Pairing: Finn/Elijah-Klaus (M/MM) hand/spoon
"Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do." -Voltaire
Saturday, June 30, 1855
Mikaelson Guest House
Afternoon
The ride back to the house was quiet at first. There was so much Finn wanted to say, but he did not have the words. He also did not want the driver to hear.
In Old French, the language they spoke when they lived in the castle of the Count de Martel, Finn began to speak. "I am sorry, brothers. I know this is new for you. I hope you know I act out of love," Finn said quietly. "I just cannot allow you to behave so childishly and attack each other in public."
Elijah nodded, "We know that, and you are right, Finn, it is not easy. For over 800 years, Niklaus and I have been the parental figures to our siblings. It was not an easy role for us to take. But after a century of dealing with Kol and Rebekah's temper tantrums and bloody rampages, we felt we had no choice. And we acted out of love, and sometimes fear."
"Aye, the fear that Father was only steps behind us after Kol slaughtered a village or Rebekah got accused of witchcraft. It was then and only then, we began to discipline them. To our surprise, it worked and we had harmony for the most part. Then, I will admit, I grew restless. The wolf in me longs to break free of its bond," Klaus confessed. "It still does. I confess that I take this out on Elijah at times...though that is wrong."
"But is that possible? You still want to free your beast side?" Finn asked looking at Elijah in alarm. Finn wondered if Niklaus meant to be mortal again.
"I must, Brother. If the curse that binds my wolf nature is broken, I would be free again. But I would need a witch from Ayana's line, the moonstone that bound the curse, and a few other rare items," Klaus said casually.
"Does that still vex you so, Brother? That Mother suppressed your wolf side?" Finn wondered.
"It does. It is as if half of me is buried. Being a werewolf is like being a witch in that, we are connected to nature. A wolf longs for a pack and to run and hunt when the moon is full. I just feel the longing," Klaus said looking out the coach window.
Elijah put his hand on his arm. "We will break that curse someday, Niklaus. Have hope."
Finn looked at Elijah curiously, "You support this? Why? Would Niklaus be mortal?"
"No, he would still be a vampire, just free to turn into a wolf. I owe him, since to my shame, I held him down while Father chained him up that night so the witches could do the spell," Elijah said bitterly.
"We are almost home. I want the two of you to take the packages inside and then go wait for me in Niklaus' room. I shall tell the others that you are resting," Finn said still speaking in Old French.
"Yes, Brother," Elijah said obediently.
"And you might as well, remove your trousers and stand in the corner. The sooner you cooperate, the sooner this will be over," Finn said firmly.
Klaus opened his mouth to argue, but Elijah shook his head. "We expected this obedience from the younger ones, now it is our turn to obey. Finn was right. We were acting childishly in the store. Niklaus, no one can anger me like you can."
Klaus smiled wryly, "Well, then, we shall both pay for our tempers."
Finn took his bag into the kitchen and unloaded it. He left the strap in the bag and fished through the wood scrap box to see if there were anymore of Niklaus' carvings that could come in handy. He did not find anything new. Finn took the bag up to his and Elijah's bedroom and put the strap in the bureau and took out the large wooden spoon. He held it and tried to remember the spoon Ayana gave Mother. It had marks on the handle. But did Mother not have a smaller spoon before that? Had he not banged that spoon on pots with his big sister on the floor to make noise at play?
Finn snapped out of his memory and tucked the spoon in the pocket of his jacket. He headed towards Klaus' room.
Klaus could not believe they had to remove their trousers. "Elijah, standing in the bloody corner? That is for children. He already took a strap to us, was that not enough?" Klaus whined.
"Niklaus, remove your trousers, and get in the corner before you get both of us in more trouble. Now!" Elijah hissed as he turned to face the corner. He felt silly standing with his legs bare and his garters still holding up his stockings, but he wanted to be in position when Finn came back in. Elijah's white dress shirt covered up his backside, but Elijah had taken off his jacket.
Finn came in just as Klaus vamped to the corner.
"Ah, just in time, Niklaus," Finn said sarcastically.
"I am sorry, Brother. I am not used to being punished in this manner," Klaus said roughly. "Or at all. Usually, we do the punishing..."
"I know that and I appreciate your cooperation. I shall do my best to make this quick," Finn said sitting on Klaus' bed.
"Elijah, you shall be first again," Finn said putting the large spoon on the bed. Elijah stalled when he saw his brother on the bed.
"Please, Finn, not like that," Elijah begged. He could handle pain, but an over the knee spanking was just too humiliating.
"I am not doing this to shame you, but I was ashamed at your poor behavior today. Now, let us do this," Finn said grasping Elijah's forearm and pulling him closer.
"Finn...," Elijah groaned as Finn led him to lie flat over his lap on the bed. He pulled Elijah over his lap so his whole form was on the bed. Finn quickly flipped up Elijah's shirt to fully bare the area. Finn placed his large hand on Elijah's now pale again backside. Elijah could not help but gasp as he buried his head in the croak of his arm. He vowed never to fight with his brother in public again. He hoped Finn never found out how often they had actually come to blows and destroyed whole towns when they really got into it.
"You heal quickly, Brother. I suppose I need to give you another warm-up," Finn said calmly as he began to smack down on his brother's pale unblemished bottom. Whack! Whack! Whack! Finn covered the whole surface with random swats until it was a solid pink color. This took a moment or two of non-stop spanking and Elijah was still the first minute, but then began to squirm and kick. He refused to talk or beg, but his brother's hand was solid. Every nerve in his backside was screaming for relief when Finn finally paused.
"You are a clever man. You know why you are getting this hiding, but I want you to tell me how you are going to behave better in the future," Finn said lightly patting Elijah's rear with small taps.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
"I shall not argue with Niklaus about silly things. I shall not retaliate if he provokes me," Elijah said wincing. He knew the worst was yet to come.
"Good. I know you can do it. Now, a taste of the old spoon," Finn said picking it up. He laid the flat head on Elijah's right cheek before bringing it down with a crack! Then, he swatted the left cheek equally hard. Crack! Crack! Elijah bucked and grabbed at blankets to avoid reaching back, but failed after about five whacks with the spoon. Finn pinned Elijah's right hand back and continued to spank his brother firmly with the spoon. He then decided to wrap up by paddling Elijah's sit spots with a flurry of little swats. Elijah was wailing by the end and exhausted from kicking and thrashing.
Finn let go of his hand and rubbed his back. He remembered himself getting a whack with a spoon, but he must have been young. He could not remember what he had done. Finn rubbed his head and tried to retrieve the memory, it felt important. But he needed to focus on his brothers right now.
"Elijah, go stand in the corner again. I am going to paddle Niklaus and then you may rest," Finn assured his brother helping him up. Elijah wiped his face with his hands and stumbled back to the corner.
"Niklaus, your turn," Finn said firmly.
Klaus stomped over furiously and lay over his brother's lap without being directed to do so. Klaus had grown angry and discontented in the corner. They had already been punished, this was redundant. Who was Finn to come in and take over the role of eldest brother? Elijah had done just fine for centuries, Klaus fumed to himself. Finn pulled up Klaus' shirt and bared him quickly. If Klaus wanted it this way, they could do it like this. Finn began smacking Klaus randomly, too, but a little harder than he spanked Elijah with his hand. He did not think he even lasted a minute spanking Klaus by hand. Klaus was rigid and not reacting in anyway.
"I am wearing out my hand on your stubborn backside, little Brother," Finn shared. He picked up the heavy spoon and began popping it down on Klaus' behind. Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Soon, Klaus was bouncing and kicking in order to escape the stinging whacks of the hearty spoon. And soon, he also threw back his hands to shield his backside, which Finn caught and pinned. He paddled Klaus a bit longer and harder to make up for the shorter hand spanking. After Klaus was worn out and sobbing, Finn put down the spoon.
"Niklaus, I can feel your anger at me. Please let it go. I will help you anyway I can. If it is important to you to break you curse, then...count me in. I shall support you," Finn said finally rubbing Klaus's back. Klaus slid off Finn's lap and looked his brother in the eye.
"Thank you, Finn. It means more than you will ever know. Forgive me for the attitude. I did deserve punishment as it was I who started the argument in the store. It is always me and my infernal temper...I shall recall the burning in my posterior the next time I aim to lose my temper over something trivial," Klaus said solemnly. Finn stood and embraced Niklaus tightly. He ran the hand that had just walloped him over his brother's blond strands and pulled his head to his shoulder. Klaus wiped away his tears with the back of his hand.
"I shall be there for you all, always and forever," Finn promised. "Elijah, please come here."
Finn opened his arm to his other brother and kissed his head.
"Niklaus is not the only one guilty. I am often petty and foolish. We have the means to not squabble over pennies. From now on, we put aside our pride and focus on the future of this family," Elijah contended.
Finn glanced back at the spoon still on the bed, "Brothers, I remembered something...this spoon. Mother had a smaller spoon before Ayana's...in the Old World, before we came here...At first I was not sure how it mattered because, of course, we had several cooking utensils..."
He and Freya had been playing a game where they tried to touch the cookpot every time their mother looked away. They had been warned away from the stove many times. Finn had touched it and yelled out from almost burning his finger. Ester came in the room angry and took him and put him right over her knee. She yanked up his woolen tunic and swatted him with her smaller wooden spoon. He hollered in agony and Mikael came in.
"Oh Ester, what did the child do?" Mikael said pulling Finn off of her lap. Freya was now on the floor wailing, too. She was afraid she was next in line.
"They were trying to touch the stove in some sort of game!" Ester complained.
Mikael frowned, he chided Finn, "That was naughty of you. Papa is going to smack both of you." Mikael flipped Finn over and smacked his bottom twice. Then, he lifted Freya, pulled up her tunic and popped her twice on her backside. Mikael picked both of them up, put their little coats on, and took them outside and sat with them under the oak tree.
Ester went back to her cooking, Mikael said, "All is well, Wife. Let me speak to them."
Ester said, "Very well."
"Shhh, you must listen to Mother. You two could have gotten burnt or hurt worst. If you do it again, I am going to spank you even harder," Mikael informed them.
Finn sobbed, "Mama hit me with her spoon!"
"I imagine that hurt. She was afraid for you, but I think you are too little for that. Now, you two go play. I am leaving tomorrow for battle and I have to christen my sword," Mikael explained. He kissed each of his children.
Freya frowned, "Papa, are you going to kill the billy goat?"
"Yes, my brave girl, the old gods will keep me safe and bring me back her to you if I give them a good sacrifice. Now, go play," Mikael said with a smile.
Finn said, "The next day Father left, then soon after that a woman came, with dark hair. Mother was afraid and tried to hide us, but the woman grabbed Freya. There was a scuffle. The woman said they had a deal and to tell Mikael that Freya died of the plague. Then, she took her. It was snowing. I cried and cried for months. Then, Mother found out she was pregnant with you, Elijah. Ayana told them about the land where people were strong and healthy...We left quickly. Never to return."
Elijah turned from the corner, "That could mean that Freya was alive? Why did Mother never try to get her back?"
Finn shook his head, "I do not know. Mother called the woman 'Dahlia.'"
"It is interesting, but our sister has most like still been dead for 800 years? Can we get dressed?" Elijah asked rubbing his backside.
Finn shook his head, "Not yet, I want both of you in bed. Take a nap. I will stay in here. There has got to be some explanation. Freya could have had children. Maybe we have have relatives walking the earth."
Elijah and Klaus got in the double feather bed gratefully on their stomachs. Finn snapped his attention back to his brothers.
He leaned down and kissed them both, "I love you, Brothers. But the next time you act up in public, you can expect more of the same. Now, rest." Finn sat himself down in a chair near the wall. All he could think was that Freya was taken, not died. That is why he could never remember her dying or being sick himself, because it had never happened. What had happened to his sister?
Outside Picnic
Afternoon
Rebekah giggled as Marcel chased her at human speed.
"It is mine, Marcel. The last cookie! I called it," Rebekah shouted.
Marcel leapt, but fell short, "But Stefan wanted it. He said he would give me his marbles if I fetched him the cookie!"
Damon laughed, "Stefan is getting too portly. Perhaps he should eat more carrots, like the horses!"
Rebekah chided him, "Damon, that is mean."
Stefan tackled Damon and knocked over the remnants of the picnic basket. "Take it back, Damon. I am not portly, you are portly. Dummy!"
Marcel stopped running, "Rebekah can eat the cookie and get portly. I am tired. And do not call your brother a 'dummy.'"
"He is a dummy," Stefan grumped pounding on Damon's chest on top of him.
"Help!" Damon joked. "A giant roly poly bug is on me. I cannot move!"
Rebekah swooped down and lifted Stefan off Damon, "Here is the last cookie, my love."
Stefan was irritated, he threw the cookie down on the ground. "I do not want it now!" The cookie broke into pieces on the picnic blanket.
Rebekah and Marcel looked at each other. Rebekah said, "Oh Damon, you hurt his feelings!"
Damon lifted himself off the blanket, "He just threw that cookie. Someone ought to hurt more than his feelings!"
Marcel gave Damon an annoyed look. "Damon!"
"Fine! Sorry, Stefan, you are not...that rotund!" Damon smirked.
Stefan cried, "I do not know what that means!"
Damon tried again, "Look, Stefan. Look at the cookie!"
Damon uttered something under his breath and lifted the broken pieces and burst them into flames.
Stefan was delighted and clapped. "More! Do it again, Damon!"
"I have nothing else to burn. Besides I am not supposed to do foolish things with my magic," Damon reminded them as they began to clean up the picnic area.
"Damon, you are getting quite good at magic, you know. Have my brothers said anything about you finding a coven? A witch usually needs to be anchored to do more important spells," Rebekah said picking up Stefan and putting him on her shoulders. Marcel grabbed the picnic basket.
"Kol thinks there are some witches from Salem near here. Say, where did Kol slip off to?" Damon said scanning the horizon.
Marcel laughed, "Probably draining a milkmaid or something on that farm."
"I thought you were not allowed to do that," Damon asked in confusion.
"We are not, but Kol acts like rules do not apply to him," Rebekah said firmly. She handed Stefan to Damon. "I am going to go look for Kol. You all head back. I will catch up."
Damon's face turned red from the effort of holding Stefan. He put the child down quickly.
"You are weak, Damon! You cannot even hold me!" Stefan mocked.
Damon smiled half-heartily, "Yes, I am not very strong. Let us race to that tree!"
Nearby Farmhouse
Rebekah listened carefully and found Kol feeding off of a stableboy in the barn, as she had feared.
"Do not kill him, Kol. Leave some for me," Rebekah said vamping over.
"Here, Sister, there is a fresh one. Drink your fill," Kol said now compelling the boy to forget he ever saw them.
"You best heal them, too!" Rebekah said pulling herself away from her meal.
"So they can fall off a roof and get turned? No thank you," Kol said bluntly.
"Fine, that I will heal them. We need to be careful," Rebekah said biting into her wrist and feeding the farm boys' blood to seal up their wounds.
"Sorry, I did not mean to be gone so long. I just got a craving," Kol admitted wiping blood off of his chin.
"Kol, you have been teach Damon witchcraft for a while now. I just find it odd that Nik is so supportive when he typically fears witches...What is he up to?" Rebekah asked innocently.
"Up to? Nothing that I know of. Ah, he did ask me to look into finding Ayana descendants, I traced them to Salem, but have not gotten any further. That is all," Kol said brushing hay off of his jacket.
"And you did not find that odd?" Rebekah prodded.
"No, why?" Kol said looking at Rebekah like she was daft.
"Nik is up to something. Do not mention this to Marcel, he will tell Nik I am suspicious. But I am telling you, Brother...This move, this town, taking in witches...our brothers are up to something. Something big and I am going to find out what it is," Rebekah insisted.
"And they say Nik is the paranoid one? Hurry, Rebekah, the hour grows late. We must go," Kol said pulling her out of the barn leaving the three farm boys behind.
"You know, maybe it is something that can get you out of going to that school?" Rebekah proposed.
"Maybe I want to go to school now? It would amuse me to get you in all kinds of trouble. With Damon's magic, we could have a lot of fun, I surmise," Kol said with a glint in his eye.
Rebekah punched him, "Kol, you are insufferable. You'll just end up getting yourself thrashed."
"Perhaps I shall wear two pairs of trousers and feed off the other students at lunch," Kol quipped. "Or I compel the schoolmaster to dance an Irish jig. No, I am rather looking forward to attending Mystic Falls inaugural schoolhouse. Are you not?"
"No, because you are going to ruin it!" Rebekah scoffed. "I am going to tell Elijah, and FInn, what you are planning."
"Then, I could tell them about you and Marcellus, sneaking off to...play. Niklaus would be interested in that, no?" Kol said.
Rebekah growled and bared her teeth, "Kol Mikaelson, if you said one word, I shall rip out you tongue!"
"Calm yourself, little Sister. Your secret is safe with me. I will even help you figure out what our brothers are up to, but you need to remain loyal to me. I know it will be hard for you, but no telling on me, do you agree?" Kol smiled wryly.
"Fine. I am making a deal with the bloody devil here. I know I shall regret this," Rebekah vowed. "But I shall let your unleash your mischief as long as no one gets hurt!"
"Deal," Kol said shaking her hand. Rebekah twisted his fingers and broke them. Kol grimaced and held his broken fingers to his chest, straightening them out.
"Deal, you little toad. But do not push me!" Rebekah said harshly.
"Oh Sister? By the way, you have blood all over your dress. Might want to clean up before someone asks some uncomfortable questions," Kol said laughing as he vamped away.
Rebekah looked down at the blood stain on her dress and stomped her foot. Kol really infuriated her.