Pairing: Finn/Elijah (M/M) hand, wooden spoon
"Before, I loved thee as a brother, John, But now, I do respect thee as my soul."
-William Shakespeare
Monday, June 11, 1855
Late Afternoon
Guest House Property
Kol wanted to see this blue roan horse of Damon's again. He walked out to the stables where he saw the slender, dark-haired boy grooming the horse. Maybe a part of him wanted to check in on Damon a little? There was something about the boy that he felt for, especially since he had saved him from that bullet. Kol always tried to avoid thinking of the moment his own father ran him through with a sword to end his human life. There was pain, darkness, and then a terrible thirst that dulled, but never completely went away.
"Good afternoon, Kol. Fine day!" Damon called out politely as he set the brush on a bucket and turned to the older vampire happily.
"How is Azul today? Did you ride?" Damon answered as he yanked a white cloth from his breeches and wiped off his hands.
"Yes, she is quite well, thank you. Once again, I appreciate you all getting her. Since Father is...away. I do not know what would have happened to her," Damon said patting his horse's black mane.
Kol patted the horse's flank and she nickered. He slipped her a bit of apple he had cut for her from his pocket. Kol's Original vampire eye's stared into the blue-black coat of the horse, he felt like they could see colors and textures that humans could not began to imagine. This horse was a rare beast indeed.
"How are you getting along, mate?" Kol asked casually. He gave the horse another apple slice and she nickered softly.
"She likes that. Ah, you mean...with being a witch? Finding out my mother is dead? That our father has been truly filled with demons? Fine, I suppose," Damon said with a touch of sarcasm.
"Damon, you do not have to do that. We all know that you are suffering. You need not act like you are fine. And your father, he is not filled with demons. Perhaps it was all too much for him, losing his wife and his children," Kol reasoned.
"Perhaps. I act like I am fine because I am grateful to be here. Stefan is safe. He is happy. Miss Rebekah and the rest of you take fine care of him. Although, she is spoiling him quite badly, you know?" Damon smiled.
"I know. Stefan is a jolly, little fellow. But I think my sister remembers how we felt after our own mother passed on. For a child, it seems so cruel. I know Rebekah aims to pacify the boy with sweets and toys and endless hours of play. And you need not be grateful. You are a Mikaelson now. No one will cast you out for being sullen or difficult. If that was the case, I would have been given the boot centuries ago," Kol said feeding Azul the last of the apple.
"Centuries?" Damon gulped. "I knew you were immortals, but how old are you?"
Kol wiped his hands on his trousers, "We were turned in, say, 1001 AD. I was about 17 years old."
"But that would make you...?" Damon stammered doing the math.
"Old, lad. No need to say it," Kol smirked. Kol heard yelling in the distance.
"Stefan?" Damon called as he began to run towards the sound. Kol called to the stable boy so the horse didn't run off and followed Damon.
They found Stefan fallen under a large oak tree. Damon got to him first.
"What happened?" Damon said.
"Do not move him!" Kol said jogging up to the scene. Stefan was writhing on the ground, holding his right leg tightly.
"My leg," Stefan wailed, "Damon, it hurts. I cannot move it."
Kol bit into his hand and shoved the blood into Stefan's mouth, "Drink. It will help."
"No! Will this make him a vampire?" Damon asked urgently.
Kol was surprised at the question, "Oh no, but it will heal the break. We will have to stand him up so it heals right. Now!" Kol lifted Stefan to his feet quickly so the leg would straighten on his own. A second later, Stefan was healed and standing normally. He was blinking in confusion. The agony of his injury was instantly gone, leaving him with nothing but confusion.
"Oh, thank bloody hell!" Kol exhaled.
"You cursed!" Stefan pointed out brushing off the seat of his pants. "And you made me drink your blood! I do not understand. My leg...it does not hurt any longer. "
Kol winced, "Your leg was broken, lad. I was trying to help. Do ya feel better now?"
Stefan nodded in shock, "I feel good. How did you do that?"
Damon crouched down, "You could have broken your fool neck. What did I tell you about climbing so high up?"
"I forgot! I was trying to see where Rebekah and Marcel went," Stefan admitted.
"Where they went...? Oh, they snuck off, did they? Damon, take your brother back to the house. It is almost suppertime anyway. I will find my little sister and dear Marcellus," Kol smirked.
Damon helped Stefan brush off the rest of his outfit and asked him again if he was alright before carting him off to the house.
"Oh Sister!" Kol called out gleefully. He wanted to find the two, but he did not want to entirely surprise them.
Rebekah came out from the woods brushing her hair away from her face. "What now, Kol?"
"Oh, I thought you would like to know that Stefan broke his leg trying to find the two of you!" Kol said smugly. "Poor chap was climbing a tree to spy your hiding place when he fell. Could have been killed."
"What? Is he alright? Marcel, come out," Rebekah cried.
"I healed him. But I do not know who is going to heal the two of you once our brothers hear of this folly," Kol said eyeballing Marcel coming out of the thicket.
"Kol, come on. Is Stefan okay? We left him playing under a tree for but a moment. Rebekah wanted to show me something," Marcel said simply.
"I bet she did," Kol said under his breath.
Rebekah stamped her foot, "Stefan is fine. He had a little fall, but is okay. You said so yourself."
Kol grew serious, "Little Sister, he was on the ground crying with a broken leg. I cannot believe you did not hear him. I had to feed him my blood. He is but a babe."
Rebekah teared up and gripped Marcel's arm tightly in regret and shame,"We should not have left the little scamp. Kol. you will not say anything will you?"
Kol shook his head, "Of course not, Sister. But Damon and Stefan are headed back to the house now. Perhaps you want to compel them? Oh wait, you cannot because they are witches..."
Marcel chewed his lip, "We will see to him. No damage done."
Rebekah said impatiently, "I need to check on him. We only left him but a moment..." She vamped off quickly leaving Marcel with Kol.
"What is Nik going to think about this? I thought he had a talk with the two of you about this impropriety before," Kol pressed.
Marcel nodded, "Look, Kol. I know she is your sister, but I love her. I always have. Papa knows that. He does not like it, but I am a vampire now. It was different when I was a mere human."
"But if Elijah is your uncle, then shall not Bex be your aunt?" Kol smirked.
"Then, you would be my uncle, too. And Kol, you have never acted one iota like a damn uncle. More like an annoying cousin. You know it is different with Rebekah and me. Can you not understand that?" Marcel pleaded. "Have you never been in love?"
"It is not me you have to convince. Oh I hear your 'papa' calling us for dinner. Best not be late, eh. Did he not threaten you with no dessert if you were late again," Kol laughed.
"I am not a child any longer," Marcel spat vamping off in a huff.
"Try telling your 'Papa' that," Kol grinned.
Dinner
"Kol, thank you for joining us," Elijah said brusquely as Kol sat down.
"Apologies, Brother. I was washing up. You said not to come to the table smelling of the stables," Kol said glibly.
"I suppose I did," Elijah said spooning some vegetables on Stefan's place.
"Still feeling alright, lad," Kol inquired.
"Yes, thank you for fixing my broken leg," Stefan chirped.
Klaus spit out his wine in shock, "What happened?"
Damon replied, "Stefan fell out of the oak tree and hurt himself, but Kol healed him."
"Why did you fall, young man?" Elijah prompted firmly.
Stefan was about to say he was looking for Rebekah and Marcel when Kol interjected.
"He was being a bit of an adventurer high in the oak tree past the stables, right, Stefan? Next time, you shall not go so high," Kol responded.
"He will not because there will be no next time," Elijah said. "No more tree climbing. If you break your neck, we would not be able to help."
"But can I not just drink more blood?" Stefan inquired loudly.
Finn said gently, "Son, let us keep that a secret. Not everyone here knows the special secrets. Just us here. The servants would become alarmed."
Damon frowned, "I have told him a hundred times to not climb so high. Stefan, why did you disobey me?"
"I wanted to see-," Stefan began.
"The landscape. It is my fault. I was telling Stefan about the surrounding area, about our old home, the farm...," Kol cut in.
Stefan was confused, he did not know what Kol was talking about and it showed on his face. His mouth was full of roast.
Marcel cleared his throat, "Yes, that is true. Papa, you told me that once...About your old home, remember?"
Klaus was watching Rebekah carefully, her cheeks were tinged with pink. He wondered what she was up to.
"Brother, your son is speaking to you?" Finn prompted as he tore a hunk of bread from the loaf. Elijah winced to see his brother ignore the knife. Finn noticed Elijah's expression and smiled at his discomfort. "Apologies for my course manners. I am still learning the customs of this time."
Stefan finished chewing, "Why were you in that box?"
Klaus coughed, "Sweetheart, we are still speaking about your accident?"
Finn laughed roughly, "No, let the boy ask. Stefan, I quarreled with my family long ago. I wanted to leave them and I was wrong to do so. I see that now. I am needed here and no matter what, we shall remain together. Always and forever."
Elijah raised his wine, "Always and forever!" The rest of the siblings and Marcel joined him.
Stefan whispered to Damon, "So if we quarrel, will you put me in that box?"
The rest of the vampires heard and laughed. Elijah said, "Of course not, Stefan. You need not worry about that. But we might have a further discussion about your tree climbing."
"I like to climb trees! My friends say that I am the best at it," Stefan argued, fighting back a yawn.
"I think being healed exhausted him," Rebekah said to the table. "Stefan, I am putting you to bed early tonight."
"But I am not tired," Stefan yawned again. "Well, maybe a little..."
"Sister, perhaps, you ought to take him now," Klaus smiled.
"I will assist you," Marcel said picking up Stefan as Rebekah took his glass of milk to carry up.
Klaus watched them go silently and then remarked, "I went to get the trade ledger out of your study, Elijah. Gods, did it reek in there? It smelled like a bordello. What happened?"
Elijah looked uncomfortable. Finn cut in, "I am sorry, but I broke the gift you got me, Niklaus, right on the carpet. All that cologne was wasted, I am sorry to say. You all must forgive my clumsy ways as I adjust to this new age. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing, I suppose."
"No matter, Brother. It can be replaced. I had the staff air out of the carpet. We bought that many years ago in Constantinople, it is not easily replaceable," Klaus added.
"Not to change the subject, but have you begun your magical training, Damon? Kol used to be quite the witch in the family before we were turned," Elijah prompted.
Damon shook his head, "I do not really know how I did what I did with Father. Perhaps I am not much of a witch after all."
Kol offered, "It has been a while, but I could teach you a little. You have to learn how to harness energy from nature. Without practice, your magic could be lost or go wild, coming out when you least expect it."
Finn guffawed, "Though Mother was a witch, the rest of us were never that interested, except Kol. I suppose we had too many chores. Or perhaps we were just fixated on reality... Niklaus was always paining or carving."
"Your mother was a witch?" Damon asked in fascination.
"The Original witch, she was very powerful, yet power can be misused," Elijah stated.
"I would not misuse my power, if I ever got any!" Damon defended.
"Of course not, lad. Let Kol teach you and see what you think," Klaus went on.
"If you do not mind," Damon said shyly.
"Not at all, but I am not sure what type of teacher I would be. In our travels, I have met many different kinds of witches and all have diverse customs and spells. In time, you would need a true witch or coven to instruct you," Kol admitted.
"A coven? Those are real? Father sometimes ranted about witches covens, but I thought it was his dark imagination," Damon revealed.
"About your father, mate," Klaus said, "He is returning to his estates soon. They feel like he is well enough to continue your family business. But he will not trouble you. I want both of you boys to stay away from Veritas Estates, do you understand?"
"Yes, of course. After last time, I shall never go back alone," Damon vowed.
"Good. I hate to cut this evening short, but I am tired myself. Would you all excuse me?" Elijah said glancing nervously at Finn.
Finn agreed, "I will join, Elijah. Niklaus, you can continue teaching me chess tomorrow?"
Klaus smiled, "Of course. Damon? Kol? A game in the parlor?"
Kol shrugged, "If it is okay with Damon, we could start on the magic now?"
"Yes, that would be excellent," Damon said getting up and following Kol.
Klaus sat at the table by himself and finished his wine. Everyone seemed in an awful hurry tonight.
Elijah's Room
Finn had been staying with Elijah since he had been woken up. There were no other available bedrooms and the feather bed was large. Elijah had not shared a bed with anyone since Celeste had been murdered in 1820. He was getting more used to having Finn around everyday.
Elijah's eyes grew wide to see the large wooden cooking spoon placed on the bed.
"Remind you of anything?" Finn grinned.
"How did you...? It looks like Mother's spoon! Almost exactly," Elijah said in shock.
"Niklaus carved it. I found a stash of them in the kitchen and this one has our family crest on the back," Finn shared handing Elijah the heavy spoon.
"I knew he still carved animals and chess pieces, but utensils? How odd that I have never seen him make one?" Elijah said turning the wooden instrument in his hands. It was 18 inches long and the head 3 inches. It had a more square spatula shape than the other spoons the staff used to mimic the one their mother had used centuries ago.
"I think he makes them and then burns them from time to time. For what purpose, I know now. At any rate, I fished this out of the kitchen and plan to make good use out of it," Finn said calmly.
"Taking up baking, I hope?" Elijah quipped.
"Is that a jest, Elijah? That is the first one I have heard you make since I have been awakened, I think. I would like to hear more. Now, sit, please. Let us talk," Finn said patting the empty spot in the bed beside him.
"You already punished me, Finn. I shall not resist your calls to help again. I swear it," Elijah said with a measure of desperation. "Was that not enough?"
"I believe you. But I need for you to release the centuries of guilt and hurt that you feel. You need not always be clean and perfect, Brother. I admire your efforts and devotion to our siblings, but at what cost? Have you ever had any thought for your own happiness?" Finn asked gently.
"I had a woman I loved greatly, her name was Celeste. She was a witch, but it did not work out," Elijah said getting up to pace suddenly.
"Tell me," Finn demanded.
"I ignored Niklaus and he snapped and had his vampires rouse the area where she lived. She was murdered. I was so furious...yet, I did nothing. I forgave him," Elijah admitted weakly.
"What else? I know there is more you keep hidden," Finn said firmly.
"Marcellus. When he was human, I began to enjoy teaching him and tutoring him. We started to become close. Niklaus got jealous and began going on rampages with Kol. They killed so many that I feared Father would come. That was Niklaus' justification for killing the witches, make it seem like a blood sacrifice ritual...to throw Father off. It worked, I suppose," Elijah recalled bitterly.
"So you lost your love and the boy. What did you get?" Finn pressed.
"Niklaus' happiness. He thrived and became the King of New Orleans. I was by his side. That was enough," Elijah assured them both.
"But it is not, is it?" Finn asked quietly.
"It never is," Elijah said.
"Then, from now on, I call on you to put your happiness in mind. Can you do that?" Finn asked.
"I cannot. I alway put Niklaus first," Elijah said sitting back down and burying his hands in his head.
"Over Kol? Over Rebekah?" Finn asked, "Over me?"
"Yes, yes, and yes. It is not that I owe him for not protecting him, it is that he needs me. Without me, he cannot move forward. You have never seen him spiral out of control. I have and I have been there with him...murdering kings and farmers, stealing cottages and crowns, feasting on the blood of the guilty and the innocent alike, and it is never enough. Then, we hear word Father is coming and we flee again. We have done the same thing for centuries. I am not sure I can change," Elijah said growing sad.
"Can you try? Forgive yourself your transgressions of the past. Let me be there for Niklaus to help him with his pain. I beg you. You cannot go on like you are. The strain is more than you know," Finn begged.
"I will try," Elijah said sincerely. "I am tired of all of it."
"Fetch your night clothes and I shall don mine," Finn said getting up to change into the clothes his brother provided.
Elijah changed into his linen night shirt and Finn into a loose pair of pajamas in the Turkish style. Finn pulled an armless chair forward into the center of the smaller room.
"Surely, you do not mean for me to go over your knee!" Elijah scoffed.
"Surely, you do not mean for me to have to force you like a rebellious youth!" Finn retorted.
Elijah grumbled, "I wish I could say I never ran from a punishment, but anyone who got spanked with that blasted spoon and was smart, would run from it like Hades was chasing them."
"It did smart, did it not?" Finn responded.
"You hardly got but a taste of it. I got many a whipping because you tattled to Mother about our misbehaviors," Elijah recalled.
"Nay, not true. I got plenty of whackings with the rest of you fools when you could not resist wrestling or fighting in that loft where we slept as children. And do not forget, I was always first," Finn corrected. "I know I also got you plenty from telling on you. Some you deserved, some not. I regret that."
Elijah smirked, "You were always first. And I second. Your hollering always made me weak with fear, as I knew I was next. But we were rowdy children and got away with much mischief that we were never punished for. I suppose it balances out."
Finn grabbed the wooden spoon and sat down in the chair. He put the spoon on the floor by his left side and told Elijah to get over his lap. He knew his brother was stalling, but it was time to do this.
"I cannot believe I am to suffer through this," Elijah complained.
"From what I hear, you have thrashed Kol, Rebekah, and even young Marcellus a goodly number of times...Why?" Finn said pulling Elijah by the arm and pushing him over his lap. Elijah's hands hit the floor and he braced himself against it. His feet were brushing the floor, but would not gain enough purchase for him to push himself up. He was effectively trapped.
"Because I love them...Yes, there were times I was vexed at them, angry they disobeyed me, but I have learned to not punish them in anger. I want them to behave well and be happy. I have spanked everyone of them for putting themselves in danger," Elijah confessed.
"The path you are on is dangerous. You must let others help. You must leave room for your own happiness. I am not spanking you for misbehaving, like the time the piss bucket got knocked over and woke up Mother. I am spanking you for behaving too perfectly, because that is not sustainable. No life is flawless and without imperfections," Finn lectured. Smack! Smack!
Finn swatted Elijah's cloth covered buttocks several times with the flat of his palm. Smack! Smack!
Finn lapsed into silence as he flipped up Elijah's nightshirt. He rolled up the material to reveal Elijah's pale backside with barely a hint of pink. Using his hand on another Original was almost futile, especially over material. Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Finn laid down two hard smacks on the center of each cheek as Elijah remained stoic and rigid.
"Stop tensing. We are just getting started. When do you stop smacking the others? After a few licks of your hand?" Finn prodded.
"When they learned their lesson. It depends!" Elijah cried out. Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Finn's large hand was catching Elijah across both cheeks on the center of his behind. Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!. The hard smacks echoed loudly in the otherwise quiet room.
"I bet you do not stop until they are crying and begging for you to stop," Finn suggested.
"Finn, please, the others will hear!" Elijah protested as Finn continued to swat him in the exact same place over and over again. Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
"The door is shut and locked. This room is further down the hallway that I do not think they can hear. Damon and Marcel are outside. Stefan is sleeping by now and I see Rebekah and Marcel slipping off into the woods. Hmm. Klaus is downstairs drinking by himself, I surmise. The sooner you let go of your pride, the sooner we will be done," Finn insisted.
"I do not need a spanking to function. I have been perfectly fine being the one doling out the discipline here, if you please. Now, kindly stop. That is really beginning to sting!" Elijah exclaimed starting to shift and wiggle a little more than was dignified. "This is high folly! You do not know what you are doing. Damn it, are you listening?"
"Your attitude needs some adjusting, Brother. What would you do if Kol spoke to you like that? Tell me the truth!" Finn said stopping the spanking and standing up Elijah so he could look him in the eye. Elijah's hands' went to rub his stinging behind before he could process his thoughts.
Finn grabbed his hands with his own large left hand and twisted Elijah to the side to spanking him upright hard three times. Crack! Crack! Crack!
"Ouch! Finn, this is ridiculous. Please stop this charade and admit defeat," Elijah spluttered as he tried to dance away from the solid blows to his sit spots.
"What would you do if Kol disrespected you during a punishment?" Finn repeated.
"I would make him bare his red bottom and stand in the corner," Elijah said in defeat. His behind was ablaze and he could hardly stand still. "You know how stubborn he can be."
"Let us do that then. How long?" Finn asked.
"Only a few moments until he calms down. He usually...gets frustrated and starts to cry in the corner. If he is especially difficult, I sit him at the table and have him write lines on his spanked rear end. When he is ready to behave, I bring him back over my knee and end the spanking quickly," Elijah said softly.
"Does it work? Does he feel better? Behave better?" Finn inquired.
"Yes, usually. If I have been too hard on him, sometimes he will try to refuse my comfort. If I or Niklaus had whipped him and he did not feel like he deserved it, he will sometimes pout or argue more. A few times, he may have had a point. I will let him settle down and we will talk and discuss it," Elijah remarked.
"Sounds fair," Finn said letting go of Elijah's hands which he fought to keep at his hands.
"The times he has really fussed and caused a scene were when he was sent to his room or told he cannot do something can be the most difficult. Kol has tested our patience every step of the way, yet we have tried not to break his spirit. He really just needs a great deal of attention and reassurance. Those punishments typically end up with him having a sore behind anyway," Elijah said with resignation.
"The other two?" Finn pressed.
"Much the same, We have learned to never leave them alone after a hiding. Even when they try to push us away to cry alone, we try to stay and comfort them. The times we have left them alone, everyone goes to bed feeling sad and upset... instead of forgiven and loved," Elijah shared.
"So you know what you must do now," Finn said looking over towards the corner.
"Yes, Brother. I am sorry for being difficult. I know you are trying to help and you act out of love," Elijah said slowly approaching the corner.
"Elijah, bare that red bottom," Finn reminded him.
Elijah stuck his nose in the corner and lifted up his night shirt to bare his smarting bottom. He realized that he was healing quickly. He quickly rubbed his raw feeling seat and then felt the presence of Finn behind him. Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Finn swatted Elijah's rump hard. "Hands at your side." This allowed Elijah's nightshirt to cover his rear and provide him with some modesty, at least.
Elijah stomped and shifted his weight at the intense sting. To his horror, he felt more tears dripping down his cheeks and heard a sob of frustration creep out of his mouth. He lay his head against the wall and cried. Finn heard this and only left him in the corner a moment more. He wanted to alleviate his brother's suffering, not cause more of it.
Finn called to him from the bed now with the carved wooden spoon in his right hand.
"Come now, let us end this. I loathe to cause you pain, but you will no longer sacrifice yourself, Elijah. Share the burdens with us, that is what family is for," Finn continued as he now dragged Elijah over his lap fully this time. Elijah was upended and facing down before he realized what had happened.
Elijah moaned with shame as his brother again bared his bottom and tapped it with the heavy wooden spoon.
"I cannot. It is my burden," Elijah almost whispered. "Finn, do not do this. I beg you."
"I beg you to let go of this burden. It is not longer yours along to carry," Finn replied. He tapped the flat side of the spoon the undercurve of Elijah's backside. Tap. Tap.
Pop! Pop!
Finn smacked Elijah's bare seat with the flat, wooden spoon methodically. He alternated the swats and moved them up to focus on the center of each cheek. The spoon left Elijah's behind with light square marks that healed quickly. Finn continued until Elijah began to thrash and used his feet to try to cover his bottom. Whap! Whap! Finn aimed the swats a bit higher a moment and then paused.
"Move your feet, Brother!" Finn ordered. "Out of the way."
"It hurts. I-I learned. I will stop," Elijah shouted frantically. He was losing his composure, the thing he feared the most.
"I can paddle you very soundly with this spoon. It is long overdue. You are a good brother, but you need to take care of yourself. We need you, but we need you whole," Finn admonished now whacking Elijah across both cheeks firmly. Pop! Pop!
"I-I am sorrryyyy," Elijah wailed. He began to sob into the crook of his elbow in shame. Had he even wept this hard when he lost Celeste? He could not recall.
"For what?" Finn asked in a low voice. Whack! Whack!
"For putting Niklaus first, blaming myself for everything, trying to be perfect, and failing them all," Elijah wept. "Forgive me." With a final volley of lighter smacks on his sit spots, Finn stopped the paddling.
"You are forgiven, forgive yourself. You did your best. You failed no one. I should have said this more, I love you, Elijah. I love all of you. I always have, but I did not know how to show it. I never thought this would be one of the ways, but I need to give you what you need," Finn said gently. He rubbed Elijah's behind a moment. The spoon had left it bright red.
Elijah sobbed, "I love you, too. I am sorry if we always cut you out before. I am glad you are here, Brother. Thank you."
Finn helped Elijah up and then opened his arms and held him tightly. He kissed his hair and rubbed his back as Elijah wiped at his eyes. Finn murmured that things would be better.
"I know. I hope I...you would not do that again, correct, Finn?" Elijah asked sneaking a quick rub in. "I mean spank me like that..." His behind was stinging and he did not think he could have taken a longer spanking, especially with the dreaded spoon.
"I can and I will if you are taking on too much. You have Niklaus, Kol, Rebekah, Marcel, and me to share the burdens of the finances and decisions of this family now," Finn explained as he handed Elijah a cloth from the wash basin for his face. Elijah took it and wiped away his tears, as Finn opened the covered and ordered Elijah in on his stomach.
"Kol, Marcel, and Rebekah are children. They seem to have stayed at the age they were made vampires," Elijah explained.
"I understand, but even children can learn responsibilities, nay? Let us give them some chances to prove themselves or they never will learn," Finn suggested.
"What about Stefan tonight? Rebekah should have been watching him better. I do not know who needs a good spanking more. Her or the young chap?" Elijah yawned
"Most likely both," Finn smiled. "Shall I use this wooden spoon? Niklaus is quite the carver! I think it is maple."
Elijah turned in horror, "You would not! Especially on the little one."
"I jest with you, Brother. I would never give them what I just gave to you. I know how strong you are and you can bear much more pain. But let me take care of it. Perhaps they both learned their lesson already?" Finn said patting Elijah's back.
"I doubt that very much. If you will speak to them, I will rest here. Stay a while?" Elijah said hopefully.
Finn smiled and lay down beside Elijah, "Remember the night you all knocked over the piss bucket in the loft? For me, it was only a century ago, for you over 800 years, eh?"
"For some reason, our human lives, though short, are burned in our minds. No fancy chamber pots from Paris then, who knew a pregnant woman could climb a ladder so fast?" Elijah laughed.
"I did scream like I was getting murdered that night, did I not? I wonder if I felt like you do now?" Finn said turning to Elijah.
"I think, in truth, you got it worse than any of us. Mother got out her irritation on you, some on me and went easy on the rest. They were young, though, naughty as they were...But as to what I feel now, this sting? We were not vampires then with faster healing," Elijah smirked. He knew he would feel better by morning.
"That healing, though, allows you to take quite a much more thorough paddling. Much harder than a human could take," Finn added.
"I know. Sometimes if I know I'm going to spank one of the younger ones in the evening or next morning, I withhold or limit their blood, it slows the healing a small amount. It lets the lesson stick longer. So, how about tomorrow, I will show you all the accounts. We have business interests still in New Orleans. You learn very quickly, Finn. I look forward to,-" Elijah started.
"Shh," Finn soothed, "Shut your eyes, Brother. Enough talk. Rest now. I will stay with you."
Elijah considered saying more and then realized he was still on his stomach and could easily get another smack on his behind. He shut his eyes and thought about...nothing. His mind was clear and he fell asleep without worry of what another day would bring.