Chapter 52
Hope's head rested heavily against the soft cushion of the couch, drowsy but refusing to drift off, not while Izzy sat so close by. The two of them sat side by side sleepily watching the end of 'The Wizard of Oz' - one of Hope's favorite movies - but hardly said a word to each other all night. Hope forgot how nervous she got around her crushes without Sebastian around to support her. All night she asked herself 'What would Sebastian tell you to do?' But then she realized if she knew what Sebastian would tell her to do, she wouldn't need Sebastian to tell her to do it.
It was much easier to talk to her through text. They texted all the time. Her parents never checked her phone unless they thought she was up to something and she hadn't been up to anything in weeks so almost every day since her birthday, Hope had texted Izzy some silly joke and Izzy would respond with a barely relevant meme and Hope would laugh...but Izzy was never there to see her laugh. She wasn't there to see the minutes of awkward contemplation Hope went through before every text. She didn't see the string of intense messaging Hope and Sebastian sent back and forth as he helped her write her next witty response. Now Hope was all on her own, in real life, with the girl that made her mouth go dry from nervousness before could even get a word out.
Davina's head rested on top of Rebekah's lap next to them - the two of them had fallen asleep halfway through the classic movie marathon. It was nothing but sheer force of will that kept her awake during the last movie.
As she listened for the sounds of Hayley's gentle breathing coming from the armchair next to their sofa, she knew she was in the clear.
Softly, so as to not wake Rebekah or Davina, Hope began nudging Izzy awake. Izzy's grey eyes fluttered softly open, her cheeks turning bright red as she stared down at Hope's wide smile.
"You fell asleep," Hope teased.
Feigning nonchalance, Izzy replied, "S-sorry, it's...been sorta a long day for me."
Sitting up straight, Hope asked, "Did you get to see your brother today?"
Izzy's eyes drooped heavily to the floor, a forced smile on her face. "Y-yeah. I saw him. I feel like he's gotten even bigger since the last time I saw him. And he counted all the way to six," she laughed but there was a sadness in her eyes that broke Hope's heart. "Three years old and he's already counting. I swear...I think he's a genius."
"Maybe next week you guys should go to a park or something," Hope suggested. "I'm sure he'd love that. What three-year-old genius wouldn't?"
Izzy's face suddenly fell. Hope could almost feel the fear radiating off of her. "I-I...I probably won't be able to see him next week. It-it wasn't easy getting them to let me see him today. Because of my past...and the fact that I didn't tell anyone my mom had abandoned our family for four weeks, the courts label me a risk. They say I have to go through three months of therapy before I'm actually supposed to see him again. Today I just...happened to catch his foster dad in a...good mood."
"What got him in such a good mood?"
Izzy folded her arms over her chest, squeezing tightly, hugging herself as if to shield herself from the truth.
"You don't wanna know," she muttered. "You wouldn't understand. You're too sheltered."
"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?"
Hope wanted to be indignant that Izzy was patronizing her but there was something about Izzy's demeanor that told Hope she wasn't the victim here. Izzy was. And she didn't need to be lambasted, she needed a friend.
"I may be younger than you but I'm not a little kid. I can handle it. Did you bribe him with bourbon? That seems to always work with my Uncle Kol."
"No," Izzy chuckled softly praying to put Hope at ease so she wouldn't have to explain herself. "Nothing, really. He was just in a good mood. But...I have to get Oliver out of there as soon as I can. He's safer with me."
Hope saw how uncomfortable talking about her and her brother being in foster care made Izzy and decided not to pry anymore. She knew that there was nothing she could do to help and she hated it. There was no worse feeling to her than feeling helpless so when she heard the low grumble come from Izzy's stomach, she felt a bit of relief in knowing there was something she could do about it.
She reached for one of the three bowls of cold popcorn sitting on the table in front of them. Rebekah had popped pounds of the buttery treat but Hayley and Hope had eaten most of it themselves - their voracious werewolf hunger causing them to scarf down handfuls of popcorn at a time before they knew it, leaving only a few half-popped kernels lying in the bottom of the three humongous bowls.
"Looks like we're out," Hope muttered. Refusing to be bested, she rose slowly off the couch and said, "C'mon, let's go raid the kitchen."
Izzy glanced over to Hayley and then back to Rebekah as if she were afraid one of them would wake up. The two of them were nice to her all night but remembering Klaus's outburst about her during Hope's birthday party, she wondered if they secretly felt the same and only invited her to Girl's Night because Hope begged.
Still, even if she was wrong about Hayley and Rebekah, she knew Klaus didn't like her.
"Are you sure about that," Izzy asked with an awkward smile. "I mean...we should probably stay in here until they wake up, right? Don't want them thinking I'm off somewhere corrupting you."
Hope gave a devilish smile as she walked to the door. "You corrupt me - that's funny."
As Hope left the room, Izzy hurried off the couch behind her. The two of them walked silently through the halls cloaked under Hope's invisibility spell so none of Hayley's werewolf sentries would see them. When they made it to the kitchen, she released the spell and hurried to the fridge.
"Alright, what'll it be? Full disclosure, my best...and only dish is grilled cheese."
Izzy chuckled. "Grilled cheese, huh?" She eased over to the fridge hovering over Hope as she peered over her. She was too amazed at the sight of a refrigerator full of food to notice the stunned look on Hope's face as her secret crush stood so close behind her.
Taking a quick survey of the food, Izzy said, "Take a seat. I've got this."
"You've got this," Hope asked, suddenly thrown back to reality at someone trying to give her an order.
Izzy reached over Hope's shoulders and start grabbing seemingly random breakfast ingredients.
"How do you feel about a sausage omelet," Izzy asked. "My specialty."
"I can help."
Izzy laid the ingredients on the kitchen bar before searching through the cabinets for a bowl. "Nah, that's alright. Just point me in the direction of the bowls and pans and I'll handle it."
Hope slid past Izzy to the knife block sitting on the aisle, pulling a large serrated knife from the block like it was Excalibur itself. "I'm helping. I'll cut the vegetables."
"That's a mighty big knife for some li'l o' vegetables," Izzy chuckled though her eyebrows were knotted with worry. She didn't want to say anything to discourage Hope's determination but as Hope struggled to hold the onion still while wielding the gigantic knife, she reached into the knife block and grabbed a small paring knife. "Here," she said holding the knife over to Hope - handle side out. "Try this one."
Hope cut into the onion with a single swipe, the sharp blade slicing into the onion like warm butter.
"See," Hope exclaimed with excitement. "I told you I've got this. You just get to cracking those eggs."
Since Hope looked so confident in her abilities to handle a large kitchen knife, Izzy decided to give in and let her finish cutting the vegetables.
"I need a mixing bowl," said Izzy, sliding the paring knife back into the block with the others.
"Top cabinet next to the fridge."
Izzy opened the cabinet by the fridge to see a glass bowl just the right size for mixing eggs sitting at the very top. She reached out, struggling to reach the bowl, distracted from her stubborn friend for only a second when she heard Hope scream.
She spun around to see Hope with one hand wrapped around the index finger of the other, half of the onion cut nearly in quarters with drops of her blood speckling the top of it. She knew exactly what happened when she saw the onion lying round side down. Hope, in her inexperience, tried to cut the onion wrong and paid the price like many novice chefs.
Meanwhile...
Stepping aside, Klaus said, "Go. Check on Davina. But then off to bed. It's Sunday. There's no need for you to be up this early. Besides, you'll need to be well rested by tonight. When Freya ends the spell nullifying your healing ability, you and I will reassess this issue of your torturing Finn."
As Marcel sauntered out of the room past Klaus, he said, "I'll go back to sleep when you do."
Klaus followed Marcel towards Davina's bedroom. "I like to live by the age-old adage 'Do as I say, not as I do'."
"That may have worked when I was sixteen, Klaus, but not anymore."
"You are truly going to be the death of me."
With a smirk, Marcel opened his mouth to give a sly retort when he felt a sudden rush of fear. It was inexplicable, a chill that froze his entire being. When he realized the feeling came from the sharp scent drifting through the air, a familiar familial scent, he spun around to Klaus.
"Hope," they said simultaneously.
Father and son sped through the Compound following the scent of Hope's blood. As they burst through the doors of the kitchen, they were shocked to see Elijah, Kol, Rebekah, and Hayley all standing around a red-faced Hope, a dishtowel wrapped around her finger to stop the bleeding until it healed on its own. Izzy stood off to the side away from them, afraid they would blame her for Hope's injury and if there was one thing she didn't want to do it was anger the most powerful family in New Orleans. It was scary enough how all of them entered the room through three different entrances at almost the same time as if they had an alarm implanted in their brains to signal whenever Hope was hurt.
"What happened," Klaus bellowed.
Irritated at her family all coming to the rescue over a little cut, Hope said, "I cut myself. I'm fine."
"Are you sure," Hayley asked taking the towel from Hope's finger to examine it herself. "Let me see." Seeing the cut healed to a small knick eased her worry.
"I'm fine," Hope yanked her hand from her mom's hand, her embarrassment growing. "God, can you please just...be cool."
When Klaus locked eyes with Izzy, the girl thought she'd wet herself.
"You," Klaus growled. "What did you do to her?"
Izzy couldn't get a single word to fall from her lips as she stammered to speak.
"She didn't do anything. I told you, I cut myself. We were hungry and were trying to make omelets and...I made a mistake and got hurt but it was all my fault. Izzy had nothing to do with it."
"What is she even doing here?"
With a sigh, Hayley turned to Klaus and answered, "I invited her over for Girl's Night."
"She spent the night? With my daughter?"
"She's my daughter too, Niklaus. And we were all together the entire night. I do know how to look after my daughter."
Motioning to the blood on the counter, Klaus said, "You sure about that?"
"Hayley, Niklaus," Elijah bit suddenly. He nodded to Izzy still standing in the corner, a look of terror on her face. "Please, not now."
Hayley and Niklaus were so used to arguing with each other that they didn't notice the fear on the girl's face at their raised voices until Elijah pointed it out. Deciding to shelf their anger until they were in private, they said nothing else on the matter.
"Look," Hope held her hand up so everyone could see her healed finger. "I'm fine, see. Now can everyone just...go back where you came from, please."
"Sure." There was a giddiness in Niklaus's voice that set off a warning in everyone's head. "Izzy, let's go, shall we."
"Dad," Hope screamed.
Elijah shook his head at his brother's predictableness. "Niklaus, that's enough."
"No, brother, Hope wants us all to leave so I do believe it's time for little Izzabella here to go."
Before Hope could scream her disagreement, Izzy said, "It's alright, Hope. I should go anyway. I have to get ready for a meeting."
Glaring daggers at the father of her child, Hayley walked over to Izzy and draped her arm comfortingly across her shoulders. "C'mon, sweetheart. I'll drive you home."
Without invitation, Hope hurried behind Hayley and Izzy as they left the kitchen, all the while glaring at her father with the same life-threatening stare as her mother.
"Angering both mother and daughter before breakfast," Rebekah tutted. "That's gotta be a new record for you, Nik."
Niklaus walked over to the kitchen counter where the onion speckled with Hope's blood lied. His lip curled in disgust somehow still assuming Hope's accident was Izzy's fault.
"I don't care if they're angry, as long as they're safe."
"You have to be by far the densest man on Earth."
Klaus spun around to face his sister as she insulted him but Rebekah didn't back down even from his anger.
"Isn't that the sort of thinking that turned us all against you in the first place? Your overbearing desire for control."
"I'm not overbear-"
"You are, Nik! You were overbearing a century ago and right now you won't even let your daughter entertain an innocent girlhood crush because you can't be in control over who she crushes over. If you thought it was hard having an immortal teenage sister angry at your for decades over lost loves, wait until you have to deal with an angry adolescent daughter."
Niklaus looked to the others in the room, hoping any of them would see things his way and come to his defense but as he scanned the room, he saw nothing but disappointed glares.
"What do you expect me to do," he yelled. "The girl is a sixteen-year-old witch with a predilection for violence. How do you expect me to ever be alright with her near my daughter? It may be an innocent crush to Hope, but who knows what's going on in that girl's mind."
Kol rolled his eyes and muttered, "You say that as if you can't just force the truth out of her."
As soon as she saw the light go off over Niklaus's head, Rebekah said, "You're not forcing that girl to do anything."
"And why not," Niklaus demanded.
"Because she's a teenage girl. You can't just go forcing her to tell you her private thoughts."
"If she's as innocent as you claim, she should have nothing to fear."
"Nik, I spent the night with them. I saw how they interacted with each other. If Hayley and I thought that Izzy was in any way capable of 'corrupting' Hope, do you think we would've let them spend the night together? You need to trust me, brother. To invade that little girl's privacy over a hunch with no discernable evidence is cruel. I thought you were going to try to be better."
Niklaus's face slowly contorted with resentment as he realized he had no choice but to accept that he couldn't do anything to find out what Izzy truly wanted with Hope.
Elijah placed his hand on Klaus's shoulder and squeezed gently. "You need to relax, brother. Perhaps a short walk around the Quarter will help calm you down. I'll clean this up and meet up with you."
Klaus nodded and turned to Marcel. "Go check on Davina, and then try to get some sleep before breakfast."
Marcel sighed but decided to give in to Klaus. He knew his stubborn father would fight to have his way and after the mild shock he had when he thought something had happened to Hope, he could've used a few more hours of sleep.
"She's asleep in the den," Rebekah said as Marcel started to leave the kitchen. She reflexively took his hand and started to guide him in the way of the den. "We had Girl's Night there."
As Rebekah began to recant the details of their night to Marcel, Kol couldn't help but notice there was something about Marcel's calm demeanor that didn't ring of a man who'd been spanked meer hours ago. He himself could still feel the sting of Elijah's palm burning his tender mounds and yet Marcel strutted out of the kitchen like a man who wasn't irritated by his pants rubbing against his sore behind.
Kol brushed heatedly past Klaus as he followed them out of the kitchen. Klaus could tell by the look in his brother's eyes that he was up to something but he feared he might have been jumping to conclusions, accusing Kol of having a nefarious heart without any evidence. So he continued out the other door, putting thoughts of following his brother out of his mind.
As soon as Marcel and Rebekah were upstairs and out of earshot of the kitchen, Kol barked down the hall at the lovestruck couple, "Oye, Marcel! Not so fast."
When Marcel turned around to see the anger in Kol's eyes, he knew immediately what he was angry about.
"No need to get jealous," Rebekah said, irritated at Kol interrupting their privacy. "If you want to see Davina then come along, no one's stopping you."
"This isn't about Davina."
Rebekah looked to Marcel hoping he had answers for her brother's new surge of madness.
With a sigh, Marcel brushed a hand against Rebekah's and said, "Go check on Davina. I'll deal with Kol and meet you in the den."
Rebekah gave one more confounded glance at Kol but decided if the two of them wanted to have a private talk of their own, she'd let them, but she wasn't going to go far. As much as she loved her brother, she didn't trust him, especially not with Marcel.
"He didn't do anything to you, did he," Kol asked jumping right into the meat of the conversation.
Marcel rolled his eyes and stared off over the balcony. He knew Kol would find out Klaus didn't punish him that night but he was hoping Kol would confront Klaus about it, not him.
"No," Marcel answered honestly. "He didn't."
Kol's jaw tightened, pain straining in his eyes. He almost hoped Marcel would lie to him.
"Yeah," Kol mumbled lowly. "Didn't think so. You've always been the exception to every rule. 'Precious little Marcellus'."
"You've got no one to blame but yourself," Marcel barked, irritated at Kol's continuous mocking. "For what you did to me in that basement for all those weeks. "
"Is that what this is about? My dear ol' brother is afraid of appearing the monster in his son's nightmares? You're not man enough to take a beatin' like the rest of us? Maybe you are just a little boy."
Marcel closed the gap between him and Kol, leaning in close to Kol's face as he growled, "I've warned you about calling me that."
"And I thought I made it clear that I don't care about your feelings. I'm not your poppa, little boy."
Before Marcel knew what had come over him, his fist collided with Kol's jaw sending him flying into the banister.
With his healing abilities nullified, Kol felt every ounce of force behind Marcel's brute vampire punch. He hadn't felt such pain since he was human which only fueled his anger more. He charged Marcel, ramming his shoulder into Marcel's abdomen and pinning him to the wall. As Marcel raised his hands to pull Kol off of him, Kol lifted his body from the ground and with a great heave, he chucked Marcel over the banister.
As he fell to the courtyard ground below, Marcel knew that with his healing ability nullified, he wouldn't be able to withstand the fall. He wouldn't die but he was going to be in immeasurable pain.
He closed his eyes just when he thought the moment of impact was coming but then suddenly he felt his body landing safely between two thin arms.
He opened his eyes to see Rebekah putting him back down on the ground.
"What the bloody hell," she yelled, speeding back upstairs to Kol. She shoved Kol's chest, driving him back into the wall. "Have you lost your mind? You know he cannot heal. Do you have any idea what that fall would've done to him? I told you never to touch him again."
Suddenly angered at being criticized by his little sister on top of everything, Kol grabbed Rebekah's arm and wrenched it behind her back, spinning her around as he pressed her face against the wall.
"I have had enough of being scolded by the babies of this family," Kol bellowed. "You all will learn to give me the respect I deserve or I will make you."
Kol heard Marcel's body soaring through the air as he jumped from the courtyard back onto the balcony but as soon he turned around to face him, Marcel's fist made contact with his face again, knocking him away from Rebekah.
Kol's swollen jaw and newly bruised eye set his rage ablaze.
He charged Marcel with every intention of slamming him through the banister and beating him to a bloody pulp when suddenly he felt a hand grab the back of his collar, pausing him where he stood.
Elijah stood behind Kol glaring at the three of them in disappointment.
"All of you, in the library, now."
As Elijah released his collar, Kol's anger seemed to dissipate all at once, replaced immediately with fear.
"Th-they started it," he said immediately.
Elijah cut his eyes at Kol. "I don't believe I asked. Now the three of you can go to the library and we can handle this in private or we can discuss things here where anyone is subject to walk by and observe."
Fearing that Elijah may very well bend them over the banister for punishment, Kol, Rebekah, and Marcel quickly marched downstairs to the library.
Once he closed the library door behind them, Elijah said, "Now then, Kol, since you seem to be in such a hurry to disclose this morning's events, proceed."
"Klaus didn't punish him last night like he said he would," Kol yelled as if he thought that was enough to explain why he was preparing to beat Marcel senseless when Elijah stopped him. Elijah's unsatisfied glare urged him to continue. "All I did was confront him and he started the fight."
"He called me a boy," Marcel interrupted.
Before Kol could retort in anger, Elijah held up a hand and silenced him with a firm, "Children, that's enough."
Kol and Marcel both blushed as Elijah referred to them as children because at the moment that's how they both felt.
"Marcel, wait your turn. You will get your chance to explain your account of what lead to such foolish, juvenile behavior." Turning back to Kol, Elijah asked, "Did you call him a boy?"
Kol's eyes fell to the floor in shame. "That's what he acts like," he mumbled. "Always runnin' to Klaus for protection like he can't take the same punishment as the rest of us."
"Well, now thanks to his stupidity and yours, he will be. Marcel, care to tell me why you didn't come to me when Kol upset you?"
Marcel cringed at Elijah so casually stating that Kol's words had upset him as if the word hadn't been a trigger for him for years.
"I don't run to you whenever someone 'upsets' me. I can handle myself."
"Really. Against an Original? Despite Kol's inability to heal right now, his power still eclipses yours. But you would rather be stubborn and prideful than ask for help, isn't that right. Like you tried to be with Mikael."
Marcel bit his lip and said nothing. Elijah was right, it was his pride that kept him from going to Elijah with his problem. He was a man, and if someone referred to him as otherwise, he felt he should deal with it himself, not run to his uncle for help - even if the culprit was a thousand-year-old immortal, powerful Original.
"I helped him," Rebekah said confidently. "I wasn't going to let Kol hurt him."
"No. Instead you escalated the situation whereas coming to me would've put an immediate end to it before anything got out of control."
Rebekah glanced sorrowfully to Marcel suddenly feeling as embarrassed as he was.
Elijah watched as all three of them reluctantly came to the same conclusion: Each of them was in the wrong.
"I will allow you all to make the decision," Elijah said as he slowly made his way to the wooden stool waiting next to a bookcase. "Who goes first? And please be judicious about this. I don't have all day. I'd like to get breakfast on the table before the morning's over."
Rebekah and Marcel immediately looked to Kol as if they were both expecting him to volunteer.
Kol crossed his arms over his chest and said, "I'm not going first. He should go first. He threw the first lick. Besides, he still hasn't been punished for his part in Finn's torture because he's Klaus's boy."
Marcel gritted his teeth as Kol insulted him once again but he didn't get a word of disagreement out before Elijah was at Kol's side.
Elijah grabbed Kol's arm, spinning him around and landing three solid smacks to his already tender backside. Kol tried to hold back a scream with every smack but he couldn't help the stifled screech that escaped after the third. Tears welled in his eyes but he didn't fight them, he couldn't. It hurt too much already. Normally being spanked so much in less than eight hours wouldn't have bothered him but without the ability to heal, he still felt every searing sting of Elijah's palm burning his backside and each new smack only added to the fire.
"Do not ever call him that again," Elijah stated as he spun Kol back around to face him. The tears trickling from his brother's wide, sad eyes tugged at his heart but he knew he had to stay firm. "Do I make myself clear?"
Kol nodded with his eyes still cast to the ground. "I...didn't mean it," he mumbled.
"What was that?"
Chancing a glance at Marcel, Kol said, "I...I'm just...annoyed that Klaus always babies him. I just wanted to make him as angry as me. I...I didn't mean...when I called him that...I don't mean it...that way."
Elijah was shocked. That was the closest Kol had ever gotten to an unsolicited apology.
"It doesn't matter how you meant it, Kol. That word means something to Marcellus and if he is sensitive to it, as his family, we must be more sympathetic to his needs. You are a thousand years old, you've lived through enough issues like this to know better."
Kol wrung his hands behind his back, trying to stop himself from childishly covering his behind in fear but the fear of being punished was too stifling.
Losing the battle of keeping his pride, Kol's tears fell heavily down his cheeks as he muttered, "I'm sorry. P-please don't...s-spank me again, 'Lijah. I-it won't happen again, I swear."
Marcel and Rebekah were stunned by Kol's sudden compliance. They'd never seen the man so contrite in either of their lifetimes. Even Elijah couldn't believe what he was hearing. A thousand years of taking his brother to task and he'd never gotten an earnest apology from Kol.
Elijah placed his hand softly against Kol's cheek, brushing tears from his face as he guided his eyes up to him. "You made a mistake and you admitted to it. I'm proud of you. But, you must still be punished before you can be forgiven."
A soft whine escaped Kol before he could stop himself. Normally he wouldn't have been so embarrassed by his immaturity but with Rebekah and Marcel there to witness it, his stomach began to knot with humiliation.
Elijah placed his hand on Kol's shoulder, squeezing it firmly as if to remind his brother that he was still rooting for him.
"You'll be okay. Now go find a corner and calm down. I'll call you when I'm ready for you."
Kol scurried off to the nearest corner, relieved that he wasn't the first to get blistered this time.
"Marcellus," Elijah called as he made his way back to the stool.
Marcel wanted to make an argument on why he shouldn't be the first to go either but he knew the only other choice was Rebekah and he would never wish that on her.
Slowly, he made his way over to Elijah's side less of afraid of actually being spanked than he was of being spanked in front of Rebekah.
"Remind me, Marcellus," Elijah said once Marcel was standing nervously in front of him. "What were your transgressions this morning?"
Marcel hated having to recap his misbehavior but he knew Elijah would only draw things out if he resisted. "I...stood up for myself."
Elijah's jaw tightened attempting to keep his anger at bay. "Is that why you truly think you're here?"
Marcel puckered his lips and begrudgingly admitted, "Because I didn't come to you with my issue with Kol."
"And what is the problem with trying to handle issues like this on your own?"
"Because...they always lead to a fight."
"And?"
"And..." It almost pained Marcel to say the rest. "And he's stronger than me."
"I don't do this to embarrass you, Marcel. I just want to be sure you understand your own mortality. Your father has coddled you your entire childhood and a century with these weak and fragile baby-vamps has made you overconfident in your abilities. Kol is an Original. Despite his immaturity, he is stronger than you and if you two were to fight, he could seriously hurt you. I thought we made it clear that you shouldn't try to fight Originals on your own after the Mikael incident but apparently, you still have lessons to learn. Allow me to finish teaching you."
Rebekah was shocked when Elijah yanked Marcel from his feet and over his lap. Witnessing Marcel's spankings was always as painful to her as getting one of her own.
Flashback:
Rebekah sat at the piano in the Mikaelson's parlor room, playing her favorite concerto when suddenly the doors burst open. Marcel and Kol ran into the room, quickly closing the doors behind them and each leaning back against one of the double doors as if they were afraid something would burst in after them. The two were out of breath as if they'd just run a mile from a bloodthirsty predator.
"Hello, sister," Kol said between heavy breathing, an innocent smile on his face. "Don't mind us. Just...passing through."
"What's going on," she asked, standing from the piano bench and strutting over to the double doors.
Kol placed his hand over his door handle before she could reach out to it.
"N-no need to go out there," said Kol. "Go on and finish...'honing your craft' as ol' 'Lijah would say."
Rebekah gave an indignant huff through her flared nostrils. She knew her brother had done something dastardly otherwise he'd just confess that there was something chasing them. She looked over to Marcel, his big brown eyes wide with fear while Kol seemed to be amused.
"What did you do," she growled at her brother.
"Nothing," Kol continued to sing. "I swe-"
"We set fire to a barn," Marcel immediately confessed.
"You burned down the barn," she nearly shouted.
Kol immediately shushed her fearing that Elijah would overhear from where ever he was.
"Don't shush me," she snapped. "As if our brothers won't notice a burning barn."
"It wasn't our barn," Kol corrected. "It was the Berkshire barn."
"The Berkshires? You mean the nice bank fellow Elijah moved here all the way from London to handle the town's expenses?"
Kol rolled his eyes at his sister reminding him of his colossal mistake. "It was an accident. I was trying to impress Mary-Anne Berkshire by burning our initials into the barn wall. Any boy could carve initials into the wood, it takes talent to burn them in. Who could've guessed kerosene would ignite so quickly."
"Everyone, you dunce."
"Well, so do I...now. Let's just...make sure not to let Elijah or Niklaus find out about this, aye. They'd skin us alive."
Rebekah shrugged her shoulders smiling devilishly at her brother. "I don't know. This seems like an opportune time to get revenge on you for tattling on me for the incident with the werewolf prince in 1592."
Kol chuckled anxiously. "You wouldn't really throw little Marcellus here to the wolves just to get back at me, would you?"
"What does he have to do with this? Sounds like you burned the place down to me."
"Actually, Bex..." The soft rise of Marcel's voice read his guilt before he admitted anything. "I convinced Kol to burn the letters into the barn. He wanted to carve them."
Before Rebekah could scold them both on their stupidity, Elijah's voice came booming down the hall, "Kol! Marcellus!"
Kol and Marcel moved swiftly from the door. With a heavy sigh, Rebekah opened the door and Elijah was standing directly on the other side. His eyes cut from Kol and Marcel as if he knew that they were the culprits of the newest act of arson without their confession.
"Goodness, brother," Rebekah said kindly. "What's all the yelling about?"
"I've come to ask these two a question." Elijah looked past Kol directly to Marcel. He knew if Kol had done it, there was no way he would confess to it. Without sufficient evidence, Kol would deny the rise of the sun if he thought he could get away with it. "Did you burn down the Berkshire barn this afternoon?"
Marcel swallowed the heavy knot of guilt in his throat.
As he opened his mouth, Rebekah immediately said, "The Berkshire barn burned down? What a shame. But...it couldn't have been either of these two. They've been in here listening to me practice all day. Isn't that right?"
"Of course," Kol immediately agreed. "And just between the four of us, our dear sister could use a little brushing up on that 5th concerto. It's a bit rough on the ears."
Elijah's eyes narrowed, disbelief. He was sure his brother was behind the fire and he never made a move without his sidekick beside him. The only problem was that he didn't have any concrete proof and without proof, he couldn't do anything so he allowed them their short victory this time, reminding himself that Kol couldn't stay out of trouble for long and he was going to pay for this mistake with the next.
End Flashback
Rebekah shut her eyes and turned her back on the scene as Elijah began to bare Marcel's behind.
The air in the room seemed so much colder to Marcel as Elijah pulled his underwear to his knees. Elijah wasn't surprised to see no sign of a previous spanking highlighting Marcel's behind. He knew Klaus wasn't going to punish him as promised.
"Do you understand what's about to happen, Marcel," Elijah asked, one arm draped across Marcel, holding his arm to keep him in place as he was bound to struggle through his punishment, and the other resting on the small of his back.
Marcel glanced over to Rebekah, shame growing in him at seeing her turned away. He wasn't sure what would've been more mortifying - having her watch his punishment or seeing her turned away in shame.
"Yes," he grunted staring back down at the floor. "Please, let's just...get this over with."
Marcel flinched at the first smack before he realized how light it was. He was taken aback. The last time he was hit that softly, he was still human. He waited with dreaded anticipation for the next smack. Elijah took his time covering Marcel's behind in stinging smacks, letting the pain ruminate before each next lick. As the sting grew, Marcel realized what Elijah was doing. He didn't have to hit him as hard as usual since he wouldn't heal between smacks.
Elijah kept at a steady pace until he heard the tell-tale sounds of soft whimpering coming from Marcel, shivering down his back with every smack.
"Elijah," Marcel softly sobbed, embarrassed at begging for his spanking to end in front of Rebekah even though she couldn't see him. "St-stop...please."
"I will stop when I feel as though you've learned a lesson."
As Elijah laid into his behind, Marcel lost the fight against his tears and as the first sob broke through his chest, Elijah gave his last stinging slap to his bottom. He stood, lifting Marcel to his feet as he did, and waiting patiently for his sobs to quiet before speaking.
"That was for your part in what happened to Finn," Elijah said to Marcel's surprise. "Your father may make allowances for your misbehavior, Marcellus, but as I'm sure you remember from your childhood, I do not. Now, leave your pants where they are and find a corner. We are not finished yet."
Marcel was shocked by Elijah's declaration. He wondered if Klaus had chickened out of punishing him and passed the responsibility off to Elijah.
As Elijah's glare hardened on him, Marcel tottered off to the nearest corner, suddenly glad that Rebekah wasn't turned his way to watch his awkward wobbling.
"Rebekah," Elijah called as he took his seat back on the stool.
Rebekah turned to her big brother with her big, sorrowful eyes intentionally directed toward the floor so she wouldn't chance a glance up at Marcel's pitiful state.
"Come here," Elijah demanded.
She moved quickly over to him ready to get her spanking over with so she could leave.
"I am very disappointed in you, Rebekah," said Elijah.
Rebekah stood in front of him the model of ostensible innocence. Bottom lip pushed out as far as she could get it, tears already creasing the corners of her eyes, her hands held innocently in front of her. He had no doubt she was where Hope inherited her innocent act. Rebekah's performance sometimes worked to convince Klaus not to spank her but Elijah was always harder to fool.
"You knew Freya had disabled their healing abilities and yet you still encouraged a fight between these two knowing any critical strikes could have serious repercussions. Especially for Marcellus, the man you so fervently try to protect."
"Kol would have to get through me to hurt Marcel again," she said firmly.
"Don't be naive. If that fight had gone on, it would've gotten out of hand. Whether it be Marcel or Kol, someone would've gotten seriously hurt. Do you understand that?"
Rebekah nodded solemnly. She most certainly did understand because she was so angry at Kol for throwing Marcel off the balcony, she was planning to 'seriously hurt' him. As she faced the threat of a bare-bottom spanking across her brother's knee, she realized how impetuous she was being.
With a pat of his knee, Elijah said, "Over," and Rebekah nervously obeyed. She buried her face against her brother's pant leg as he untied the drawstring of her pajama pants, pulling them down to reveal her underwear. She'd hoped that since her pajamas were so thin he would let her keep them up but at least she was grateful he left her the decency of keeping her underwear.
Elijah brought his hand down hard enough to jolt his sister forward. Rebekah screeched as Elijah began to land methodical smacks across her entire behind.
"I'm sorry," she whined as Elijah began to aim his smacks further down her thighs. "Please, Elijah, I'm s-sorry! I'll come to you first next time, I promise!"
As strong as he was to his little sister's attempts to get out of a spanking, Elijah could never spank her as long as he did the others. Her wails of affliction always struck him to the core and he knew it wouldn't fail to be the case now.
Bringing her spanking to a quick end, Elijah stood Rebekah in front of him, his heartbreaking at the sight of her weepy eyes straining to fight back tears.
"I want you to understand that this is not about me thinking you're not strong enough to stand your own against Kol, little sister. It's simply about keeping the peace in this house. From now on, the only time anyone in this household gets hit, it will be bare-bottomed, do you understand me?"
"Y-yes, Elijah."
Elijah sighed. "Good, now go find a corner."
Rebekah hurried away from her brother, soft sobs still hitching her breath as she scuttled to the corner across from Marcel.
"Kol," Elijah droned Kol's name as if he could already sense the fight Kol was going to put up to get out of punishment. "Come here and bring the ruler on top of the desk on your way."
Kol spun around out of the corner but didn't make a move towards his intense big brother.
"He started it, Elijah," Kol whined. "He threw the first lick. I confronted him and he got overemotional. I...I was just defending myself."
"You were retaliating," Elijah bit. "Marcel is not a threat to you. You could've walked away. You could've left him and his anger to me. Instead, you chose to react like a child. Now bring me the ruler, Kol. Do not make me repeat myself."
Kol stood still with tears in his eyes, refusing to submit to his punishment. He knew what he had in store and if he was going to have to put with another harsh spanking, he was going to make Elijah perform the hard parts himself.
Elijah sighed exasperatedly through his nostrils. It was days like this that he wished he could trust Klaus enough to actually follow through with punishing his children himself. Just dealing with Kol was enough to test his patience, and he still had Marcel waiting for round two.
Zipping faster than the human eye, Elijah darted from the stool to the ruler on the desk and over to Kol, grabbing his brother firmly by his upper arm before pulling him back to the stool.
"Elijah, please, don't do this" Kol whined and pressed the heels of his shoes firmly against the hardwood floor but Elijah continued to drag him without let up. "I-I'm sorry."
"Good," Elijah flipped Kol over his lap as he took his place on the stool. "Then after this, I intend to see a change in behavior matching your contrition."
Kol covered his face and sobbed as Elijah took his pants down with one hand. He hadn't realized how reliant he'd become on his healing ability until that moment.
Elijah set the ruler on Kol's upturned behind and Kol shivered. He could feel the weight of the ruler already. It wasn't the flimsy, single-ply ruler a child would use in art class but a thick, weighty vintage ruler Elijah had saved for half a century.
Elijah landed half a dozen swift licks to Kol's bottom before he sucked in his first breath. Kol couldn't fight his cries, wailing like a new spanked baby with every quick smack. He couldn't help himself when he reached back to cover his behind with both hands.
Elijah lifted his leg to get a clear view of Kol's pale thighs and began to ignite a fire across them, methodically smacking each thigh until Kol finally uncovered his behind and struggled to reach down to his thighs with one hand while leaning against the other as a stilt to keep his face from smacking against the floor.
Bringing the ruler higher up his brother's behind to avoid colliding with his knuckles, Elijah scolded, "Remove your hand and this will be over a lot quicker. Continue to test my patience and I will make sure to drag this out."
Eyes filled with heart-wrenching tears, Kol placed both of his hands on the floor and sobbed as Elijah brought the ruler down against his sore bottom again and again. He wriggled and squirmed, trying his best to roll off of his brother's lap but Elijah kept him held firmly in place.
"I'm sorry, 'Lijah," he wailed. "S-s-stop! Pleeeease,"
As his little brother fell into a series of broken apologies, Elijah landed three more firm smacks to his behind and brought the spanking to an end.
He held Kol against his lap as he continued to mutter soft, sincere apologies, sobs breaking through his chest with every word. Kol's tears tugged at Elijah's heart. He lifted him, careful to avoid setting Kol's smarting bottom against his firm leg as he did and pulled Kol's face against his shoulder.
"It's alright," Elijah hummed. "It's over, you survived. And we will not be having this conversation again, will we?"
Kol choked back a sob as he said, "N-no, brother."
Elijah allowed Kol to cry himself out on his shoulder, ignoring the germophobe in his obsessing over how his silk pajama shirt was now essentially ruined.
"Alright, little brother," With a gentle pat to Kol's behind, Elijah propelled him up to his feet. "Back to your corner."
As he walked away, Kol absentmindedly ran his hand softly across his burning bottom feeling every welt between his fingers from the start of his cheeks to the crest of his thighs.
"Kol!" Elijah's sharp tone jolted Kol stiff as a board, his hands balled tightly at his side. "Corner, now."
"Yes, brother," Kol sped off to the corner, grateful that Elijah didn't decide to throw him over his lap again.
Assuming he would get the same amount of resistance from Marcel as he did Kol, Elijah stood and walked calmly over to Marcel's corner, placing a stony hand on his shoulder.
"Are you ready to bring this dreadful morning to an end?"
Marcel was frozen stiff. Just listening to Kol's punishment was enough to terrify him. He folded his arms protectively over his chest and pressed his forehead against the corner of the walls.
Elijah sighed, expecting as much.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Marcellus. But you know it's going to happen."
"I-I could just wait for Klaus."
"If I believed your father would do anything more than coddle you, we would, but as it stands, we both know Klaus would let your misbehavior go with no more than a half-hearted scolding." Elijah grabbed Marcel's arm and spun him around dragging him behind as he marched over to the stool. "The sooner you comply, the quicker this will be over and we can all put this unfortunate error in judgment behind us."
Marcel's breath hitched in his chest as Elijah pinned him down over his lap. Marcel's gentle sobs before the spanking even started worried Elijah. When it came to Marcel, every little cue had to be scrutinized thoroughly or else he could run the risk of alienating him forever.
"This is going to sting," Elijah said comfortingly, placing one of his feet on the bottom rung of the stool to lift his knee and get a clearer view of Marcel's bottom. "But just like Kol, you're going to survive it. Do you understand me?"
Marcel nodded but he couldn't speak fearing only inarticulate cries would come out. He didn't need Elijah to warn him of the pain. He could tell from Kol's inconsolable wails that the ruler would sting, probably as much as the meter stick - the only difference this time being he wouldn't be healing in between the cadenced spanks.
As Elijah landed the first slap to the center of his cheeks, Marcel let out a choked yelp. He didn't bother fighting his cries as Elijah continued them one after the other, giving him no chance to brace himself between each lick. He kicked his legs out straight, hoping to slide forward off of Elijah's lap but as his behind slid further across his uncle's lap giving him an even better target, Elijah seemed driven to swat him harder, keeping him in place with the firm hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," Marcel cried, all sense of pride leaving him. He stopped caring if Rebekah heard him begging, his only thoughts were on the growing pain in his behind. "P-please, stop! Stop!"
Elijah paused for only a second but it was long enough to lift Marcel's spirit. Elijah examined Marcel's behind. Deciding that he could withstand more, Elijah said, "Take a moment to catch your breath. We're not finished yet."
Elijah's formal announcement only made Marcel cry harder. Once his crying was less ragged, Elijah began laying into his behind with the ruler again.
The library door suddenly flew open and Elijah stopped his assault on Marcel's upturned behind.
"What the bloody hell are you doing to him," Klaus demanded, his eyes fixed on the sight of his son in heartbroken tears over Elijah's lap.
Hearing Klaus's voice from behind, Marcel finally relaxed sure that his punishment was at an end.
Elijah calmly lifted Marcel from his lap and gave his hip a soft tap, edging him back towards the corner he came from. Marcel didn't need any more prodding. He didn't want to give anyone any more reason to spank him so he tottered off to the corner, wiping the tears from his face with the end of his shirt as he did.
When Marcel looked up to him with soft, sorrowful eyes, Klaus's heart dropped. He couldn't stand to see his son in pain but at least there was nothing in his eyes to indicate he felt any fear towards them. Sure he feared what Elijah could do with the ruler, as any reasonable man would, but he didn't fear Elijah.
Elijah walked briskly to the door where Klaus still stood, taking in the sight of Kol and Rebekah in their respective corners. He couldn't help but notice how, even through her thin underwear he could see the light pink splotches on Rebekah's cheeks as her behind had already begun to heal but Kol's bottom was a balming red, darker red welts climbing up his cheeks like the rungs of a ladder from where Elijah used the ruler.
"None of you move," Elijah said taking Klaus's arm and guiding him outside. "We'll be back."
As Elijah closed the door behind them, Klaus said, "What happened?"
"There was a little fight. Thankfully there were no serious injuries."
"Was Marcel hurt?"
"No. But if Rebekah hadn't joined him against Kol, who knows if he would be."
Klaus gritted his teeth, anger seething through his flared nostrils. "I've warned him about hurting Marcel-"
Elijah placed his hand on the door hand before Klaus could grab it. "I've punished Kol," he stated firmly. "They all had a choice in the fight in they all chose to engage in it. I've punished them all. Marcel twice. Once for the fight...and once for his part in Finn's torture."
Klaus's eyes widened in disbelief. "I told you I'd handle that."
"And yet you didn't," Elijah bit. "How can we preach about justice in this family when you constantly let your children go unpunished while everyone else is forced to face the consequences of their actions?"
"I was going to punish him. I was going to wait for Freya to release her spell and punish him when he had his healing abilities returned in case spanking him without it would send him into...some horrible flashback of being back in that basement."
"And as you can see, it didn't. Marcel is a strong man, Niklaus. With the right guidance, he can handle the consequences of his own actions. But if you don't feel strong enough to give him the attentive punishment he requires, then step aside, brother. I'll take up the mantel of disciplinarian again because this family runs on a very delicate chain. Without order and a strong, consistent Patriarchs, we face anarchy. Do you understand?"
Klaus's eyes turned cold with anger but Elijah's determined glare did not waver.
"Not everyone is as skilled as being so cold to those they love," Klaus grunted. "I can be consistent...I just need time to adjust."
"Take as much time as you need," said Elijah as he twisted the library doorknob. Before he opened the door, he turned back to Klaus and said, "But until then, just as when he was a child, I will take responsibility for Marcel's punishments."
Klaus had no time to disagree as Elijah stepped into the library.
"Rebekah," the stern older brother called out. "Fix your clothing and come here please."
Rebekah wasted no time in pulling her pajamas up and scurrying to her two older brothers. Although the pain of her spanking had lessened significantly, her lip still quivered as she faced her stern-faced brother.
"If there is ever a fight between these two again, you will either try to put an end to it or come to me. You will not join in again, is that clear?"
"Y-yes, b-brother."
"Good." Elijah wrapped his arm around Rebekah's shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head as he released her. "You're free to go check on Davina and make sure she's okay."
As Rebekah hurried out of the library, Elijah noticed that Klaus had slipped from his side and was now standing behind Marcel.
Marcel heard Klaus behind him and the closer his father got, the more comforted he felt despite the burning on his behind.
"How are you feeling," Klaus asked.
Marcel pressed his head against the wall and answered, "Like I wanna get out of here."
Klaus's body went colder than it had been in a thousand years. Was his son finally asking to be free of their family? Was this the straw that broke the camel's back?
Through hitched sobs, Marcel said, "I-I think I'm finally ready to go to bed. C-can I go?"
Relief lifting a weight off his shoulders, Klaus grabbed Marcel and pulled him into a hug, squeezing him as if they'd been separated for centuries. Marcel was shocked by the sudden extreme affection but he didn't fight it, squeezing his father back with as much love.
"Kol," Elijah's voice broke through the silence in the room. "Come here."
Turning slowly from the corner to take in the sight of father and son in a tight embrace, Kol softly muttered, "Can I pull up my trousers?"
"Have you learned your lesson," Elijah demanded.
Kol's eyes fell to the floor in shame. "Yes."
"Then yes you may."
Kol pulled his pants gently up over his sore behind as he slowly marched over to Elijah.
Once Kol was in front of him, Elijah folded his arms over his chest and said, "Is there anything you have to say for yourself?"
"I'm sorry for the fight," Kol said just above a mutter.
Nodding toward Marcel and Klaus in the corner, Elijah said, "And is there anything you'd like to say to Marcel?"
Hearing his name, Marcel glanced over Klaus's shoulder to see Elijah beckoning him over. He released himself from his father's hold and walked slowly over to Elijah, trying and failing to get his tight jeans over his throbbing behind. He got them just half of the way up before tears began anew and as he finally got them up all the way, he immediately wished they were off.
"I'm sorry," Kol said nervously as if he were afraid Marcel wouldn't believe him. "I...I shouldn't have called you a 'boy' and...I won't be doing it again any time soon."
"Kol," Elijah bit.
"I-I mean...ever. I won't ever call you that again."
Satisfied with Kol's apology, Elijah looked to Marcel and said, "Is there anything you'd like to say to Kol?"
Bitting back his pride, Marcel said, "I'm sorry I hit you. Even though you deserve it."
Elijah tapped his hand on the ruler he'd slipped into his pocket when Klaus burst into the library, silently reminding Marcel of what he'd deserve if he were ever caught in a fight with Kol again.
Nervously clearing his throat, Marcel said, "I mean...I promise I won't start any more fights."
"Alright," Elijah said suddenly pulling both of them into a hug, resting his hands on the backs of their heads as he held them. "Despite what you two might think, I gain no satisfaction putting you in this position. You are my family. It hurts me to see you in pain as much as it does anyone else. That doesn't mean I won't hesitate to do it if necessary. Do I make myself clear?"
"Y-yes sir," they both say softly into his ears.
Pulling out of the hug, Elijah continued, "Now off to your rooms, both of you. Take a few hours to ruminate on what just happened in here. We will have a late brunch today."
Marcel was the first out the door, all too ready to get away from Elijah's reach with the dreadful ruler, and Kol followed him close behind.
"I really am sorry about the...'boy' thing," said Kol as the library door swung close behind them. Marcel paused in the hall, shocked by Kol's unsolicited apology. "I know it gets under your skin and I only said it to get a rise out of ya. I...I honestly didn't mean it the way 'they' did. You know that, don'tcha?"
Marcel knew it. It still hurt to hear, but he knew Kol wasn't one of 'those people'. He was the evil spawn at times but even he had his limits.
"I know," Marcel said as he started walking back towards the staircase. "I still don't ever wanna hear you say it. Or you'll have to deal with Elijah."
"Elijah," Kol repeated in surprise. "You're not gonna just clock me one like ol' times' sake?"
Gently rubbing his stinging behind, slowly taking each stair to keep his tight jeans from rubbing his sore behind too much, Marcel answered, "This...is far worse than anything I could ever do to you."
Was really hard on my bae Marcel in this chapter but don't worry, it's all gonna be for his own good in the end, I promise.
