Chapter 37
Flashback:
Mikael laid in a meadow of tall grass with his two children lying on his stomach. Finn had fallen asleep having tired himself out chasing his father and Freya around the meadow but with every passing blink, Freya fought the urge to go to sleep. She enjoyed basking in the warmth of the sun, spending as much time with her father before Mikael had to leave for battle.
Freya hated it when her father left. Their mother was always busy with something or the other and she never had time for them but Mikael made time for them. Even if it meant staying up late and listening to his children prattle on about nonsense, he would stay up just to listen to them no matter how tired it would make him in the morning.
"Poppa," Freya muttered, looking up to her father with droopy, tired eyes. "Do you have to go?"
Mikael reached down to Freya's head, gently placing his hand on top of her soft hair. "I must, my little Freya. Someone must protect this land for you and your brother and your mother."
"Let the others p'tect the land. You stay here with us."
Mikael chuckled. "I would that I could, little one. But I don't trust anyone to protect this family but me. I'll fight all of Valhalla for you, Freya."
She snuggled closer to her father's leather vest. "I don' want you to go. I miss you when you gone."
"And I miss you every moment that I'm gone," Mikael swore. "But, when I get back, perhaps your mother would've taught you now spells and you can wow me with your fantastic magic."
Excited by her father's desire to see her magic, Freya sat up and looked around the meadow until she spotted a butterfly sitting on top of a lone purple flower. She closed her eyes and focused her power on the butterfly until it magically split into two butterflies and they flew away, their identical wings glimmering under the sun.
Mikael was amazed by the sight. He knew that his daughter was powerful, Esther never ceased to remind him that the firstborns of her bloodline held inexplicable power, but he was always so surprised whenever he saw Freya's magic.
"You, Freya, are going to grow up to be the most powerful witch in all the land. And I am going to be the proudest father who ever lived."
End Flashback
Freya stood with her back to Mikael, unable to look at the man after what she saw of Zane's remains. Finn stood by the door unsure of how to proceed. It was obvious that Freya was upset, but so was Mikael.
"Detach yourself from your feelings, Freya," Mikael said. "He was just some lowly, pathetic wretch. He didn't mean anything to anyone."
"He meant something to Marcel," she muttered, remembering the look on Marcel's face when he saw Zane. "Marcel made me promise to bring him back alive or he would go to Niklaus."
"Marcel," Mikael spat. "You all keep saying his name like it's supposed to mean something. He's just another vampire, just like the boy I killed. He means nothing either. They all have to die eventually."
"I have to die one day too," Freya spun around to face Mikael, anger painted on her face. "Does that mean someone should just kill me now too?"
"I won't ever let anyone take you from me again," Mikael growled. He placed his hand on the side of her cheek, caressing it with the pad of his thumb. "Never again."
As she stared at her father's familiar face, tears broke from Freya's eyes. She leaned into his touch as if it were the first kind touch she felt in a thousand years.
Knowing that he could no longer stay in New Orleans, Freya pulled away from Mikael and said, "Marcel is going to tell Niklaus and...Niklaus is going to come after you and he won't stop until you are dead. So you have to leave."
"Let him come. I won't give him the chance to kill me a third time."
"No. I can't let that happen. As much as I love you, father...Niklaus is my brother and I swore to protect him. Even from you."
Mikael smirked. "Not to worry, my child. I won't try to kill him unless he comes at me with intent."
"No, father," Freya stated, her lips tense from the fight to keep herself from crying. "I can't let you get that chance. You are a threat to this family and Niklaus will come after you because of that and so it's best if you're not in the city once he finds out you're back."
"Wait. Are you asking me to leave? Did you bring me back to this life just to cast me away?"
"I don't want to, father," Tears brimmed Freya's eyes but her face remained firm. "But you've proven that you can't be trusted with this family and my duty is to them first."
"You would choose them over me," Mikael barked.
"I am their eldest sister."
"And I am your father!"
"And that is why I am asking you to leave! I don't want to see you die again but I know Niklaus is going to come for you...and if I'm forced to choose between you...I will choose him. Always."
Fueled by anger and betrayal, Mikael suddenly grasped her shoulders between his tense hands, glaring heatedly down at her. Finn stood at attention, preparing to attack Mikael.
"Hurt her and I'll kill you myself," Finn barked.
Freya stared up into her father's cold, fearsome eyes but she said nothing. Waiting for him to act.
Staring down at his daughter, the look of uncertain fear in her eyes, Mikael was suddenly reminded of her frailty. He released her, an unexpected uncertainty suddenly filling him.
He sped out of the apartment without looking back, leaving Freya staring blankly ahead.
Finn sighed as he sensed Mikael's presence fade away. "It will be a long time before I can forgive you for resurrecting that monster, sister."
"It'll be a long time before I can forgive myself."
Finn spun around to Freya, surprised by her sudden change of heart. "You're finally beginning to regret bringing him back? What brought about this change?"
"That boy," Freya shook her head. "He tortured that boy so...mercilessly that his body didn't even have time to heal itself before he died. And he came after Hope...and Kol...and Marcel. If he would've done that to any of them...I don't know what I would've done. The Mikael that I loved would've never been so cruel." Freya turned sternly to Finn and stated, "If you're going to stay here, brother, I only have one rule. Follow it and I will stand with you even against Klaus no matter what he throws at us. But you can never, ever, do anything to hurt a single member of this family. Not Kol, or Marcel, and especially not Hope. Never again."
Finn sighed and stared at the open door where Mikael disappeared. "If I have to choose to a forced reconciliation with my repugnant siblings, an eternity alone, or one on the run with...Mikael...then I guess I choose to learn to love my siblings."
He turned to Freya with a smirk, finally able to smile now that Mikael was gone, but it quickly faded when he saw the tears in Freya's eyes.
"What's wrong," he asked coming quickly to her side, checking her shoulders for bruises Mikael might have left behind. "Did he hurt you?"
Freya reached up to her cheeks, surprised by the wetness. She hadn't realized she was crying.
"I'm fine," she mumbled. "I'm just a little overwhelmed. Dahlia was awful, y'know. I spent every moment of my life trying to escape her. She gave me such low expectations for what a decent parent looked like that I actually thought, with all I knew about how he treated you all throughout your childhood, that he would be better. My Mikael wasn't so cruel."
Finn wrapped his arms around Freya, holding her as a few more tears forced their way out though she tried hard to keep them in.
Pushing herself away from her brother, Freya said, "Stay here. I'll call you tonight. Don't leave before then."
"Where are you going?"
Freya glanced around at the bloody splatter on the floor where Zane's body once was. "To see if I can find a way to make this up to Marcel. We might not be friends but...he is family."
-M-
Marcel carried Zane's body out to his car and laid him comfortably in the back seat. He wasn't bothered for a moment by the curious eyes that followed the man carrying the dead body so Kol had to compensate for his nonchalance by catching each passerby who saw Marcel and Zane and compelling them to forget what they saw. When Marcel got in the car, he sat in the passenger seat, a signal to Kol about just how upset he was because Marcel never declined an opportunity to drive himself.
After compelling the last onlooker, Kol slid into the driver' seat and sat quietly for a moment, waiting for a declaration of anger from Marcel. When none came, he released a heavy sigh and started driving.
"I know you're angry," Kol finally spoke after riding in silence for a few blocks. "I would be too if I were in your shoes. Hell, I have been in your shoes. Between Niklaus's jealous rage and Mikael doing whatever it takes to hunt us down, I have lost more friends than anyone ever should. But that's just the way it is and if you're going to be a part of this family, you've got to learn that. The Mikaelsons are the only people that get to last forever."
Marcel clenched his jaw but said nothing as Kol babbled on.
"But I did save your life back there, didn't I. Mikael would've torn you to shreds. So I guess that means you owe me one. Not a big one. Just...a little favor. I know you promised Freya that you would tell Klaus that Mikael was back if you didn't get your vampire friend back alive but...Davina is more important. Just let this one go, mate. He's just one vampire. You got over the last two quick enough."
Marcel remained silent. His stoic mug giving telling little of his true feelings.
Kol rode in silence the rest of the way to Josh's loft. When they parked outside of it, he said, "Wait here. I'll send Josh and the other one back down and then you three can dispose of the body. Hope doesn't need to see this."
Kol left Marcel still silent in the car. He went upstairs as promised and told Josh that Marcel as waiting for them in the car. When Josh asked about Zane, Kol simply said that he needed to talk to Marcel. He didn't want Hope to even know someone had died. It was bad enough she met the bane of their family's existence.
"Is Marcel alright?" Josh decided to ask, trying to buy time before he had to go out and face what he was sure was horrible news.
"He'll survive," Kol muttered. "He'll be better when we find Davina's father."
"Her father? What do you need that scumbag for?"
"He's the key to bringing her back to life. We just need a few drops of blood from Davina's birth father and we'll have her back."
"Wait, so is that what he wants with me," Josh asked, becoming slightly relieved. "He wants me to go with him to Florida to pick up Davina's dad?"
Kol's eyes bucked. "You know where he is?"
Realizing by Kol's shocked response that that couldn't have been what Marcel wanted, Josh muttered, "Yeah. So do Marcel. We found him a few years ago. And I'm guessing that not why Marcel wants us to come downstairs. Just...tell me...is it good news or bad?"
The disheartening look on Kol's face answered for him.
Nervous about whatever Marcel had to say to about Zane, Josh and Lora went downstairs but to their surprise, Marcel's car was nowhere to be found. They searched the entire block but found nothing.
"What do you mean, he's not outside," Kol asked when the two vampires came back and told him what they found.
"If we knew, would we still be here," Lora bit.
Josh's text alert suddenly rang and he fished his phone out of his pocket. "I got a text from Marcel," he exclaimed as he unlocked his phone and began to read the message aloud. "Compell your neighbor and to let you stay there tonight. Right now. Do not leave the apartment."
Josh and Lora locked eyes, unsure of what to make of Marcel's mysterious text. Josh quickly texted back: What's going on? Where are you?
They all waited in silence for a few minutes but Marcel never replied.
"What the hell," Lora exclaimed. "What's he doing?"
"Seems like he's being very prudent to me," said Kol. "Mikael's still on the loose. You two are safer in an apartment vampires can't get in.
"But Zane's still out there," Lora said. "I'm not just going to hide out somewhere while he's in danger."
"You are quite the little pest," Kol smirked. "And I don't have time for it. I have to get my niece back to her birthday party." Before Lora could blink, Kol was standing directly in front of her, gazing into her eyes. "Go to the nearest neighbor, compel them to let you inside, and stay there until Marcel tells you otherwise."
Lora tried to fight the compulsion as her feet forced her out the door and down the hall.
"Are you going to compel me next," Josh grunted.
"I was hoping I didn't have to," Kol growled. "I thought my friend was smart enough to know what's best for him without me having to force him."
"I can't just leave Zane out there. Not when Mikael's-"
"Zane's gone, mate," Kol blurted out. "Mikael got to him before we could get there. It's too late."
Josh's face fell. Kol's heart softened at the sight of his friend's pain. He pulled Josh into a hug and held him Josh struggled to keep back the tears.
"It's gonna be alright, mate," he said as he ended the hug with a firm pat to Josh's shoulder. "Now grab some blood bags and get to your neighbor's. And call me if Marcel shows up."
-M-
Flashback
Marcel heard strange noises coming from the parlor as he made his way to the kitchen for a glass of water. It was after midnight so he was sure his family was asleep and that only frightened him more though he hid his fear behind a gauze of bravery. He was 17, too old, in his opinion, to be afraid of monsters lurking in the dark.
He peeked through the cracked parlor door to see his father standing above a stranger, a sharp wooden stake in his hand. Elijah stood behind the stranger with his hand on the man's head, forcing him to look up to Niklaus.
"You were foolish enough to think that you could break into my home," Niklaus growled deeply, the rage in his eyes hotter than Marcel had never witnessed. "And kill me, Niklaus Mikaelson? Simply asking me to kill you would have saved you time."
"Vampires are an abomination," the man yelled. "I anticipated this to be a fruitless endeavor but if I had to chance dying to kill Klaus Mikaelson then I am willing to take that chance for the sake of humanity."
"Too bad you failed at killing me," Klaus scoffed. "But not to worry. I'll still help you to die so at least you will have succeeded in something."
Before the man could retort, Klaus wrapped his hand around his jugular and ripped his throat out.
Marcel gasped, shocked by his father's unexpected display of violence.
Klaus heard the small sound come from the other side of the door. He peered through the crack with his heightened sight to see Marcel standing in the hall, his eyes wide and mouth wide open as he stared at his father in disbelief.
"Marcel," Klaus whispered his name, all of his rage vanquished. He couldn't believe it. He was so enraged by the attempted assassin that he didn't consider checking the hall for his curious son before committing an act of murder in front of him.
He hurried to the door, completely unsure of how to handle the situation.
"Marcellus, you should be in bed," Klaus cooed as he stepped outside, closing the door behind him as if no longer seeing the body would somehow help Marcel forget what he saw.
"I...I heard talking and I grew curious," Marcel answered. "Is that man dead? Or...will he come back...like you?"
Klaus clenched his teeth. He had never told Marcel how a vampire was made but obviously, someone had and he had an idea of who it was.
"That's not something you should have to worry about, Marcellus." Klaus tenderly gripped Marcel's shoulder and said, "Let me help you forget it. It'll help you sleep better."
As Klaus began to gaze into Marcel's eyes, Marcel muttered, "You promised you would never Compel me, poppa."
"Unless it was for your own good," Klaus corrected.
"I won't become afraid of you just because I've seen you kill someone, poppa." Marcel's announcement took Klaus off guard. "That's what you're afraid of, isn't it," Marcel continued. "Well, I won't be. I've seen Kol kill people dozens of times and I'm not afraid of him. Kol says humans are most useful as founts for our family and only the ones that we like are worth letting live."
Klaus stepped back, shocked. He couldn't believe it. He had daggered Kol for six years to keep him from hurting Marcel but apparently, that did nothing to change his brother's behavior.
"Marcel," Klaus spoke softly, afraid of the answer to his question. "Has Kol fed from you?"
Afraid of getting his friend in trouble, Marcel quickly answered, "No, poppa. Kol says I'm different than normal people because I'm going to become like you someday."
"You will not become like me, Marcellus," said Klaus firmly. Klaus knew that Marcel adored him. In all the time he's been in with family all his son had ever wanted to be was like Klaus, but Klaus knew that he was no one to be admired. "You will be kind, and loving, and gentle. All things that I am not."
"You are those things, poppa. And more. You are powerful. And wise. And no one can stand in your way. I am going to be just like you, poppa. I will wait until you think I am ready, whether it's a year from now or 10 years, I don't care. But I will turn, poppa. And then I'll be a real Mikaelson because I will be connected to you by blood."
"Marcellus," Klaus brought his hand up to Marcel's soft cheek. "My little warrior. You will always be a Mikaelson, it doesn't matter whether my blood runs through your veins or...the Governor's."
Marcel hung his head at the mention of his birth father.
"It's not the same," he muttered. Tears pooled at the sides of his eyes. "I hate him, poppa. I just wanna be your son. I don't want anything to connect me to him ever again."
Klaus pulled his tearful son into his arms, hugging him tight as Marcel released a heartfelt sob.
"I know it hurts, Marcellus. The man who was supposed to protect you caused you more pain than anyone else in your life ever could. And you think that if you could somehow separate yourself from him and be as unlike him as you can...it'll make everything better. But it won't, Marcellus. Eventually, you're going to have to confront it."
Marcel shook his head fervently. He didn't want to confront his feelings about the governor. He knew what he felt about him: hate and anger.
"Please, poppa. I only want to be like you. It's all I've ever wanted. I don't care if I have to kill people or if I have to drink blood. I just wanna be a Mikaelson forever. Please,"
Klaus squeezed Marcel as if he was afraid that if he loosened his hold for even a second he would lose him. He spent so many years trying to keep Marcel pure but somewhere along the way he failed. Marcel was just as infected with the Mikaelson Bloodlust as any of them. He knew he could have compelled it out of him but that wasn't the same as taking away a bad memory. If he forced him to forget all the atrocities he witnessed his family commit, he would essentially change who Marcel was and he loved his son just the way he was.
Klaus placed a soft kiss at the top of Marcel's head and mumbled, "I'll do it."
Marcel was stunned still. He had been begging his father to change him for years but Niklaus rejected his request every time. He didn't really think Klaus would ever agree to let him turn. Now that Klaus had finally caved, Marcel wasn't sure how to respond.
"When I think you're ready," Klaus added. "I will turn you. And not a moment sooner."
Pulling away from Klaus's hug so that he could look him in the eyes, Marcel asked, "When will I be ready?"
"When I say you are."
"But when will that be?"
"Marcellus," Klaus asserted warningly.
"I'm only asking because I think I'm ready now. What do I have to do to prove it?"
"There's nothing you can do to prove to me you're ready to die, Marcel," Klaus bit heatedly. "This is not the same as proving you're responsible enough for a new horse. This is me having to make the choice to kill my son or not."
"But not really. I've seen Kol do it before. It only hurts for a second and then I'll wake up and I'll be like you."
Klaus was furious to find out that Kol had been turning people in front of Marcel again but he was more worried about how cavalierly Marcel was treating death. Vampirism was death. The two were equal in Klaus's opinion. Vampirism was technically living but doing so in constant suffering and that's why he used it as a punishment for his enemies but now Marcel had grown to idolize the very ailment that people begged Klaus to spare them from because he had witnessed firsthand through the love of his family the happiness and security that could be attained by becoming a vampire and he wanted it more than anything. So Klaus had made up his mind that he was going to keep his promise to Marcel and turn him but not until Marcel was much older and had experienced the joys of being a husband, a father, a grandfather, all the things that he never could, and when his son was finally on his deathbed he would turn him so that he could spend eternity with his family.
He wrapped his hand carefully around the back of Marcel's neck and said firmly, "Until you have a child of your own, you will never know the absolute revulsion that encompasses your being at the very thought of taking that person's life with your own hands."
When Marcel heard the soft tremble in Klaus's voice as he spoke, he knew the real problem. "So...it's not about me not being ready. It's about you not being ready to have to take my life."
"I will never be ready for that, Marcellus. But I promise you still, when the time is right, I will turn you."
"If you're not ready, poppa, that's fine. Kol said that he would-"
Klaus gripped the back of Marcel's neck tighter, pinching him as he said, "If you and Kol attempt to turn you before I decide you're ready, I will lace both of your behinds with enough licks to warm you through the night for a week. Is that understood?"
"But, poppa-"
"I mean it, Marcel! You may think being like me makes you immune to pain but, au contraire, my son. It just means I'll have to work a little harder to make it hurt worse." Realizing that he was becoming angry, a state that he hated Marcel to see him in, Klaus released Marcel and said, "I think it's time for you to go back to bed. Good night, son."
"I wanted a glass of water," Marcel muttered irritably, realizing that now wasn't the right time to talk to Klaus about turning.
"I will bring you up a glass before I turn in for the night," Klaus said calmer. "Now, go."
Marcel marched away with a pout on his face at being sent to bed like a child.
As soon as Elijah heard Marcel's footsteps disappear, he opened the Parlor door. "I don't mean to eavesdrop, brother," he said. "But it sounded to me like your conversation with Marcellus may have brought up some...deeply buried memories. Would you like to talk about it?"
Klaus smirked knowingly. Elijah was always trying to get him to talk about how their father's abuse made him 'feel' but Klaus hated the very notion that bringing forth his darkest memories could lead to anything but more pain and resentment - the very opposite of what he had taught Marcel.
"Not tonight, Elijah," Klaus sighed as he began walking down the hall towards the kitchen. "I promised my son a glass of water. Mustn't keep him waiting."
End Flashback
At the ring of his text alert, Niklaus quickly shuffled to unlock his phone. He was standing in his studio with Elijah, Rebekah, Hayley, and Kol and all of them had a glint of hope in their eyes when they heard the message. Marcel wasn't answering his calls or Rebekah's. With the sudden arrival and disappearance of those unknown vampires from Klaus's sireline, Klaus began to fear the worst and then finding out from Kol that a vampire was found dead in Algiers mere minutes before Marcel went missing did little to ease his anxieties.
"I'm fine," Niklaus read out loud. "That's it. 'I'm fine'."
"We can't even be sure that's him," Rebekah worried. She didn't believe Marcel would send such a curt response. They were worth more than an 'I'm fine'. "Surely our enemies would text back if they had taken him for whatever reason to keep us from finding him. Try tracking his phone like you did Hope's."
Grateful for his sister's quick thinking, Klaus opened the app to track Marcel's phone but there was no little blue dot on the map like they had hoped.
"There's nothing," Klaus exclaimed. "They must've turned it off to keep us from tracking him."
"We'll get Freya to do a tracking spell," Rebekah stated.
"Oh, he's not kidnapped, you dolts," Kol shouted, growing annoyed at all of the fretting going on over Marcel. "He took the car with his dead vampire's body in it. Obviously, he's going somewhere to bury the lad and he'll come back home when he's ready."
"Are you sure about that, Kol," asked Elijah.
"Positive." Realizing that he would need some sort of explanation as to why he was so certain Marcel was fine, Kol quickly said, "He called Josh a while after he left and told him about that vampire dying and gave him a secret time and place to meet him to have their little burial."
It never ceased to shock Kol how quickly he was able to lie to his brothers and with such confidence.
Niklaus stared Kol down attempting to find any sign of deception but Kol showed none but he often looked innocent when he wasn't. Still, Niklaus considered all the times he thought his brother was deceiving him and he turned out to be wrong.
"See brother," Elijah insisted to Niklaus. "Marcel is fine. He probably just wanted to bury his friend alone because he knew how you felt about his vampires."
Niklaus tightly clenched his jaw and said, "He has one hour to call me or I'll have every wolf combing the stretch of the city to find him."
"My wolves are not bloodhounds, Klaus," Hayley rolled her eyes on her way out the door. "Marcel's a big boy. He'll be home when he's home. I'm going to take our daughter to the mall to see if shopping will be enough to salvage this birthday."
"Hayley, wait," Rebekah said. "I'll go with you. There's still something out there killing vampires so it'll be better if there's two of us. They can't get through us both."
Hayley and Rebekah left the room and Niklaus began painting, trying to take his mind off Marcel, and Elijah sat down in an armchair and opened the nearest book, knowing that he would have to play sentinel over Niklaus for the rest of the day until Marcel either called or returned.
Kol stood still in his same spot, shocked that everyone had just taken him at his word. There was no second-guessing, no third-degree, no threats of imminent pain. He just told them a story and they believed him. He suddenly felt a knotting in his stomach that he had never felt before. He ran his hand across his stomach thinking that maybe one of their enemies had shot a dart through the window and poisoned him but there was nothing there. The pain was coming from the inside.
He quietly left his brothers and hurried to Freya's workshop where his older sister was.
"Freya, I think I've been hexed," Kol said as soon as he entered the room.
Freya dropped the grimoire she was reading and hurried to his side. She immediately began searching his hands and arms for some mark of hexing but found nothing.
"What does it feel like," she asked.
"Like...someone's stabbing me in the gut."
"You're gonna be okay," she said hurrying over to her workshop table and began setting up the base of a diagnostic spell. "Tell me what you were doing leading up to this feeling."
Kol sat down on the sofa in her room and recanted the past few minutes to her. "And everyone just...beleived me. I lied to them but they just took me at my word and went about their day. And that's when the pain started."
Freya stopped what she was doing and looked back at Kol. He was now lying down on the sofa, his knees tucked between his arms and his face buried between the couch cushions.
"You're not hexed," she sighed. "You feel guilty for lying to everyone the one time they decided to believe you."
"This is what guilt feels like," Kol groaned. "It must be terrible being a normal person."
Freya walked over to Kol and sat beside him. She gently stroked his arm as he continued to groan in pain. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this," she said. "You were right all along. I shouldn't have brought Mikael back. If it'll ease your conscience, you can tell everyone the truth as soon as we bring Davina back."
"How? We don't even know who he is. All I know is that he's in Florida and surly Marcel will be back before I can get all the way to Florida and back."
"It's worth a shot," Freya said standing up and walking over to the grimoire she dropped. "I think I found a spell that traces family lineage. All I need is a possession of Davina's to start it."
All of Kol's guilty pain diminished immediately. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the giant paragon diamond he had been carrying around to use as the item of value to bring Davina back. "I gave her this when we first met."
"It'll do."
When Hayley and Rebekah proposed going to the mall to Hope, she agreed but only on the condition that she could bring Sebastian too. She knew that if she was just with her mom and Aunt they would try to force her to engage with them but all she wanted to do was sulk in silence about Klaus embarrassing her at her party and trying to force her to stop talking to Izzy and Marcel's mysterious disappearance. If Sebastian was with them then she could go off with him and they wouldn't try to butt into their conversations even though she was planning to be just as silently brooding with Sebastian. But he was her best friend and knew when to let her sulk and when to try to get her to talk, unlike her family.
As Hayley, Rebekah, and Hope attempted to leave the Compound they were stopped by an invisible barrier surrounding the home.
"Freya," Rebekah screamed immediately assuming that it was some enemy that had trapped them all inside and her sister would know what to do.
Freya came running from her workshop at the sound of her sister's scream. She stood at the top of the balcony staring down at them, her heart racing expecting to see Mikael standing at the Compound doorway.
"Freya, there's a barrier around the Compound," said Hayley and Freya's anxieties wained.
"I know," she breathed. "I put one up."
"Why," Rebekah asked, wondering why no one informed her that they were planning to put up a barrier.
"A vampire died right across the river and Marcel is missing," Freya stated plainly. "And we don't know if it's of his own volition or not. Until we find out where he is and what killed that vampire, I think we should all stay inside."
Freya couldn't that what she really feared was that Mikael was lurking somewhere in the city waiting to pounce on one of her unsuspecting family members. She hoped that Mikael took her advice and left the city so he wouldn't force her to hurt him for the sake of her family after bringing him back from the dead but there was no telling if he did or not. She just needed everyone to stay in the Compound long enough for her to track Mikael with a locator spell after she finished helping Kol with the linage spell for Davina.
"You don't need to worry, Freya," Hayley said. "Rebekah and I can protect Hope. And if it'll make you feel any better I'll even bring a few of my wolves with me to stand guard."
Freya knew that Hayley's wolves might have been formidable enough for normal threats but she knew they wouldn't stand a chance against Mikael and she doubted Hayley could. Rebekah, on the other hand, was Mikael's daughter and for a moment Freya thought that maybe that would be enough to still their father's revenge but then she remembered all the stories she'd heard from Rebekah about their time on the run from Mikael and how he always swore that he wouldn't hesitate to go through her to get to Niklaus. After seeing what Mikael was willing to do to Zane, Freya didn't want to take the chance of putting Rebekah in that position.
"We can finish your celebration in a few days, sweetheart," Freya said looking over to Hope. "It's just not safe right now."
Before Rebekah or Hayley could disagree, Elijah came out of Klaus's workshop and came over to the balcony. He shined a quick smile down at his despondent niece, hoping to get her to smile back though she didn't, before saying, "Freya, it seems I cannot walk out on the balcony. Do you know anything about this?"
"I did it," Freya admitted. "I was just telling Rebekah and Hayley, until we know what sort of threat we're dealing with I think it's best if we all stayed in and kept everything bad out."
"Normally I would agree," Elijah muttered. He grabbed Freya tentatively by the elbow and guided her further away from Klaus's studio door. "But a vampire was just killed in this city and Marcel is missing. I am doing my best to keep Niklaus calm and that is why I haven't told him there was a barrier around us. You know how he gets when he feels like he's being held somewhere against his will. The agitation, the paranoia. He spent twelve years trapped against his will and you and I know better than anyone how deep the fear of being back in that predicament again goes."
"I know, Elijah, but it is my duty to protect this family. I can't put you all at risk."
"Word has spread throughout the world of what we did to the last army that tried to come after our family. Any enemy would be foolish to come after us with anything less than the power of Hell itself would be suicidal. Now, please," Elijah stepped to the side to give her a pathway back to her workshop. "Release the barrier."
Freya wanted to argue with him but she didn't have an argument against Elijah that didn't involve telling him the truth about Mikael. She knew she would have to tell him eventually but she wanted to wait just in case Mikael had listened to her pleas and left the city and Marcel decided to keep his existence a secret for Davina's sake.
Being outnumbered by the number of family members who did not agree with the barrier, Freya reluctantly went to her shop and released it.
"We need to put a halt to the spell for a moment, brother," Freya said as she moved to a second table in the workshop and began gathering the ingredients for a locator spell. "I need to locate our father."
"No," Kol disagreed. "We have to find Davina's father before Klaus finds out. Every second we waste doing this is precious time that could be spent bringing back Davina."
"Mikael is out there and I need to know where. What if he comes after Hope again. Hope is fine. The others are on guard now, they won't let anything happen to her."
"Kol-"
"You promised," Kol screamed. "After all this time, after all the lies and deception, you promised you would bring her back! You have to!"
Freya sighed. She knew it wouldn't take long to complete a locator spell but Kol was right, they needed every moment they had if they were going to bring Davina back. Ignoring the locator spell, she went back to trying to translate the dead language of old grimoire containing the linage spell.
Sebastian met Hope, Hayley, and Rebekah at the mall, a wide grin on his face as he greeted his friend a the door, excited to do his favorite pastime: shopping. Hayley had hoped that shopping would distract Hope for the remainder of her birthday but Hope couldn't help but continually wonder where Marcel was, even with Sebastian talking endlessly be her side.
"Hey, Hope," Hayley pulled a pair of stonewashed jeans from the pile of jeans on display at the first store they stopped at. "These are cute."
With a sly smile, Sebastian said, "I don't mean to be lewd, Mrs. Marshall-Kenner, but I'm currently working on getting your daughter out of jeans. Denim is so 2020."
Hayley chuckled as Sebastian dragged Hope through the store away from the jeans section.
"Denim's out," Rebekah laughed. "When did that happen?"
Hayley nodded her head and sarcastically said, "There goes my wardrobe."
"That's it, I'm officially an old woman. I don't even know what's cool anymore."
"You just need some time to catch up on things. I mean, you were lying unconscious in a box for twelve years."
Rebekah could hear the concern in Hayley's voice.
"I've done longer," she said jokingly. "That's the trouble with loving our family. Although, if I want to get a head start at this anti-denim fashion age perhaps I should ask Sebastian for pointers. He seems to know a thing or two about fashion."
"And Hope knows absolutely nothing," Hayley smirked. "They're perfect for each other."
Hope stood by a dressing room door staring absentmindedly at the wall while she waited for Sebastian to come out. When he popped out of the room wearing a faux fur vest.
"What do you think," he asked spinning around so Hope could see the vest in all its glory.
Hope indulged her friend's whimsy, bringing her finger up to her lip and furrowing her brows as if she was seriously contemplating the look of the vest. "I think...it looks like you're carrying a baby Ewok on your back."
Sebastian smiled and started checking himself out in the mirror. "That means its gorgeous." Out of the corner of his eyes, Sebastian spotted the glistening brown curls of the girl he deemed the most beautiful girl in their grade. She was with four other girls from their class and across the way Hope spotted three more teens she knew.
"Tanya Wong," Sebastian breathed softly.
"What's everybody doing here," Hope asked, ignoring her friend's sudden infatuation.
"I sent out a mass text and told everyone that we're finishing the celebration at the mall."
"Wait, you sent it out to everyone," Hope suddenly perked up. "Even...Izzy?"
Sebastian rolled his eyes and said, "No, I invited everyone in the school except the one girl my best friend is crushing on. Of course, I invited her."
"Then c'mon," Hope grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the changing room area behind her. "Let's go find her,"
"Hold on," Sebastian pressed the heels of his shoes. "What about Tanya?"
Hope put on a fake pout and stared Sebastian down with big, puppy-dog eyes. "It's my birthday," she whined. "And I need my best friend with me while I talk to my crush or I'll freeze, and you know it."
Sebastian sighed. He did know it. "Fine," he groaned. "But you owe me. I'm passing up a chance with Tanya Wong, the only girl in our school whose fashion sense is almost as ridic as mine."
"And I'm sure you'll look fabulous as Prom King and Queen one day now let's go,"
As Hope began dragging Sebastian out of the store again, she was spotted by Rebekah standing near the exit at the front of the store with her phone ringing up to her ear.
"Hope," Rebekah called out, spotting the girl trying to make a quick escape. "Where are you going?"
Hope paused in the doorway knowing that she was not going to get away without answering her Aunt first. "We're just going to look around on our own a little, Aunty Bex."
With Marcel missing and not currently answering her call, Rebekah felt nervous about letting her niece out of her sight.
She was just about to think of an excuse to go with them when Hayley appeared and said to Hope, "Just stay close by and answer the phone when we call. Okay,"
"Yes, mom," Hope answered quickly and proceeded to drag Sebastian away.
"Are you sure that's a good idea," Rebekah asked. "I mean, with Marcel missing and all...maybe we should stay close to Hope right now."
"She's a teenage girl in the mall surrounded by her friends. I know you never went to middle school but trust me, if we chaperone her too closely we might as well pin a 'Kick Me' sign on her back and slather her in pig's blood. We'll just follow her at a safe distance and inspect the surrounding area of every store they go to."
Rebekah smirked. "You're much better at this than me."
"I've been a mother to a very independent girl since she was seven. I've learned a few tricks."
Rebekah stared at her phone screen noting all the unanswered calls she made to Marcel. "I just don't understand why he's not answering. If he just lost one of his vampires then he should be with his family."
"Maybe he just needs some time alone. He did just lose his third vampire in two weeks. I attend every one of my pack's funerals, even the ones in the bayou, and it never gets any easier."
"But I know Marcel. Even if he were hurting he would answer the phone for me. What if he's in danger? What if whatever got his vampire got him too. Kol said they didn't find what killed him, they just found him with his heart missing. What if Marcel is lying in some ally somewhere with his..." she couldn't bear the thought of finishing her sentence.
"He's fine, Rebekah," Hayley reassured. "Marcel has been alive for two hundred years, one hundred of those without your family. I think he can spend a few hours...grieving."
Rebekah felt a slight sense of relief at Hayley's words. She was so sure that Marcel was fine wherever he was that her confidence transferred over to Rebekah.
"He's fine," Rebekah repeated to herself as she turned back to a stack of pleather shorts sitting on the display table in front of her that she was definitely not considering purchasing but they worked to distract her from her thoughts of Marcel. "He's fine."
Somebody suggested that I post multiple chapters at a time and I really like that idea because it will give you guys more thoroughly detailed chapters and probably be more enjoyable for you to read so I'm going to start doing that. This also means that the update times will be further in between but hopefully not too long.
P.S. thanks for all the pms and reviews and sorry for the late chapter. I just didn't know where to end this one and it just kept growing until it found an ending of its own.
