Chapter 65

The afternoon at the lake was as uneventful as Elijah had hoped.

As Marcel floated along the shallow end of the lake, far from Elijah, he tried to think of more ways to leave the trip before Klaus and Elijah.

He was deep in thought when he felt a hand press lightly against his chest and push him under for two seconds. He hurried to stand, his feet shifting in the muddy seabed, his chest heaving and his brows furrowed as he stared at Kol and Kol shot him a broad grin.

"Looked like you have something on your mind, pal. Just thought I'd help you clear it."

If Marcel wasn't so used to his friend's idiocy, he would have been angry. Instead, he tackled Kol into the water and held him down for just a second longer before pulling him from the water.

Kol breathless but still grinning.

They both gave a quick glance to Elijah to make sure he was still reading his book under the tree before continuing their rough-housing.

Elijah gave a cursory peek over his book to see Kol and Marcel wrestling in the lake before returning to his reading.

Unlike Niklaus, Elijah wasn't worried about Kol losing control of his strength with Marcel. He trusted his brother to know Marcel's limit like the rest of them and he also know that, in spite of all his talk, Kol had once again grown fond of Marcel and wouldn't want any real harm to come to him.

Flashback:

Elijah stood in front of Kol with one hand on his hip and the other holding the satchel carrying the mystic blade that was supposed to be destroyed. Klaus stood by his side, his arms folded over his chest but with a sorrowful look in his eyes at seeing Marcel standing beside Kol with dry tear streaks on his face.

"Do tell us, Marcellus," Elijah began, holding the bag out in front of them. "How you came about obtaining a weapon that was supposed to be destroyed?"

"Um," Marcel looked over to Kol, hoping his friend's face would coax him on want to say but Kol's eyes remained downcast.

Marcel shrugged, a little heartbroken that Kol refused to look at him.

"A verbal answer, Marcellus," said Elijah. "I know it did not just magically appear in your pocket."

"Maybe it did." Marcel shrugged again. "It is...mystical."

Klaus stepped closer to Marcel before Elijah could reprimand his son's attitude.

"Did Kol give it to you?"

"No," Marcel quickly answered.

"Then how did you get it?"

Marcel pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. He knew if he didn't answer, Klaus would assume Kol had given him the dagger and he was trying to cover for him, but if he told them the truth, Elijah would for sure have him over his knee in a second.

Still, his conscience wouldn't allow him to betray his friend.

"I took it from Kol's chest when he wasn't looking," he muttered.

"Interesting." Elijah turned slowly back to Kol and his brother began to squirm even more. "Was this before or after you and I retrieved your bow?"

Kol knew Elijah already knew the answer to that. The four of them left the Compound together after he and Elijah came back with his bow so there was no way Marcel could've snuck back and taken the dagger any time after. What Elijah was really asking was if Kol had realized the dagger was missing from the chest before the left and kept it to himself.

Kol shrugged, staring down at a rock on the ground and kicking it around with his foot.

"I see. And once you found Marcel with the dagger, instead of taking it away from him...you challenge him to stab you with it, knowing the effects it would have on him."

"If you're gonna dagger me, g'on and get it over with." Kol bit to Elijah's surprise.

Klaus scoffed at what he presumed to be his brother's theatrics. "You know I don't bring the daggers on these trips, brother."

"Perhaps you should have," Kol grumbled. "I know you want to."

"Enough," Elijah barked. "I will hear no more mentions of daggers for the rest of the day."

Marcel blanched as Elijah suddenly turned towards him.

"Marcellus, did your father inform you of the consequences of lying and disobedience on this trip?"

Marcel swallowed a sharp lump in his throat. "Y-yes, sir."

"Remind me what they are."

Sucking his lip between his teeth, Marcel gave another glance over to Kol. He was more grateful that his friend was refusing eye contact this time. It meant he wouldn't see the tremble of Marcel's lip or his hands nervously tugging the back of his shirt as he answered, "We-we get o-our butts tanned."

Before Elijah could make a definite decree of punishment, Niklaus interrupted, "Marcellus, come with me. We will handle your punishment in private."

Kol and Elijah both cut their eyes at Niklaus. They both knew that meant Klaus was, at most, only going to give Marcel a harsh scolding. And by the way Marcel eagerly ran to his father's side, it was clear Marcel knew it too.

"Niklaus," Elijah stated firmly.

"I've got him, Elijah," Klaus said draping his arm over Marcel's shoulder and guiding him out of the clearing.

Elijah shook his head and walked over to the semi-hallowed out log in the middle of their campsite. He sat on the log with the satchel at his side before motioning Kol over to him. Kol was a bit confused. Normally, being caught in a lie on the hunting trips ended with a switching but Elijah didn't need to sit for that.

"Do you want to explain to me why you just begged to be daggered?" Elijah asked once Kol stood in front of him.

Kol swallowed the lump in his throat and said, "It-it's what Klaus was thinking."

"I'm sure he wasn't. We both know our overprotective brother was probably more worried about Marcellus' state of mind than anything."

"Exactly," Kol bellowed, finally looking Elijah in the eyes. "And he's right. I'm an awful influence on Marcel. When he had that dagger, he turned into something I...I...couldn't even recognize. And when I finally got it out of his hands, he...bawled. What if I terrified him? Wh-what if he's terrified of...of me...of us, forever?"

"Marcellus is fine, Kol," Elijah stated with leagues more confidence than Kol had.

Kol shook his head in disagreement but before he could speak, a shudder broke through his body.

Elijah lept to his feet, encompassing Kol in his arms as his brother sobbed.

Kol wrapped his arms under Elijah's and buried his face against Elijah's shoulder, afraid to speak his fear aloud.

"Maybe...maybe I should leave for a while. For Marcel's sake."

Elijah pulled Kol back to look him in the eyes.

Kol's eyes looked weak but certain.

The thought of his little brother leaving the family had always ached Elijah. Over the centuries, Kol had left them in anger for a few decades or so, but he always returned. Even still, Elijah could not help but worry while he was away. Without Elijah's steady hand, Kol was known to raise hell itself which would lead Mikael to him and if Mikael found him...even without Niklaus to ignite his rage, their father was rarely one to greet his children with a kind gesture.

Still, if centuries of dealing with stubborn Mikaelsons taught Elijah anything, it was that there was nothing he could do to stop them from leaving.

Forcing himself to hide his feeling behind a formal guise, Elijah cleared his throat and said, "If...you think that's necessary, brother."

Kol opened his mouth to say yes but nothing came out. He wanted to nod his agreement but he couldn't. He bit his lip as it trembled. He didn't really want to leave.

He suddenly realized that for the first time since he was human, he had a little brother again.

When Klaus first took the dagger out of him, Kol resisted doing anything heinous to or around Marcel just to keep Klaus pleased and a dagger out of his chest. But then, somehow without him knowing it, he began to genuinely care for the rambunctious, overzealous, eager-to-please yet stubborn tyke.

"A-are you going to tan me?" Kol asked.

Elijah narrowed his eyes, his voice low. "Will that be the deciding factor on whether you tenure your kinship with this family?"

"N-no," Kol blushed as his gaze fell to his feet. "I just...I think you should. I...I deserve it after what I put Marcel through."

Elijah released a doleful sigh. He was almost certain that Klaus was doing nothing more than coddling Marcel which irritated him because Marcel was just as much a deciding part of his own misfortune as Kol. He'd decided to just give Kol a stern lecture and let him go pain-free just as he was sure his brother was doing with Marcel, but Kol asking to be punished had him at a loss for words.

"You want a thrashing to help assuage your guilt?" Elijah asked.

Kol gave a curt nod.

Elijah folded his arms tighter over his chest, his steely gaze a mix of intentional intimidation and unintentional worry. "Are you sure, brother? Once you're over my knee, you do not get to decide when you want it to end."

Kol's fingers fumbled nervously behind his back. It was harder to say yes this time but he managed to squeak it out even still.

Kol refused to look at Elijah as his brother sat on the log and straightened his pants to give Kol a proper resting spot for his punishment.

"Sh-should I go get a switch," Kol asked, still thinking it would be a bit hard for Elijah to get the swing he needed with a switch with him over his lap but he wasn't going to argue about it.

"No," Elijah answered to his surprise. "That won't be necessary."

"B-but...I didn't tell you when I found out Marcel took the dagger."

Elijah nodded. "And while I do normally hold withholding the truth to the same standards as lying, I believe your conscience has punished you more than the switch ever could."

He beckoned Kol over with a finger and his brother tottered over, his bottom lip threatening to break free of the binds of his teeth and quiver with all the fear Kol was struggling to keep hidden.

Once in front of him, Elijah placed his hands on Kol's hips, and stared into his brother's eyes.

"I am very disappointed in you."

The words cut into Kol sharper than any dagger.

"Marcellus looks up to you and believes that you wouldn't do anything to intentionally bring him to harm and, in spite of your recent behavior suggesting otherwise, I believe he is right. But it is up to you to do a better job of protecting him."

Kol's face turned beet red at his brother's admonishment. He wasn't used to having a friend that he had to take care of. But Marcel was more than just a friend...

"I'm sorry," Kol muttered, tucking his chin to his chest. A few tears escaped the corners of his eyes. "I-I...shouldn't have let him keep the dagger. Niklaus was right...about knowing what was best for Marcel. I should've just listened to him and destroyed the thing yesterday."

Elijah tapped a finger under Kol's chin, lifting his gaze back up towards him. "It's going to be alright. Marcellus is fine."

Kol sucked his lip back between his teeth in the hopes of keeping his tears at bay.

He didn't struggle as Elijah guided him over his lap, though his stiffened as soon as he felt on the waistband of his pants. With a groan, he lifted his hips so Elijah could pull his pants down to his knees, baring his pale bottom to the entire forest.

Kol crossed his arms over the log and buried his face between them. He allowed his tears to fall freely before Elijah even landed the first smack, hidden in the safety of his arms in case Klaus and Marcel returned before he could get his emotions back under control.

Elijah was silent as he landed smack after smack upon his brother's bottom, turning his pale moons into burning red cheeks in a matter of seconds.

Kol unconsciously wiggled his bottom from side to side and so Elijah wrapped his arm around his brother's waist, keeping his target firmly in place as Kol whimpered.

Tucked under his big brother's arm, Kol knew there was no escaping from his well-deserved punishment. He flinched with every new smack and fought the instinct to screaming, assuming Klaus and Marcel were still in listening distance, but he could not fight his tears. And he didn't want to. The pain radiating across his bottom felt like just penance for his selfishness and the sobs thundering through his chest pushed the guilt of his inaction out of his body by means of the tears coating his face.

Once Kol's bottom was a balming shade of red, Elijah stopped. He released his hold on Kol's waist and allowed him to cry a bit longer in the silence of the campsite as he rubbed his hand down the length of Kol's back.

As his open weeping turned into shallow breathing, Elijah said, "As cathartic as you hoped?"

Kol nodded gingerly as he continued to lay across Elijah's lap, tears softly coursing down his cheek, as Elijah's hand massaged gentle circles around his back. He wouldn't from that spot until he heard the rustling of leaves coming through the woods.

"I-I'm sorry, 'Lijah."

Elijah gave Kol's bottom a firm pat with his free hand, causing the man to stiffen a bit before relaxing again with the flow of the hand moving across his back.

"No need to apologize any further, brother. I forgive you. And I'm sure Marcellus does too."

Kol sucked his lip between his teeth, hoping this was another thing his wise older brother was correct about.

End Flashback

Finn sat at the edge of the bank, kicking his feet in the shallow end of the water far from Kol and Marcel but still within distance of Elijah.

He peaked across the lake at the vampires and scoffed at their childishness. They'd stopped their roughhousing in order to blow up a couple of plastic river floaties that Marcel decided to bring on the trip. Finn didn't know exactly what the items were used for, but by their bright colors and whimsical patterns, he assumed they could be nothing less than children's toys. They all treated him like a child but even he would never be so juvenile.

The sound of something moving behind him drew his attention to Elijah walking over from the shade of his tree.

"As fun as, I'm sure, sitting alone is," Elijah started with a smirk as he knelt beside Finn. "Wouldn't you rather be in the water with Kol and Marcellus?"

Finn cut his eyes back across at the other two sitting on the bank. "Th-they're too far away. Niklaus said if we get more than 10 meters away...we get..." He couldn't bring himself to say the word.

"As long as we're at the lake, it's alright. We don't expect you all to swim within reaching distance. The entire lake is within your perimeters."

Finn folded one knee up to his chest and wrapped his arm around it. "Neither of them wants me over there anyway," he grumbled.

"Perhaps not." Elijah's bluntness took Finn by surprise. "But, this weekend is about forging lasting relationships. If traveling the world and taking over empires with Niklaus has taught me anything, distance is the antagonist of propinquity. You have spent over nine-hundred years separated from this family, Finn. From your little brother. You and Marcel met as enemies. I believe, all things considered, it may be best if you took the first step in attempting to forge a bond with the two of them."

Finn's eyes dropped from Elijah to the clear blue water underfoot. His eyes burned with the uncertainty of leaving the peace of solitude to find himself dragged beneath the lake by Kol in a fit of rage again.

"They hate me, Elijah," he muttered. "Kol treats me like I'm out to kill him and...the way Marcel looks at me...it's as if he can't believe I was ever a part of your family."

A heavy hand against his back calmed Finn before his tears could take over. He turned his gaze back up to his brother, and Elijah's eyes were full of hope.

"They wouldn't be here if they didn't believe in your redemption, brother."

Finn bit his lip and stared across the lake at Marcel and Kol. They had stopped their roughhousing for now, choosing to chat with each other as they floated lazily on their backs, staring up at the bright sun.

With a soft urging from Elijah, he eased himself into the water and swam over to the other two.

"After this weekend, I could use a proper night out," said Kol, staring up at the clear blue sky. The sun was beginning to set in the distance which meant they would be going back to camp soon which made blowing up Marcel's River floats a bit useless so late in the day, but his friend thought it would be fun and he wasn't one to argue against fun.

The lateness of the day put him in a good mood. At this point on a trip, he was usually nursing a freshly switched behind, but so far he'd managed to get through the day without one and he planned to do everything he could to get through the rest of the weekend the same way. The only time he'd ever gotten through a trip without a switching was on Marcel's first trip - a secret he and Elijah shared but as far as Klaus and Marcel knew, he was switched for his deceit that day.

"Sounds like a plan to me," said Marcel. "How about next Friday? You, me, Bex, Davina, Josh, and Lora tear up the Treme?"

A low groan rumbled through Kol's chest. "Lora? I will never understand how you can get so attached to such temporary beings. I never got attached to my sired. I turned them for the fun of it an as soon as I got bored with them, I got rid of them. That's how this thing is supposed to go."

Normally, Marcel would've been offended by that comment but in his time back with his family, he realized underhanded insults about other vampires was Kol's weird way of expressing how much he cared about his family.

"Strange," Marcel muttered. "Considering how much you love Josh."

"Josh is different. He's loyal. To you, to me, to Davina."

"And how do you know Lora's not if you don't give her a chance."

"Doesn't matter. I have enough friends and family, I don't need a baby vamp added to the mix. You lot are already pushing 'future inmate 98043' and her tantrum-prone little brother on me. Plus..." Before Kol could say his name, he spotted Finn swimming over to them. "What is he doing?"

Marcel took his lips from the float to see Finn halfway to them. Elijah had returned to his place under the tree with his book, refusing to meet Kol's glare though he was sure he could feel it burning into him.

"Elijah probably sent him over." He huffed. "We should be cordial."

"I don't want to be cordial."

"Would you rather the alternative?"

Kol cringed at the subtle implication.

Finn stopped a few feet away from them, too far for his feet to touch the bottom of the lake so he did his best to tread water and seem intimidating so Kol would know he was not afraid of him.

"What do you want?" Kol growled.

Finn's jaw clenched tight, attempting to hide the anger he felt as he said, "Elijah made me come over."

Kol's lip rose in a snarl but he could no longer argue.

Deciding to be the voice of reason, Marcel said, "Well, this should make the game more interesting."

Finn eyed the goofy-eyed chicken floaties in their hands.

"What kind of game is this?"

"You never played chicken?" Marcel questioned.

Finn arched his eyebrows in confusion.

With a chuckle, Marcel said, "Basically, we ride on top of the floats and try to wrestle each other off. First one to fall off their chicken, loses."

"That sounds stupid."

"You don't have to play," Kol bit. "I'm sure you'd rather spend time over there alone...it is your natural state."

Marcel jumped into the water before Finn could respond. "C'mon," he said, swimming out towards the center of the lake, pushing his chicken float in front of him. "You'll like it, I'm sure. It helps work out some of that pent of rage you're carrying in your shoulders."

"I'm not carrying any rage," Finn bit, but still he followed Marcel out to the lake, bopping his own chicken float ahead of him.

Kol kept his eyes narrowed at Finn as he and Marcel climbed on top of their floats. He was slightly irritated that Elijah wasn't more worried about them as they locked hands and proceeded to push against each other.

Elijah hadn't looked up from his book since he'd returned to it. It wasn't because he had unfettered trust that Finn wouldn't do anything to harm Marcel, although he hoped his brother was smarter than that. He didn't want to give Finn the impression that he didn't trust him. He was sure he was already getting enough scrutiny from Kol. He was listening in on their little game so if anything got out of control, he would be there to stop it, but if at all possible, he wanted to give Finn some semblance of trust.

As Finn interlaced his fingers with Marcel's his pictured one thing in my mind more vividly than anything else - the rage in Klaus's eyes he'd no doubt encounter if anything should happen to Marcel.

That image distracted him long enough for Marcel to get the upper hand and push him into the water.

Kol laughed louder than necessary as his brother bobbed in the lake.

"Oh, what's the matter Finn? Can't handle a two-hundred year old vamp? All those years in a coffin make you a bit stiff?"

Finn swam over to his chicken, pulling himself back on top as he glared at Kol.

Marcel slowly floated into his line of view, a cordial smile on his face. "You don't have to let me win. I can swim."

Finn's lips curled into a small pout. "But...what if I lose control in the heat of the moment and...crush your hands. You can't heal. Ni-Niklaus will..."

Marcel rolled his eyes. Finn was for sure a Mikaelson, sure that they were the physically strongest beings on the planet and treating everyone else as if they didn't stand a breath of a chance against them. It was that cockiness he hated the most about his family...although there was once a time when he craved it.

Flashback

Marcel stood in front of his father with his eyes cast to the ground.

"It's okay, Marcellis," Niklaus patted his hand against Marcel's cheek, bringing his gaze up to him. "I know the magic from that dagger scared you but you're safe now."

Marcel glanced back through the dense woods from where they'd come. He wondered what Kol was telling Elijah. He feared he knew.

Dropping his gaze back to the ground, he muttered, "I'm such a coward."

The words cut into Klaus worse than any dagger. "Hey now," he lifted Marcel's chin once more. "You are no coward. You are the bravest boy I've ever known. Braver than I ever was at your age."

"B-but...I cried when I was finally free of that dagger's curse. I...I was so afraid. I bet Kol hates me now."

"You shouldn't worry yourself about what he thinks, Marcellus. Kol's opinion doesn't matter-"

"It matters to me!"

Klaus closed his mouth, realizing he was on the brink of hurting his son's feelings if he continued to badmouth Kol.

"He's my best friend," Marcel said softly. "But...sometimes...I'm not his. He has all of these witch friends that he can drink with and go out with a night and-and...I can't ever go out with them because you still think I'm a baby."

"I think you're too young to partake in Kol's life style, Marcellus, not that you're a baby. Do I not allow you to accompany him into the city during daylight hours."

"But not to any or the witch parties."

"Because Kol has a tendency to overindulge at parties, which would make him an ill-fitted guardian for my son."

"I don't need a guardian anymore, poppa."

"Enough, Marcellus," Niklaus quickly cut off Marcel before his rising attitude could flare into a childish rant. "You are my son and until I decide that you're mature enough to make decisions for your own well-being, I will decide for you."

"But that's not fair! Kol says that by the time your were my age, your father was already preparing you to plunder villages and I can't even go to a silly witch party or...or...use a cursed dagger without falling into a fit of tears."

"The only thing my father taught me when I was your age, Marcellus, is what not to do to my own children." Klaus pulled Marcel into a hug, massaging his back as his son buried his face against his shoulder, steeling himself not to cry anymore. "You shouldn't feel embarrassed about crying, my son. There's nothing wrong with being afraid or expressing how you feel."

"K-Kol doesn't cry."

Klaus chuckled as he thought about how Kol was probably crying right now as Elijah laid into him with the switch.

"Kol most certainly does cry, Marcellus. I have no doubt that he is crying as we speak."

Marcel cringed at the thought, remembering that he was about to be punished just as Kol was for disobeying Klaus and Elijah and keeping the dagger a secret.

On their way to the campsite at the start of the trip, Klaus had pulled Marcel aside and told him that he had to be on his best behavior because the consequences for misbehavior on camping trips were a lot more immediate. Marcel considered immediately confessing about the dagger then, but he really wanted to try it out at least once before it was taken from him forever.

"C-crying when you're getting a thrashing doesn't count," Marcel continued. "You...you all...you feel a bloodlust too, don't you? But...you never cry because of it. It doesn't make you...as afraid as I was."

Klaus pulled Marcel away from his shoulder to look him in the eyes. His face somber, his steely blue eyes shimmering with uncertainly, Klaus forced himself to say, "It did terrify us, Marcellus. The first time it happened, and for many years after. We cried and we screamed and...our father felt no sympathy for our pain. I had hoped to provide a life for you that was free of any such torment but...I am sorry. I failed. I will never let it happen again."

Marcel wrapped his arms back around Niklaus, squeezing him tightly as tears prickled his eyes.

"I love you, my little warrior."

"I love you too, poppa."

Klaus held Marcel for a bit longer before breaking their hug and stepping back to the tree stump he'd specifically chosen this area for.

"However, Marcellus," Marcel watched wearily as Klaus sat upon the tree stump. "Your actions cannot be overlooked. I told you that the dagger was off-limits, and yet, you went behind my back and tried to use it anyway."

Marcel stared down at his feet, squirming in dreaded anticipation of what he was sure was to come next. "I-I'm sorry, poppa." He tried to sound as innocent as possible in order to garner his father's sympathies.

Klaus sighed. He knew Elijah would consider Marcel's deceit as reason enough to feel the pain of the switch but he could not bring himself to even contemplate harming his Marcellus in such a way. But still, his son had disobeyed him.

"Come here, Marcellus," Klaus gave his knee a gentle pat.

Marcel hesitated to move. Not because he was afraid of being spanked by his poppa. Klaus was not as harsh a spanker as his Uncle Elijah. It was as if his father could not stand the sight of him crying and tried to get the punishment over as soon as possible.

His hesitation came from the fact that he'd suddenly realized that he actually did forget to wear underwear on the trip and his father was soon about to find out. Although it was still warm during the day this early in the Autumn season, it had the potential to get dreadfully cold at night. Klaus and Elijah packed half a dozen blankets for him alone, but they still expected him to wear long underwear whenever he was out at night.

Knowing that he was probably going to be spanked for forgetting his underwear anyway, Marcel drug his feet across the hard ground over to his father.

Standing in front of Klaus with his hands nervously twisting the tail of his shirt, he said, "I-I really sorry, poppa. I won't ever lie to you or disobey you again."

Klaus gave a small smile. "You will, Marcellus," he said, resting his hand on Marcel's waist. "It is all a part of growing up. But you must also remember that I only want to keep you safe and happy. So when I set a limit for you, it is for your own protection. And if you disobey me, you will find yourself in this position more often than you'd like."

Marcel groaned as Klaus pulled him over his knee, making quick work of baring his bottom to the forest. He grabbed Klaus's leg and braced himself for the first smack.

staring down at his son's bare cheeks, Niklaus arched an eyebrow and said, "You didn't wear underwear?"

Marcel's face heated with the shame of having his bare bottom scrutinized. "I...I forgot."

Klaus slapped his hand down across Marcel's bottom, eliciting a sharp 'oww' from him.

"It is freezing out here, Marcellus," he scolded.

"It-it's not that cold."

Klaus smacked Marcel's bottom again, this time causing the boy to whimper as tears pooled in his eyes. "It's cold enough. And it will only get colder through the night." As Klaus landed a third spank, Marcel shot his hand back to cover his bottom.

"Kol never wears underwear," he whined. That wasn't entirely completely true. In all the times he and his friend went skinny dipping in the lake, Kol did occasionally wear some sort of undergarment but never long underwear. And he doubted Kol would ever be caught dead in the thick, wollen underwear Elijah and Niklaus insisted he wear.

"Thanks to our abilities, Kol is far less likely to get sick than you. And if he does, it will not kill him. You, however..." Klaus could not even bring himself to finish the thought. Instead, he pulled Marcel's hand away and proceeded his assault of heavy smacks across his bottom.

"I'm sooorrrrrrrry!" Marcel cried as Klaus lifted his knee and landed his spanked further down Marcel's bottom, lighting his tender upper thighs on fire.

"I don't care if Kol, or another of your other friends disobey me, I expect you to know better and always do the right thing. That includes wearing underwear on cold nights and leaving cursed daggers where they lie, do you understand me?"

"Yes, poppa," Marcel screeched. For only the briefest of moments did he consider keeping his voice down so Kol and Elijah couldn't hear, but as Klaus brought his hand down sharply across both cheeks at once, all pretense of preserving his pride disappeared. "I'm sorry, poppa! I'll never disobey you again. I swear, I swear, I swear!"

As soon as the first jagged sob broke through Marcel's body, Niklaus brought the spanking to an end. He pulled Marcel's pants back up over his bottom.

Klaus lifted Marcel upright on his lap and Marcel immediately buried his face against his neck, soaking his father's collar with his tears as his sore bottom hung between his knees.

"It is probably best if we end this trip early," said Klaus. "We cannot have you getting sick out in these woods."

"I'm sorry, poppa," Marcel sniffled.

Klaus rubbed his hand across Marcel's back, easing the sobs caught in his chest. "It's alright, Marcellus. Children cannot be expected to always act in a way that is most beneficial to them. That's why you have me to remind you."

Marcel groaned as the pain of his reminder ached across his bottom.

"Do you think..." Marcel muttered against Klaus's neck. "Do you think...Kol...is going to still want to be my friend after seeing me cry like that? Or...will he think I'm too much of a...baby."

Klaus thought about how much his brother had changed in the past year since being with Marcel. Before Marcel, Klaus thought only Elijah's spankings worked in curbing Kol's violent and lecherous behaviors. But, as hard as it was for him to admit, his brother had changed in order to continue his friendship with Marcel. He knew something as small as this wasn't going to end their friendship.

"Yes, Marcellus, I think Kol is still going to want to be your friend. Because he knows there's nothing wrong with you expressing your pain. If there is anyone in the world that you should feel comfortable expressing your feelings in front of, it is your family. Our love for you is unconditional, irrefutable, and forever."

Marcel held onto Klaus and continued to cry. After seven years, he was sure Klaus's words were true about his own feelings towards Marcel, Elijah too in spite of their many disagreements. But Kol was still new. His feelings still uncemented. Rebekah had told him stories of how Kol had abandoned their families for even the most insignificant slights. What made this one any different?

End Flashback

Marcel held his hands back out for Finn to take them. "I'm not as helpless as Klaus would lead you to believe."

Swallowing the fearful lump in his throat, Finn took Marcel's hands and put a little pressure on them. He followed Marcel's lead, using only as much strength as he felt Marcel could handle until, after a few long seconds of struggling, Marcel found himself bobbing in the water.

"See," Marcel stated, feigning cheerfulness when he was actually a bit irritated that he lost. "You won and I'm not hurt. Wanna go again?"

Before Finn could answer, they heard another splash in the water. They looked over to see Kol swimming across the lake to them. Reaching Marcel's chicken, Kol climbed on top and said, "Why don't you go take a loser's lap, little Marcy. It's my turn to play with my dear ol' big brother."

Marcel watched as Finn's eyes blazed at the thought of wrestling Kol. Both brothers seemed excited for the chance to wrestle the other but that only made him more nervous.

Floating on his back, he pushed himself through the water towards the bank, keeping his eyes on Kol and Finn.

Movement from across the lake drew Kol's attention over to the tree Elijah now stood in front of. His book closed, his arms folded over his chest, Elijah's dark eyes spoke without him having to say a word. If either of them got hurt from taking their game too far, they would both face the consequences.

With a snarl, Kol said, "Elijah's watching us."

Finn held his hands out for Kol to interlace his fingers in them. "I guess he wants to see me finally wipe that arrogant smile off your face."

Kol squeezed his hands around Finn's. "I'm sure he'd like to see you try."

As the two Originals put steady pressure against each other, neither one budged off their chickens. They were evenly matched, even in Finn's shrunken state, he still possessed his full Original strength.

But, despite their even strength, Kol still had the upper hand. His athletic prowess surpassed Finn's in ever sense of the word. Finn was stiff and the shifting movement of the water beneath his float left him unstable. With relative ease and immense pleasure, Kol twisted him off of the chicken float and tossed him into the water.

His laughter echoed throughout the lake as he watched Finn's head bobbing solemnly in the water. Losing to Marcel because he was intentionally holding back was one thing. Losing to Kol because he was better at the game was humiliating.

Swimming back to the chicken float, Finn growled, "Again. I wasn't ready."

The wrestled again. And again Kol won. And he won the third and fourth time. Finn could have challenged him again and again, well into the night, if the setting sun didn't bring with it a slight chill that Elijah felt was too cool for them in their current states.

He called them from the water and Marcel obeyed without Elijah having to waste a second breath, but as Kol prepared to dismount his victory steed, Finn barked, "No! Again!"

"As fun as throwing you around is for me," Kol chuckled, swimming toward the bank with his chicken in tow. "It's not worth the consequences of angering Elijah."

As irritated as Finn was, staring across the lake to see the intense eyes of Elijah staring back at him, he knew he had no choice but to follow Kol and Marcel back to land.

Marcel had already dried his torso and was in the process of rubbing his towel down his legs when he noticed Finn climbing onto land empty-handed.

"Where's the chicken?"

Finn threw a casual finger back out to the lake and Marcel watched as a single, googly-eyed chicken floated in the middle of the lake.

"You left it!"

"It's not mine," Finn spat as he moseyed over to Elijah handing out towels.

Elijah held Finn's towel out of reach as he walked over to him, forcing the boy to look him in the eyes.

"That was cruel of you," he stated as if Finn didn't already know.

"Fine," Finn threw his hands up and turned back to the lake. "I'll go get it."

"No." Elijah threw the towel on top of Finn's head and proceeded to help him dry his hair. "There's a chill setting in. It will still be here in the morning." As Elijah brought the towel down to Finn's shoulders, Marcel's cold eyes burned into his. Finn scowled back at him, pretending as if he didn't feel ashamed of being so childish.

The closer they got to camp, the more pungent the scent of roast venison became. Marcel's irritation at Finn washed away as his mouth began to water. The sight of Klaus sitting by the fire in one of the portable chairs they brought for just such occasion and a silver pan sitting on a grill above the fire brought a smile to Marcel's face.

He hurried over to the pan, lifting the lid to see the tender, deep brown flesh of the deer shoulder inside.

"Ah, ah, ah," Klaus scolded as he stood, batting Marcel's hand away. "You're interrupting the cooking process."

"How much longer til it's done? I'm starving."

"It will be ready when it's ready," he said, noticing Marcel was still a little damp from his time at the lake. He guided Marcel into the chair he once occupied and said, "I'll get you a blood bag to tie you over." As he began to walk away, he cut his eyes back at Marcel who was still eyeing the pan as if he was willing to take the risk of whatever punishment Klaus could dish out for just a bite. "Touch that pan," Klaus's sharp voice brought Marcel's sight from the pan. "And you won't be able to sleep on your back for the rest of the trip."

Marcel groaned, stretching his legs out as he tried to ignore the pressure already making it uncomfortable for him to sit comfortably.

Klaus walked over to the dual-compartment cooler Elijah carried to the campsite. The bottom half was filled with the remnants of a pristinely butchered deer, if he did say so himself, and the top half was stacked full with blood bags. What impressed him the most about the cooler was the fact that technology had evolved so that the cooler could keep the ice frozen for forty-eight hours. He and Elijah agreed they would still make a trip out to the cabin every day to refresh the ice to ensure their blood doesn't coagulate, but even so, the advancements of man never ceased to amaze him.

Kol pulled up a chair beside Marcel, stretching his bare feet out to the warm fire.

Elijah unfolded a chair of his own near them and called Finn to his side. Finn was hesitant to put himself back in Marcel and Kol's sight but he also knew he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Elijah held the leatherbound case Freya gave him to take and record his vitals.

He hated it when Freya proded his body every day, checking that all was right and that his seal wasn't close to breaking, but the thought of Elijah doing it, and in front of Kol and Marcel, made him flush.

Finn stood in front of Elijah, his back to the others, and stared down at the ground as Elijah opened the case and retrieved the sterilized thermometer and a white notepad.

"Open up," he urged Finn, holding the thermometer up to his lips. Reluctantly, Finn obeyed, taking the thermometer under his tongue. Though he tried to ignore it, he could hear Marcel and Kol whispering to each other behind him. He knew they were talking about him, about how childish he looked being fussed over, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Normally, Freya would have a stethoscope in her ears listening to his heart. Contrary to popular lure, their hearts did beat. It was how blood and wolf venom was able to course through their bodies. But the beats happened very slowly, two or three times a minute, and they were so faint to the ear that one had to be in a completely quiet environment to even hear a single beat. It was because of this that humans assumed vampires didn't have a heartbeat, and the Mikaelsons were more than willing to let them go on believing it.

Elijah didn't need a stethoscope to listen to Finn's heartbeat. Instead, he simply stared down at his watch for a steady sixty seconds and focused his supernatural hearing on Finn's chest, blocking out all other noise as he listened for the soft pulse of his heart. Freya instructed him before they left the compound that Finn's heart rate and temperature should match his own's. If his heart began beating too fast or his temperature rose any higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit, they should return him back to her immediately.

Elijah nodded as the third faint beat of Finn's heart pulsed right at the sixty-second mark, just as the thermometer beeped. He took it out of Finn's mouth and smiled down at the digital display reading a bright red 70 degrees (warning him that his patient was in dier need of medical assistance or a mortician had he been human).

Elijah took not of Finn's temperature and the time in the notebook before wiping the thermometer down and placing it back in it's place in the case.

He then brought his hands up to Finn's face, placing gentle pressure around his scar with his thumbs as he said, "Do you feel any pain?"

"No more than usual," Finn muttered.

"Good," Elijah recorded his response.

Finn held back a groan as Elijah next pulled out an otoscope to check his ears and nose. Freya told him that since he would be spending so much time outdoors without his supernatural healing he would have to be checked for infections during his exams but that didn't mean he was excited by it.

Kol and Marcel's whispers seemed to get louder as Elijah checked his nose and ears, irritating Finn even more with every chortle.

As Elijah cleared Finn of having any infections, he noticed the hard look on the boy's face.

"Feeling alright, Finn?" He asked, a bit of a warning in his voice.

Finn nodded, his lip still pouting.

Elijah looked over Finn's shoulder and noticed Marcel and Kol huddled up next to each other by the fire, their eyes occasionally catching a glance at Finn.

"Perhaps today has been a little more emotionally strenuous than you're used to. I think maybe you could use a nap before supper," Elijah said, giving Finn's hip a slight pat, propelling him towards his camping bag resting beneath a nearby tree. "Get your sleeping bag."

Finn stamp his foot, clutching his fists tightly at his side as he said, "I'm not tired and I didn't do anything."

Elijah cut his eyes at Finn. "Not yet. And I want to keep it that way." Pointing sharply in the direction of his bag, he said, "Sleeping bag. Now."

Finn stomped over to his bag, angrily pulling things out without purpose, littering the ground with extra socks and thermal underwear, stocking caps and tin cups, until he finally got the sleeping bags at the bottom. He pulled his out and stared down at the other one at the bottom with vengeful eyes.

He pulled Kol's sleeping bag from the backpack and marched back over to the fire.

Lifting the sleeping bag over his head, Finn prepared to chuck it over the fire at Kol. "Here's your sleeping bag, you stinkin' brat!"

"Finn!" Elijah barked the boy's name just as the bag was about to leave his hands. He flinched, losing control of the throw, and tossing the sleeping bag straight into the fire, knocking the pan of deer meat over into the dirt.

All eyes fell to the destroyed dinner and the sleeping bag melting ontop of the roaring fire.


Sorry about the extra long, and late, chapter. It was another case of 'not knowing where to end it'.