Written on my phone during a long roadtrip. Unedited, sorry. Enjoy :)

Chapter 27

Marcel and his vampires held a wake for Gwen in the basement of Josh's apartment building. After speaking a few comforting words over her body, Marcel sent Lora and Zane back to the apartment and he and Josh burned her corpse in the furnace.

"So what are you going to do about Kol?" Josh asked as they watched Gwen's body burn.

"I don't know," Marcel growled. His fists clenched tighter at his sides. "I want to tear his head off...but he's too strong. Too strong for just me...but..."

"But...?"

Marcel shut the door to the furnace so that they wouldn't have to watch Gwen's body turn to ash.

"She was my first turned of the four of them," he said changing the subject. "She was a prostitute and after being attacked in the middle of the night by one of her Johns, she managed to bash his skull in with the base of a lamp. But not before he managed to slice into her abdomen. She wandered out into the street and that's where I found her lying in the road. I turned her to save her...and Kol killed her. I want nothing more than to kill him but if I go after Kol I'll be making enemies of my entire family."

He angrily slammed his fist against the burning furnace door. It scorched his flesh but he wasn't in the headspace to care. The scorching of his hand didn't burn nearly as bad as his anger for Kol.

"Marcel," Josh called his name, drawing him back to reality.

Marcel pulled away from the furnace and stared down at his hand. Layers of skin had been burned off. As his charred flesh slowly began to regenerate, he realized his injury was the perfect metaphor for his relationship with Kol. Kol would burn him and eventually he would heal but he would never forget how the pain felt.

"Are you okay," Josh asked, concerned about his friend's silent stare.

"I will be," Marcel answered in a hostile growl.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, I won't be fine until I exact my revenge on Kol."

"Marcel...he...he was angry."

"He killed Gwen," Marcel turned heatedly to Josh, staring at him as if he was the one who'd ripped the heart out of Gwen.

"I know and I'm not making excuses but-"

"That's exactly what you're doing. You're making excuses for him just like Klaus tried to make excuses for him when he killed Davina. You all fall victim to his...Mikaelson charm or whatever it is that makes you blind to his faults but I will not! Kol has to pay for this."

Marcel swept past Josh without another word.

-M-

The door to Klaus's private study crept slowly open. Elijah stood in the doorway watching as his brother stood at a canvas behind Hope, guiding her hand with each stroke of the paintbrush across the sky blue canvas. Klaus relished in pride at his daughter's natural talent for the craft. Every stroke was calculated yet effortless. She was without a doubt his child.

"Hope," Elijah finally spoke. "You are quite the artist." He walked over to the canvas to closer admire his niece's work.

Hope shined with pride at her uncle's compliment. Klaus always praising her work but it was so much more flattering to hear coming from someone else.

"Thanks. I had a lot of time to practice in the hotel rooms while mom and I were on the road."

"Well, you've really honed your craft. In fact, what do you say that for your birthday you have your own art gallery show?"

Hope nearly dropped the paintbrush in her hand from shock.

"Are you serious?"

Elijah smirked at the girl's excitement. "I'll take that as a yes."

Hope threw the paintbrush on the table of paint supplies and lept into her uncle's arms. Elijah squeezed the girl tightly as she hugged him. It wasn't moments like this that made him regret his vampirism because it meant that he would never have a moment like it with his own child.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Hope screeched as she climbed down from Elijah's arms. "I have to go tell Sebastian."

Klaus and Elijah watched with joy as the girl ran giddily out of the room.

"Well, you certainly set the bar for her Birthday high," Klaus halfheartedly complained as he began cleaning up the mess Hope left behind. "How is her father supposed to top that?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something," Elijah smirked. His face became suddenly somber as he remembered the reason he came to interrupt their father-daughter moment. "But that's not what I came in here to talk to you about. We need to talk about Kol."

Klaus sighed harshly. "What did he do now?"

"Well, that's just the point, brother. Kol hasn't done anything to warrant your anger in a long time and yet every day you treat him as if he'd just sold his family out to the devil."

"He's done it once. Why put it past him to do it again?"

"Because he's our brother and deserving of forgiveness."

"I'll forgive him for all he's done when I think he's ready to be forgiven and your interference isn't going to change my mind any sooner."

"You forgave Marcel."

"Because it's my duty as a father to always forgive him. Kol, on the other hand, warrants no such courtesy from me. Perhaps if I see a change in his behavior that resembled contrition I would be more willing to change my position."

"You won't give him a chance to exhibit any changes in behavior. Whenever something happens you accuse him immediately.

Elijah's heated glare stayed fixated on Klaus as he continued to clean the paintbrushes, evidently unaffected by Elijah's anger.

-M-

"Marcy," Hope came running down the steps of the Courtyard to Marcel. She was on her way to go tell Sebastian about Elijah's birthday gift to her when Marcel walked into the Compound. "Guess what? Uncle Elijah's gonna have a gallery showing for me on my birthday."

"Congratulations," he said curtly moving past her to the staircase. "Where's Kol?"

"I don't know and I don't care. Come with me to tell Sebastian. Then we can go see that street performer like you promised."

"I can't right now."

"But you promised!"

"Hope, I can't deal with you right now. I need to find Kol."

"You can't deal with me?" She stamped her feet offended by the implication that she was a nuisance to be dealt with.

Marcel stopped at the end of the staircase and looked down at his incensed sister. "Tomorrow, Hope. I promise."

"It's always tomorrow with you nowadays. But tomorrow never comes. Unless I'm Aunt Rebekah. Or Uncle Kol, apparently."

"My ears are starting to burn," Hope and Marcel turned to see Kol standing on the balcony looking across at them. He was missing his signature smirk, his eyes cold as he stared at Marcel. "Is someone talking about me?"

"We are," Hope huffed. "Marcel is looking for you."

"That's strange because I think the person you should be looking for is Klaus."

Hot air blew from Marcel's nostrils. "I found exactly who I was looking for." He wanted to charge Kol on sight but he fought the urge to unleash his rage in front of his little sister. "Get out of here, Hope."

Hope noticed the intensity radiating from Marcel and Kol and knew she couldn't leave them alone. "Wh-what's going on?"

"None of your business, love," said Kol. "Why don't you go on out and find something to entertain yourself for a while. Away from the Compound."

"N-no. I'm not leaving until one of you tells me what's going on. What are you going to do?"

Furious, Marcel yelled, "Dammit, Hope, for once in your life just obey when someone tells you to go!"

"You're gonna fight, aren't you?" She asked, ignoring her brother's anger. "Please, don't. Let's just...let's just go w-watch the street artist and-and eat greasy food...like you promised."

"Just get out of here, love," Kol insisted. He started walking slowly over to Marcel. "If little Marcellus wants Unky Kol to teach him a lesson before telling his poppa about all the naughty things he's done, then so be it."

As Kol made his way towards Marcel, Marcel walked briskly over to him. His fists gripped tightly at his side, Marcel was going to make sure Kol didn't get the upper hand on him this time.

Once in arm's reach of Kol, both Marcel and Kol wrenched their fists back and swung it full force at each other. Niklaus caught Marcel's hand before it made contact with Kol and Kol's fist smacked right in the center of the palm of Elijah's hand. Hayley stood down the hall with a shocked look on her face at the sight of Marcel and Kol's almost fight. She, Elijah, and Klaus were on their way to gather the family for Brunch when the three of them wandered upon Kol and Marcel's quarrel.

Klaus looked between Marcel and Kol with fire running through his veins. "Fighting in my own home?" Klaus growled. "Somebody explain. Now."

"Marcellus," Kol taunted, stepping back away from Elijah. "You want to tell your poppa about your naughtiness?"

"I am going to rip your tongue from your skull," Marcel snarled as he lunged at Kol again. Klaus stopped him with an arm around his waist and pulled him back away from Kol.

"That is enough," Klaus barked, setting Marcel back to his feet. "Kol, what did you do?"

"What did I do," Kol bellowed back. "Ask him what he's done."

"I don't have to because I know whatever he's done is in retaliation to whatever it is you did to provoke him."

"Oh, is that so? Your perfect little Marcellus is incapable of wrongdoing, is that right? He acts only in retaliation? Then tell me, brother, what was the reason behind him deciding to create new vampires behind your back?"

Klaus stared at his brother in angry disbelief. He assumed Kol was lying to him to get him to turn on Marcel again and he refused to believe him.

"More of your deceitful lies," Klaus growled.

"Don't believe me? Ask him yourself."

When Klaus turned to Marcel, Marcel refused to look at him. He kept his burning glare focused on Kol.

The palpable tension emitting from the Mikaelsons made Hayley uneasy and she decided that she should take Hope away from the situation before violence erupted as it often did in the Mikaelson household. She crossed past Klaus and Marcel down to the courtyard where Hope stood staring wide-eyed up at them. "C'mon, Hope," Hayley placed a kind arm around Hope's shoulders. "Let's go out for brunch today."

"But, mom," Hope sank her heels into the ground to keep Hayley from moving her. "I wanna talk to Marcel."

"Later, sweetie," Hayley asserted as she gave Hope a light tug towards the Compound exit. "Let your father talk to him first."

"But-"

"Hope." Hayley's brusque statement ended Hope arguing. Hope could tell that her mother was not interested in negotiating whether she could stay and talk to Marcel or not and since the last time she failed at persuading Hayley ended in her being punished in front of her mother's entire army, she did not have the courage to try a second time.

Hope couldn't take her eyes off Klaus and Marcel as she allowed her mother to walk her out of the Courtyard.

"Marcellus," Klaus stated firmly. "Tell me he is lying."

Vexed at his brother's refusal to believe him, Kol goaded Marcel, snapping, "Yes, Marcellus, tell him about the headless boy in the den this morning and how you turned him only 6 days ago, not before we returned to New Orleans like the lie you told us this morning. Or better yet, tell him about the two still living vampires you have hidden away in Algiers."

When Marcel remained quiet at Kol's accusations, Klaus began to wonder if his dishonest brother was actually telling the truth this time.

"Marcel," He growled, stepping in front of Marcel so that he was staring him in the eyes instead of Kol. "Answer me. Tell me he's lying?"

Fueled by rage, Marcel answered, "I did it. I turned vampires. The boy on the floor of the den, the two vampires in Algiers, THE GIRL THAT KOL MURDERED IN FRONT OF ME AN HOUR AGO, I DID IT. I TURNED THEM."

Marcel sped past Klaus and Elijah to Kol, talking him through the banister. They crashed through a table beneath them but that didn't hinder Marcel. After rising to his feet, Marcel punched Kol, sending him flying into a wall.

Enraged, Kol pulled himself from the indention in the wall created by the power of his body being thrust into it. He sped forward, his arm stretched out to grab Marcel by the throat when Klaus vamped between them and grabbed Kol's arm.

"Enough," He bellowed. "If you two think that hitting each other is the best way to solve this problem then I'll be happy to oblige you later, after," He turned heatedly towards Marcel. "You tell me where to find these new vampires so I can dispose of them properly."

"No," Marcel didn't hesitate to state.

Klaus was floored by his blatant refusal. He released his grip on Kol in order to give Marcel his full attention. "No," he repeated in disbelief. "I gave you a command, Marcellus. Tell me where they are."

Marcel was unfazed by Klaus's growing anger. "They're my people," Marcel growled. "They look to me to lead them and protect them. What kind of leader would I be if I allowed you to kill them for simply existing."

"It is your fault for creating new vampires in the first place," Klaus yelled.

"I did it for us!" Marcel yelled back with the same ferocity. "We were outnumbered in that fight against Travis's men. Hayley's wolves are outnumbered 4 to 1. The reason my vamps and I were able to run the wolves out of New Orleans in the first place was because we had the numbers. The only way for us to defend our home is to make more vampires."

"Perhaps that's something you should've talked to me about before you decided to take it up amongst yourself to start turning vampires."

"Then punish me, not them. Let them live."

"I decide who lives and who dies," Klaus growled. Then looking deeply into Marcel's eyes, he began to Compel him. "Tell me where the vampires are."

Completely under the control of Klaus's compulsion, Marcel answered, "They're at Josh's apartment in Algiers."

Knowing that Josh had a part in the making of Marcel's new vampires only made Klaus angrier. "I knew it," he said looking up to Elijah. "You should've let me kill that one when I had the chance. Now we have to go find him."

Kol stepped in Klaus's path as he turned to leave the Compound. "Don't, Klaus. He's innocent in this. He didn't turn any of those vampires."

"He had a choice in helping Marcel or not and I think we both know who's side he would be on if the vampires revolted and tried to take my throne again."

"He wouldn't turn on me. He's my friend."

"That makes him loyal to you, not me, and quite frankly I don't need anyone in my kingdom who's not completely loyal to me."

As Klaus took another step forward, Kol sped behind him and, catching his brother off guard, he snapped Klaus's neck in one swift move.

"Kol," Elijah growled as he jumped down from the balcony. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not going to let him kill Josh, Elijah," Kol replied.

"And you think this is going to convince him otherwise? When he wakes up he's going to want to kill Josh and anyone around him at the time. All you've done is proven him right for never trusting you."

A growing regret surfaced in Kol's stomach as he stared at Klaus's sprawled body.

"He's gonna dagger me for this, isn't he," he muttered.

"No," Elijah stated firmly. "You're not getting daggered." He sighed abjectly. "But I can't let this go unpunished. Perhaps...Josh should die."

"Elijah, no!"

Elijah lifted a hand of silence. "I'm sorry, brother. You will grieve but you will get over it in time. Better he dies than you."

"Elijah-"

Before Kol could beg for his friend's life, Marcel's hands were around Elijah's head and as swiftly as Kol did Klaus, Marcel snapped Elijah's neck.

As Elijah's body dropped heavily to the ground, Kol stared confusedly at Marcel.

"I'm not going to let any of my men die," Marcel stated firmly.

-M-

Flashback:

Marcel woke lying on a sofa in the parlor of a home he barely recognized with a splitting headache surrounded by sleeping witches. The last thing he remembered from the night before was drinking with Kol and kissing pretty girls. He passed out before he could take things any further. Kol walked into the room eating a turkey leg the size of his head.

"Happy Birthday," Kol joyfully screamed. "Come downstairs. My good friend, Daphine, has cooked you up an excellent birthday breakfast if I do say so myself. Pardon me for starting in on the festivities a little early."

Every word Kol spoke felt like another nail being hammered into Marcel's skull.

"Could you not talk so loud," Marcel whined. "It feels like someone's raising a barn in my head."

"Sounds like you have your first hangover," Kol chuckled. "How cute."

"This is a hangover," Marcel continued to groan as he stood up. "This is terrible. How do I make it stop?"

"You don't. It'll go away eventually. But that's a perk of being a vampire, we don't get hangovers."

"Yeah, but poppa won't let me become a vampire so-" Thinking about Klaus paused Marcel mid-speech. "Oh no, what time is it? We have to get back home before poppa wakes up."

Kol scoffed as he took another bite of the turkey leg. "I'm sure Klaus is already awake but don't worry, he doesn't know where we are. And as long as we get back home before your celebration starts, Klaus won't care that we stayed out all night doing a little celebrating of our own."

"Are-are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Is that so," Kol spun around to see Klaus standing in the doorway of the parlor, a sour look on his face. "Don't look surprised, brother. It only took compelling a few witches to find out where you were."

He was furious at the sight of his son standing around a slew of empty bourbon bottles and passed out witches but he managed to keep his anger hidden in front of Marcel.

Kol wasn't sure what to make of his brother's tense glare but he knew it wouldn't fare well for him.

"Marcellus," Klaus held out his hand and motioned for Marcel to come to him.

Nervous of his father's reaction, Marcel moved slowly over to Klaus. When Marcel was in arm's reach, Klaus whipped the handkerchief from his pocket and used it to wipe the smutch from Marcel's cheek.

"How do you feel?" Klaus asked concerned.

"F-fine," Marcel stammered, taken aback by Klaus's apparent calmness.

"You didn't have too much to drink?" Klaus continued to question.

Marcel considered denying that he'd had anything to drink but he hoped that Klaus could do something about the throbbing pain in his head.

"A...a little, poppa. Now I have a hangover."

"Well consider that your punishment for drinking. You know you're not supposed to have spirits, Marcellus."

Marcel's face dropped at Klaus's response. He was still not used to his father denying him anything, especially if it would alleviate his pain.

"Yes, poppa," he said solemnly. "I'm sorry,"

Swayed by his son's despondent attitude, Klaus wrapped his arm around Marcel's shoulders and guided him out of the room. "Let's go. I'm sure we can find a witch somewhere who knows a remedy to your particular problem."

Kol followed behind Klaus and Marcel, surprised at what seemed like Klaus's apparent forgiveness of him taking Marcel away all night.

"So, brother," Kol started cautiously as they made their way downstairs to the front door. "You seem to be in a good mood...all things considered."

"Well, I was incensed when I first went out looking for you but I managed to find an outlet." Klaus stopped at the door and turned to face his brother. "Oh, that reminds me. Don't forget to say goodbye to your little friend in the kitchen before we leave."

Kol's skin was suddenly covered in goosebumps. He knew Klaus didn't care about his friends so for his brother to take a sudden interest in the witch made him nervous.

Leaving Klaus and Marcel by the front door, Kol went to the kitchen. Cautiously, he pushed the door open.

His heart jumped into his throats at the sight of the blood-splattered kitchen. The breakfast his friend had cooked for Marcel was coated in her blood. Her body laid sprawled out on the floor, her throat ripped open.

He could feel Klaus's heartless presence looming behind him.

"Marcel will remain innocent for as long as I can possibly keep him that way," Klaus growled. "If you ever involve him in your proclivities again, I'll dagger you."

Kol stared straight ahead, too afraid of the prospect of Klaus having a dagger in his hand at that moment to turn around. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until Klaus left the room and he could finally breathe again. At that moment, a bud of jealousy began to blossom in Kol's heart. A jealousy of Marcel, his friend whose feelings apparently meant more to Klaus than his own brother's. A jealousy that was unconscious yet overwhelming.

End Flashback

Marcel and Kol barged into Josh's place and the three vampires all jumped to their feet, ready to fight.

"Let's go," Marcel huffed. "We have to get out of New Orleans."

"Now," added Kol.

"Why," asked Josh, panicked by Marcel and Kol's sudden unanimity. "What happened?"

"We killed Klaus," Kol stated bluntly.

Josh's mouth dropped open.

"We snapped his neck," Marcel clarified. "Elijah's too."

"W-why?"

Ready for an opportunity to ruin Marcel's friendship with Josh, Kol said, "Marcel told them the vampires were staying here and you know my paranoid big brother."

"He compelled me," Marcel corrected Kol's unfair accusation. "And once he found out he wanted you dead. All of you. So you see why we have to get you out of the city now."

"Actually, you lot might want to leave the country. Klaus is a mean, vindictive son-of-a-bitch. He will hunt you down just to spite us."

Marcel knew Klaus well enough to know that Kol was right. He didn't know how long Josh was going to have to be gone and he didn't want to think about it.

"Let's go," he barked. "Klaus has to be awake by now and this is the first place he'll come looking. He probably already has a couple of Hayley's wolves on their way over here."

Although the thought of being anywhere near Kol without trying to rip his head off made Lora and Zane sick to their stomach, their sire bond forced them to obey Marcel when he said it was time to leave.

-M-

The group of vampires didn't make it far through Algiers before they had to stop again. Just as Marcel predicted, Hayley's wolves were flooding the streets looking for them. They stopped at a motel to regroup.

"We need to get you three to the airport," Marcel said as he paced the floor in front of the others. "We'll order room service then compel the attendant to make the arrangements."

"What about you?" Zane proclaimed. "You're coming with us, right?"

Marcel sighed thinking about his next interaction with Klaus. "No. New Orleans is my city. I have to stay."

"But...Klaus'll kill you for what you did."

"He won't kill me." Marcel cringed thinking about what Klaus was going to do to him. "I'll be fine."

"Then we're staying too," Lora asserted. "If you're going to stay then so will we."

Kol was shocked by her decree. "You'll risk your lives just to stay with Marcel?" Kol noticed the intense looks of loyalty in their eyes. It was all too familiar. "They're Sire Bonded to you, aren't they?"

Marcel's response was a smug smirk.

"How is that even possible. It's for a vampire to have one of their Sired bonded to them, let alone two."

"All four of my new vampires were Sire Bonded to me," Marcel confessed. "As you know, a Sire Bond for a vampire only occurs when the human has strong feelings of love towards the vampire who turns them. When I turned them all, it was out of kindness, to bring them into the family they never had. That was enough apparently."

Kol chuckled. "Well you might want to break that bond before you get rid of them or they'll always come back looking for you."

Offended by the notion that their feelings towards Marcel would change if they weren't magically bonded, Lora said, "We would always come back to Marcel regardless."

"Is that so," Kol taunted. "Then we might as well kill you right now because that's exactly what Klaus is going to do if you come anywhere near Marcel again."

Lora opened her mouth to protest but Marcel interrupted her.

"He's right," Marcel said firmly. "Once we get you out of New Orleans you can't come back." When Lora still looked like she wanted to protest, Marcel added, "That's an order."

Lora resigned to her sire bond to obey Marcel.

Suddenly Josh's cell phone began to ring. He fished it out of his pocket thinking it was his boyfriend calling. They had a date planned for today but Josh had to abruptly change it due to their current situation. The number on his phone screen, however, was Kol's.

Turning the screen towards Kol, Josh said, "You're calling."

Kol and Marcel locked eyes.

"It's Klaus," Kol announced. "We left our phones at your place so they couldn't track us. He must've found them."

Nervous, Josh asked, "Should I forward it to voicemail."

"Sure, that'll work," said Kol sarcastically. Taking the phone from Josh, he answered. "I sure hope the person on the other end of this phone is as handsome as me or else you should've called from a different number."

"Always full of quips," Klaus snarled. "I suppose that means you're around your little protective custody vampires. Then you might want to get rid of them before I tell you what I'm about to."

Kol had a strong inkling of what Klaus was about to say and he didn't want any witnesses for it.

Looking to Lora and Zane, he said, "Get lost for a bit,"

"No," Lora growled. "We want to know what he has to say."

Frustrated, Kol sped over to each of them and compelled them to go to the bathroom and do their best to not hear anything that's about to be said. Obediently, he left.

Turning to Josh, he said, "Don't suppose I'll have to compel you to do the same."

"Just tell me whatever he says about me," Josh said.

Kol nodded his agreement.

With the others gone, Kol put the phone back to his ear and said, "Alright, say what you have to say, Klaus."

"You're upset, brother," Klaus said calmly. "Don't be. I'm not mad at you. I know you only did what you did to protect your friend, Joshua. So I have a proposal: Come back home, bring Marcel and the other two vampires with you, and I'll let Joshua live."

Kol was quiet for a moment. "Promise?"

"I swear on our mother's ashes."

Marcel heard every word Klaus said and for a moment it looked like Kol was actually contemplating Klaus's offer. Marcel was prepared to attack Kol and escape with the others if the need came.

"You must think me some kind of fool," Kol said to Marcel's surprise. "I know you, Klaus. I've known you for a thousand years. You're going to kill Josh the second we step foot back into New Orleans."

Klaus chuckled heavily. "You got me. But remember, dear brother, I am no fool either. I know you haven't left New Orleans yet. I have wolves guarding every exit out of the city. They'll spot you the second you try to leave and I will know. You can't hide forever."

"We could very well try."

Klaus groaned loudly. "Give Marcellus the phone."

Kol turned the phone to Marcel and said, "It's for you."

Marcel almost didn't want to take it but he did anyway.

"Yeah," he answered briskly.

"Marcellus, I am very disappointed in you. After all that you promised, you betray this family again."

"I'm not betraying you, Klaus. I'm just protecting my people. I'll come back home when I know they're safe."

"Come home now, Marcellus. Sure, you will be punished, as you should, but the long and thorough spanking you're going to get for lying to me and betraying this family will amount to nothing compared to the one you will get if I have to go out and find you."

Marcel sighed. He expected as much.

"I mean it," Klaus continued. "If I have to find you, I will bare you where ever you are and I will lay into you until you beg me to stop and then I'll keep going. I will keep going until the thought of ever betraying me again is conditioned out of your naughty little behind."

"Klaus," Marcel barked, red-faced by his father's threat being overheard by Kol. "Just let me get them out of New Orleans,"

"Do you think the issue was that they were in New Orleans?" Klaus barked. "You've been building an army behind my back. I haven't felt so betrayed since the day you shoved Papa Tunde's blade in my chest. Or the time that you and Rebekah concocted the scheme to..." Klaus paused, a thought suddenly occurring to him. "Rebekah. Did she know you were building another army?"

"No, Klaus, she had nothing to do with this."

"I don't believe you. I won't believe you until I have you in front of me and can compel the truth out of you. Come home, now. And just in case you're still thinking of hiding Josh and those other vampires, let Josh know that I have his little boyfriend and if he wants him to go only slightly maimed, he'll come back to the Compound with the other two in tow."

Klaus hung up before Marcel could respond.

"We can't tell him," Kol muttered. "He'll go back."

Marcel was so angry he wanted to crush the phone in his hand. "We have to." He growled. "If Klaus kills the guy and Josh finds out he had a chance to save him, he'll never forgive us."

"At least he'll have a chance to never forgive us. If Klaus kills him I lose the only tie I have left to Davina."

"It's not always about you," Marcel barked. "Josh going back means he'll have to take Lora and Zane with him. They're almost as loyal to him as they are to me. Unless I invoke their Sire Bond and keep them from going back, they're gonna follow him and...and they'll all be dead."

"Then don't tell them," Kol yelled.

Marcel was conflicted. He thought Josh deserved to know the truth but at the same time, he feared his friend would give his life to save his boyfriend's and that thought frightened him.

"I know what I have to do," said Marcel. "I have to go back home."