Warning: Spanking of a minor. Abuse of a minor.

Chapter 29

Flashback:

Little Marcellus screamed at the top of his lungs as his uncle laid heavy smacks against his tiny backside. In the year since Marcel's first spanking, Elijah had mastered the technique of spanking a human child. He'd learned the longer the spanking, the less likely Marcel was to repeat the action that earned him a trip over his knee in the first place.

"No, no, no," Marcel screamed, attempting to end the assault on his bottom by covering it with his hands. Grabbing both of his tiny wrists in one hand, Elijah pinned Marcel's hands to his side and tilted his bottom-up so he could land more stinging smacks to his tender sit spots.

"Trying to prevent your punishment only leads to a harsher spanking, Marcellus," Elijah scolded. "Remember that."

Elijah ignored the boy's wails and continued to land a steady stream of spanks on the bare, upturned bottom before him until a red tint shined on Marcel's burning cheeks.

Elijah righted the boy's clothes before standing him back to his feet. Marcel's face was covered in tears and he sniffled constantly to keep the snot from running from his nose.

Elijah whipped the handkerchief from his jacket pocket and began wiping Marcel's tear-streaked face.

"There, there, Marcellus. You're alright. I don't like having to spank you but little boys who disobey their uncles' direct order to not play with balls indoors deserve to be punished. Especially when disobeying me ended with you breaking a priceless antique vase given to Niklaus by the Emperor, Shizu, five hundred years ago."

"I-I...I'm sorry, Uncle Elijah. I-I didn't mean to."

Elijah sighed. He hated seeing Marcel in such heavy tears but he felt he needed to be harsh with him this time. Normally if he caught Marcel playing ball indoors he would just give him a stern talking to or take the ball from him for a week but when he found the shattered vase and Marcel admitted to accidentally knocking it over with his ball, Elijah knew he had to set a harsher precedent for playing ball in the house.

"I know you didn't mean to, Marcel, but it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't disobeyed me in the first place. And running away from me after I confronted you about it only led to you having a longer spanking."

Tactlessly wiping his remaining tears on the sleeve of his shirt, Marcel stammered, "C-can I g-go to poppa now?"

Elijah sighed once more. "Of course," he said pulling Marcel's arms down from his face. "And don't wipe your face with your sleeves, Marcellus. Here," When Elijah gave Marcel his handkerchief, the boy covered his face with it and continued letting his tears fall.

It wasn't easy being the strict parent but Elijah knew somebody had to do it.

"Go to your poppa," he urged Marcel with an affectionate nudge against his hip. "I believe he's painting right now."

Marcel darted out of the room and down the hall to Klaus's studio. Klaus couldn't help but hear his son's punishment and with every wail, he wanted to march into the room and rip Marcel from Elijah's lap but he trusted his brother and if there was one thing Elijah knew, it was how to keep unruly Mikaelsons in line. When Klaus heard Marcel come running down the hall, he hurried to meet him at the door.

Marcel pushed the studio door open slowly. When he saw Klaus standing behind the door, Marcel's hands automatically slinked down into the pockets of his pants and he stared nervously down at the wooden floor.

"P-poppa, I did something bad."

"Oh," Klaus feigned surprise. He knew already what Marcel had done but if the boy wanted to admit his mistake himself, Klaus wasn't going to stop him.

Cautiously nodding his head 'yes', Marcel continued, "I...I...I b-broke a real old vase that someone real important gave you a real long time ago. I'm sorry, poppa. P-please don't be angry."

Klaus knelt down to one knee and looked into Marcel's turbulent eyes. "Hey, now, it's okay," he said kindly. "I promise I'm not angry. What do I always tell you?"

Roughly wiping his face with Elijah's handkerchief, Marcel stuttered, "Th-that...that I'll always be forgiven? No matter what?"

"That's right. You're my little Marcellus and you mean more to me than some old vase."

Marcel suddenly felt all of his fears wash away.

Tenderly rubbing his sore behind, he said, "Uncle Elijah blistered me for it."

"How dastardly of him," Klaus stood up, lifting the boy up onto his hip as he did. "Perhaps you should stay in here with me so that you won't have to see mean ol' Uncle Elijah again until supper."

Marcel nodded vehemently. There was nothing he loved more than spending time with his father.

End Flashback

Klaus entered Marcel's room, a forced frown upon his face. Marcel was sitting on the edge of his bed waiting for Klaus to come in but upon seeing the surly face of his father, he stood up.

"I'm sorry," he muttered fearing that Klaus's harsh glare indicated his desire to punish Marcel in spite of Elijah's previous spanking.

With his arms firmly crossed over his chest, Klaus walked over to Marcel. "In a thousand years, the only thing I have ever been certain of is that no one can be trusted but time after time again, I have made allotments for my family that no one else has been privy to and time and time again my family has proven to me that they don't deserve my trust. And yet, like a fool, I continue to give it to them. You, my dear Marcellus, have betrayed my trust more than any of my siblings and yet, every time, I forgive you. Because you are my son and whether you betray me every day for the rest of eternity, my love for you forces me to always forgive you and that is my crux to bear. But know this: my forgiveness does not come with the return of my trust. Every time you betray me, you lose more of my trust and it'll take a lot more than just a red bottom to win it back."

Blushing in shame, Marcel said, "I know. I don't expect it to be so easy. But...I also know...that you won't ever give up on me. And that's enough. For now."

"Good." A smirk appeared on Klaus's face. "So, how was your little conversation with Elijah?"

Marcel's blush grew. "He was...a lot harsher than I remember."

"Well, the last time you were unfortunate enough to find yourself over his knee you were still human. I'm sure he was careful to use only a fraction of his power on you then."

"Just because I'm a vampire now doesn't mean he needed to go all out on me."

"Aw, poor Marcellus," Klaus said with a mocking smile. "Was Uncle Elijah too rough with you? Perhaps I should give him a stern talking to."

"It's not funny," Marcel growled. "It...was humiliating. And then afterward he...he treated me as if he were consoling a child."

"Would you prefer that he treated you like the man who snapped his neck and left his dead body lying in the dirt?"

Marcel glanced away from Klaus, embarrassed at the reminder of his act of betrayal. "How long are you going to hold that over my head," he muttered.

"The poet, Maya Angelou, once wrote: 'The thorn from the bush one has planted, nourished and pruned pricks more deeply and draws more blood'." Klaus stood silently, allowing Marcel to completely take in the meaning of his words. "I could never forget the pain of being betrayed by a member of my family, Marcel. It cuts too deep."

Klaus suddenly pulled Marcel against his body, tightly wrapping his arms around the man. Marcel was unsurprised by the sudden bout of affection. He buried his face against Klaus's shoulder as his father held him.

"But it's alright, Marcellus. Even if I can't forget, I will always forgive you."

Marcel's arms slowly slunk around Klaus, tightening the hug they shared. He felt an unparalleled comfort in Klaus's arms that he couldn't explain, neither did he want to.

"Maybe you forgive me," Marcel said as he forced himself to pull away from his father's hold. "But I'm pretty sure Hope is pissed at me for breaking our plans today."

Klaus thought about Hope still standing in his studio waiting for him to come back to get her.

"Well, she's right down the hall in my studio if you want to talk to her," said Klaus.

Marcel sighed. "Spanked by Elijah, tongue-lashed by you, now I have to deal with a surly teenager. Looks like I've hit the angry Mikaelson Trifecta today."

-M-

Marcel opened the door to Klaus's studio expecting to see Hope working on a new painting but as soon as the door opened, she dove against his abdomen hugging him as if she hadn't seen him in a lifetime.

"Hey, now," he said a bit surprised by her reaction. Jokingly he stated, "If I'd known blowing off our plans would make you miss me this much I'd do it more often."

Hope looked up to Marcel, melancholy etched on her face, and he suddenly became serious.

Putting his hands on her shoulder, he pulled her back away from him so he could check for any signs of physical injury. "What's wrong," he asked.

Unsure of how to say what she wanted to say any short of being totally blunt with it, Hope muttered, "I...I...I heard. Everything."

Marcel wasn't sure what she meant at first but all at once the realization hit him.

"What do you mean," he panicked. "Heard what?"

"You and Uncle Elijah. I heard you crying and I heard...I heard everything."

Marcel walked on unsteady legs past Hope. He couldn't believe that his little sister had heard him being spanked by Elijah. The moment was almost surreal. He walked over to the sofa and flopped down on it, staring straight ahead at the unfinished painting on the canvas.

"I was worried," Hope felt the need to explain. "Because dad seemed so angry when he left to go meet you in the courtyard, I wanted to know what he was going to do to you. I was going to stop him if he was going to try to banish you again. I couldn't hear anything from the courtyard but when you guys came upstairs, I...I could hear everything."

She moved over to the sofa beside him.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he grunted. "It takes a little more than that to hurt me."

"Sounds like it hurt to me," she muttered. "Wh-why did you let him,"

"It's the way of the Mikaelsons," he muttered. "I fucked up and I had to be punished before I could be forgiven. That's just the way it is."

"You mean it's happened before," she nearly yelled.

Marcel shrugged. "A couple of times in the past year."

"You mean this whole time you've been getting spanked and you never told me?"

Marcel smirked awkwardly. "Why didn't I tell my kid sister I still get spanked," he asked sarcastically.

After hearing Marcel say it out loud Hope understood why he didn't want to tell her.

"I can't believe you still get spanked," she mumbled. "You're so...old."

Marcel chuckled. Those were his thoughts exactly. "You should watch out yourself," he kidded. "I wouldn't be surprised to someday find you draped over Klaus's knee in your dorm room."

"He wouldn't dare," she barked.

"Oh, he would. Trust me." He laughed at the mortified look on his sister's face. "Hey," he started softly, his laugh tapering off. "Do me a favor and don't tell anyone about this. It's sort of a Mikaelson family secret. If it got around the Quarter how the Mikaelson family was really run, we might lose the respect of our enemies."

"As if anybody would believe me," she scoffed. Then another thought occurred to her. "Does anyone else get spanked? Does dad?"

"Uh, no. I don't think so," he answered, a small abrupt laugh escaping him. The thought of Klaus fighting against Elijah as he tried to force the Hybrid over his lap tickled him.

"What about Uncle Kol? Was he spanked too?"

"Um," Marcel was quiet for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should tell her. He had always known how the others were punished growing up. Painful trips over Elijah's lap was just life for him, Rebekah, and Kol. But then he thought maybe he didn't have a right to disclose anyone else's punishments. "Well, I wouldn't know. You should ask him."

"Yeah right, like he'd actually tell me." With a huff, Hope stood up. "Well, I for one have had enough excitement for one day."

"Is that right? And here I was just about to ask you if you wanted to go see that street show in Algiers."

Hope snickered derisively, "Like I'm going to let you out of your promise so easily. Let's go. We're going to Algiers and you're buying me a corndog."

On their way out of the Compound, Hope and Marcel ran into Kol also leaving the Compound.

"Where are you two off to?" Kol asked as the three of them stood under the arch leading outside.

"To see the new street performer in Algiers," Hope replied smiling from ear to ear. "Wanna come with us, Uncle Kol?"

Kol looked from Hope to Marcel. The scowl on Marcel's face was a clear indication of how Marcel felt about Kol coming with them but that only incited Kol more.

"Why not," he smirked. "I was just on my way to check on Josh anyway. Care if we carpool?"

Marcel's lips tightened but he didn't want to ruin the day he promised to Hope anymore. So begrudgingly he responded, "I'm driving."

-M-

"Don't turn," Kol berated Marcel's driving from the passenger's seat. "Keep straight or we'll run into traffic."

"I've been driving through this city for a hundred years without you," Marcel growled. "So keep quiet and let me..." He speech tapered off as he brought the car to a slow stop. His teeth gritted at the sight of the line of cars in front of him all moving at a consistent six inches an hour.

"Told ya," Kol scoffed.

"Shut up,"

"Hey, let's play a game to pass time," Hope stated excitedly. "Truth or Dare. Marcel, you first. Truth or Dare?"

Marcel sighed. "I'm not playing that, Hope."

"What's wrong," Kol mocked. "Afraid we'll find out something about you, you didn't want us to know?"

Marcel smirked. He wasn't the one with secrets to hide.

"Alright," Marcel relented. "If you're so eager to play, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Kol fearlessly declared.

"I dare you to get out of the car and walk the rest of the way to the ferry."

"Ha, ha," Kol laughed sarcastically. "How about I dare you to take a long walk off a short cliff."

Hope's loud, frustrated groan from the back seat brought their attention back to her. "As I was saying, Marcel, Truth or Dare?"

"Fine," he groaned. "Dare."

"I dare you to prank call dad."

Marcel chuckled dismissively. "Yeah, that's not happening."

"C'mon, you have to. You picked dare,"

"She's right," Kol egged on with a sinister smirk. "You chose dare."

Marcel was adamant about not going through with the dare at first but as traffic seemed to not be going any faster, he finally gave in just to pass time.

"Hello," Klaus answered the blocked number, a clear frustration in the timbre of his voice. He almost didn't answer the phone but he knew only a select people had his number so whoever was calling must've been important.

Marcel's phone was on speaker in the car so everyone could hear. Disguising his voice to sound old and feeble, Marcel said, "Um, hello, this is Mitchell from 'Big Rob's Kitchen Appliances'. Is your refrigerator running?"

Klaus sighed, his anger growing. He didn't know how a telemarketer got his number but he was livid.

"Yes it is," he answered angrily but before he could go into a detailed rant on what Mitchell could do with his call-list, Marcel interrupted, "Then you better go catch it," and hung up.

Hope fell into laughter in the back seat but as funny as they thought the prank was, Marcel and Kol fought the urge to laugh out loud in order to seem superior to each other.

"Your turn," said Marcel, looking back at Hope through the rearview mirror. "Truth or Dare?"

Hope thought for a second and then confidently said, "Truth,"

Marcel was hoping she'd choose Dare so he had to take a moment to think of a 'Truth' for her. "How's school going?"

"Ew," Hope derided. "That's the best you could come up with?"

"At the moment," Marcel chuckled. "Unless, of course, you want to tell your big brother and Uncle Kol if you have a secret crush."

"Gross, that's worst." Hope sat back in her seat, folding her arms over her chest. "I don't wanna play this anymore."

Staring at the petulant girl in the mirror, Marcel said, "Sounds like someone is not passing."

"I am too passing," she bit. Then quieter, she added, "Everything but World History."

"What," Marcel and Kol both exclaimed in shock.

"Your family's a bunch of ancient vampires who have traveled the world ten times over, love," said Kol. "How are you not passing World History?"

"That's exactly it," Hope defended. "Everything I need to know about history I can learn from you guys. What's the point of even showing up to class?"

"You've been skipping class?" Marcel growled.

Hope's eyes widened in fear at realizing she'd overtalked herself. "Um...just once or twice. It's no big deal."

"It is a big deal if you're not passing the class, Hope."

"What's the worst that can happen? I don't get a High School Diploma? So what? None of you have a High School Diploma."

"Because we didn't need one," Kol barked. "We were born in a time where things like High School Diplomas didn't exist but in this time, you need one to make your way in this world."

"No, I don't. I can just compel myself into college. Or a job. Or I could just become a professional witch and sell herbs and remedies like the Dupeauxs. School is for anyone who wasn't lucky enough to be born a Mikaelson."

Marcel and Kol were both fuming in the front seat. They had both compelled themselves into Universities before so they knew how easy it would be for a vampire to get into college without a High School Diploma but they both also knew what it felt like to struggle through learning college material without the fundamental concepts most other students learned during their formal education. They hated the thought of Hope going through that but most importantly they feared that if she could give up on 8th Grade so easily, what was to stop her from giving up on everything else as well.

"Marcel," Kol said more friendly than he'd spoken to Marcel in years. "Do is a favor and make a right on this street."

"Why," Hope questioned. "That street is just a loop. It'll take us back the way we came."

"Exactly," Kol stated. "We're going to drop you back off at the Compound."

"Why," she yelled.

"Because I am hereby grounding you. You are not to leave the Compound unless it's to go to school."

"But that's not fair," she continued to bellow. "You're supposed to be the fun uncle!"

"I am fun, dear," Kol smirked. "Maybe when you're older you'll see that. For now, until you're at an age where any reckless decisions you make is beyond our control, you get 'Stern Uncle Kol'. Not to be mistaken for 'Stern Uncle Elijah'. I am still far nicer than him."

When Marcel did as Kol asked and ventured right at the next street, Hope's frustration grew. Throwing herself back in her seat, she kicked the back of Kol's seat.

Kol turned around to cut his eyes at the girl. He thought back to his youth, knowing exactly how his father would've handled such blatant petulance.

Flashback:

"Kol," Elijah shook his brother's shoulders attempting to wake him. "Wake up, brother. It's nearly sunrise. It's time to practice hunting."

"No," Kol groaned as he turned back over on his cot. "I don't wanna."

"Kol," Elijah muttered warningly. "You're fourteen now. It's time to start pulling your weight around here."

Klaus sat on the edge of Kol's cot, nervously wringing his hands. He was afraid of being found in the hut when they were supposed to be outside with Finn but he was also afraid of what would happen to Kol if Mikael were to come in and find him still sleeping.

"Get up, brother," he anxiously shook Kol once more. "If father catches you sleeping when you should be practicing...you know what he'll do."

"I don't care," Kol barked. "We've been practicing from dusk til dawn for three days. I'm tired, Elijah. I just wanna sleep!"

"What was that?"

Kol immediately sat up at the sound of Mikael's voice. Mikael stood in the archway of the boys' hut, a menacing scowl on his face. Klaus jumped to his feet immediately, fearing being down at the man's mercy.

Realizing that his father overheard his exclamation, Kol stammered, "I-I just...I'm tired, sir."

"Is that so,"

A chill ran down Elijah's spine as Mikael came closer.

"It's alright, father," he said, standing up to greet Mikael. "I'll wake him. I'll have him out at the training field before-"

A back-hand slap across his face silenced Elijah immediately.

"You couldn't get him out there at first," said Mikael, his menacing voice causing all three boys to shiver. "What makes you think I'd leave it to you again."

"F-father," Kol rose to his knees, prepared to leave the hut without further coercion but then Mikael sent a swift kick across his face, sending him back down to the cot.

"Only the sick," Mikael swung his foot into Kol's ribcage, "And the lame," he stomped down on the boy's hip, "Don't hunt for their food. So if that's what you want, I will gladly make you lame!"

Kol covered his head with his arms as his father's heavy foot came down upon him again and again. He begged for the beating to end but his pleas seemed to only spur Mikael on. Elijah and Klaus stood back, watching heartbrokenly as Mikael continued to kick and stomp Kol.

A loud popping noise sounded throughout the hut followed by Kol's breathless screech. Mikael had stomped Kol's shoulder out of the socket but that didn't stop his onslaught.

End Flashback

"Kol," Marcel yelled, bringing Kol's mind back to the present. Seeing the focused look on Kol's face, Marcel knew he was deep in thought and curiously slipped into his mind while his guard was down. When he saw the memory Kol was reliving, he knew he had to pull him out of it before Hope's curiosity got the better of her and she saw the Mikaelson's greatest shame.

It took a second for Kol to remember what he was saying before his mind slipped back to the past. Glancing at the back seat where Hope still sat, her arms tightly crossed over her chest and a scowl on par with her mother's resting on her face, he suddenly remembered.

"You're grounded, Hope," he stated calmly. "End of discussion. And I will be telling your mum and dad about your little class skipping escapade."

"That's not fair! You can't ground me and still tattle."

"I can and I will."

Growing increasingly angry, Hope kicked the back of Kol's seat again.

Kol took a deep breath in and a long sigh out. He calmed himself with thoughts of Davina.

-M-

Kol took it upon himself to walk Hope back into the Compound and upstairs to her room where he told her she was to stay until supper.

As he was walking out of the Compound, he sent a message in the 'Mikaelson Family' group text, saying 'Just found out Hope's been skipping school. Did the adult thing and grounded her. Somebody owes me a cookie.'

"Who are you texting?"

Kol looked up to see Marcel standing beside his car, waiting for Kol to come back.

"Family group text," Kol answered, waving his phone in the air. "Thought it would be the quickest way to get the word out about our little issue with Hope."

Marcel took his phone from his pocket expecting to see a new notification from Kol but none came. "I'm not in the Family Group?"

Kol smirked. "I venture that's for the same reason Hope's not in it. Don't worry, I hear from Rebekah they have a separate group without me as well. It figures."

Marcel thought about the group message he had with Josh and the other vampires he sired. He supposed that Klaus had his reasons for leaving him out of the group.

"What do you think you're doing?" Marcel growled when Kol opened his car door.

Confused, Kol answered, "I thought we were going to see Josh."

Marcel walked over to the driverside door and said, "You were riding with me because that's what Hope wanted. Hope's not here anymore so...looks like you're gonna have to walk."

"Fine," Kol slammed the door shut.

He walked over to the edge of the street, preparing to hail a cab when Marcel said, "One question,"

Kol scoffed, ready to pretend to ignore whatever Marcel was about to ask.

"Why is it...when you find out Hope's been skipping school, you suddenly become her stern, protective Uncle but...when I was a child...you forced me to watch a company of actors kill each other under your compulsion. You force-fed me your blood, prepared to kill me, all in the name of fun."

The stress in his voice as he asked the question forced Kol to look at Marcel as the man fought to keep his emotions at bay. He couldn't help the sense of jealousy that flooded him at seeing Kol being so paternal towards Hope when he had never seen that side of Kol.

Kol sighed. He knew it would be a good time to give some sort of witty, sarcastic answer and leave Marcel wondering the truth for the rest of his life but his mind was also still crowded with thoughts of Davina and he knew she would want him to answer Marcel honestly.

"Truth is," he muttered. "I was a different person back then, mate. I was filled with jealousy and anger. I'd spent so many years as the backup brother to Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah that when I met you and saw how much they actually cared about you - that you weren't just something they were going to use to past the time, that you were family - I began to hate you. It didn't matter that you were a child or that you had nothing to do with why I was feeling the way I was. All that mattered was...that you got the love and the trust that they so frequently denied me. I was afraid...that they would love you so much, they'd forget about me. That day...I knew they wouldn't choose to turn you into a vampire but I was forcing them to choose between you and me. If they chose me they would simply send you away to protect you from me. But...obviously, they chose you and decided to put me back in a box."

"You wanted...you wanted Klaus to get rid of me?"

"At the time, more than anything in the world. But...had I been a proper uncle to you back then or had they'd sent you away, you and I might've never become friends," Smirking devilishly, he added, "Then again, we might not've become enemies either."

The end of Marcel's lip curled into a smile. He didn't consider Kol his friend but he didn't consider him an enemy either. He was right in the sweet spot where Marcel could stomach his presence but at the same time, he'd prefer to never be around him.

"So what changed you?" Marcel dared ask. "With Hope, I mean? She's a permanent fixture in this family too, y'know. Klaus is never going to send her away just because Uncle Kol is a little jealous she's getting all the attention."

Kol's cheeks tinted with a hint of a blush. "To be honest. You did, mate."

Marcel stood shocked at Kol's answer.

"We were best friends for almost a century," Kol smirked. "And...I can't help but wonder, had I not been so jealous of your relationship with Klaus...perhaps we'd still be friends. I don't want to repeat the same mistakes with Hope. I'm going to be better with her this time. I want to be a man Davina would be proud of."

Marcel was speechless. He stood beside his car trying to think of some way to respond to Kol's proclamation but he couldn't get his mouth to move. Before he could regain control of his faculties, Kol had flagged down a cab and was getting in the back seat. "See you in Algiers, mate," said Kol slamming the cab door close behind him.