(2/2)
Chapter 49
Flashback:
Marcel's leg couldn't keep still as he sat at the breakfast table. Elijah filled his glass with cold milk and his plate with eggs and bacon but hadn't said a word about what happened the night before.
He'd snuck out after curfew with Kol to attend a party happening in the bayou. Kol had promised that they'd be back before Klaus and Elijah noticed they were gone and Marcel believed him. It'd only been a few months since Klaus undaggered Kol and already Kol had gotten Marcel in trouble more times than he'd normally get in on his own in a year. Still, there was something about Kol's reckless abandon for rules that drew Marcel to him.
Klaus hated it but with Marcel, Kol was always more cautious about his treatment of people. He knew that Klaus wouldn't allow Marcel around him if he got too wild and reckless so in the months since he'd been awake, Kol had killed fewer people than ever before. Kol was a bad influence on Marcel but Marcel was a good influence on Kol.
"Um...Uncle Elijah," Marcel muttered as Elijah sat down at the table to eat his breakfast. Kol had yet to come downstairs yet since he'd gotten too soused to even drive the carriage back home that night forcing Marcel to figure out how to get back to the Mikaelson Estate on his own, a feat he thought he'd never accomplish if it weren't for a few helpful witches leaving the party at the same time as them that gave him directions. "Are you going to...am I..."
He didn't want to ask the question that had been plaguing him all morning but he knew he needed too.
"Am I in trouble?"
Elijah laid his fork down and glared at Marcel. "You snuck out after curfew, you attended a party neither your father or I authorized, and you drove the carriage home drunk, over the levee I might add. Do you know what could've happened if you would've fallen in?"
Blushing at his uncle's heated response, Marcel said, "Kol was there. He wouldn't have let anything happen to me."
"Kol," The way Elijah snipped Kol's name as he said it made Marcel more nervous. "Was too inebriated to help anyone. You are lucky you made it home safe."
"Yes, sir."
Marcel started eating his breakfast in silence. He wondered if Elijah had told Klaus about their night yet. Elijah had met him at the door that night while he was trying to drag Kol, still foolishly drinking from a bottle of bourbon, into the Compound on his own. Taking Kol out of his hands, Elijah ordered Marcel to bed and put his drunk brother to sleep on his own.
There was nothing Marcel wished for more at that moment than for Kol to come downstairs and take the brunt of Elijah anger like he normally did whenever they were in trouble instead of spending the morning sleeping off his drunken stupor.
Once his plate was empty, Elijah used his napkin to calmly wipe away any lingering crumbs from his lips before laying it on the table and saying, "Alright, Marcellus. Let's retire to my study."
"B-but..." Marcel tried to eat as slowly as possible to prolong his punishment but, as always, Elijah had no patience for it. Whenever Marcel tried to prolong a punishment by eating slowly, Elijah would simply take him away from the table, punish him, and bring him back.
"Now, Marcellus. I won't ask you again."
Marcel fought the burn of the tears threatening to fall as Elijah led him back to his study. He'd be crying soon enough.
Once in the study, Elijah pulled out his desk chair and sat it in front of the desk to give Marcel enough room to lie over his lap. Marcel seemed to slow down as soon as he stepped through the threshold. He tottered to the chair, his hands mechanically covering the seat of his pants.
Elijah only waited a few seconds for the boy to get to him before he sped over to Marcel and vamped him back to the chair, relieving him of his pants and taking him over his lap before Marcel could comprehend what was going on.
As soon as the first smack of Elijah's steel palm hit his behind, Marcel let out a practiced swear that only fueled Elijah more. He and Klaus never swore in front of Marcel so he knew he had to have learned it from Kol or one of his degenerate witch friends.
Marcel knew he made a mistake when Elijah landed a handful of smacks in rapid succession across his entire bottom.
"Don't you ever say that word again, Marcellus," Elijah scolded, landing one more strong spank to his bottom for emphasis.
"Yes, sir!"
As Elijah continued spanking him, Marcel's wails flooded the room. The first smack to his sensitive undercurve drew Marcel's hand behind. Elijah simply aimed his smacks higher and when Marcel moved his hand to block those smacks, Elijah aimed lower again, going back and forth, peppering Marcel's entire behind in stinging smacks before the boy could stop his vampire speed. Giving up on trying to block his uncle's spanks, Marcel placed his hands on the floor to anchor himself as he let out heavy, heartfelt tears.
Feeling the boy go limp over his lap, finally resigned to his fate, Elijah landed five more quick swats before standing him up.
Marcel's pants fell to his ankles as he stood and Elijah allowed him to step out of them before guiding him to the nearest corner. "Stand here and think about what put you in this situation. And remember, if I catch you rubbing your behind, that's another trip over my knee."
The burn seeping into Marcel's behind was so overwhelming he wasn't sure if he'd be able to resist rubbing which only made him cry harder.
Elijah replaced his chair behind his desk and began reading over the new contracts proposed by the witches to the vampires. Years of dealing with disobedient Mikaelsons made him adept at ignoring the sniffling coming from the corner. Once he was finished reading and making his own amendments to the contract, he said, "Marcellus, come here."
Marcel turned from the corner tugging nervously at the end of his shirt trying to cover his privates as best he could as he wobbled over to Elijah's desk.
"Why did I have to thrash you?"
Face red with embarrassment, Marcel answered, "B-because I left the Compound after curfew to go to a party with Kol and came home drunk."
"That's right. I haven't told your father about this because I knew he would've begged me to spare you but you understand why I couldn't, right?"
Marcel nodded slightly. "Because...something bad could've happened to me last night."
"Exactly, Marcellus. Kol is immortal. If he would've fallen into the levee, he would've eventually washed up on shore and be okay. But you..."
Marcel stared at the floor and mumbled under his breath, "I'd be immortal too if poppa would just turn me."
Elijah sighed. He understood why Klaus didn't want to turn the boy and he agreed. He'd seen some of the nicest people become monsters after being turned. Marcel had no idea how much of a blessing his humanity was.
"Be that as it may," Elijah stood and walked around the desk. "As of today, you are still human and you're still a sixteen-year-old boy which means you follow the rules your father and I set out for you."
"Kol's eight hundred years old and he still has to follow your rules," Marcel muttered. "When do we get to start making our own rules?"
Elijah chuckled remembering how he still had to go wake up his brother and punish him for taking Marcel out of the Compound and getting too drunk to bring him home safely.
Placing his hand on Marcel's shoulder, Elijah said, "Marcellus, as long as you're a Mikaelson, never."
End Flashback
-M-
Finn woke struggling on the cold concrete against the vervain chains binding his entire body from shoulders to feet. He looked around frantically, not knowing where he was but recognizing the sound of the sea nearby and the putrid scent of fish, he knew it as a dock warehouse. He heard voices in the distance coming closer to him.
"Now repeat it to me," Kol commanded the compelled dock worker. "What are you going to do to him?"
"I am to take his body, put it in a crate, and hide it for twenty-four hours and not tell anyone where it is or that I've ever even seen him."
"That's right. Tell no one, especially not me." Kol sighed. As long as he didn't technically know where Finn's body was, he wouldn't be lying to Klaus or Elijah when he said he didn't 'know' where Finn was.
Kol glanced over and saw Finn staring up at him.
"Well, speak of the devil and all that."
Kol strutted to Finn's body. There was an old handkerchief shoves in his mouth as a gag but at seeing what looked like muffled grunting without a sound, Kol realized Hope's spell was still in effect after all.
"Hello, big brother. Sleep well?" He laughed as Finn struggled to talk growing frustrates when no sounds came out. "That's alright, you don't have to answer that. We'll just see how well you sleep after a day with this in you."
Kol held up Papa Tunde's blade and Finn recognizes it as the blade Freya told him Marcel used to torture Klaus with for twelve years. He fought to break his chains once more but the more he moved the worse the chains bit into his skin.
"Don't bother fighting it," Kol taunted. "It's the least you deserve after hurting Davina."
Tears burned Finn's eyes as he failed to speak any words of explanation. He knew his family would be angry but he didn't think they would sentence him to this. He wondered if Freya knew what was about to happen to him. Certainly she couldn't have otherwise she'd be there fighting to stop it.
"That's right. Be afraid. I've even got a witch cloaking you so your precious Freya isn't gonna be any help finding you. No one's finding you until I want you found."
His eyes widened as Kol rose the dagger above his head. As soon as it plunged into the small opening of chains exposing his chest, a surge of pain Finn had never felt rushed through his body all at once.
"Alright," Kol didn't look back as he walked towards the warehouse exit. "Get it over with. Make sure you hide it nice and good, mate. The folks that'll be looking for this on have dogs with keen noses. And he's unkillable so...get creative."
-M-
As dinner at the Mikaelson Compound began, there was one face missed above all else.
"Where's Freya," Rebekah asked.
With a sigh, Elijah answered, "In her lab making a locator spell for Finn."
Marcel turned nervously to Kol. They knew Freya would eventually try to find Finn with a locator spell but they'd hoped she would wait until the next day, not a mere two hours after Kol left him at the docks.
"He still hasn't shown up?"
Rebekah was starting to worry a bit herself. It wasn't unusual for Finn to find some spot to hole up in by himself with a book but he would always come running when Freya called.
"Maybe we should all go looking. Something could've happened to him."
Davina and Hope stayed silent. They knew Marcel and Kol had done something to him but they were afraid of what it was. Davina was almost certain Finn's attack was an accident meant for Kol but she knew Kol and Marcel loved her too much to see reason on something like that.
"He's probably fine," Kol insisted. "You know Finn, always so dramatic. We had a little disagreement in the library and he could have run off."
Marcel silently noted how Kol did his best to avoid making any declarative statements, technically not telling any lies.
"Then I suppose we have no choice but to look for him," said Elijah to everyone's surprise. "Freya would never forgive us if his seal broke while he was off sulking somewhere." He slid his chair back, tossing his cloth napkin next to his still complete meal. Kol was right, Finn could be a tad bit dramatic sometimes, especially when Kol was taunting him, and he would run off somewhere to hide until someone found him. "He probably hasn't gone far. He may be still in the Compound."
Ever so reluctantly, Kol and Marcel pretended to search the Compound for Finn. After an hour of coming up empty, a scream came out of Freya's lab that drew them all to her doorway.
Freya stood in a cold sweat, the small end table where a previous spell sat completely flipped over, the ingredients scattered across the floor, effectively ending the spell.
"What happened," Rebekah ran into the room taking her trembling sister in her arms.
"The locator spell didn't work so...I...I tried to connect with Finn. I thought...maybe I could figure out where he was if I was in his head but...it was horrible." Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she remembered the small amount of pain she felt in the seconds she was connected with her brother. "He...he's in unbearable pain. I think...wherever he is, it's too late...I think his seal is breaking."
Rebekah held Freya up as she collapsed into tears.
Guilt burned in Kol. He didn't expect Freya to try to connect with Finn. Now she was more worried than he ever suspected.
"Do you think," Davina's soft whisper drew Kol's attention down to her. "Do you think...he ran off after the fight because he was angry at us?"
"Us," Elijah repeated having overheard the girl's whisper. "You were a part of it?"
Davina looked to Kol to explain. Kol's face burned with embarrassment at seeing Freya crying. He never meant for it to go so far so fast. He thought he'd have Finn back before Freya could get so worked up.
"Well," Klaus bit. He wasn't the biggest fan of Finn but the look in Kol's eyes was all too familiar. It was the contemplative look he dawned whenever he wanted to lie. "Fess up. And remember that I am not tolerating any more lies."
"We fought him," Marcel suddenly said before Kol had the chance to decide if he wanted to tell the truth. "He lost his temper and threw a book at Davina. He broke her nose! So yeah, we beat the shit out of him."
Klaus sighed. Marcel's attitude towards him had been harsher than normal after Caroline came into town but he took it in stride. "And he was upset so he ran off?"
Marcel gritted his teeth not wanting to lie but refusing to tell the truth.
"Kol," Freya's broken voice muttered. "If you know where Finn is...tell me. Maybe I can still save him. Please. I-I know he hurt Davina but...he doesn't deserve to die for it. Certainly not in that much pain."
Kol bit his lip and stared away from anyone else in the room. "He's...he's not dying," he mumbled. "He's...hidden."
"What," Rebekah exclaimed. "Hidden where?"
"I...don't know. I hired a guy at the docks to hide his body after I...stuck Tunde's blade in him."
The room was silent with shock. After all the pain Klaus had suffered from and was currently still struggling through, they had all agreed that Tunde's blade would only ever be used on an enemy, never family. To find out Kol put it in his brother sickened them all.
"You...you did what," Freya yelled, tears suddenly coming to a halt at the rise of her anger. She pulled out of Rebekah's arms and stalked towards Kol still refusing to look her in the eyes. "Where is he?"
"I don't know, I swear. I compelled him to keep it a secret from me for twenty-four hours."
"Then find him and fix your compulsion," she yelled. "That blade could be the catalyst needed to finally tear his soul apart."
Under the watchful gaze of his family, Kol called his friend at the dock and asked him to meet him back at the warehouse where he left Finn's body. Then he, Freya, Elijah, Klaus, Rebekah and Marcel all went to the docks together impatiently waiting for the man to show up.
"There you are," Kol exclaimed as the scruffy man finally entered the warehouse smelling of early-evening booze. "Change of plans. I'm gonna need that crate back sooner than I thought."
"You put him in a crate," Freya barked.
Kol flinched at his sister's rage but continued to focus on the man in front of him.
"Can't *blech* do that," the man said in between drunken burps. "You said not to *blech*...to *blech*...you said 24 hours."
Growing annoyed at the disgusting man, Elijah spet past Kol and grabbed the stranger by the collar of his shirt. Staring into his eyes, he said, "Tell me where you put the crate. Now."
Elijah's compulsion fighting Kol's the man said, "I dropped it off the side of the dock."
Freya felt her heart jump. Not only was Finn suffering from the blade but he was also trapped in a never-ending hell, drowning over and over.
Kol's jaw dropped. "I never told him to do that."
"You *blech* said to get creative *blech* so the dogs wouldn't find him. Well, *blech* I got creative."
Pushing the man towards the warehouse exit, Elijah said, "Show us where he is."
They followed the man to the docks where the crane still waited from when he dropped Finn in, illuminated in the night by the bright glow of the moon. As the drunk struggled to climb the crane, Freya grew impatient. Pushing Kol towards the end of the dock, she ordered, "Go get him. Hurry."
Kol didn't need any further prodding. He dove into the water and swam down to the wooden crate resting on the seabed. Using his vampire might, he ripped the crate open. Finn laid at the bottom of the crate, body weighed down by the vervain chains, his eyes closed, dead.
Kol grabbed Finn by the arm and swam back to the surface where Elijah and Klaus waited to pull their unconscious brother to safety. The Mikaelsons struggled through the pain as they ripped the burning chains from Finn's body while Freya knelt on the ground holding his body in her arms.
As soon as the chains were off, Elijah dove his hand into his chest and grabbed Tunde's blade.
Moments of silence passed as they waited for Finn to open his eyes and take his first breath.
At his wide-eyed gasp, Freya released the breath of air she didn't realize she was holding. She squeezed him tight as he choked on the water still in his lungs.
Finally realizing he was free from the torment of the blade, the burn of seawater ripping through his lungs, and the bite of the chains against his skin, Finn fell into heavy sobs in Freya's arms.
"How dare you," Rebekah finally spoke. She'd been quiet the entire time, afraid of what state they were going to find their brother in. Now that she finally saw him safe and alive, she turned her anger to Kol and Marcel, the look of disgust unhidden on her face. "After all this family has been through, you two have the audacity to pull something this low."
"He hurt Davina," Marcel said. "He needed to learn a lesson in controlling his temper."
"Enough." Klaus's bite was harsher than it'd been with Marcel in weeks. "This was too far and you know it."
"It's Finn," Kol shrugged. "We didn't think anyone but Freya would care this much."
"He is our brother," Rebekah yelled.
"And he hexed me to death," Kol quickly replied. "I say now we're even."
Elijah shook his head. "No. Not even. Not yet. Go home. We will deal with you two later."
Before Kol could dispute, the dockworker stumbled his way into the circle of Mikaelsons surrounding Finn.
"Well, would'ya *blech* look at that. He is *blech* still alive after all. What is he? A *blech* cockroach?"
Before the man could laugh at his own joke, a surge of magic lifted him into the air and threw him far into the ocean. The Mikaelson watched in shock as Freya continued to hold Finn with one arm and drown the drunken man with the other.
"What'cha do that for," Kol muttered. "He was fun."
When Freya's cold eyes cut into him, he went flush. "Get out of here," she growled. "You're lucky it was him I threw in that water and not you."
Shame overcoming him, Kol sped off leaving Marcel alone with the angry group.
"I'm not sorry," Marcel stated. "He deserved it. And if he ever did anything to hurt Davina again, I won't hesitate to put that thing in him myself."
"Marcel," Rebekah exclaimed in shock.
"I mean it. Kol was right. Finn isn't our family. He's just someone you share blood with." Turning to Klaus, he said, "What is it you always say? 'Family is more than just the people you share blood with. It's people you fight for and who fight for you.' When has Finn ever fought for any of us?"
"You won't give him a chance," Freya barked.
"I don't need to. He had his chance when he came back to life the first time and he tried to kill Hope."
"He's changed. You would know that if you people stopped treating him like an enemy under his own roof."
"Our roof," Marcel corrected. "Not his."
Finn opened his mouth to try to speak but found his words still swallowed by Hope's magic. He tugged on Freya's shirt and drew her attention down to him so she could see his failed attempts at speech.
"What's wrong with him," she asked.
Marcel considered not telling her but the fearful look on Rebekah's face moved him to comfort her by saying, "He's fine. Hope used her new spell on him."
"Hope used magic against him?" Klaus was floored.
Despite everything his family had been through, the one thing that has always kept his siblings together was their unwavering ability for love and forgiveness. A sentiment that seemed to bypass his children.
With a wave of her hand, Freya released Hope's spell and Finn's sobs suddenly resounded louder than anyone thought possible. He struggled to keep his crying at bay so he could talk but finally receiving the relief of hearing his own voice again only made him cry harder.
"I'm sorry," he cried. "I-I didn't mean to hurt her. I-I was aiming at Kol b-but...I was so angry. I-I know I'm not supposed to g-get angry but...I couldn't stop myself. I'm sorry. Please don't make me leave the family. I don't want to be alone again. Please. I'm sorry."
Hearing Finn begging to stay with his family sent a shiver down his spine. It was eerie how familiar the sight was. It was only months ago that he was afraid his mistakes would mean the loss of his family. And his sentiment of lonilessness...hit closer to home than Marcel would care to admit.
Flashback:
The creaking of floorboards sent Elijah searching through the Compound in the middle of the night in his nightgown, a dimly lit lantern leading his way. When he found the source of the squeaks, he was surprised to see Klaus walking back and forth in Marcel's bedroom with the boy wrapped tightly in his arms. Marcel's quiet sobs could not be silenced no matter how much Klaus shushed.
"Niklaus," Elijah's voice came just above a whisper. "Why are you still awake at this hour, brother?"
Klaus continued to pace, rubbing soothing circles against Marcel's back with the tips of his fingers. "Another bad dream."
"Oh." Elijah set the lantern on the nightstand and found one of Marcel's discarded handkerchiefs lying inside of his chestnut bureau as he came further into the room. Klaus stopped his pacing in front of Elijah and turned Marcel slightly so he could see his tearful face.
"Hey, now," Elijah tutted as he dabbed the tears from Marcel's cheeks. "What's all this about?"
Fighting back sniffles, Marcel said, "I-I dreamed...p-poppa had left a-and you had gone and-and Bekah w-was gone and...and I was all alone again."
"Your family is immortal, Marcellus. That means we're going to be here forever."
"But...but what if...one day you don't want me around anymore...and you-you stop c-caring about me?"
Klaus's arms tightened around Marcel. He'd spent the better part of an hour trying to reassure the boy that would never happen.
Elijah's smile glowed under the lantern's light. "Your poppa is the kind of man who comes running at a whimper in the night. That kind of love never fades. Do you understand, Marcellus?"
Marcel tucked his head further against Klaus's neck. It didn't matter that his father's arms were cold, they were the warmest place he could be.
He nodded.
"Good." Elijah stood back and motioned for Klaus to put Marcel back in bed. "Now, off to bed. You have your studies in the morning. Tomorrow we start on Gulliver's Travels."
In a light whisper, Marcel asked, "Poppa...can I sleep with you tonight? Just this once?"
Before Elijah could scold the boy about how inappropriate it would be for a boy his age to sleep in bed with his father, Klaus answered, "Of course, Marcellus."
Elijah tutted as Klaus carried the boy out the room but Niklaus simply ignored his disapproval as he continued to whisper to Marcel promises of 'Always and Forever'.
End Flashback
The sound of Freya shushing Finn's crying pulled Marcel out of his thoughts.
"Please don't make me leave. I'll be better, I promise. I didn't mean to hurt her. I-I didn't mean to..."
Marcel's coldness towards Finn suddenly began to melt. He'd been quiet and peaceful for weeks, it was only after Kol's constant antagonizing that he even retaliated in the same way any Mikaelson would - with violence. He suddenly felt a pit of guilt growing in his stomach filled with shame.
He knew he only went after Finn because was angry at Klaus. At Caroline. She was the real vampire he wished he could bury in the sea. But he took his anger out on an innocent...technically a child, breaking one of his own rules.
"Marcel," Klaus stated. "Go home. I won't tell you again."
He didn't have to. Marcel was grateful to leave the scene. Even in the dark, Finn's terrified face was more than he could take in.
As Elijah stepped closer to Finn hoping to comfort his crying brother, Tunde's dagger still in his hand, Finn tightened his grip around Freya and sobbed harder.
"Please, not again," he cried. "I'm sorry. I promise I won't hurt her, I won't hurt anyone again, I swear."
Klaus cringed. Seeing Finn reminded him of the night he lost control with Kol and his brother begged him to spare him from a daggering that was never coming. He hated himself that night and as he watched Finn in such fear, he realized everyone in his family were monsters. He made a vow then and there to do something about it or else Hope would follow in her family's footsteps.
"I'll be better. Please let me stay. You're all I have...please."
Elijah stared down at the blade in his hand and realized it had done exactly what Papa Tunde had intended it to do: Bring his family nothing but pain. The Mikaelsons were strong for a thousand years before that blade and he was sure they could be strong for a thousand years without it.
Without a second thought, he threw the blade into the sea. He fell to his knees beside Freya and placed his hands under his brother's back. Freya hesitated to let Finn go, slightly cautious about trusting the rest of her family with Finn but Elijah's act of throwing away Tunde's blade easied her worry a bit.
"It's okay, brother," Elijah muttered softly as Finn's hitched sobs became once Freya passed him off. "You're not going anywhere. You're a Mikaelson and Mikaelsons stick together. Always and forever."
Finn's wide eyes scanned the faces of his other siblings with surprise. In a thousand years, no one ever promised him 'always and forever' unless it was to remind him that he would be always and forever loathed.
Freya softly caressed the damp hair from his forehead as she said, "We'll always be here for you, brother. Always and forever."
Rebekah knelt next to Freya, a softness in her eyes as she said, "Even when you're a selfish prick, we'll love you. Always and forever."
With a deep breath, Niklaus followed the lead of his siblings, falling to one knee in front of Finn. The serious glare in his eyes worried Finn. No one had more reason to hate him than their bastard brother and he was afraid his hate transcended their siblings.
"Thirteen years ago you came after my daughter," Klaus stated coldly. "And I hated you for it. But...you are my brother...and you are a Mikaelson. Forgiveness comes with the territory. Always and forever."
Finn's face contorted into a tight scrunch as another heavy influx of tears made their way to the surface. He buried his face against Eljiah's chest as he sobbed, "I'm sorry. I don't know why I keep c-crying. It's this st-stupid body. I'm just so...so..."
Pride bit his tongue before he could get the words out but they all knew what he meant. He was happy. Despite it all, he had a family. One that would always be there for him despite what the thoughts that ravished his mind in the void of the Otherside said. He didn't have to be alone anymore.
So I edited some parts of this as I was writing it so hopefully there are far less typos than usual but...y'know..
And I know a lot of people aren't Finn fans but I think there's some potential in him so just bare with me for a minute lol
