Chapter 25
"I can't believe she did that," Hope grunted as she paced anxiously in front of Marcel who was sitting on her bed pretending to listen to the girl's rambling while actually straining to listen in on the conversation happening in the courtyard. Hayley had ordered those of her wolves who were still capable of fighting to ward off Travis's wolves with the help of the witches that Vincent had rounded up. The sun was starting to come up and Travis's wolves would be turning back to their human form so, even though Travis had the numbers, they would soon gain the advantage.
"Hello," Hope sang, waving her hand in front of Marcel's blank stare. "Are you listening to me?"
"Not really," Marcel answered honestly with a sigh. "Aren't you tired yet? It's almost morning and you haven't slept a wink all night."
"How do you expect me to sleep after my mom just humiliated me in front of her entire werewolf army?"
"What did you expect," Marcel growled lowly. "You had her terrified, Hope. We were all terrified. I thought you were gonna get yourself killed out there." Although he felt bad for his sister, he didn't object to the way Hayley handled her punishment. It wasn't something Klaus had ever done to him, although he had threatened him with similar punishments since he returned to the Compound, but it was something Marcel thought Hope definitely deserved.
Hope stood with her jaw hanging in shock of Marcel's declaration.
"You're supposed to be on my side." She proclaimed.
"I'm on whichever side keeps you alive. It's my job as your big brother to protect you and bring you home safely. For normal older siblings, that job is easier than it sounds but it seems like I am constantly just pulling you out of the jaws of danger."
"You sound just like dad."
"Well, maybe Klaus is right in this case. You need to be more careful about what battles you charge into, Hope."
"I don't see what's the big deal," Hope shrugged, a huff of indignation escaping her lips as she did. "I'm a Tribrid. I'm practically indestructible."
"Practically does not mean totally," he barked, growing irritated at her obstinacy. "Just like being spanked by your mom hurt, if one of those wolves would've torn you limb from limb, you would've felt every second of that pain. And if they had..." Marcel paused at the heartache his thoughts brought him. "If they had ripped out your heart, you would've died, Hope. You can still die. You know that, don't you? Just like me, just like your mom."
Hope folded her arms over her chest and pouted. Of course she knew she was mortal. It was something her family never failed to remind her of but like most 13-year-olds the prospect of death seemed like something that could never happen to her.
"Can you please leave," she grunted.
"What? Now you're angry at me for telling you the truth?"
"I'm not angry," she said obviously angry. "Please go. I wanna be alone."
Marcel knew that Hope was only asking him to leave out of a fit of teenage angst over being scolded by her big brother so he stood up and left without her having to ask again. He hoped giving her a moment alone to ruminate over the dangers of her actions would help her see things their way.
Marcel went back to the banister overlooking the courtyard expecting to see Hayley's wolves scattered about it but was surprised by the absence of everyone but Freya. She stood at a table covered in a range of ingredients for another boundary spell.
"Where'd everyone go?" He yelled down to her.
"To fight a war," she replied coldly. "Where do you think?"
Marcel jumped down from the balcony onto the dusty ground. "I'm going to join the fight," he said walking toward the exit. "Keep an eye on Hope."
"I don't need you to remind me to keep an eye on my niece."
Marcel paused his gait to glare at Freya. With unhidden mockery, he said, "Now, you say that as if she didn't run away before while you were standing 5 feet away from her."
"I was as busy fending off the wolves. If you hadn't forced me to restrain you, you could've stopped her."
"Forced you to restrain me," he repeated incensed. "C'mon, Freya, let's not play games. We both know you've had it out for me ever since I came back. That's why you helped Kol with his little torture experiment in the basement."
"I wanted you gone, he said he was going to run you out of town, so yeah, I helped." Freya's anger slowly subsided. "But when I found out what he was doing to you...it made me sick. Marcel...I don't like you and I don't trust you and I don't know if I ever will but...I am sorry for my part in what happened to you down there. I prefer getting rid of my enemies in one swift move. Torture would not be the way I would've gone about it if it were up to me."
"Is that supposed to be some sort of apology?"
Freya nodded. "Guess I could've been more clear about that. I...I'm sorry for my part in your torture. It's not something I will ever agree to again."
Marcel stood silently, surprised by Freya's admission of guilt. Still, like with Kol, he didn't think she was deserving of forgiveness.
"Just keep an eye on Hope," he repeated as he started his stroll back out of the Compound. "I'll be back when the city is ours again."
-M-
Flashback:
New Orleans, 1915
The sound of Marcel's fist striking a potato sack full of sand hanging from the rafters echoed throughout the courtyard. He gave it a series of quick double jabs and then a powerful side kick. As his foot made contact with the bag, the worn fabric ripped, spilling sand down to the dirt floor. This was the third makeshift punching bag he had gone through in the hour he'd been practicing his fighting skills but he was prepared. Two more bags waited against the wall.
"What do we have here," Klaus's voice rang out as he walked down the staircase towards Marcel. "Potato sacks filled with sand used to practice fighting? Quite innovative but if you don't mind me asking, why?"
"I'm training," Marcel answered coldly as he took down the shredded remains of the old bag and hung the new one in its place.
"What for? You're a vampire now, lad. You can easily overpower your opponents. You don't need to fight them."
"What if I meet an older vampire? I'll need to defend myself."
"That's what family's for, Marcellus. You know I wouldn't let an older vampire with even a hint of malicious intent anywhere near you."
Marcel focused his attention back on the bag in front of him, hitting it over and over until Klaus stood in front of it, staring down at him.
"I was talking to you, Marcellus. Don't be rude."
Marcel let out an exasperated huff. "You promised to stop trying to protect me."
"I promised to stop treating you like a child," Klaus corrected. "I will never stop trying to protect you."
"That's exactly why I need to train," Marcel said, walking around Klaus to the other side of the bag where he continued hitting it. "So I can become a better fighter and prove to you that I don't need you anymore."
Once again Klaus stepped between Marcel and the punching bag just as Marcel was about to throw a punch. Klaus caught Marcel's fist in his hand and held it tight as he looked into Marcel's eyes and said, "No matter what you call yourself, you are a Mikaelson and Mikaelsons will always need their family. Remember that."
Klaus released Marcel's fist and stomped away towards the staircase again.
"Train all you want," he yelled over his shoulder. "You're only wasting your time because I will always be there to protect you, Marcellus. Always and forever."
End Flashback
Klaus stood over the bloody corpses of dozens of dismembered werewolves. He watched as Hayley ripped the heart out of the last man in their area and his body fell to the ground. Once the wolves turned back to their human form defeating them all was only a matter of time.
The Mikaelsons had separated to different parts of the city in order to wipe out the werewolf infestation quicker. Kol and Rebekah went off to fight with half of Hayley's clan while Klaus and Hayley took the other half to fight on the other side of town. Elijah went with Vincent and the witches create a barrier around the city to keep any more of Travis's wolves from entering.
"That's the last of them," Hayley announced, wiping her hands on her blood-soaked shirt. "How do you think the others are doing?"
"Just fine, love," Rebekah's voice called from the top of the building overlooking the massacre.
Kol stood beside her with the wide grin of a Cheshire Cat. "We've been waiting for you lot to finish for half a bloody hour."
"That's because we gave you the easy half of the city," Klaus chuckled. Klaus and Hayley lept to the top of the building with the other two Mikaelsons. "Where's your little friend, Joshua? He didn't fare too well against the wolves?"
Kol rolled his eyes at Klaus's taunting. "I escorted him back across the river. The city was festering with venomous beasts and he is but one vampire against an army. Either he would've died fighting or I would've spent the entire battle watching out for him which would've only made fighting this degenerate filth more annoying."
"Good call," Klaus added patronizingly. "I assume you disposed of your share of the wolves."
Rebekah nodded. "Everyone we didn't rip to pieces, we made swear never to return to New Orleans again."
"You left survivors," he growled. "Since when do we let our enemies live?"
"Since we returned to this city and swore to turn over a new leaf. You want to be seen as a just and benevolent King, don't you? What better way than to spare the lives of soldiers of the man who tried to take over your city."
Klaus gritted his teeth. As much as he wanted his kingdom to adore him, he was too overwrought with anger to view releasing enemy soldiers as anything but a sign of weakness.
Elijah suddenly appeared in the midst of his siblings before Klaus could bite off Rebekah's head for showing Travis's men any amount of mercy.
"The barrier is around the city. I also had Vincent do a spell to trace any of Travis's wolves who may still be hiding within our borders and he found none. None living, anyway. I think it's safe to say that we are through our rebel-wolf-pack-problem. At least for now."
"And what about Travis?" Klaus asked. "Any sign of him?"
"None. I don't think he actually ever came into the city."
"Well that's disappointing," Everyone turned to see Marcel standing on the other side of the roof. He wore a cocky half smirk on his face as he slowly strolled over to the Mikaelsons. "I was hoping to join in the fight. I only got to kill twelve of those backwoods dogs on my way here. Lucky for me they were all ex-wolves of your pack, Hayley, so they really put up a fight."
Klaus's eyes grew hard as he stared at Marcel. He didn't like the idea of Marcel out fighting Travis's men since some of Hayley's ex-wolves were now a part of Travis's pack and could shift at will which meant that even though the sun was rising and all of his wolves were human again, there was still a chance of Marcel getting bit.
Since he had promised Marcel to be civil and treat him like an adult capable of taking care of himself, Klaus forced a smile onto his face. "That's twelve more than I would've liked but congratulations. I suppose you need some of my blood now."
Marcel stretched his arms out to his side so everyone could see his flawless skin. There wasn't a scratch on him.
"Not this time," he stated proudly. "I told you I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself when I'm not trying to protect a stubborn little teenage Mikaelson."
"Well," Klaus took slow, deliberate steps towards Marcel, eyeing him up and down as he did in search for any wolf bites Marcel might have missed. "You never cease to impress me. You took on a dozen wolves and came through the fires of combat without a single scratch on you. You certainly have the spirit of an Original even if you don't have the blood."
Klaus wrapped his arms around Marcel and gave him a quick hug. When they pulled apart, Marcel stared at his father with confusion etched clearly across his face.
"What was that for?" He muttered.
Suddenly feeling flustered by his blatant display of emotion, Klaus crossed his arms over his chest and said, "I'm still not...completely on board with the idea of you risking your life to fight wolves so I just needed to...hug you to make sure you were indeed alright and you were so...I'm satisfied."
Marcel's smile grew wide as he watched Klaus's face bashfully contort with the embarrassment of needing to show his son affection.
"Alright," Kol spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Now that all the wolves are dead and the city is safe from being overtaken by someone other than a Mikaelson, it's time for me to leave."
"And where are you going?" Klaus asked as Kol turned to walk towards the edge of the building.
"I'm leaving the city," Kol grumbled back at him. "I agreed to stay only long enough to help fend off the wolves to protect my niece. The wolves are gone, now so am I. I need a break from this wretched family for a few centuries. Call me when you've lost that pest, Marcel."
Marcel gritted his teeth at Kol's proclamation. He wanted to angrily spit back with his own venomous tongue but he decided to take Kol's departure as victory enough. He had his family, his city, and Kol had nothing. He had won and Kol knew it.
"Marcel's not going anywhere and neither are you," Klaus grunted. "You always pretend to run away but in reality you end up hiding out in some beautiful city with charming women, like Paris or Venice, all the while taking your lechery out on the local quarry. But you're always back within the decade so why don't you skip this little tantrum and fall back in line and do as you're told."
"Klaus," Elijah bit frustratedly. He wanted to keep his family together but all Klaus's taunting was serving to do was push their brother further away.
Just as frustrated, Kol spun around to face his irritating older brother, barking, "I'm not one of your little wolf lackeys, Klaus, and I'm not your lover-boy, Marcel. I don't have to do what you say."
"Hey, keep me out of this," Marcel interrupted.
"Then stay out of it," Kol yelled back. "I wasn't talking to you."
"And yet you can't seem to keep my name out of your mouth."
"Aw yeah? Well, how about I put my foot in your mouth."
As Kol and Marcel stared each other down, their clenched fists and bared fangs clearly indicating their overwhelming anger towards each other, Klaus squared his shoulders to Kol's, prepared to attack him if Kol looked like he was going to make so much as a move towards Marcel.
"Let's put the fangs away, gentlemen, and calm down," Elijah said calmly making his way between Kol and Marcel. "Kol, you're not going anywhere. I said this family is staying together and I meant it."
"I'm not staying in the same household as him," Kol bellowed, wagging his finger towards Marcel. "You all have to choose right now. It's either him or me. One of us has to go and if you choose him this time then know that I am never coming back."
"Enough of the Unloved-Mikaelson routine. You are our brother. We care about you and you're not going to just abandon your family because of whatever insecurities you have about Marcel."
Kol's eyes furrowed deeply as the snarl on his face grew. "I have no interest in being in this family as long as he is still in it."
As Kol turned to walk away, Elijah sped in front of him. They stood inches from each other. Elijah's heated breath blew threateningly from his flared nostrils against Kol's face.
"I'm not going to let you abandon this family," His harrowing voice rumbled.
"You can't stop me, Elijah,"
Elijah suddenly grabbed Kol by the waist and lifted him over his shoulder.
"Let me go!" Kol screamed, trying to push himself off of Elijah.
Elijah walked to the edge of the building, his arm wrapped tightly around Kol's thrashing body. "Clean up this mess," he yelled back at the others. "We'll meet you back at the Compound."
Elijah disappeared as soon as he made his declaration.
"Who put him in charge?" Klaus grunted.
-M-
"You're back," Freya said as she released the barrier around the Compound to let Elijah and Kol in. She was surprised to see Elijah still carrying Kol over his shoulder and even more surprised by the way Elijah didn't seem to think it was worth mentioning as he walked through the door. Kol was still putting up a small struggle against his brother but he had mostly resigned to his position.
"Where's Hope," he asked, toting Kol over to the staircase.
"Sh-she's sleeping," Freya stammered. "What are you doing?"
Firmly, Elijah replied, "I'm going to have an important talk with our little brother. See that we are not disturbed."
Freya knew what their talk was going to entail and she let out a heavy sigh of relief. She hoped Elijah's efforts in getting through to Kol would fare far better than her's.
Once in Kol's room, Elijah threw his younger brother on the bed and shut the door behind him.
"You can't force me to stay here, Elijah," Kol barked as he jumped back up to his feet. "As soon as you leave me alone, I'm gone."
Elijah remained calm through Kol's turmoil. He slid his jacket off and draped it smoothly across the dresser. "I have my ways of keeping you here."
"You can't stay by my side forever, Elijah."
"And I won't have to." Elijah began moving slowly over to Kol. "For some reason, baby brother, you think yourself unloved in this family. You think that any of us would just stand by and watch you break the bond that has held this family together for a thousand years. You can't just toss aside a promise of always and forever just because it has become inconvenient for you."
"That's just it, Elijah! That damn promise. If we had never made it you lot would've abandoned me a long time ago. Admit it."
"I will admit no such thing because it isn't true. If you think we stand by you out of some sense of rueful duty, you are sadly mistaken. We stand by you and we care for you because you are our brother. Because we were once children who played together. Because you survived the same hellish parents that we did. Do you understand?"
Kol's angry demeanor did not pass. His tightly held fist twitched with agitation. "If you really cared about me then get rid of Marcel. He doesn't belong here. He's not a Mikaelson."
"For all intents and purposes, he is. He is Klaus's son which makes him a Mikaelson. One would think that after all these years you would've gotten used to that by now."
"I don't want him here, Elijah," Kol barked, slamming his fist down on the dresser beside him with enough force to split the antique maple wood. "Either he goes or I go. Choose."
Growing tired of arguing with his brother about the same thing, Elijah sighed and began rolling up his shirt sleeves. "I care about you Kol, I really do," he said as he loosened his tie and undid the top button of his shirt. "So know that I do this out of love."
Kol opened his mouth to ask Elijah what he was doing but before he could get a word out, Elijah sat on the bed and pulled him over his knee.
"Elijah, wait," he begged, fighting harder to get back to his feet then than he did to get from over Elijah's shoulder. "Please! Don't do this."
Elijah had an arm wrapped around Kol's body to keep him in place as he began raining down harsh smacks over the seat of his pants. "You cannot just wiggle your way out of your family like you do everything else. We are here for each other through the rough times and the good, always and forever. Do you understand me? Marcel is family and that means you will learn to get along with him or you two will learn to tolerate each other's presence until the time should come when you cease to loathe each other."
Kol clenched his jaw shut attempting to remain silent during the ordeal while tears freely ran down his face. "I...can't," he said through gritted teeth.
"You can," Elijah replied, landing another powerful smack to his brother's bottom. "And you will because this is where you will find yourself each and every time I find you trying to abandon this family."
Elijah landed a strategic, heavy smack to Kol's upper thigh and Kol found himself grappling for breath. Another heavy-handed spank from Elijah and Kol let out a wretched sob. Elijah continued to land spank after spank until Kol was wailing uncontrollably.
He stood up, pulling Kol to his feet with him so that they were standing eye to eye.
"You will not try to abandon this family again and you will accept Marcel's place in this family."
"No," Kol sobbed. "He doesn't belong here! He's not one of us."
"Is this your way of asking for another trip across my knee? Perhaps this time without the protective layer of your trousers?"
"He won't forgive me." Kol blurted out before he could stop himself. He immediately sealed his lips together afterward, ashamed of his admission.
"Who won't?" Elijah asked.
Kol remained silent, determined to take the shame of his regret to the grave.
Frustrated with his brother's stubbornness, Elijah said, "Two choices, brother. You can tell me now or you can tell me after a little further prompting over my knee. Your choice."
Staring down at the floor, tears dripping down his cheeks, Kol whispered, "Marcel. He won't forgive me. I've done everything short of begging him on my hands and knees and he still won't forgive me. You all have forgiven me for far worse crimes against this family. Finn murdered me and I hate him far less than Marcel hates me. That's why I don't want him here. I'm probably going to betray this family again in some seemingly unforgivable way at some point and you all are going to hate me again and Marcel's going to take your vulnerable state to his advantage and convince you to get rid of me once and for all so I'd rather leave now while it's still my choice rather than wait for you all to turn your backs on me."
Elijah wrapped his arms around Kol's shoulders and pulled him into a tight embrace. Kol buried his face in the crook of Elijah's neck and sobbed, soaking the collar of Elijah's shirt with his tears. Elijah whispered soft shushes into his brother's ear until Kol's harsh sobs became quieted sniffles.
"You're not going anywhere," Elijah promised. "You are my little brother and I'm not going to let anyone push you out of this family. This is where you belong. We are all we have in this world."
"But what about Marcel?"
"Marcel will forgive you. Whether it happens tomorrow or a century from now, he will forgive you. He's a Mikaelson, it's in his nature to forgive his family."
Dudes I don't even know how late this chapter is but I know it's damn late. So sorry. And I know this isn't an exceptionally long chapter (like the chapters usually are after a particularly long hiatus) but I hope it's just good enough for you to forgive me for being gone so long. Thanks for the patience and thanks to everyone who messaged me urging me to post the next chapter or asking me if I'm okay (which I am, I just had a really bad case of writer's block). You're all the best!
