill him. It is for that reason, I vowed to protect my siblings always and..." Elijah drifted off. Why was he telling this girl so much?
"I'm sure your brother will forgive you, if you ask it. I would give anything to see my siblings again, but life is not always kind. I'm sorry, the hour is quite late, I must go," the mysterious woman said checking her watch.
"Please call on us again, Miss Frances," Elijah pleaded.
"It will be some time before I can, dearest bróðir," Frances said as she disappeared into the crowd.
Bróðir? There was only one who ever called him that in their old tongue. One he thought dead for over 900 years. It was Freya.
Elijah froze in shock. It couldn't be...yet his mind went back, he remembered his mother's eyes, that jawline. He had never seen Freya. For the first time, he cursed Niklaus for daggering Finn. He was the only one who had seen Freya alive, yet she would have been a child. What could have happened? It made no sense.
"Søster!" he called out, vamping to the door. It was too late, she was already gone.
Nik knocked on the door to Kol's room tapping lightly. When he didn't hear an answer, he carefully cracked open the door.
Kol was curled up on top of the bed, sound asleep. His face was streaked with tears. It looked like he had a bruise on his cheek. Niklaus pulled up the chair by the wall and sat down. He could not deny that he had been angry earlier. He pulled out the white oak dagger and slipped it in his pocket. He has promised not to use it, but perhaps Kol was not responding to the discipline they were providing him with, like he did when he was younger. Nik would bet his immortality that without the spankings and daggerings, Kol would be dead and have gotten them all killed long ago. Mikael, the vampire who hunted vampires, would never stop searching for them.
Brushing back his brown hair, and kissing his head, he thought to himself that Kol was just a boy. He would always be a boy. Just as Rebekah seemed to barely mature throughout the centuries. And Marcel? Marcel did seem to be learning and able to take over the reigns of power someday. He was older, but only slightly, when he was turned vampire, but Kol never seemed to grow up much.
Klaus didn't know what the answer was. All he knew was that, his anger had faded into fear.
The door opened again and Elijah motioned him to come out to the corridor.
"Brother, I think that 'Miss Frances' was..." Elijah couldn't bring himself to say it.
"Who?" Niklaus prompted impatiently.
"Freya!" Elijah interjected.
"Elijah, she was dead, long before I was born," Niklaus reminded him.
"Only a year or so, she called me brother in old Norse! Didn't she look like Rebekah and Mother? Change the hair, remove the face paint..." Elijah interjected.
"Yes, I suppose she did, those eyes...Almost all if mother was questioning us about Tatia again or telling us to slaughter a pig. Stranger things have happened to us. Kol invited her, let's wake him up and ask him where he met her," Klaus suggested.
Elijah made a face, and stopped as if he couldn't face Kol.
"Elijah, we would forgive you almost anything. You know that?" Klaus said grasping his head. "Always and forever, Brother."
They walked back into the room. Elijah glanced at Niklaus.
"Kol, wake up," Klaus said gently shaking him.
Kol stirred and opened his eyes. He recoiled a bit upon seeing Elijah.
"Elijah!" he exclaimed, unconsciously touching his face again.
Elijah noticed the bruise as Kol sat up. He vamped to him and knelt down.
"I'm so sorry, Kol. I shouldn't have down that," Elijah admitted.
"Elijah, it's nothing. I deserved it, mate. Forget it, I've been slapped across the face by a thousand ladies. I'm fine," Kol smiled. While he slept, he had dreamt that Mikael was beating Nik, over and over. He remembered Elijah standing in front of Henrik and himself to protect them. That was no dream, that had happened many times in their human lives.
"Brother, your face is bruised. None of those ladies was an original vampire! I will make it up to you," Elijah promised.
Kol should have jumped at the opportunity to get a free pass on a thrashing, but he had already been given a pass and blew it.
Kol shook his head, "I won't beg off on what I have coming to me. Nik, I'm sorry. I can't seem to stop myself. You gave me a second chance with the diamond and I blew it. In a way, I'm glad Bex told you. I deserve whatever you decide, I swear it, the switch, that horrible hairbrush, or the dagger. All are not enough for my treachery," Kol admitted.
"Brother, what we need now is the truth. All else is less important than what I am about to ask you," Nik said with gravity.
"Yes, of course," Kol said determined to tell the truth.
"That witch you invited tonight, Miss Frances, where did you meet her? And what did you want of her?" Elijah asked urgently.
"I met her at that club I go to, she just came up and started to talk to me. I couldn't get much information from her...I will admit that I have been trying to get Mary Alice and Astrid out of that cottage. I know that is another thing you should punish me for, but they were innocent. It is my fault they are in there. Frances was interested and said she would try to help," Kol confessed.
Nik did feel a spark of anger at Kol hearing this, but at least he was loyal to his friends.
"Brother, I know you would like to get your friends out," Nik bit his lip and glanced at Elijah, "but this is coven business. I'm afraid their fate is now out of our hands. I'm sorry."
"True, but if this was our sister, we must know what is happening. Let's go to see if we can find anything out at the cottage," Elijah announced.
Niklaus, Elijah, and Kol all stood in front of the cottage silently. The doll figure, that had been Mary Alice's was still on the fence. They were unable to pass that point as it created a magical barrier. They waited in silence until Kol yelled, "Look there!" He pointed to the attice window. They saw Frances/Freya at the window. She waved and turned and got into a glass coffin.
"Søster!" Elijah whispered.
Defeated they returned to the compound without her.
Klaus tried to visit with Diana, now leader of the New Orlean's coven, to ask them to investigate. She said that her sister and Astrid would remain in the cottage until she deemed they let out. She said that vampires were warded from the house forever. Klaus wondered what happened to Mrs. Claire, but witches were secretive about this coven business.
Klaus broke the new gently to his brothers, but they were still both upset. Both vowed to never give up.
Niklaus and Elijah decided that Kol had already been punished enough. Kol was expecting the other shoe to drop each night at bedtime. Rebekah even heckled him that he was going to get it good when he least expected it.
On the fifth night, he couldn't take it anymore.
In his nightshirt, he trudged into Elijah's living quarters. He had a sitting room with a fire place and couches. Klaus was drinking and sketching and Elijah was writing in his journal.
"Brother, shouldn't you be in bed?" Elijah gently scolded.
"I can't sleep," Kol said honestly.
"What's wrong, Kol?" Nik asked looking up and putting his pencil aside.
"I feel guilty, You never..." Kol said ashamed and looked down.
"Never punished you? We felt that you had been through enough," Elijah admitted.
"It's not that I want to get a hiding, but..." Kol started.
"You feel like you deserve it?" Klaus finished.
Kol nodded, looking much younger than his 900 years in his nightshirt.
"You know, Kol, when you are grown up, you don't just get a spanking every time you make a mistake and it's all better," Elijah said carefully, "sometimes it is more difficult than that. You just have to deal with the fact that you wronged someone and not repeat the mistake."
Kol stomped, "I know that! But I guess I'm not grown up!" He kicked over an expensive, very old vase, by the fireplace. It shattered and Nik and Elijah looked at each other and nodded.
"Okay, young man, you will get what you need tonight and go to sleep with a warmed up backside," Nik said vamping over and cracking him twice on the behind. Kol's hands flew to his backside and rubbed.
"Maybe I was wrong. I'm fine. I will go to bed right now," Kol started backing out of the room.
"Not so fast," Elijah said, marching the boy over to the couch and flipping him over his lap. They usually spanked Kol in his bedroom, but if someone walked in, he had no one to blame but himself.
"It's been a while since we both tended to you, hmm. Let's remedy that," Elijah said, flipping up Kol's nightshirt.
Elijah situated Kol so that his hands were on the floor holding himself up and his legs were resting on the couch. Niklaus was sitting on the arm of the couch to Elijah's left. He might have to hold his hands, the boy was a reacher.
Elijah used his supernatural strength to smack down hard on Kol's behind.
Spank! Spank! Spank! Spank!
The thin layer of his drawers would not help much. Instead of a slow warm-up, Elijah lit into him as hard as possible. After all, the boy had begged for this spanking and he was going to get it.
"What is it going to take for you to start behaving yourself" Elijah scolded, swatting down firmly with every few words.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Kol was already howling and bucking as much as he could. He was alarmed by the first series of solid smacks.
"I don't know!" Kol exclaimed, trying to squirm out of the way.
Swat! Whap! Whack!
"Well, I think you need to be in this position more often. Do you agree, Niklaus?" Elijah grinned.
"Well, yes, a good spanking seems to improve Kol's behavior for what, three days? Maybe we should take turns? You, me, Marcel, Bex, I'm sure Diana, that witch, would like a crack," Niklaus jested.
"No, Nik, please. I'll behave more. I swear. Don't let them spank me," Kol wailed kicking as much as he could. Smack. Smack. Smack.
"Well, we best see an improvement then, hmm. Though, my hand is getting a bit tired, eh, brother?" Elijah said after around forty swats.
"Allow me to assist, one moment," Niklaus said vamping out of the room.
"I wonder what he is going to get. That paddle seemed to be effective, my ruler always smarts, you never much liked getting a switching," Elijah jested still smacking over the cotton drawers Kol was wearing.
"No! Please Elijah, your hand hurts enough. God damn it, no!" Kol shouted. If Marcel and Rebekah didn't hear this spanking, they were deaf, or otherwise engaged. Elijah shuddered to think what they were doing.
Elijah stood Kol up between his legs and said, "I think it is time to bare your bottom. Pants down."
Kol's face was covered in tears and mucus. He whipped out his linen hanky and wiped his face off. Kol's hands were massaging his stinging cheeks.
"Kol, if you can't behave and listen during your spanking, you will get another one tomorrow morning, mister. Now pants down," Elijah said firmly.
Kol wept as his face flushed and he took down his under drawers to his knees. The nightshirt was bulky and getting in the way. Elijah pulled it over Kol's head. Kol tried to protect his modesty the best his could. Elijah peeked behind him to inspect the danger level. It must have been a while since Kol fed because he wasn't healing all that quickly.
"When was the last time you fed, young man?" Elijah asked.
"I don't know," Kol admitted.
"Kol, you need to take care of yourself, I'll feed you tonight if you can cooperate," Elijah offered.
Just then, Nik popped back in the room. In his hand was a bath brush, that was kept near the washtub.
"Right on time, brother, I believe it is your turn," Elijah said pushing Kol towards their middle brother.
"Right, come here, little brother. I'm sure a few smacks with this brush will cure your plotting for a bit," Nik joked, patting his left knee.
Kol bent over and Nik pinned his legs down with his right leg.
"Elijah, will you hold his hands," Nik asked.
"Indeed, that brush would smart on his hands. Kol hasn't been feeding himself and his healing seems slower," Elijah said with a pointed look towards Kol's battered backside.
Nik nodded understanding as he brought the brush down rapidly. He wasn't smacking very hard, but Kol screamed as his behind was already tender.
Nik swatted his sit spots about five times each. He paddled faster and in a random pattern as Kol struggled violently against the assault on his red behind. He then gave him another series of firm swats and paused.
"Kol? I know you want to dagger me for all the times I daggered you. I get it, little brother. But if you do that, you put all of us in danger. With Mikael hunting us and the faction barely holding the city together, that would not be wise. When we try to give you more freedom, it doesn't go well. Show us that you can handle it and we will loosen up on you. Keep misbehaving and you will have a perpetually sore bottom," Niklaus said popping his backside almost lightly from side to side.
Niklaus glanced at Elijah to see if he felt they could rap this up. Elijah help up his hand to indicate a few more whacks might do the trick.
"Kol, you are going to get five more with the brush, okay?"
Crack!
"Yes, Nik. I am really sorry. Please stop now. I can't... take anymore," Kol wept.
"You can and you will, Brother," Nik admonished giving him another hard whack a little below his sit spot.
"Ahhh, no. It hurts!" Kol was still thrashing weakly.
Swat. Nik paddled him again on his sit spots. The boy seemed spent.
Nik cracked the last two swats down in the center of each cheek. He tossed the bath brush on the coffee table. Hearing a sound, Nik pointed to the door. Elijah let go of Kol's hands and vamped over and came back with both Rebekah and Marcel by the ear. He popped both of them on the behinds and led them to the separate corners.
Nik grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Kol and vamped him into his bedroom. He put him in bed and rubbed his back.
"Nik, I mean it, no more. I hate myself for what I have done," Kol whispered.
"If you backside didn't look so pitiful, I'd spank you again for that. Let it go, brother, we forgive you as you forgave Elijah tonight. I'm ready proud of you," Nik soothed.
"Of me?"
"Yes, little brother. We've all done wrong in this world. We've all killed and maimed to slake our thirst for blood before we could control it. We've lied and schemed to survive. It is our nature as vampires, perhaps. But we shall continue to fight it, we must preserve the little humanity we have left, the best that we can," Nik went on.
"Love you, Nik, always and..."
"Forever," Nik said offering Kol his wrist to feed off of.
Kol took it and started to heal a little, right before he fell asleep.
Niklaus entered the room as Elijah was lecturing Marcel and Rebekah about eavesdropping again.
"But Elijah, the door was open, we couldn't help but hear," Rebekah said smartly.
"You best watch your tone, little Sister, when you are speaking to Elijah," Nik warned her.
"But Nik, I warned you about the diamond, you owe me," Rebekah shrieked angrily.
"Hush, Kol is sleeping, weren't you just spanked for eavesdropping a few weeks ago?" Nik said lightly.
"Yes, Nik," Rebekah said sulking.
"What's the rule about committing a second offense?" Elijah inquired.
"Come on, Elijah, Nik, it's not that big of a deal," Rebekah snarled.
"Marcellus, would you like to answer that?" Elijah asked glancing at him.
"If we do the same thing, we got spanked for, we get it double the next time..." Marcel sputtered out.
"And?" Klaus prompted.
"We get spanked every night at bed for a week," Marcel said defeated, as Rebekah glared at him.
"Well, I guess we ought to take care of this now. Oh, how look how this bath brush just happens to be here. What luck!" Nik exclaimed unable to conceal his smirk. "Elijah, perhaps, you can start with young Marcellus and we can switch off again?"
"Good plan, Brother. Then, unless someone else needs a spanking, I will like to retire to bed," Elijah yawned, pulling Marcel over his lap.
Rebekah fussed as she too was upended, but it was all useless. When he older brothers put their minds to something, it was a done deal.