Disclaimer: 5, 4, 3...you know the rest.

Chapter 15: "Brothers in the End"

Elizabeth felt more than a little strange being escorted around town by Sonny's drivers, but she had to admit that it was probably the safest way to travel. She arrived at the ruins before Nikolas, but she did not have to wait long.

"Elizabeth!" His voice arrived before his form. He bounded over to her and practically knocked her down with the force of his embrace. "Is it really true?" he asked. "Is he...?"

"Lucky is alive and mostly well," she answered him quickly. "It's a miracle, really, but it is true."

Nikolas breathed a sigh of a years worth of relief. However, one thing Elizabeth said worried him. "What do you mean, 'mostly well'?"

"Well," she stalled, "he's healthy, as far as we can all tell. But he's different. Not much, but different," she said quickly. "He's older, much older."

"I can't imagine what Helena's done to him," Nikolas said, without thinking when he saw the stricken look on Elizabeth's face, he quickly added, "but he's fine, you say, and I'll believe you. Can I see him?"

She nodded yes, her mind still lingering on Nikolas's words. "He asked me to bring you to him. He can't really show his face, you know. He can't run the risk of being seen by anyone."

"Who knows that he's alive?"

"Me, his parents, you, your uncle, Sonny and some of his men," she answered quickly.

"Sonny?" The near disgust in Nikolas's voice was evident. "Why is he involved?"

Elizabeth took a few steps closer to him, reached out as if to calm him. "Sonny is a friend, Nikolas," she started, "You need to accept that. Lucky trusts him and that is enough for me."

Nikolas nodded his obedience and followed her to the car. He was silent for a time, but his curiosity soon overcame him. "How did it happen? How did he get away, how did he find you?" His questions fell out, one on top of the other.

"I don't know exactly how he got away," Elizabeth answered. "I'm almost afraid to ask him for full details. And I wasn't hard to find. I was in my old bedroom at Gram's. He wouldn't have known that I moved into my studio. He crawled right up and knocked on my window, just like he used to...on Valentine's Day of all things as well."

Nikolas couldn't help but smile at this. "Your life does have a remarkable symmetry, doesn't it?"

"Seems to, yes," she agreed.

They soon arrived at the safe house and once inside, Nikolas hovered by the door for a moment, almost afraid to see his brother, to see how he was changed, how Helena had changed him. He took one deep breath and pushed the door open.

Lucky was sitting just where Elizabeth had left him, by the window. He rose immediately, staggered towards his brother, and threw out his arms to hug him. "You have no idea how good it is to see you," he choked out.

Nikolas was almost shocked to find, despite everyone's reassurance, that Lucky was indeed alive and standing in front of him. He held Lucky back and stared into his face for some time, letting the truth, the real truth of it attach itself slowly to his mind, so that might never be shaken. "I have some idea," he finally said, laughing and crying all at the same time.

For some reason, which he truly could no describe, the gates that Lucky had tried to guard so carefully since his return had suddenly opened. All of the fear rushed out of him in full force, but so did the relief, the hope and the love. He hugged his brother close with one arm and pulled Elizabeth closer with the other.

When he finally spoke it was low and quiet, almost in a whisper, but loud enough for both present to hear him. "I didn't let myself believe we'd win," he said. "I was almost sure we couldn't. But now...now I have certain hope."

When he was finally forced to return home, Nikolas could barely contain himself. He assailed his mother and uncle with joy and appreciation when he saw them, despite their warnings that he should not let everyone in the house learn of Lucky's survival.

"Your brother is still in considerable danger, Nikolas," Stefan warned him. "Your grandmother will not take his escape lightly."

"I know," Nikolas said, more excited than ever. He was ready to fight, ready to take on his grandmother then and there. "But I'm ready to help to protect him. I'll do anything I have to."

Laura reached for his hand. "I know you would." She sighed. "I wish I could have seen the two of you together this afternoon. I've missed that sight."

Nikolas wrapped his arms around his mother. "You will have plenty of chances to see that, Mother. I promise."