Chapter 66
Moments Earlier
Kol unfolded a chair beside Marcel, stretching his feet out to catch the warmth of the campfire in front of them.
"Got anything a bit stiffer than blood in that cooler, big brother?" Kol called out as he opened another chair beside Marcel and slid into it.
Niklaus shot a glare back at Kol but his irritability wained at seeing Kol squirm in his chair.
"Afraid neither of you will be drinking this weekend. Your system wouldn't be able to metabolize alcohol at the rate you're used to without your healing."
Kol groaned as Klaus dug through the cooler until he found Kol's favorite blood type. He considered grabbing a third for Finn but then Elijah called their littlest brother over to perform his evening physical and thought the blood would go bad before he got a chance to drink it.
As he brought the bags over to Marcel and Kol, he noticed them speaking in low tones, their eyes darting occasionally to Finn and sly smiles crossing their faces.
"What do you think you're doing?" He asked as he passed Marcel his blood bag.
Marcel's eyes snapped from Kol to Klaus's, his smile broadening in an attempt to look innocent. "Just...talking."
"You promised to be cordial."
Kol snatched his bag from Klaus's hand and said, "So now it's a crime to talk."
"Careful, baby brother. You two are due for a little bedtime session for wandering off earlier. You would hate to make it harder on yourself than it already is." Klaus beckoned Kol to his feet with a finger. "Out of my seat."
Eyebrows knotting at the top of his head in confusion, Kol asked, "This is my chair."
"If I recall correctly, I brought a chair and Marcel brought a chair. And what did you bring again? Oh, right. The shorts you're wearing. I'm sure they will make a fine seat."
Kol grumbled under his breath as he rose to his feet, "Marcel's in your seat...but of course Klaus's favorite doesn't hafta...stinkin' bastard-"
His murmuring was immediately silenced as Klaus sat down and grabbed his wrist. His eyes widened with fear of being thrown over his brother's knee again when suddenly, Klaus pulled him down sitting upright upon his knee. Kol's face flushed with embarrassment as he and Marcel locked eyes, his friend just as confused by Klaus expectant actions.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Kol asked.
Klaus leaned over on the armrest of his chair, resting his head on his hand as he watched the fire dancing in front of them. "Attempting to enjoy a peaceful evening without your grumbling. Of course, you're always free to sit on the ground if you'd like."
Kol's face went red but he quickly hid his shame with a firm pout, folding his arms over his chest as he said, "You're only saying that because you regret pulling me on here. Well, tough tit, big brother. This is where I sit now."
A small smile grew on Klaus's face but he said nothing.
Kol's eyes drew down to Marcel, an impish glint shining in his friend's eye that made Kol's blush spread.
"Well." Elijah stood before them taking in the sight with surprise. "Don't you three look cozy."
"And he says I'm Klaus's favorite," Marcel joked.
"Favorite," Klaus arched an eyebrow. "Favorite what?"
Marcel looked up to Kol but neither of them knew the answer to that question.
"Y'know," Marcel shrugged. "Favorite...whatever. Between me, Kol, and Hope."
"I have no favorite 'whatever'." Klaus reached across to Marcel, resting his hand on his head and caressing his temple with his thumb. "You are my son, my firstborn, and the heir to everything I have. Hope is my daughter, a teenager who needs her family's attention every step of the way as she marches headstrongly into adulthood. And Kol," Klaus dropped his hand from Marcel's head and brought the other up to Kol's thigh with a sharp, yet soft, slap. "Is my little brother, whom I would move Heaven and Earth to keep in this family...even when he tries to make it hard."
"See, I told'ja," Marcel sat confidently back in his chair. "He doesn't have a favorite."
Kol gritted his teeth and crinkled his nose mockingly at Marcel. Still, there was a part of him that wanted to believe Klaus was telling the truth.
Through the corner of his eye, he saw Finn barrelling towards him with a sleeping bag hurled over his head. Elijah caught his brother's glance and turned to catch Finn only too late.
-M-
Finn couldn't help but squirm as he sat in Elijah's chair, watching his brothers douse the campfire with their reserve of water in order to put out the blazing sleeping bag that threatened to grow the fire out of control. Pieces of broken tinder flew from the fire after the bag hit it into the small patches of grass. Marcel and Kol worked to stamp them out before they could grow any bigger. No one had said anything to him yet but he was sure he knew what to expect.
He hated that he'd let himself get so worked up. He was doing so well at keeping himself calm all-day but as the evening grew on, he found himself getting more irritable. And he was tired after having Kol dunk him in the cold lake so many times. And their whispering...their incessant whispering. He knew they were whispering about him, about how childish it was of him to leave Marcel's plastic chicken in the lake and how much better off their family would be without him because he was such a bore and always ruined their fun...
He knew that he would probably get a smack for hitting Kol with the sleeping bag, but he thought it would be worth it. He hadn't expected Elijah to scream at him just as he was about to throw it.
Kol gave a huff as he stomped out the last stray tinder. "Damn selfish prat," he muttered to no one in particular though Marcel was close enough to hear. "Never could stand to see the rest of us happy."
"It was an accident," Marcel defended. "He was obviously aiming for you and lost control. He's still not used to his body yet."
"Sure about that? He was nice and attuned to his last body 'bout this time in his reincarnation. Enough to hex me at least."
"Kol-"
"Stop giving him excuses, Marcel. He's proven time and time again that not only is he not one of us but he very well may be trying to kill me again."
"Enough!" The quick bite of Elijah's tongue silenced them both. Kol's jaw tensed, heated at being silenced when he felt so justified in his anger.
A heavy sigh blew through Elijah's nose, silently releasing all of his built-up tension. "We can't stay here tonight. The ground is soaked so there's no hope of getting this fire up again and in the time it takes us to find another campsite and build another fire, you three will have frozen to death."
Elijah looked to Klaus and the two of them had a silent conversation about what to make their next move.
"Let's pack up," Klaus finally said. "We will spend the night at the cabin."
Kol's frustration washed away at the thought. He lept into the air, high enough to kick a tree branch as he flipped and landed back beside Marcel.
Klaus scowled at what he considered an exaggerated reaction but it brought a laugh from Marcel.
As everyone dispersed to start gathering their things, Finn stood to do the same.
"Stay," Elijah's voice cut through the camp, freezing Finn in his spot. He craned his neck slowly over to his brother only to find Elijah glaring back at him. "Right where you are."
"B-but he said-"
"I will gather your things. You sit down and do not move again until we tell you it's time to go."
Without another word, Finn sat back in his chair, unconsciously nibbling on his thumbnails as he watched the others move around the camp.
Elijah was meticulous with packing Finn's bag. He was with Freya during the initial packing so he knew where everything should go inside it. He and Freya both agreed that the trip would be as beneficial for Finn and Kol as it was for any of them. Elijah had counted on Kol's irresponsibility to leave himself unprepared for the trip so, instead of packing a backup bag like Freya suggested they do at first, he convinced her to just double up on Finn's supplies so if Kol needed anything, he would have to go directly to Finn, forcing the two of converse. He expected a bit of heated disagreements to come between the two of them because of it, but certainly not so destructively. At least, not on the first day.
Once the bag was packed, Elijah walked over to Finn with a handful of clothes. "Here, change quickly."
Finn hesitated but only for a moment, fearing that as soon as his bottom was out of the chair, Elijah would give him what he deserved.
"Calm down," Elijah said as he held the clothes out to Finn. "You're not about to be spanked."
Relief swept over Finn as he stood, quickly freeing himself from his damp swimsuit. "Y-you're not going to spank me f-for ruining supper?"
Elijah's face remained stoic as Finn slid on his pants. "I didn't say that. You're simply not in danger of being spanked at the moment."
A chill shot through Finn's body as he dropped his shirt over his shoulders and it wasn't from the soft breeze moving in.
"Alright," Niklaus called to Kol and Marcel as he gathered the last chair and folded it neatly in it's case with the others. "Let's get back to the cabin before dark." He cut his eyes to the plastic bag in Marcel's hand holding the remnants of their destroyed dinner. "Perhaps we can fry up a couple of steaks before we turn in."
-M-
Flashback
Kol dropped his bags in the middle of the courtyard as soon as the Mikaelsons returned home. He'd been as silent on the hike back home as Marcel, neither finding the strength to confront each other on their feelings.
As the servants came rushing to their sides to retrieve and put away their things, Niklaus said to one, "Draw Marcellus a bath while you're at it."
Marcel cut his eyes at Niklaus, the tips of his ears burning at having Niklaus ordering a bath for him in front of Kol as if he wasn't able to do it himself.
Marcel quickly turned to the servant before he could getaway. "That won't be necessary. I had a bath yesterday. I don't need one today."
Niklaus raised an eyebrow at the boy, a bit surprised by his outburst, but said nothing.
Elijah, however, was not as keen to his nephew's growing desire for maturity. "And you will have one again tonight, Marcellus. You've been out in the forest running around with daggers all day." Marcel opened his mouth to object again and Elijah quickly held up a hand to silence him. "And I will hear no more about it."
Marcel slammed his mouth shut. As angry as he was, he was still sore from Klaus's spanking and if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that his Uncle Elijah wouldn't hesitate to bend him over again.
Instead, he bolted up the stairs to his room, hoping he didn't look childish as he did so.
Elijah sighed. "What is it with boys and baths? He gets that from you, you know. Mother used to have to chase you around the entire encampment to get you in a bath."
Niklaus gave a wry smile as he tried to remember the small, decent moments of his childhood he thought he'd never forget.
"I suppose that's why I had them so rarely. Once a week as I recall."
"Yes, well, life was much different then. And Marcel isn't a playful little boy anymore. Now he's a ruddy teenager and I believe he should bathe as often as his teenage musk insists. Kol,"
Kol froze at the call of Elijah's voice, one foot on the bottom step of the staircase. He was hoping to sneak away as his brothers chatted and hide in his room until Marcel could forget about the trip but Elijah had other plans.
"Go upstairs and hurry Marcellus along. I want him right to bed after his bath."
"I'm not his wet nurse, Elijah," Kol rolled his eyes with only half as much irritation as he would have normally spoken.
"No." Klaus's voice sent a shiver down Kol's back. "But you are his family. Ensuring he's bathed and put to bed properly is the least you could do after nearly turning him into a monster."
Kol clenched his jaw. But he said nothing else as he marched upstairs towards Marcel's bedroom.
"Still thinks he's gonna be daggered?" Niklaus asked as Kol's back disappeared on the second floor.
Elijah shook his head. "I don't think he ever did expect you to dagger him. But he only knows two ways to be punished and as guilty as he feels, he was hoping for one or the other."
"Guilty?" Niklaus rose an eyebrow. "Kol Mikaelson? The boy's never felt a second of guilt his entire life."
"I know. Took me by surprise too. But, I suppose there's a first time for everything." Elijah glanced down to the one bag remaining in Niklaus's possession. "Think we should give Kol another chance to do what's right?"
Klaus stared down at the bag in his hand containing the cursed dagger. "I'd rather not tempt him. I'll get rid of this one myself."
-M-
Kol took his time getting to Marcel's bedroom. He knew it wouldn't take long for the servants to get Marcel's bath prepared since they always had hot water ready to go around this time of night for one of their baths and although the four of them were expected to be in the forest through the night, Rebekah was still at the Compound and had become a keen observer of adhering to daily bathing habits over the years.
He was surprised to find Marcel lounging in his bed, his arms folded behind his head as he stared contemplative up at the ceiling.
Marcel jumped at the sound of Kol knocking against his open door, fearing that it was his Uncle Elijah having found him disobeying him again.
"Almost ready for that bath?" Kol asked with a hint of amusement.
Marcel sat up, his face hard with stubbornness. "I'm not taking a bath."
Kol folded his arms and leaned back against the doorway. "This isn't the sort of thing you can trick him about, lad. Dear ol' Elijah's like a bloodhound when it comes to cleanliness. He'll know if you lie about it."
"I'm not going to lie," Marcel jumped to his feet. "I told them I'm not taking a bath and I'm not. I'm not a little boy that he can order to bath anymore. I decide when I want to bath now and I will when I want to."
The only problem was that Marcel did very much want nothing more than to relax in a nice hot bath at that moment. He loved bathing almost as much as Rebekah. The water relaxed his muscles and the solitude gave him time to think. But he was determined to prove to Kol that he wasn't afraid of Elijah or anyone else. He was seventeen years old after all - a man by any standard he cared to measure himself against.
As Marcel stood with his arms firmly crossed over his chest, he looked to Kol every bit a petulant little boy. But there was something about the sight that brought a smile to Kol's face.
"You are..." Kol smirked. "So different than we were at your age. Mikael didn't ask twice. He barely asked once. We were just supposed to know what he'd want and do it or face the consequences. You...you're your own man. Consequences be damned. I suppose that's what my brother intended for you to be. I can't even fathom how that mind of yours works."
Kol stepped further into the room. "But...I didn't think the consequences completely through today. I didn't tell Elijah you had the dagger because I wanted you to get caught with it. I was angry at Elijah for accusing me of trying to corrupt you so I...wanted to show them what you would look like truly corrupted. And I'm sorry. Seeing you like you were in the forest...I know you think you're a man, laddy, but you're just a kid."
"I'm sorry I cried," Marcel quickly bit to Kol's shock. "I mean...not really because poppa says it's okay to cry and that everyone cries. But...I'm sorry I cried so much. It just...the dagger took me by surprise but I-I don't want you to think that I'm some baby because of it. I promise I'll be tougher around your witch friends if you let me go out with you one night."
"I know you're plenty tough, Marcellus," Kol chuckled. "You're a Mikaelson after all. I don't let you come out with my witch friends at night because your dear ol' poppa would literally skin me alive if I did."
"I'm not afraid of poppa."
"Of course you're not," Kol gave Marcel's jaw a playful jab. "You're not afraid of anything. I, on the other hand, have grown quite attached to my skin and would like to keep it on me for as long as it'll stick so I'm not in the business of upsetting my big brother. At least, not so soon after nearing turning his son into the monster he's been tryna keep you from all these years."
"So...just, not right now?"
Kol's eyebrows rose in surprise at Marcel catching his small slip of words.
"Umm, sure kid. Give Klaus and Elijah a bit to calm down about this whole dagger debacle and I'll see if I can sneak you out for a night out with the witches."
Marcel smiled from ear to ear, his hands clenching tight at his side as he tried to restrain his excitement in an attempt to seem mature.
"But," Kol continued. "If you don't get down to that bath tonight, 'Lijah might not let you live long enough to see it."
End Flashback
As soon as they made it back to the cabin, Marcel slipped into the shower in the Master bedroom, lavishing in the hot water washing over his body as it knocked the chill of the night away. He and Kol insisted on walking back to the cabin in their swimsuits since they both intended to bathe when they got there and didn't want to have to get completely undressed again. To save face, they had to pretend as if the breeze of the night air didn't bother them as the sun began to set.
He could have stayed under the heat of the shower all night but he knew if he didn't go out and interact with the rest of them, Klaus and Elijah would throw a fit.
Stepping out of the shower, Marcel grabbed his towel and patted himself dry before exiting to his bedroom.
He was shocked to see Klaus leaning against the footboard of his bed, his hand moving gently across the engraved 'M' along the top.
"Klaus," he muttered, wrapping his towel modestly around his waist. "What are you doing here?"
"Admiring your handy work," Klaus smiled but Marcel noticed that his smile fell just short of his eyes. "You built this cabin?"
Marcel nodded as he moved over to his backpack at the end of the bed, an arm's reach away from Klaus. He almost didn't want to go to it with the way Klaus was acting, as if he knew something but wasn't willing to show his hand just yet, but he also didn't want to finish their encounter while semi-nude.
"Most of it," Marcel answered, going into his bag and finding a pair of boxer-briefs. "Started construction about eleven years ago. Helped take my mind off of...y'know."
"Did you do these engravings yourself?"
Marcel nodded. "Every last one of them. Just like you and Elijah did with the Compound."
Niklaus pointed to another 'M' engraved in the decorative crown molding above the door. "And that 'M', does it still stand for 'Marcel' or 'Mikaelson'?"
Marcel pulled his underwear on under his towel but pause before he took it off. "That question's a bit redundant, isn't it? They're one and the same."
"Are they?" The lilt in Klaus's voice as he asked that question confirmed Marcel's suspicions. He knew something.
"Look, Klaus, we can keep playing the Alphabet game or you can tell me what you want."
Klaus's smile grew, this time his eyes shined with it. He reached into his pocket and fished out Marcel's cellphone.
Marcel felt like his heart was going to drop into his stomach.
"I'm going to ask you this once," Klaus stated, shaking Marcel's phone in front of him as he spoke. "And I want the truth."
Marcel swallowed the lump in his throat. He just knew Klaus was going to ask for the code to his phone because he'd seen a suspicious text come across the front screen and now wants to know what Marcel's been up to.
"What are you up to?"
The simplicity of the question was the most terrifying part.
"I-I don't know what you mean."
"Don't you?" Niklaus tapped the phone screen to show Josh's name across it with a number of missed calls. "Your buddy Joshua seems to be in quite the desperate need to get your attention." There was a lingering silence as Klaus's unspoken question filled the air.
"You shouldn't be going through my phone," Marcel objected, effectively avoiding the question.
"I haven't gone through it...yet. Not unless you give me a reason to. I want the truth, Marcellus. What are you and your vampires planning behind my back."
A lightbulb went off above Marcel's head as he realized all of his planning was coming together after all.
"It's Lora," He said, feigning concern. "She's...having some problems with self-control. She's dating some new guy and she's afraid she won't be able to stop herself from feeding on him."
Klaus seemed to physically relax at Marcel's announcement. He didn't want to believe his son was plotting against him again but he knew it was always a possibility.
"Why didn't you just tell me? We could've postponed the trip. If you need to get back we could-"
"No," Marcel shouted with more passion than neccessary. "I mean...she's fine, I think. Josh is handling it. I just told him to keep me in the loop, that's why I had my phone in the forest."
Klaus rose from the bed, placing his hand on Marcel's shoulder as he said, "You don't need to keep secrets about your vampires from me, Marcellus. I know you care for them, and I care for you. Besides, keeping this girl under control benefits us both because it means she won't accidentally do anything to interrupt the flow of my kingdom." Klaus handed the phone out to Marcel. "Call your friend and make sure everything's alright. Then put this on my nightstand and let Josh handle things for the rest of the weekend."
Marcel took the phone with hidden glee.
As Klaus turned to leave the room, he paused. "And Marcellus," he called over his shoulder. "No more secrets. Do we understand each other?"
Marcel fought against his conscience as he answered, "Of course, Klaus."
-M-
The hot bath water was exactly what Finn needed after a long day outside. He never was one for camping and hunting, a fault of his mother and father more than his own.
The slight knock on the door was methodical and he knew who it was before they opened it.
Elijah entered the bathroom carrying a fluffy white towel. It wasn't one of the towels they brought on their trip, but one of the cabin's towels, embroidered with a black 'M' just like the silk robe hanging on the bathroom door.
"You've been in here long enough," Elijah said unfolding the towel and holding it up in front of the tub.
Finn sunk lower, dipping his chin in the water as he muttered, "You're going to spank me now?"
"If I were you I wouldn't be in such a hurry," Elijah fanned the towel out, silently urging Finn to get in it. "You will be punished soon enough."
Finn grumbled as he rose out of the tub, allowing Elijah to wrap his body in the towel and guide him out the bathroom to the room across the hall.
The cabin was bigger than Finn imagined it would be, like a mansion in the woods. There were almost as many rooms as there were in the Compound. He vaguely wondered how much time Marcel spent building such a mansion in the woods. There were only two bathrooms with bathtubs upstairs and Marcel and Kol occupied those so he had to use the bathroom across from what Marcel referred to as 'the den', but to Finn it simply looked like a small library with a TV hanging above the mantle. There was a fire burning in the fireplace making the room nice and toasty.
Elijah guided Finn over to the sofa in the middle of the room and held his hands around his waist as he asked, "Do you want to explain why you decided to destroy Kol's sleeping bag and our dinner?"
Finn brought the towel up to his ears as he shrugged.
Elijah gave his hip a firm tap with the tips of his fingers. "A shrug is not an answer, Finn."
Finn brought his thumb up to his mouth but before he could start chewing on his nail, Elijah grabbed his hand and eased it back down to his side.
"We can be here all night, brother. I am very patient."
"You're just gonna spank me as soon as I tell you."
"I could spank you before you tell me," Elijah proposed. "Give you a bit of an incentive to be more forthcoming."
Finn danced on the balls of his bare feet at Elijah's threat.
"I didn't mean to," he finally said in a whine. "Th-they were whispering about me."
"And so you thought that warranted destroying Kol's sleeping bag?"
"I-I wasn't trying to destroy it. I-I..." Finn's voice dropped to a whisper as he said, "I was gonna hit him with it. But then you shouted and I lost control."
Finn fought the urge to bite his nails as the silence lingered but Elijah's judmental glare made it very hard.
"Just beat me," he grumbled. "And get it over with."
As Elijah rose to his feet, Finn took a hesitant step back, instantly regretting his words.
"Upstairs, third door on the left is where you will find your bag. Change and then come downstairs for dinner."
As Elijah moved towards the door, Finn muttered, "You're not going to spank me?"
Elijah paused at the door. Looking over his shoulder, he answered, "You, Kol, and Marcel have thrashings awaiting you after dinner. We will meet back her then and take care of you all at once.
Finn poked his lip out, frustration bringing tears to his eyes.
Elijah immediately turned back to him. "Are you angry?"
Wrapping the towel tighter around his shoulders, Finn bit, "Wouldn't you be?"
Finn stilled as Elijah came back over to him, placing his hand on his back and guiding him back out the room.
He walked stiffly beside Elijah, unsure of what he was going to do to him.
Niklaus stood in front of the stove eyeing the deer-steak in the pan with nervous scrutiny. Of all the things he considered his talents, cooking wasn't one of them. In a thousand years he could probably count the number of times he's stood in front of a stove or oven on one hand. Cooking over a camp fire was different. The meat simply smoked on a fire until it was tender. Steaks were much more temperamental. He'd already over cooked one in his caution to not undercook it.
He took his eyes away from the steak in the pan to watcg as Elijah brought Finn in.
Elijah guided Finn to the furthest corner of the room, taking the towel from Finn's shoulder and bringing it down to his waist, wrapping it around his hips before placing Finn in the corner.
"You will stand here until you calm down," said Elijah
A heavy groan rumbled from Finn's throat as Elijah walked over to Klaus.
"I'm calm," Finn spun around. "Now can I go put on pants?"
Niklaus let out a soft chuckle at Finn's willfulness. Elijah simply shook his head.
"Finn, I am very patient. But I am rarely lenient." Elijah's voice was cold enough to send a shiver down Finn's spine. "Face the wall this instance and do not turn around again until I tell you to."
Finn had been around his siblings long enough now to know the consequences of turning away from a corner after Elijah put him in it, and as frustrated as he was, he was sore enough already and still had more to come. So with a heavy grunt, he turned back to the corner, pressing his forehead against the wall, and anxiously waited for the day to be over.
Elijah walked over to the stove and gave the steak a single glance before saying, "Overcooked another one?"
Niklaus snapped to attention, hurrying over to the stove. "No! What?" He gave a heavy, broken sigh as he flipped the steak into a plate to see it burnt on one side.
"Not to worry." Elijah rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands. "I'll handle this. You can go talk to Marcellus about...you know who."
Niklaus leaned back against the counter, watching as his brother began working a miracle on the burnt meat.
"Already done," he said finally. "Marcel's informed me that his remaining baby vamp is going through the standard issues all baby vamps go through and he is simply attempting to coach her through the process. That's why he tried to sneak his phone to the campsite. He simply doesn't want her to be alone."
Elijah paused what he was doing to lace Klaus with a dubious glare. "She has been a vampire for months now. And she is still having such novice drawbacks?"
Klaus narrowed his eyes at Elijah, confused and a bit offended by his questioning. "Some vampires are slow learners."
"Is Josh not qualified to teach her on his own?"
"I suppose not. There was a reason Marcel ran this city for a century. He is the best of any of them."
"He most certainly is." Elijah returned to the steaks, carefully chopping them into even chunks. "Marcellus has always been a very clever boy."
The slice of the knife against the cutting board went silent as Klaus grabbed Elijah's wrist, earning his full attention.
"I don't think I like what you're insinuating about my son, brother."
Elijah drew his eyes sharply to Niklaus. "Then I'm sure you will absolutely despise the truth - whatever it is - when comes to light. Finn!"
Finn jumped at the boom of his name. He'd turned from the corner the moment he heard Niklaus grab Elijah's wrist, curious about their dispute and wondering if it would take a more violent turn as it used to when they first became vampires. Since neither of them was watching him, he'd hope they wouldn't notice he wasn't facing the corner anymore. He was wrong.
"Come here," Elijah stated without turning around.
"I'm sorry," Finn quickly blurted as he pressed his face back into the corner.
"I said 'come here'. Now."
Finn eased from the corner as slow as time and gravity would let him, dragging his feet across the tile and stopping as far away from Elijah as he could while still obeying his order to 'come'.
Elijah held his hand straight out in the direction of the dishware sitting by the sink. "Spoon."
A set of wooden spoons sat in a metal container, taunting Finn.
"Please don't," he whined. "I'll go back and I won't turn around again."
Niklaus spoke up before Elijah. In a low, calming voice, he reminded him, "Finn, what did we agree on this morning?"
Tears brimmed Finn's eyes as he remembered his promise to Niklaus. He would accept whatever punishments they deemed fit...even if he disagreed.
He scooted his bare feet across the floor, grabbing the spoon with the longest handle, and handing it to Elijah.
He had barely a second to realize what was going on before Elijah had him bent over, towel flipped up his back, and started raining down smacks to his bare behind.
The thin boy wiggled in Elijah's hold as his brother landed six solid smacks across the undercurve of his behind, leaving round, red splotches across his behind.
Setting the spoon on the counter, Elijah stood Finn back to his feet, righting the towel back over his aching behind, as he pulled him into his embrace. Finn didn't fight his hold, falling into his brother's chest as tears coursed down his cheeks. It took every ounce of self-control in him to keep from rubbing his stinging bottom.
Running one hand through Finn's hair and the other across his arm, Elijah said, "Go back to the corner and wait until I tell you to come out."
The sullen boy nodded against Elijah's chest before trudging back over to the corner.
Turning back to Niklaus, Elijah said, "If I am correct in my assumptions about Marcel and his vampires being up to something nefarious - which I do believe I am - I hope you plan to do a little more than give him a stern talking to."
"Dear brother, if Marcellus is lying and plotting behind my back again - which I trust wholeheartedly that he is not - I very well plan to slaughter what remains of his sired vampires and lock him in the Compound, never to let him out of my sight again, until Kingdom come."
