Chapter 34
Finn and Mikael sat enjoying the gentle breeze of the New Orleans weather at a patio table at one of Freya's favorite bistros. Finn ate the last beignet slowly while keeping a cautious eye on his father. The night Freya brought them back to life, she revived him first and he had begged her not to bring Mikael back but he was too weak from hunger to stop her. The moment Freya revived Mikael, he looked to Finn as if he were looking at a sack of meat and he attacked him, draining him of ounces of blood before Freya could finally get him to stop. Finn knew if he weren't a vampire he would've died but Mikael didn't seem to care about his suffering, only about satisfying his hunger. It had been two days since that night and Mikael hadn't had a drop of blood since. He refused the bags of human blood Freya provided them and Finn feared that at any moment the man would attack him again.
"I can smell your fear," Mikael growled lowly as he stared off at the crowds of people moving through the city. "Stop staring. I taught you to be braver than that."
Finn jumped, embarrassed at being so easily detected.
"You cannot blame me," Finn uttered. "From what Freya says I am the only vampire in this city besides those of our family she is hiding us from and you feed on vampires. The wise gazelle does not take his eyes off of the hungry lion."
Mikael scoffed. "How prudent of you. Although, I believe our dear Freya was wrong. There are other vampires around. In fact, there is one nearby."
Finn scanned the area, searching for anyone who looked or smelled like a vampire but he couldn't find any.
"Where," he asked. "I don't sense one."
"Because your senses have grown dull, no doubt an effect of your time spent as a witch under your mother's coddling." Mikael closed his eyes and concentrated on finding the vampire. He was growing hungry for lack of nourishment but he was still as strong as ever. A thousand years of training his body to withstand an immense amount of torture made him able to stave off starvation for weeks at a time. "I can smell the cursed blood running through his veins. He's getting closer." Black veins outlined Mikael's eyes. "It's almost feeding time."
-M-
Flashback
Their swords came together with enough strength to elicit sparks. Marcel had taken off his shirt to spar with Rebekah in order to, as Rebekah understood it, move more freely. Rebekah had agreed, so confident in her own skill that she was willing to give Marcel an advantage he could cease.
Rebekah was amazed by how strong Marcel had become. When he was younger she would swing her sword with grace, careful not to hurt the boy, but now he was nineteen, older than she was when she became a vampire, and with the strength of a man. Marcel was keeping up with her every strike, skilled enough to trick her into a corner, trapping her into his victory.
With a proud smirk, Rebekah removed her mask. "Seems you've improved since our last match."
Marcel lifted his mask, his smoldering eyes gazing into hers. His tight jaw leading a straight line to his strong chin lifting his supple lips into a smile. For the first time in nine years, Rebekah found herself not staring into the soft eyes of Klaus's little boy, but into the fierce glare of the man he had become.
"I had a good teacher," Marcel's said, his voice velvety smooth.
He placed his sword down to his side, inching closer to her until they were nearly touching. He could see it in her eyes, the way she stared down at broad chest, the timid glance away, she was seeing him the way he'd always hoped she would.
"We...should," Rebekah cleared her throat to get her voice above a whisper. "We should...go again. I won't hold back this time."
As she tried to move past Marcel, he took his shot, forcing his lips on hers. Rebekah didn't fight him, embracing his sweet, mortal taste, nipping slightly at his bottom lip with her canines. The sharp point of her teeth would have deterred a normal man but Marcel was special. He encouraged her roughness, bitting back with a bit of fierceness of his own.
Coming to her senses she pulled away from him.
"We can't," she pressed her hands against his chest. "You...you're my brother's son."
"Not by blood," Marcel defended. "And I've never thought of you as an aunt. To me, you're just...Bex, the pretty girl who likes to steal sweets with me when Elijah's not looking. The girl who taught me Fencing and who rides horses with me and, and...and the girl I compare every other girl to."
Rebekah shook her head trying to convince herself that Marcel's feelings were wrong and she was wrong for thinking about him as a sexual being for even a second.
"You-you're just...19. I'm eight hundred and-"
"It doesn't matter," Marcel pressed his pelvis against hers. "I'm a man. I know what I want and so do you. We can't fight it forever."
Looking into his eyes, she wanted nothing more than to feel his body wrapped around hers but she knew that was just her lust controlling her. She didn't love him, not like that. She couldn't. It wasn't right.
Hoping that the threat of Niklaus' disapproval would snap Marcel out of it, Rebekah started, "Klaus would never allow-"
"I don't answer to my father anymore," Marcel scoffed. "And neither do you. We're both adults now. If I want to say I love you I should be able to scream it from the rooftops."
"You don't love me."
"I do. And it's not just the boyish affection I had for you when we first met. I have known many girls in my 19 years, Bex, but you are the only one who can wake the passion in me. I don't want to hide my feelings for you anymore."
"You should. Niklaus has never liked any man I've ever dared to love. He killed the last one."
"I think we both know that I'm not just some man that my father would ever kill."
"You're right. You're special to him. In all the years my family's been alive I've never seen Niklaus love anyone the way he loves you so it's not you I fear for. It's me. My brother has a certain method he employs when he wants to keep his siblings in line and I would rather not be on the receiving end of it."
Rebekah pushed Marcel away and started walking to the staircase.
"The daggers," Marcel asked. Rebekah stopped and slowly turned to him. "That's what you're talking about, right? That's what you're afraid of? Well, you don't have to be anymore." He moved tentatively towards her, afraid that in her fear of Niklaus she would move away from him again. "I found the daggers a week ago and I've hidden them somewhere poppa would never think to look so we can be together and you don't have to be afraid."
The worry creasing Rebekah's eyebrows suddenly vanished. Her shimmering eyes grew gentle as Marcel announced her freedom from the daggers that plagued her siblings for centuries.
"Finn's coffin," a voice called out into the courtyard.
Rebekah's body tensed at the terribly familiar voice.
Klaus's voice hit Marcel like a blow to the ribs. They looked to the archway to see Klaus standing underneath it, his eyes narrowed with anger.
"You're right, I would have never thought to look there," he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out three silver daggers. "Not for these, anyway. But a few days ago, Kol was being particularly annoying and since I couldn't find these daggers, I began fretting over whether I should make the decision of un-daggering boring ol' Finn just so I could use his dagger on Kol. Then last night I went down to look at Finn hoping it would make the decision easier for me, but what should I find tucked underneath his back but my trusted little friends."
Marcel's eyes dropped to the ground, embarrassed at having done such a poor job in his attempt to free Rebekah from her fear of the dagger.
"Marcel, go to your room," Niklaus demanded. "I want to speak to my sister alone."
"She had nothing to do with it," Marcel quickly said. "It was my idea. She didn't even know I was planning it."
"I am perfectly aware that this was something you planned on your own and I intend to deal with it accordingly," Klaus growled. "Now do as I say and go to your room."
Marcel clenched his jaw wanting to argue that he was a man now and Klaus couldn't just send him to his room when he felt like it but he looked to Rebekah. The soft, pleading look in her eyes urged him to leave them. She didn't want Marcel to witness it if Klaus was going to dagger her. He was still young, he didn't need to see the woman he loved stabbed through the heart even if it was just a temporary death.
Marcel left, a glare on his face as he marched out of the courtyard.
"What do you think you're doing," Klaus asked as he closed in the distance between him and Rebekah. "Trying to win my son's heart so you can use my affection towards him for your own agenda?"
"The thought never crossed my mind, Klaus," Rebekah stated quickly. "I know how you feel about him. But he claims to love me. I cannot stop that."
"One would be amazed by the power of a little Compulsion."
Rebekah's eyes widened. "Y-you can't. Whether or not he loves me should be his decision. You can force him to do what you want. He...he's your son, not just some pawn whose fate you decide."
"I can and I will," Klaus remained unmoved by Rebekah's declaration. "He doesn't deserve to be toyed with like all the other suitors you fell 'madly in love' with, Rebekah. He's too caring and too kind to be hurt by your capricious love. If Compelling him to forget his feelings for you is what it takes to protect him then I'll do it."
End Flashback
Kol stood staring at Elijah trying to build up the courage to approach him. He knew his brothers would be furious with him when they found out he kept such an important secret from them but he couldn't bear to keep it any longer. If Mikael and Finn were alive it was only a matter of time before they came after his family again and he had to do what he could to protect them.
Freya saw Kol's hesitation as he stood a few feet away from Elijah and she knew what he was thinking. Hurrying to her brother, she pulled him into a corridor and growled, "What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm going to tell Elijah what you did," Kol bit, snatching his arm from her grip.
"You tell him what I did and you put him and Niklaus in danger. I have father and Finn under control but if our brothers go after them looking to start a fight, I can't stop them from retaliating. Give me a chance to prove that they have changed and then I will tell Elijah myself. I swear."
Kol scoffed and tried to move around Freya. She placed a hand on his chest and said, "I won't be able to bring Davina back if you tell them."
"So now you're holding Davina over my head again, are ya," Kol bit, growing a distrust for his older sister rivaled only by his distrust of Finn.
"I'm not. You bring me what I need to bring her back and I'll do it in an instant but if you tell Elijah and Niklaus about father and Finn first, after they kill them they will destroy every resurrection spell I have to prevent me from ever trying to bring them back again."
Kol silently berated himself for even considering keeping the existence of two of the most horrible men he knew a secret. But he loved Davina and he blamed himself for her death so he had to do whatever he could to bring her back. Even if it meant keeping his mouth shut.
Angry at himself, he stomped away from Freya and Elijah towards the exit.
Kol didn't see Marcel until he bumped against his shoulder. "Hey," Marcel said, grabbing Kol by the arm. He could see the focus in Kol's eyes but he wasn't interested in that at the moment. "Have you seen Hope?"
"She's around," Kol replied curtly. "Go find Klaus. I'm sure he knows exactly where she is."
Just as Marcel was about to make a joke about Klaus's micro-managing, Kol yanked his arm from his hold and continued stomping away.
Marcel was very curious about Kol's sudden aggressive behavior but he thought that perhaps he had gotten into a little disagreement with Klaus or Elijah and was just being the drama queen he was known to be. A hundred years ago Marcel would have run after him and helped him get over his anger by drinking, shit-talking his brothers, or bedding strange women but they weren't best friends anymore and Marcel had a little sister to surprise.
He went further into the studio looking for Hope but he couldn't spot her amongst the sea of teenagers but Klaus stood out like a solid tree amongst saplings blowing in the wind. He went over to his father curious about what could make the man have such a dour look on his face.
"Let me guess," Marcel started jokingly, drawing Klaus's attention away from Hope and her new friend. "Someone took the last beignet before you could even have one."
"Don't be ridiculous. You know I've set aside a reserve of beignets for myself in the studio office," Klaus scolded and Marcel laughed. "This is more serious. Look,"
Marcel followed Klaus's eyes across the studio to Hope's mop of blonde hair. She was talking excitedly to a tall girl who eyed Hope with a suspicious amount of interest.
"They're flirting," Klaus bit. "I've been listening in. First, she asked what sort of perfume Hope had on and then she asked what kind of shampoo she used. If things get any more intimate I'm stepping in."
Marcel was suspicious of the girl as well but he could tell Klaus was at a dangerous level in his query. "I think you're reading too much into it. I mean, of course she asked about Hope's shampoo. It's weird. I mean, who has mint scented shampoo?"
"I bought her that shampoo," Klaus growled. "And I have it on good authority that she has a 'thing' for this girl."
"Oh, yeah, whose authority?"
"Sebastian,"
Marcel couldn't argue with that source. Who best to know who Hope likes than her best friend.
"Don't overreact," Marcel warned. "You remember what you did on my fourteenth. You threatened to snap a girl's neck."
"Because she kept making advances at you that you were clearly uninterested in."
"Because I didn't know they were advances. I liked that girl and had I known she was flirting with me, I would've most certainly lost my virginity to her that night."
"Then it's a good thing I stepped in when I did. Perhaps I should do the same now just in case the littlest Mikaelson is thinking the same." Klaus nodded to Hope and Izzy who were now standing side by side admiring one of Hope's paintings, their hands dangerously close to touching.
"Ooh, they're holding hands," Marcel mocked. "Better watch out, Klaus. That's practically one step from full-on intercourse."
"Is my paternal anxiety entertaining to you?"
"A little bit. It'd be more if I could get that little vein in your forehead to pulse erratically like it does."
As if prompted by Marcel's coaxing, the vein on Klaus's forehead grew bigger and Marcel let out a hearty chuckle.
"This is not funny," Klaus growled. "That girl is a criminal, she was just released from a juvenile detention center for attacking a girl with a baseball bat. And she's eighteen!"
Marcel's laughing ceased immediately. If all that were true he was surprised at the restraint Klaus took in keeping himself from towing Hope out of the party over his shoulder.
"Alright," Marcel stood in front of Klaus, blocking his sight from Hope. "I'll step in. You stay here, count to ten, and try not to kill a child today."
"I make no promises."
Marcel waded through the crowd over to his sister, stepping in between her and Izzy.
"Happy birthday, little sis," he said excitedly, pretending that he didn't notice he'd just broken up their intimate moment. "Who is...uh, this?"
Hope knew exactly what her brother was trying to do and she almost didn't want to introduce her to him but a little part of her was excited about her Izzy showing interest in her and Hope wanted to brag about it to everyone. "This is Izzy. Izzy, this is my brother, Marcel."
"How's it going, Izzy." Marcel held his hand out for the girl to take. Izzy secured him with a firm handshake. With a chuckle, he said, "That's quite a grip you have, Izz. You play any sports?"
There was a hint of knowing in his voice that did not go unnoticed by Izzy. "Not anymore," she answered curtly. "And it's Izzy. Not Izz."
"Uh, Marcel," Hope interrupted. "We were kind of...in the middle of a conversation here. Do you think you could, uh...y'know...go somewhere else? Please." Hope shined the most innocent smile at Marcel, causing him to instantly forgive her rudeness.
"I'd love to," Marcel glanced over Hope's shoulder across the room at Klaus still eagerly watching them and no doubt listening to everything they were saying. "But I was kinda hoping you wouldn't be too busy for me to give you my gift."
Hope was so excited at the prospect of her brother's gift that she immediately forgave his rude intrusion. She held out her hands excitedly expecting him to place a gift-wrapped box in them.
"I'm afraid its a bit bigger than that," he said. "It's outside."
Hope's eyes lit up even more. She had to restrain herself from bouncing on the balls of her feet in front of Izzy.
"C'mon," Marcel said, leading the way outside.
Hope turned to Izzy, unsure if she should walk away from the girl while she finally had her attention but then she remembered what Sebastian warned her about. She had to play it cool. If she came across too clinging, Izzy would drop her like a Hot Pocket.
"Be right back," Hope said to the girl with a smile. Izzy smiled back, watching curiously as Hope walked away.
"So," Marcel started talking as the two of them made their way to the door. "Izzy. She seems...nice."
"She is. We're in the same art class. She does the most amazing drawings. Her shading, attention to detail, everything is just...amazing."
Marcel couldn't help but smile at his little sister's fawning over her crush's artwork but that didn't make him like the idea of Hope with Izzy anymore.
"Oh, you met in art class, huh? You mean, like, at school?"
Suspicious of Marcel's line of questioning, Hope answered slowly, "Yeah,"
"Isn't it a bit weird for a girl her age to be in an eighth-grade art class?"
"It's not an eighth-grade art class. It's Art I. And, no it's not weird. She's only in the ninth grade. She used to be really into sports but when she stopped playing she needed something to take its place so she joined art."
"Only in the ninth grade, huh," Marcel continued questioning. "That's funny, she looks a little older than that."
Hope paused in the middle of their stride and Marcel slowed to a stop. "What is that supposed to mean?" She asked frustratedly.
"Nothing. I'm just curious. You like this girl, right?"
Hope folded her arms over her chest in a mix of embarrassment at Marcel knowing about her crush and angry that he was clever enough to figure it out.
"So what if I do," she muttered. "Is there something wrong with me liking girls?"
"Of course not," Marcel growled, coming closer to his sister and placing a guiding finger under her chin. "You know it doesn't matter to me who you love. I just want you to be happy." Glancing back over at Izzy, her eyes glued to another of Hope's paintings, he added, "But not this girl, Izzy. I don't like you with her. She's not right for you."
Hope yanked her head from his hand. "You don't even know her."
"I know of her. And I know girls like her. For Christ's sake, Hope, how old is she? She doesn't even look young enough to be in the ninth grade, let alone dating my fourteen-year-old sister."
"She is sixteen," Hope tensely answered trying to not draw attention to them but she was getting far more frustrated with her brother than she'd ever been. "Two years older than me. How many years older than you was Aunty Bex when you realized you liked her?"
Marcel opened his mouth and then shut it.
"Exactly," the irritated teenager growled. "You don't get to say who I can date."
"Then it's a good thing I do."
Hope spun around to see Klaus looming over her, his arms casually held behind his back as a method of restraint.
"Hope," Klaus began softly. "I'm sorry, love, but Izzy just isn't the girl for you. I forbid you from seeing her."
Hope was confused about how Klaus knew anything about Izzy but she quickly deduced her father's eavesdropping and as the knowledge hit her, she felt suddenly violated. What all had he heard them say? Did he sense her heart racing and her palms sweating as she talked to Izzy? Was he also invading her private thoughts?
Her anxiety rising beyond what she could handle, Hope sped to the office, slamming the door shut behind her. For a moment the party seemed to pause and all eyes fell to the closed office door.
Hayley, Elijah, and Freya were by Klaus's side in an instant.
"What did you do," Hayley barked.
"I didn't do anything," Klaus groaned, rolling his eyes as the four members of his family glared at him like he didn't know the best way to protect his daughter.
Angry at the way Klaus handled the situation, Marcel said, "Hope has a crush on that girl over there," he pointed at Izzy who was still staring at the office door, "And being his paranoid, controlling self, instead of trying to reasonably talk Hope out of dating the girl, he tried to forbid their relationship."
Turning a disbelieving eye to her younger brother, Freya asked, "You have a problem with Hope dating girls?"
"Come off it, love," Klaus rolled his eyes. "You know it has nothing to do with her being a girl. It's because she's a violent, ex-convict nearly old enough to vote while my little girl is just barely on the precipice of being a teenager."
"She's not a little girl, Klaus," Hayley growled. "She's a growing teenager girl who needs space enough to figure out what she likes and she doesn't need her father breathing down her neck as she does."
"Then let her grow," Klaus bellowed, drawing all eyes to them. "But with another fourteen-year-old. With a girl who is interested in dolls and makeup, not baseball bats and attempted murder."
Every teenager in the room knew exactly who they were arguing about at the mention of the baseball bat. Their eyes darted from Klaus to Izzy and Izzy stood stark still for the longest while, humiliated at being the subject of discontent. With her head hanging low, she made a speedy exit out of the party past the Original family, avoiding eye contact with everyone.
"Well," Elijah sighed. "I guess the party is over."
Hayley shook her head, disappointed that the father of her child managed to ruin the girl's first birthday with her whole family.
"I'm going to go check on Hope," she stated furiously walking away.
Seconds later Rebekah entered the studio dressed in fitting equestrian pants and leather boots. When she spotted Marcel she didn't immediately notice the look on everyone's face as she had her own agenda to get to.
"What the bloody hell is taking so long," she barked as she walked over to the circle of her family. "You're supposed to be getting Hope."
"Ohh, sister," Elijah slightly turned his nose up at Rebekah. "I don't mean to be rude but, you smell...somewhat pungently like a horse."
"A Clydesdale, actually. Mine and Marcel's present to Hope. Where is the little munchkin anyway? I don't want her to sneak outside and see the horse before I can get a picture of her reaction." Rebekah held up her camera with a big smile on her face but she was the only one smiling. "Did I miss something?"
"Niklaus," Elijah growled. "Being Niklaus, ruined Hope's birthday."
"I didn't ruin it," Klaus retorted. "She was trying to 'hook up' with some sixteen-year-old criminal and I refused to allow it."
"Christ," Rebekah exclaimed. "Can this family get through one celebration without a fallout?"
"Don't overreact," Klaus grunted. "We've had plenty of celebrations that ended peaceably. Most of Marcel's birthdays went nearly seamlessly."
"Nearly seamlessly," Marcel repeated.
"No one died," Klaus corrected. He saw Marcel about to object and quickly added, "No one died during the celebrations. Before or after the party doesn't count so I stand by my statement: No one died."
"You need to put a bridle on that anger of yours, brother," Elijah scolded.
"It's not my anger I'm worried about," Klaus growled. "It's keeping my daughter away from sex-craved women who would try to influence her into losing her innocence."
Elijah let out a heavy sigh and said, "You can't shield her forever, Klaus. You need to trust your daughter to make the right decisions on who she should date."
"I trust my daughter," Klaus said. "I don't trust 16-year-old ex-convicts."
Hayley came back with her face in a tight frown, glowering at Klaus. "Thanks a lot, Klaus. Hope's locked herself in the office and she's not even opening the door for Sebastian."
They all looked back at the office door and saw Sebastian with his body pressed against it, muttering soft, encouraging words to his friend through the door but she still wouldn't open it.
"I'm sure Klaus would love to go break the door down for you," Rebekah taunted. "Being the expert birthday ruiner he is. Or Kol. He's always an overflowing reservoir of trouble. Where is he anyway?"
Freya folded her arms across her body, shrinking herself from her family's gaze in order to seem less suspicious.
"He was leaving when I came in," Marcel said. "Didn't say where he was going."
"Perhaps it's better that he's not here right now," said Klaus. "He probably would've taken you up on your suggestion to break the door down but as long as Hope's in there she's not out here with Izzy."
"That's your plan," Marcel said mockingly. "To keep her locked away like some kind of fairytale princess?"
"Well, she is a princess," Klaus defended.
"You can't be serious," Rebekah said, a snarl on her face. "You have to learn to trust your daughter. Let her date who she wants to date. When she's ready to...get intimate with a person, she'll know when the times right. I'm sure Hayley has already had 'the talk' with her so she knows how important her first time is."
Hayley looked away from everyone, shifting from foot to foot.
"You did have 'the talk' with her," Rebekah questioned noticing Hayley's sudden discomfort. "Didn't you?"
Hayley shrugged. "It's not as easy as everyone makes it seem. When she first hit puberty, I psyched myself up for weeks just to tell her but then she told me that she had a crush on a girl in the werewolf tribe we were traveling with at the time and it threw a monkey wrench into my whole plan. I am, sadly and embarrassingly, uneducated about same-sex relationships. I was hoping I would have more time to prepare before we had to have that talk."
"Oh yeah, that's great," Marcel said sarcastically. "I hear that kids in the LGBT community have far less sex than straight kids. Most of them wait until marriage so you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Just keep waiting until the time is more convenient for you, I'm sure Hope'll be fine."
"I don't need your sarcasm, Marcel. I know I'm a couple of years too late but in my defense, I've had to deal with raising a stubborn werewolf, vampire, witch tribrid on my own which, as you all know by now, isn't easy. There's no parenting book to help you teach your tribrid daughter the safe way to make love to a woman. Trust me, I've looked."
"If you want," Freya softly interrupted, bringing herself back into the conversation. "I could talk to her. I...have some experience in the area."
"Really," Hayley's eyes lit up. "Freya, that would be great! Thank you!"
"I really don't think anyone should be talking to her about anything," Klaus said stubbornly. "Because she's not going to be having sex with anyone for a very long time."
"Don't be stupid, Nik," Rebekah scolded. "She's at that age. She's bound to do a little bit of experimentation."
"And I will flay anyone she experiments with."
"You will not," Hayley growled. "This is not the archaic times you grew up in, Klaus. Girls do not have to get their fathers' permission to be with someone anymore."
"My girl does,"
Sebastian managed to pop the door open with his I.D. when Hope stopped responded back to him. He went in expecting to be bombarded with hateful shouts of anger but he was surprised to see no one.
"She's gone," he screamed back into the studio.
Without a second to contemplate their next move, all the Mikaelsons sped into the room to find only a tray of beignets thrown haphazardly across the floor.
-M-
Flashback
Klaus was slightly irritated that he did not find Marcel in his room where he'd told him to go after talking to Rebekah but as he searched the entire Compound with no sign of his son, he began to get worried. He was afraid that in his anger, Marcel had left the property. In all the years he'd been alive, he never felt as much fear as he did whenever he didn't know where Marcel was. He was mortal and vulnerable and in the world they lived in, anything could happen to him.
Klaus went out to the stables to saddle up a horse to go looking for Marcel but to his surprise, Marcel was already there brushing the coat of his new stallion. Marcel expected Klaus to come find him so he wasn't surprised when he heard the stable door open, nor did he bother to acknowledge Klaus's presence.
With a sigh of relief, Klaus calmly said, "I thought I told you to go to your room."
"And I decided not to," Marcel said firmly, still brushing his horse.
"Excuse me," Klaus grunted, angered by Marcel's proud admission of his blatant defiance. "You don't make decisions when I give orders. I don't know where this sudden surge of rebellion came from but you'd better place the reigns on it before I do so myself."
Marcel dropped his brush and turned to face Klaus, his face hard with anger. "It's not defiance. It's me being a man. I don't do things just because 'you said' so anymore. And I will not be sent to my room like a disobedient child anymore either."
Klaus's eyes narrowed. Kol had tried to use that argument dozens of times in the past and every time the conversation ended with him face down over Klaus or Elijah's lap. Klaus wanted to do the same thing to Marcel in that moment but as he saw him standing there then, proud of himself, his back straight and no sign of fear in his eyes, he had an epiphany: Marcel was not Kol.
The world they lived in was full of people who wanted to force Marcel, and men like him, to believe they weren't men, that they weren't even 3/4ths of a man. They wanted to break them like wild horses, to control them, to subjugate them, all because of arbitrary phenotypes that had no bearings on their worth as men. This was the world Marcel existed in.
Klaus was used to controlling his family by any means necessary even if it meant using the occasional corporal punishment. That was the way he raised Marcel, that was the way Elijah reigned in Rebekah and Kol when they thought to question his authority. But for the first time, Klaus found himself questioning his own methods.
If he treated Marcel as he would have Kol just then, would Marcel understand that he was punishing him because he required obedience from every member of his family or would he think that Klaus was punishing him because he didn't see him as a man, that ultimately Klaus was no different than the others in their world that though Marcel didn't deserve to be considered a man.
The thought of his son believing something so contemptible about him turned Klaus's stomach.
"I know you don't like the idea of your son being with your sister," Marcel said, drawing Klaus from his unending invasive thoughts. "But...I can't help what I feel for her, Klaus. It's not...me falling in love with my Aunt. It's me...falling in love with my best friend. And I can't apologize for that. You told me to never apologize for who I love."
A soft small crossed Klaus's face. He walked slowly through the stable to Marcel, still standing proud.
"I know you think you feel something for her," Klaus said warmly. "But those feelings are not real. You only think you love her because she's young and pretty, and considering that you two live in the same home, she provides an easy accessibility you can't find in other girls."
"Don't talk about her like that," Marcel yelled.
"Why not," Klaus continued, ignoring Marcel's rage. "It's the truth. My sister finds a new beau every decade. You are just one of many."
If there was one thing Marcel learned from Kol and his witch friends, it was that when a man disrespected his girl, it didn't matter who he was, there was only one thing to do.
Klaus didn't expect the punch to come or he would've dodged it but moments after he spoke, Marcel's fist collided with his jaw. It didn't hurt, Klaus barely flinched, but it was the act itself meant enough.
"Don't ever talk about her like that again," Marcel growled lowly. "I don't care if she's been with ten men, or a hundred, or a thousand. She is perfect to me and I won't ever let anyone talk about her like that. Not even you."
Klaus's jaw tightened. He couldn't believe Marcel had the fortitude to strike his father but he was strangely grateful for the lick because it had made his decision much easier for him. Marcel was a man and he could fight. Even if Klaus spanked him and Marcel understood that his being punished had nothing to do with the color of his skin, only that Klaus wanted control over him like he had with the rest of his family, Klaus feared that with Marcel being so self-sufficient now, no longer a boy in need of his father's protection, he would decide to leave their family.
The rest of his family only stayed with him because they had spent so much time together running from Mikael over the past eight hundred years that they all believed nobody would understand them like they did each other. Marcel, however, was still young and unencumbered by their burdens. There was nothing tethering him to their family. If he wanted to leave, he could. And there would be no reason to come back. Maybe he would come back for Rebekah and she would realize she loved him just as much as he loved her and they would run off together, leaving him behind. And in his heartbreak, he would become cruel and torturous to the point where Elijah couldn't handle it anymore and then he would leave. The heartache would force him to turn off his humanity. Maybe he could travel the world with Kol, killing and maiming for fun but even Kol had his limits - a weakness for witches. If Klaus went overboard and harmed a coven of witches, as he often did since fighting witches was a lot more fun than fighting humans, Kol would become disgusted with him as well, leaving him all alone without son, sister, or brother.
Klaus fought to keep his emotions hidden and won, but the gut-wrenching feeling of losing his family, the people he loved so deeply for so many years, lingered on.
Forcing himself to focus on the matter at hand, Klaus stared Marcel in the eyes and said, "Forget any romantic feelings you have towards Rebekah." Then he walked away, leaving Marcel in the stable.
Marcel reached to his neck and grabbed the silver chain necklace Rebekah gave him. She said it was magic and it would protect him from Compulsion. Marcel never thought that would be something he would have to worry about before that moment.
End Flashback
Hope ran through the Quarter, tears of anger blinding her but she didn't need her sight. All she cared about was getting as far away from her father as possible. She was humiliated. Even though she and Izzy weren't talking about anything serious, it was the fact that her father would dare to eavesdrop on their conversation that angered her.
She didn't remember boarding the ferry but when she had finally calmed down, that's where she was, staring out over the dull blue water. It managed to calm her mind for a moment before her head was overwhelmed with questions about whether Izzy was still going to be interested in her after seeing her childishly lock herself in the art studio office.
A hand on her shoulder made her jump. She spun around and saw Kol standing behind her, his eyebrows drawn together and jaw tight.
"What's the birthday girl doing on a ferry to Algiers when her party is going on in the Quarter?"
"I'm running away from dad."
"Oh great," with a sigh, Kol leaned over the railing and said, "Klaus ruins another party. And he acts like I'm the wild one who can't be controlled. What did he do this time?"
Hope remained silent, unsure if she should say what Klaus had done. She didn't want Kol to try to talk her into forgiving him. She wanted to stay mad at him for as long as possible. He deserved it. He ruined her birthday.
"Guess I'll take a stab at guessing," Kol said noticing the girl's reluctance to tell him. "Klaus has never been one to be intentionally cruel to his children so I'm assuming he did something...overbearing. Pretending that he has your best interest at heart when he really just wants to control your life. A thing for control, my dear brother has."
Hope's petulant pout as she stared at the slow-moving water confirmed Kol's assumption for him.
"And I'm guessing it has something to do with that girl you were talking to. What's her name? Mitzy?"
"Izzy," Hope finally spoke. "Her name is Izzy." Nipping at the raw skin of her bottom lip, she muttered, "Uncle Kol...can I tell you something and you promise never to tell anyone else?"
"Of course, love," Kol said sliding closer to Hope so she didn't have to whisper very loud. "You can always tell ol' Uncle Kol anything."
Hope was silent for a little longer, afraid to speak; ashamed really, and ashamed of being ashamed.
"I...I," taking a deep breath she blurted, "I like girls."
Kol didn't react which was not the reaction Hope was expecting.
"I mean," she started to clarify. "I...like-like them. Like...I really like girls."
Realizing that he was supposed to be news to him, Kol forced a look of surprise on his face. He already knew Hope liked girls, their entire family did. It wasn't hard to figure out by the way she interacted with other girls, like whenever she blushed when a pretty girl gave her a compliment, but since she wanted to officially 'come out' to him, Kol was going to indulge her with an act of astonishment.
"So, you're a lesbian," he asked.
Hope stared down at the railing, chewing incessantly on her lip at this point. "I like boys too," she admitted. "They're cute and stuff but...sometimes they're just really dumb. Girls are cute and sometimes they're more mature than boys. Like Izzy. She's only sixteen but she acts so much older. She lost her dad when she was little and her mom ran out on her family a few weeks ago so she works and takes care of her little brother all on her own. I don't know any boys who would do that."
Kol chuckled. "Don't let Klaus find out any of that about Izzy or you'll never be allowed to see her."
Turning hopeful eyes towards her uncle, Hope asked, "You're not going to tell him?"
He shook his head 'no'. "I am a master at keeping secrets," he winked at her. "And I think you should be free to be with who you want to be with, without getting Klaus's permission first."
As the ferry docked and the people began departing, Kol knelt down so that he was staring up at Hope and said, "Just make me one promise," he took both of her hands into his. "I know that you're fourteen now and you think you can figure out anything the world throws at you on your own, and you probably can since you're such a clever girl," he smiled, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear uncovering his niece's smile too. "Just promise me, if the world drops a load on you that you just can't carry, you'll come to me. I'll always keep your secrets and I'll do anything to help you. Okay?"
Hope wrapped her arms tightly around Kol's neck and he immediately hugged her back. "I promise," she whispered.
A/N: So I've been trying to think of a present that Klaus and Hayley would give Hope and I can't think of anything. Give me some ideas please!
Additional A/N: I just wanna take a sec to explain the flashbacks in this chapter without creating a new chapter.
This was my attempt to explain the moment Klaus really began treating Marcel differently than the rest of his family. Between Marcel's disobedience, petulance, and hitting Klaus, Klaus obviously wanted to treat him the same way he'd done in the past few years since spanking Marcel had proved to be helpful in keeping Marcel in line like it did Kol and Rebekah. But there were several factors that played into Klaus deciding to no longer spank Marcel (this scene is supposed to be around the same time Marcel becomes a vampire, fyi. I know he might have been a little older than this when he was turned but for the sake of this story I'm going to say he was around 19/20).
1. Klaus was witness to how other black people around them were treated (as if subhuman) and he was afraid of either being seen by Marcel as someone who wanted to exert his dominance over him because of his race.
2. Klaus noticed that Marcel had grown strong and proud and he was afraid that spanking him would A) either send the message to Marcel that Klaus didn't want him to strong and proud or B) undermined Marcel's growth and cause him to become docile and weak which is definitely not what Klaus wanted
3. Klaus feared that if he spanked Marcel, Marcel would realize that he didn't need to stay with the Mikaelsons and continue to be punished like a child and he would run away, possibly taking Rebekah with him and leading to a chain of events that would eventually leave him all alone.
Of course, as you've seen throughout the course of this story, Klaus returning to spanking Marcel as an adult did not lead to any of this happening but in his paranoia, this is what Klaus feared and this fear lead to him starting to treat Marcel differently.
^that was a lot, maybe it should've been a chapter.
^^this chapter was a little deep, I promise the next chapter will be fun lol (well, depending on your definition of fun)
