(1/2)
Chapter 48
When Klaus wasn't back in time for breakfast with the rest of the family, Hope began to worry.
"What's that lady's name again," she grumbled pushing her truffled eggs around on her plate.
"Caroline," Marcel bit seeming just as upset at Klaus's disappearance as Hope was. "She's persistent. She tried to meet with me a number of times over the past twelve years. I had my men postpone the date for years at a time and she would always come back right on time every time. Annoying."
"She seems annoying."
"You haven't even met her," Elijah pointed out.
Hope threw her fork into her plate, saying, "I don't have to meet her. Any woman who would keep a man from breakfast with his family is the enemy."
Hayley shook her head, glad that she and Elijah were in a stable relationship if that was the way Hope was going to react to her parents dating. "Hope," she said warningly.
"As I remember it," Kol began. "She wasn't so bad. It was those friends of hers you had to keep your eyes out for."
"If she's coming around, you don't think she'll bring her friends," Marcel bit. "I hear Mystic Falls is swarming with vampires. What's to stop them from coming and trying to take over our community too?"
Rebekah scoffed and waved her hand at the other Mikaelsons sitting around the table. "Um, hello. Did you forget about the strength of this family united, my love? We are an unstoppable force. No one's taking get over New Orleans but us. Besides, I like Caroline. She actually had the decency to reach out to me before coming here."
"You knew she was coming?"
"I did." She chuckled as she thought about the day she found out Caroline was looking for Klaus. "She'd compelled a tourist to come scope the city and ask questions about Klaus. I was lucky enough to run into the nosy mouse and sent him back with the simple message of my number. We've been talking for weeks. I thought Klaus would be pleasantly surprised by the old friend considering everything that's happened."
Turning curiously to Freya, Elijah asked, "I suppose you knew too."
Freya smiled. "Rebekah told me she was having a friend come to town and she wanted it to be kept a secret so I looked the other way and let her through my barriers when the time came."
"Why didn't you tell me," Marcel asked Rebekah.
She cut her eyes at him in disbelief. "I hardly thought you would care considering you never even met the girl."
"Exactly. A strange vampire moves into my town, I should know."
"Our town, Marcel," Elijah corrected.
Marcel slammed his hand on the table, angry at Elijah's correction. "If she's not here to stake her claim, then why is she here?"
"For Klaus," said Elijah. " The two of them have...a past."
"That's right. A past. That means before Hope, before...all of this. Back when this family was falling apart, that's when he wanted her. He has us now. He doesn't need any reminders of that past."
Elijah suddenly understood why Marcel was so against Klaus seeing Caroline. Caroline and her vampire friends were a constant reminder to Marcel of the hundred years Klaus spent away from New Orleans. He could see the worry hidden behind the anger in Marcel's eyes - worry that if Klaus fell for Caroline again, he may abandon New Orleans to go back to Mystic Falls again.
The look of petulance that radiated from Marcel was far different than the one Hope gave. She was certain that her father would never abandon her, far more certain than Marcel was. But she wasn't willing to split any of the limited attention she had of his with any more people. She was already competing with Marcel, the rest of their family, and the city of New Orleans and that was far more than she could take. Any more and she would throw a fit.
"Marcel's right," Hope bit. "What does dad even need a girlfriend for? He's so...old. He's loved enough."
Elijah nearly choked on the blood he was drinking at the girl's comment. "Need I remind you that I am older than your father and I am happily in love with your mother?"
"That's different." Hope pouted as she crossed her arms over her chest. She'd long made peace with Elijah and Hayley. Since Elijah's return, Hayley has glowed with a brighter light than Hope had ever seen and as long as her mother was happy, she was happy. But it didn't matter if Klaus was happy. He was her father and she wasn't willing to share him anymore. "May I be excused? I'm not hungry anymore."
"Yes, please," Hayley sighed wanting to let her daughter leave before she did or said something to get her in trouble.
As Hope scooted her chair back, Freya's phone began to ring. She paused waiting for her aunt to answer in hopes that it was Klaus. She was ecstatic to find out it was.
"He says he's outside," said Freya as she hung up the phone. "And he needs me to come to the entrance."
Everyone got up and left for the Compound entrance with Freya curious about what could be keeping Klaus.
Neither Hope nor Marcel was happy to see the blonde woman standing next to their father.
"Well," Klaus smiled awkwardly at the welcome partying greeting them at the entrance. "I didn't expect everyone to come but...since you're here. Elijah, Kol, Rebekah, you remember Caroline. Caroline, this is my eldest sister, Freya; the mother of my daughter, Hayley; a...family friend, Davina Claire; and my children, Hope and Marcellus."
Marcel snarled at Klaus for using such a familiar name to introduce him to a complete stranger. "Marcel," he corrected.
"Marcel Gerard," Caroline sang. "We finally meet. Klaus has told me so much about you in the past hour I feel like I already know you."
"Funny, he's told me absolutely nothing about you."
With a nervous chuckle, Klaus said, "We sort of have a...sorrdid past, Caroline and I. I didn't think you two would ever meet so I haven't really mentioned her much."
"Or at all."
Klaus cut his eyes at Marcel in a desperate attempt to will him to be civil towards his guest but Marcel had other intentions.
"So, Caroline," Rebekah interrupted, gently taking Marcel's hand into hers hoping to distract him from his anger. "I certainly hope Klaus is making your coming all this way to see my dullard of a brother worth it.
Caroline blushed, not wanting to admit she came all that way just to see if Klaus's was truly alive. The school's renovation could've homemade on without her but it wasn't a better excuse than the truth. "I'm actually opening another school in Algiers as well and...I, uh... just wanted to extend a personal invitation to Hope. I hear you're one of the most talented young witches this city has to offer."
"I'm a Tribrid," Hope corrected. "That means I'm not only one of the most powerful witches in the city, I'm also stronger than most vampires. Especially one as...young as you. So why should I let someone weaker than me teach me how to be strong?"
"Hope," Hayley's voice came as a warning again. "Why don't you go to your room and think this over, sweetheart. It sounds like a great opportunity."
"I've already made up my mind," Hope's crossed arms tightened across her chest. "She can leave now."
Freya suddenly moved to Hope with a genial smile on her face attempting to sell the facade of a cohesive Mikaelson family. "Y'know what, speaking of powerful young witches, Hope, I think it's actually time for your magic lesson." She gave Hope's shirt a tug but the girl refused to move.
Freya's movement revealed the boy once hiding behind her.
"And who is this little guy," Caroline knelt to meet Finn eye to eye with a smile which he did not return back.
"That's Finn," Klaus answered keeping a wary eye on his brother who, by the malice in his eyes, seemed to remember Caroline and what her friends did to him.
"Finn?" Caroline repeated a bit confused. She wasn't sure why he looked so upset. Sure her friends had killed him but they'd killed Kol too and he didn't look at her with the same hate.
"It's a long story," Klaus muttered grabbing Caroline's arm and pulling her closer to him just in case Finn grew the nerve to attack her. "I'll explain later. For now...Freya, do you mind?"
Seeing her father walking so closely with Caroline after Freya invited her into their home irritated Hope to no end. Klaus ruined her birthday over a girl but here he was with a strange woman all his own.
"Dad, who is this woman," she bit. "And why is she here."
"She's a friend, Hope," Klaus said calmly. He couldn't believe the animosity Hope and Marcel seemed to have towards Caroline. They hardly knew the woman but acted as if she was their one sworn enemy.
"You have enough friends. Tell her to go back to where she came from."
"Hope!" The furiosity in which Hayley bit Hope's name sent a shiver down her spine. "I think it's time for you to go to your room."
"But she has a point," Marcel interrupted, keeping his eyes burning into Caroline. "Klaus's former friends have had the tendency to betray this family. How do we know we can trust her?"
"You're questioning my intentions," Caroline chuckled. "I'm not the one who had him daggered in a basement for the past twelve years."
A deep growl escaped Marcel's throat as his fangs suddenly appeared. As an instinctive reaction, Caroline's fangs shot out as well, waiting for a fight.
"Am I supposed to be afraid of you," she growled.
"You should be," Marcel bit back. "In case Klaus hasn't told you, I'm pretty old and I'm pretty good at sensing out baby vamps. And you're looking real green to me."
Seeing Marcel's heated ignited Davina's defenses. She wasn't sure why Marcel didn't like this new vampire but she was prepared to fight her along with him if she had to. Davina's defensive stance caused Kol to stand protectively in front of her, willing anyone, especially Klaus, to even raise their hand against her.
Noticing the chain reaction of angry Mikaelsons, Elijah decided to intervene before things got out of control. "Marcel, why don't you escort Hope to her room. I think she's exerted her capacity for excitement and the day's just begun."
Marcel retracted his fangs and opened his mouth to argue but the intense glare Elijah laced him with said that the Original was in no mood for an argument.
"No," Hope stamp. "It's not fair. He promised us a big family breakfast and instead he spends the whole morning out with her." Turning her anger towards Caroline, she screamed. "Just go away! No one wants you here!" Then before anyone could stop her, she sped off to her room.
"I'll go check on her," said Marcel, his brows still furrowed in anger at Klaus and Caroline. "I've lost my appetite anyway."
Klaus watched in irritation as Marcel sped out of the courtyard.
"Caroline," he muttered, too ashamed to look at her. "I would like to apologize for that."
"No," Caroline retracted her fangs, a seed of shame growing in her too. "I'm the one who should apologize. I-I antagonized the situation. Y'know what...I should go."
Klaus held on to her hand for the longest time, not wanting to let go.
"You know where I'll be." She wanted to kiss him goodbye but was already feeling awkward enough about how the Mikaelsons felt about their relationship. "See you later?"
"See you soon," he promised.
As Caroline sped away from the Compound, Klaus's eyes focused at the top of the courtyard staircase where his children once disappeared to.
"You all go on with breakfast. I'll go see about Marcel and Hope."
Klaus started taking steady steps towards the stairs and Davina wanted to chase after him and protect Marcel but Kol placed a calming hand on her shoulder. When she looked back at him, he simply muttered, "No need to worry, love. Marcel Gerard is the last person in the world Klaus would hurt. They're just gonna do a bit of private yelling. You don't wanna see that."
Davina eyed Klaus taking slow steps up the stairs as if she didn't quite believe Kol but she knew Marcel. If he felt like Klaus would ever do anything to hurt him, he wouldn't be there and he definitely wouldn't let her be there.
"C'mon," Kol gently nudged her toward the kitchen. "Let me let you feed me blueberry pancakes."
She could help but laugh at his silliness.
-M-
"Calm down," Marcel urged his angry pacing little sister. "Or you're going to wear a hole in the floor."
"This isn't funny," Hope bit. "That woman is trying to steal our father away."
"She's not trying to steal him. No one decides anything for Klaus but Klaus. He decides when he leaves...and when he comes back. He's always been that way."
Hope suddenly stopped her pacing. "So...how do when know when he's ready to leave? I've just gotten used to this place. I finally have real friends. Sebastian's here. I'm not ready to go anywhere."
Marcel laid back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He admired how Hope assumed she would be an automatic carryon in Klaus's travels. He wished he had such confidence.
A heavy knock on the door caught both of their attention.
"It's dad," Hope whispered sensing Klaus on the other side.
"I heard that," Klaus bit. "Open the door. Now."
Hope swung the door open and stood back with her arms over her chest, letting her dad know that she was not as afraid of his anger as he thought she would be.
"You have some explaining to do, young lady," he said coming further into the room. "What is the meaning of that little tantrum you threw downstairs?"
"It wasn't a tantrum! I don't want her here."
"Hope, Caroline is just my friend."
Marcel flopped back down on the bed and grumbled, "A friend that you don't mind abandoning family obligations to spend time with."
"What was that, Marcel?"
"I'm not moving to Mystic Falls," Hope blurred out before Klaus could confront Marcel. "I like it here. New Orleans is my home! Davina says there's magic in the air here. What's in Mystic Falls besides stupid Caroline?"
"Who said anything about moving? New Orleans is our home. Caroline is moving here for a year to start the new school."
"I don't want her here!" Hope stamp her feet. "She needs to go. Make her leave!"
"Hope, stop it. You're being a brat. I know your mother did not raise you like this."
"Marcel," Hope quickly turned to her brother. "Tell him I'm not being a brat. You want her to go too, right?"
Marcel sat up to look Hope in her desperate, watery eyes. He was willing to keep his feelings about Caroline hidden, as best he could, but Hope's sad eyes begged him to tell the truth.
"What's so important about some Mystic Falls vampire, Klaus? You kicked all of my vampires out of the city but now that a vampire that you know shows up, it's suddenly okay for vampires to swarm the city again?"
"One vampire does not a swarm make."
Marcel knew that Klaus wouldn't let other vampires come into the city. It was rare for Klaus to like any vampire that wasn't family. Still, he refused to let him know his true fear.
"It's only a matter of time," he grunted. "You should send her back where she came from before it's too late. If any vampires are going to take over this town, it's going to be mine, not the Mystic Falls gang."
"Enough," Klaus barked, walking further into the room and standing between Hope and Marcel. "You two seem to be under the impression that this matter is up for discussion. I've already said that Caroline is just a friend. She is opening a school and wanted to visit me while she's here. That's all. I'm not going to turn her away, no one's moving to Mystic Falls, and I'm not going to let any other vampires come into the city without my permission."
Marcel stood with a grunt. "Okay, sure." His feet thumped against the floorboards as he marched out of the room.
"Marcel," Klaus stated warningly as Marcel left but Marcel didn't bother to even look over his shoulder. He walked out the door calling Marcel's name but Marcel refused to even acknowledge him.
Once Klaus was on the other side of her door, Hope slammed it shut, muttering under her breath, "You suck, dad."
-M-
Marcel managed to avoid Klaus for days as he stalked around the Compound, irritated at being 'grounded' in a home that would soon be empty of all Mikaelsons except him. He was sure once Klaus left New Orleans to be with Caroline, all of the other Mikaelsons would follow him. All but him. New Orleans was his home and he wouldn't abandon it. He would rebuild it alone, just like he did a hundred years ago when his family abandoned him.
Klaus made sure to stick around the Compound during Marcel's grounding to reassure him that he wasn't 'seeing' Caroline in the hope that his son would at least start talking to him but Marcel never said a word to him.
It wasn't until two weeks later that he heard Klaus whispering to Elijah outside the dining room that he was going to sneak out and see Caroline. He asked Elijah to keep an extra eye on Marcel and Hope to make sure they didn't find out and Marcel's rage began anew.
He knew his rage had blocked his senses when he found himself lounging in the silent library with no one as company except Finn, his least favorite Mikaelson, reading alone in a corner.
"This has to be a new low."
Marcel was distracted from his loathing thoughts by the sound of Kol's familiar drawl coming from the doorway.
"This is your new bestie? The sniveling twerp?"
Finn glared up from his book but said nothing. If he retaliated, Kol would simply tell Elijah and Elijah would have Freya following him around again.
In two weeks Freya had made no progress in figuring out how to get him back into his old body and after days of watching his sister struggle through restless nights, he begged her to take a break from his problems and focus on spells that would make her happy, that would ease her mind and help her relax before tackling his remedy again.
He would rather live as a child and a vampire than watch her fight off torturous headaches and drowsiness with all the sorts of magic and caffeine New Orleans had to offer. Besides, if nothing bad had happened to his body after the first couple of days, it was safe to assume nothing was going to happen if Freya didn't find his cure right away.
In all honesty, he was beginning to despise his vampire existence less and less. A thousand years ago when he and his family were just a bunch of bloodthirsty recluses hiding their true selves from the world, he hated his life. The witches never failed to remind them that their existence was a crime against nature and he believed every hateful word they spewed.
But New Orleans was different. It was a community where his family was accepted by humans, witches, and werewolves alike. He wanted to go out and embrace the love in the city but Freya spent most of her time researching a remedy to return him to his rightful body so she could then transfer him into a witch body - a request he was too ashamed to say he wasn't sure he wanted anymore.
No one else would take him anywhere because they either hated him or didn't trust him.
So he stayed to himself most days, reading history books about the past he missed out on. Everyone once and a while he would sneak one of Elijah's journals away to find out what his siblings were up to through history but he could never make it past the first hundred years of their lives where Elijah wrote about how dull and vexing he could be before he became too upset to finish.
It was lonely at first. But he soon realized that as long as he stayed quiet and only spoke when spoken to, people would stop leaving the room when he came in.
"I didn't even realize he was here," Marcel grumbled. He sat up straight as Kol entered the room. "Where's Davina?"
"In Freya's lab with Hope learning a new spell," Kol groaned. "There's only so many spells I can watch 'em learn before I start longing for the ol' days so I decided to beat it before I got nostalgic."
Marcel was happy to hear that Davina was thriving. Her nightmares were few and in between now. Most nights she slept all the way through. But that was usually the nights Kol snuck into her bed. He wanted to be angry about it but he until he found a better way to keep her calm a night, keeping Kol close was the only cure for her restlessness.
"But apparently not as nostalgic as him," Kol said mockingly turning his attention back to Finn. "Let me save you some time, brother. The Mikaelsons rose to noble ranking in almost every major nation in the past thousand years without you around to nag us. Seems as though we have our best times when you're not around."
Finn slammed his book shut but continued to bite his tongue. If there was one person he hated being trapped in a room with it was Kol.
"Leave him alone," Marcel groaned. "Or you will start him to nagging again."
Having had enough, Finn was just about to leave the library when Hope and Davina came running in, Hope in an excited frenzy.
"Look, Marcy, look!" Hope held open her grimoire to a page with a newly inked spell entitled 'Silencer' with a big pink check mark beside it. "I've learned a new spell."
"Really," Marcel smiled, deciding to ignore his feelings so long as Hope was happy. "What is it?"
"It's a silencing spell. It renders the target unable to speak for eight hours."
"Sounds pretty cool. You gotta show it to me. Make your Uncle Kol shut up for eight hours. That'll be a magic trick and a world record all at once."
"Harty har," Kol sneered as everyone laughed. Finn let out a small chuckle from across the room that caught his eye. He stopped laughing as a wicked grin came across Kol's face. "Why don't you use it on Finn. Not like he talks much these days anyway."
"Kol," Davina lightly smacked Kol's chest. "Don't be cruel."
"What? She wants to test her spell out, right? Who better than the village bore?"
Hope didn't need much convincing to use the spell against Finn. She just wanted to try it out, it didn't much matter who she tried it on and since her family seemed to only be tolerating Finn's presence, she knew she'd get away with using it on him before anyone else.
She passed the open grimoire to Kol and read the incantation out loud as she performed the spell. She aimed her hands towards Finn in the corner and a blue glow began to circle them. When she finished chanting, they all waited on bated breath to see if it worked.
"Well," Kol gibed. "Say something. Let's see if it worked."
Afraid it had worked, Finn opened his mouth hoping for words to fall out but nothing came.
"Well look at that," Kol burst into laughter. "If only we'd known that spell a thousand years ago you might not've ever been daggered."
Finn couldn't help himself. Kol's constant teasing mixed with the frustration of having his voice taken overwhelmed him with anger and humiliation and he acted without thinking, throwing his book with a good amount of vampire strength but without thoughtful aim towards Kol.
If Kol had suspected Finn would throw the book, he would've jumped in front of it.
If Marcel had suspected it, he would've caught it.
If Davina had suspected it, she would've ducked.
But it was too late.
The book slammed into Davina's face crushing her nose.
Blood rushed from her face like water from a spring.
Marcel jumped to his feet and hurried to her side as Kol caught her tottering body in his arms.
"Davina," they cried. "Are you okay?"
Davina fell to almost uncontrollable tears having forgotten what true pain felt like after all those years.
Marcel bit into his hand without a second thought and held it up to her mouth as Kol unconsciously stroked her back. Knowing the calming relief of vampire blood, Davina drank without a second thought.
Still stricken with the silencing spell, no one heard Finn's endless stream of apologies. He could only imagine his siblings' reaction. He was just thankful Hope wasn't six inches to the left or it might've been her and they would've killed him for sure.
As soon as Davina's nose was healed, anger fueled Marcel and Kol. Their black eyes laced him with hate as their fangs shone.
Before Davian could stop them, they charged Finn.
Realizing he had to defend himself, Finn punched Kol with all of his Original strength sending him flying towards a bookcase. Davina's magic caught him just before he crashed into the shelves and set him back down to his feet.
Distracted by the girl's magic, Finn didn't see Marcel's knee come flying from behind, knocking him to the ground. He staggered onto his hands and knees but then Kol's foot slammed into his jaw, knocking him out cold.
"That's enough," Davina screamed. "It was an accident!"
"There's no such thing as accidents with Finn," Marcel barked. "He's cold and calculating."
Fighting the urge to spit on his unconscious brother's body, Kol added, "He obviously attacked you to get back at me. He knew that book would hurt you a lot more than it would me and seeing you hurt would tear me apart."
Davina stared down at the young face of the oldest Mikaelson brother. He looked so innocent as a teenager but she knew him as an adult and knew Marcel and Kol were right. Still, she couldn't help feeling like it really was an accident.
Seeing the amazed look on Hope's face, Marcel knew they had to get the girl out of the room before they decided how to proceed.
"Davina, get Hope out of here, please."
"Why," Hope whined trying to erase her surprise from her face but failing as her wide eyes continued to stare down at Finn.
Taking a step in front of Finn to hide his unconscious body from his little sister, Marcel said, "Because you don't need to see this. Go. Take her to Bourbon Street. Buy her an ice cream. Just...get her out of here."
Davina took Hope's hand into hers and carefully pulled the girl out of the room, deciding it was best for Hope to be anywhere but in that room with all that hate and anger radiating from two people she cared about.
"So what are we gonna do about this body," Marcel asked once they were alone.
"What d'ya mean?"
"I mean since Klaus destroyed the daggers, they can't put him back in a box but we can't let him roam the Compound freely anymore. He's a danger to Hope and Davina."
Kol kicked Finn's hand and watched it fall limply to the ground to make sure he was unconscious. "They wouldn't do anything to him anyhow but turn'm over to Freya and she's far too soft with him. Probably just give'm a slap on the wrist, maybe follow him around for a few days and just let'm roam free again."
For the first time in his life Kol found himself wishing the silver daggers still existed. He didn't want Finn around Davina. He couldn't have him losing his temper like that with something more fatal in his hands.
"Although," Kol said in the singsong way Marcel always knew spelled trouble. "The silver daggers aren't the only daggers that can take down an Original."
Marcel's jaw tightened. "No. That dagger's caused enough pain to this family."
"He isn't family, mate. He's just blood. You of all people should know the difference."
Marcel thought about Davina's horrible screams just minutes earlier and the horrified look on Hope's face and couldn't believe he was actually thinking about siding with Kol.
"Just for a little while," he said. "Just to teach him a lesson. Not long enough...for lasting damage."
"Does twenty-four hours sound good to you?"
Marcel scoffed. "How are we going to explain his disappearance for twenty-four hours?"
With a wide smile, Kol replied, "Just follow my lead."
DAMMIT, I FORGOT HAYLEY KNOWS CAROLINE! I'm really gonna have to rewatch tvd at some point -_-
