Chapter 87

Oliver bounced on the tips of his toes as he held Elijah's hand in the butcher's shop. He was able to sneak a few pieces of chocolate from the stolen bar Izzy gave him while she helped Elijah put the rest of the bags in the trunk. Then he hid the rest of the candy under his booster seat. He bubbled with joy at getting away with his secret candy and the extra sugar made him just as restless as Elijah feared he'd be.

Elijah sighed as the toddler bounced at his side, assuming it was boredom that had the boy so excited. The line at the butcher's shop was longer than he expected and although he wanted to compel or bribe his way to the front of the line, he didn't want to set a bad example for the children so he simply swallowed his pride and waited.

Glancing over at Izzy, Elijah saw the girl staring wistfully out the shop window to the store across the street. Amanace's Arts Supply. It was one of Niklaus' favorite stores in the Quarter because he carried a wide range of professional-level art supplies.

Elijah remembered what little he knew about the girl. She met Hope in an art class, a class that she was evidently really good in. He wondered if she missed art. She didn't do much of anything in the Compound besides study. A nice hobby might be exactly what she needed to feel normal again.

"Care to do me a small favor, Izzy," he started, drawing the girl's attention up to him. Reaching into his pocket with his free hand, he pulled out his wallet. Izzy's mouth fell slightly ajar as he grabbed a black card and handed it to her. "I've noticed Niklaus could use a new set of paintbrushes but he's been so busy lately, he hasn't been able to pick them up himself. Could you run across the street and pick up a few round brushes, size 2 through 10. He prefers the Maestro Kolinsky set."

Izzy was too stunned that Elijah trusted her enough to give her his credit card to begin to awe at the fact that Klaus would use such an expensive brush set. She'd only ever stared at the Kolinsky set through glass panes, never garnering the courage to ask any of the salespeople to let her see one up close.

"And while you're there, feel free to buy yourself a few things."

"A few things?" She repeated, excitement boiling over. "A few things like what?"

"Brushes, paints," Elijah stated as if it should've been obvious. "Whatever you think you need to start painting again. You do enjoy painting, don't you?"

She nodded. Art was fun but it was never a hobby she could take outside of school. Art supplies were pretty expensive and when they were cheap. Well, not terribly expensive, but expensive enough for a teenager without a job.

"Of course, you have a spending limit," said Elijah, reading the skepticism on the girl's face before she spoke. "Buy Niklaus's brushes and then...let's say a hundred dollars for yourself? Perhaps a bit more to account for taxes. Certainly not more than 125."

"A hundred and twenty-five dollars?" she exclaimed. "For...art supplies?"

"Yes, well, whether it's a hobby or a craft you intend to take seriously, I do believe you should have suitable tools for the trade. Do not ask," he quickly cut her off before she could open her mouth. "How you will pay me back. My money is your money. I've only set a spending limit as a boundary. Children need boundaries because life has boundaries and it's my job to teach you how to navigate them."

She scoffed and muttered under her breath, "Yeah, everyone has boundaries. Unless you're a Mikaelson."

"Actually, contrary to popular belief..."

Izzy stilled at finding out Elijah evidently heard her mumbling.

He stared down at her with stern eyes. "The Mikaelsons do have boundaries. Case in point: You are a Mikaelson, I've given you a boundary. Can I trust you to stay within it?"

She slowly nodded yes. She knew it wouldn't be hard to stay under such a high spending limit. She wasn't Klaus, with all his expensive brushes. A couple of $2 dollar brushes, ten dollars worth of paint, and a few canvases was all she needed. A $40 limit was more than she needed. What had her at a loss, though, was the way he so casually referred to her as a Mikaelson. It's like the night before when Hayley promised to fight for her.

"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes to hide her feelings of uncertainty. "You can trust me not to bankrupt your damn Mikaelson fortune at an art store."

"Attitude, Izzy," Elijah stated warningly, though he couldn't help but feel a bit proud that the girl was starting to relax more around him.

"Can I go?" Oliver peeped excitedly.

Before Elijah could respond, Izzy knelt down to the boy and said, "Stay here with Elijah and I'll bring you a surprise back."

Excited by the thought of a surprise, Oliver promised to be good and quiet for Elijah, winking at Izzy as she left the store as if promising her not to spill their little secret while she was away.

-M-

Kol let out an exaggerated sigh as he climbed down from the top shelf of yet another of Freya's display cases after dusting off old jars of preserved lizards and bat parts while his sister worked quietly on a spell she refused to explain to him.

"Y'know, this would go a hellava lot quicker with extra hands," he grumbled, moving groggily over to the next shelf.

Without looking up from her work table, Freya said, "I have faith in you to finish it by yourself, little brother."

Kol rolled his eyes. "At least let me go find Marcel. He should be finished with his little talk with Davina and I'm sure he's searching for a place to hide out from that...unexpectedly terrifying gaze of hers."

"Marcel is a big boy," she continued. "He can find his own hiding place. But...perhaps you could use a break. Come here."

Kol stopped in the middle of dusting a muggy jar of what he hoped was an underdeveloped baby turtle and not a shriveled hand and turned to see a servant standing beside Freya's table with a crudites tray. He'd been so focused on the strange things in the jars, he hadn't even heard his sister call for a servant.

"Keep your carrots," he scoffed, marching over to the young woman holding the tray. She could tell exactly what he wanted without him saying a word and she leaned her head to the side so he would have a clearer view of her neck.

The servants in the Mikaelson household were all aware of what they were getting themselves into before they were hired on. Elijah vetted them all himself and explained during the interview (under compulsion that they could not tell anyone anything that they knew about the Miakelsons or what goes on in their home) that they would be working for vampires and on occasions, they would be fed on. The ones who didn't run away screaming seemed more than excited at the prospect. It also helped that the Mikaelsons paid five times the rate of any other employer in the city. Getting a job serving in the Mikaelson Compound was exclusive and highly sought after but the turnover rate was pretty high.

Mostly, the reason was that humans were susceptible to falling in love after so many feedings and, when that love is unrequited, an obsession begins. This leads to a host of issues that Elijah usually has to take care of himself. This, in addition to the emergence of the newly arrived young in their care, had lead to a new rule in the Mikaelson household - Feeding from a human vein should be limited to exigent circumstances only.

Still, Freya did not stop Kol as he bit into the servant's neck, she simply took the tray away from the woman so she wouldn't drop it as her little brother fed.

"Alright, Kol," Freya finally said once the woman seemed to be in more pain than pleasure. "That's enough."

Kol rolled his eyes at her admonishment. He hadn't fed from a fresh vein in days, he wasn't going to let Elijah's prudish rule keep him from feeding on this woman to his heart's content.

He yanked himself away as a sharp smack landed across his bottom. It wasn't Freya's magic this time but her actual palm so the pain wasn't as strong as usual but Kol's face burned a bright red anyway.

The servant didn't see the smack with her head tilted the way it was during the feeding but she'd heard it. She wasn't quite sure what the sound was but she had a feeling she knew. The servants moved through the Mikaelson household virtually undetected and so they were privy to many of the family's secrets but Elijah's compulsion prevented them from ever telling anyone.

Turning her attention to the servant, Freya said, "You may go. Take care of that wound."

The servant muttered a polite thank you before scurrying away from Kol.

"I was going to stop before her pulse faded," Kol muttered irritably as Freya returned to her spell.

"Highly doubtful," Freya sighed. "I've seen you feed, little brother. You stop when it's convenient for you and after two days surviving on blood bags, I'm sure her heart-stopping would've been the only thing to stop you."

"If you knew all of that, why let me feed on her from the start?"

She cut her eyes at him. "Because I wanted to see if you were going to listen to me when I told you to stop."

His face burned redder at realizing he'd disappointed her, yet again.

"All of these new rules," he muttered irritably. "Just to protect the innocent eyes of these young witches Marcel's forced on us. There was once a time when I could feed from these servants til my thirst was quenched."

"That was before me."

"Yes," he bit mockingly. "It was."

"Would you prefer I never came back?"

He wanted to say 'yes' just to piss her off. It's what he would've said to Klaus or Elijah. But she wasn't Klaus or Elijah. If she mistook his words spoken in anger for truth, she might actually leave.

He shrugged and walked back over towards the shelves, prepared to finish the job he'd come to do so he could disappear away from her again. "Whatever."

"Not 'whatever', Kol," she bit, grabbing his shoulder and spinning him back around to face her. "You have to learn to start respecting me just like you do Klaus and Elijah."

"Well, if you were around as much as Klaus or Elijah, maybe I would!" Kol bit much to his own surprise.

"What are you talking about, Kol? I'm here. I'm always right here. I couldn't stop Esther and Dahlia from stealing a thousand years from us but I'm right here right now."

Kol bit his lip, fighting with the desire to let the argument go or finally saying what was on his mind.

"Yeah," he decidedly bit. "You're always right here. Hold up in this damn studio with..."

He cut his eyes over to Finn still sleeping on the sofa.

"Him."

Freya cupped his chin softly between her fingers and turned his eyes back to her. "Is that what this has all been about? You've...been upset about me spending so much time with Finn?"

"It's not 'so much time'," he bit. "It's all of your time. Every time I come to find you, he's there. Every time I want to watch you create a spell, he's there. I can't even dust your damn jars of suspicious ingredients without the little bugger snoring on the sofa."

He clenched his teeth, waiting for her defensive response. Their mother would insist that it wasn't her fault. That the emotional drift between them happened because he was being a spoiled brat and he was ready to respond to Freya with the same anger he would've shown Esther had she been there.

Freya dropped her hand from his face, still looking into his fraught brown eyes. "I'm sorry."

Kol tensed, unsure of how to respond to an apology. An argument, he'd prepared for. Her taking the blame for their distant relationship...he was stunned.

"Finn has been stable now for months," she continued. "After the events of your time at the lake, I am more certain than ever that he should be able to spend more time out of my sight. So, from now on, I will make sure to carve out more time for just the two of us."

Kol was afraid to hold out hope that she might be telling the truth. The two of them were practically joined at the hip. "Sure you won't be thinking about your favorite little brother the whole time?"

"I don't have a favorite brother." She softly caressed his cheek. "I have three younger brothers and a baby brother."

Kol's jaw tensed, fighting the urge to lean into her gentle touch.

"You know," she continued. "The first time I saw you, standing on that staircase with our siblings and looking out into the crowd, mischief shining wildly in your eyes, I said to myself, 'There's a boy that could use a big sister's protection'."

"Too bad you don't try to protect me anymore," he stated accusatorily. "Not since Finn came back." He yanked his face out of her hold as frustration overcame him. "I wish-" He quickly shut his mouth, afraid of the vulnerability his next statement held. Then, deciding that he didn't care anymore, he said, "Sometimes I wish...we never left that magical world with just you, me, Bex, and Elijah. I know that it's stupid because then I wouldn't have Davina back and everything would be going to shit here in the real world but...it was just easier there. I didn't have to wonder if you cared because...you just did."

"And I still do," she sighed. "I'm sorry that I haven't been giving you the same amount of attention, little brother, but believe me when I say you are so important to me. Nik and Elijah are trying to build a kingdom and I help them because I know it is what will make them happy. And also, because I know the protection of a kingdom is exactly what we need to keep us safe from our foes. That is why I stopped you from overfeeding on the servant. It's not because I cared for her more than I care for your happiness, but because I need to have the foresight to know that the happiness you'd get from killing a servant wouldn't be worth angering the human faction with mindless slaughter. I know it doesn't always seem like it, but I've been protecting you this entire time, little brother. Even when it seems like I'm the villain."

Kol continued to pout, now embarrassed with himself for not seeing her logic sooner.

"I meant what I said about us spending more time together," she continued, hoping to bring a bit more joy to his eyes. "Finn will be alright without me sometimes. He can...keep working on his relationships with Klaus or Elijah during our bonding time."

"Gah," he groaned, his face burning with shame as he tried to hide the joy he felt at her promise. "Don't call it that."

"Kol and Freya's time?"

He rolled his eyes. "That's worse."

She smiled, evidently entertained by his growing embarrassment. "Big sister/baby brother playtime."

"Now you're intentionally trying to rile me."

With a giggle, she cupped both of her hands on his cheek and guided his eyes back down to hers as she said, "I don't care what we call it. As long as you understand that you mean a lot to me, little brother. So, from now on, every day after breakfast, we will meet in here and you can help me prep whatever spell I'm working on. And whenever you need me, you just say the word, and my attention is all yours. Okay?"

He gave a slight nod, hoping to seem cooler than the warm feeling growing in the pit of his stomach made him feel.

"Good. Now," she gave a clear area of the table a tap as she took her seat, urging Kol to sit on the table in front of her. "Why don't you tell me what's got you so anxious about seeing Davina."

-M-

Izzy walked quickly through the art store, oggling at as many supplies as she could in the short time she had. She didn't want Elijah and Oliver to have to sit in the car too long waiting for her - she was sure Oliver would pitch a fit about having to sit in his booster seat for longer than necessary. Plus, it was hotter than usual outside so Elijah would probably come in to find her rather than waiting in the car with the AC blasting. She'd seen a couple of her old classmates walking around the store so the last thing she wanted was for stiff, old Elijah scolding her about efficiency in front of her peers.

After filling a shopping cart with as many supplies as she thought she'd need to start painting again, she walked back to the front of the store to the glass case where the really expensive items were held.

She stopped in her tracks as she saw Lillian Herbert, another ex-classmate, one that hated her. And for good reason.

Lillian's bright blue eyes grew dull with hatred as she saw Izzy staring back at her.

"Izzy Jareaux," the other teen bit with malice that would kill if it could. "What are you doing here?"

Izzy put on an iron glare that could rival Elijah's in an attempt to convince the girl that her presence didn't bother her.

"I'm getting art supplies," she answered nonchalantly as if it should've been obvious.

Lillian's cheeks puffed with irritation. "You've got some nerve showing your face around me after breaking my best friend's heart."

"In my defense, I didn't know you started working here."

"Started working this summer," Lillian said matter of factly. "You'd know that if you didn't spend so much time in juvy. Speaking of, congrats on staying out this long. What's it been? About...two...three months since the last time? Must be a record for you."

"Can I get the damn paintbrushes or not?" Izzy snapped, deciding not to indulge in the girl's mocking.

Lillian smiled softly. "Sure, why not. Let's get you out of here as soon as possible." When Izzy pointed down at the Kolinski brush set, Lillian let out an exaggerated laugh. "Yeah, right. Like you can afford those. What'd you do, rob another grocery store?"

Izzy pulled Elijah card from her pocket and slapped it down on the counter.

Curious, Lillian picked it up and read the name on the front. Rolling her eyes, she said, "You obviously stole this."

"You know I didn't steal it," Izzy bit. "As irritatingly nosy as you are, I'm sure you heard that I'm living with the Mikaelsons now."

Lillian leaned across the counter and said, "I have heard that. You abandoned the witches to shack up with the vampires."

Her nose flaring in rage, Izzy growled, "The witches abandoned me."

"Yeah well, your mother was a crazy bitch and...looks like you are too so...I guess we cut our losses before it cost us. Where is your mom these days? Off starting a new coven of batshit witches somewhere in the bayou with all of her werewolf fuck buddies?"

Rage boiled through Izzy's veins. The last time someone disrespected her family like that she'd lost her temper enough to end up in juvy. But that was before her mother abandoned her. Now she didn't care about the woman enough to send another girl to the hospital but Lillian knew just how to get under her skin. She braced her hands against the glass case, telling herself that breaking the girl's nose over something so minuscule wouldn't be worth another stint in juvy. And though her body listened to her, her magic had a mind of its own.

She didn't know when the magic built up under her palms but the next thing she knew, the glass case shattered beneath her touch.

Lillian jumped back, caught off guard by the sudden surge of magic and broken glass, but once she realized what happened, a knowing smile grew across her face.

"Well, Izzy Jareaux. Looks like you'll be going back to juvy after all."

"I-it was an accident. I-I didn't mean to...I-I wasn't trying-"

Lillian shrugged. "Don't care. You're a disgrace as a witch. You're just lucky the cameras don't work so I can just tell my manager that you broke the glass with your hands. With your record of violence, I'm sure the police won't have a problem believing that."

A shudder went through Izzy's body as she imagined being lead to a police car in handcuffs again. Spending another year behind bars away from Oliver because of her stupid mistake.

She couldn't do it. Not again. If she had to leave Oliver again, this time it would be on her own terms. She'd run away and start a new life somewhere else. Teenagers did it all the time, it couldn't be that hard.

She grabbed Elijah's card from where it fell inside the broken case, deciding that she would at least return it before she disappeared forever so Elijah wouldn't think she'd stolen it. As she pulled her hand back from the case, she spotted the Kolinski brushes. She knew Lillian would tell the police she stole something anyways so, without a second thought, she took the brushes and bolted out the door before Lillian could stop her.

-M-

Elijah carried Oliver on one hip and the stack of shortribs on the other as he left the butcher's shop, pressing a button on his keyfob to start his car and get the AC to blasting before they made it to it. He was a bit surprised that Izzy wasn't outside waiting for him but he thought that maybe she'd gotten distracted by something inside the store and it wouldn't do to rush her, she'd come out when she was ready. In the meantime, he and Oliver would wait outside for her. He'd brought his new favorite toy, the cooler he'd bought for the camping trip that could keep food cool for days, to store the meat in so he didn't have to rush her.

As he opened the back door to let Oliver into his booster seat, he noticed something brown leaking from underneath. Lifting the seat up, his face scrunched in disgust at the sight of the melted chocolate bar.

Oliver's eyes turned to saucers at the sight. He didn't think the car would get hot enough to melt the candy.

Turning his angry gaze down at the boy, Elijah demanded, "Where did you get this?"

Oliver couldn't look him in the eyes as a thousand fearful thoughts flooded his mind. He couldn't tell Elijah that Izzy took the chocolate because then he'd call the police and they'd take her away again.

"Um...I tooked it," the boy answered solemnly.

"You took it?" Elijah repeated in obvious disbelief. Oliver was by his side the entire time they were at the last store and they never went anywhere near the candy wall for the boy to be able to slip anything into his pocket.

Still, Oliver nodded.

Elijah sighed. He knew Izzy had to be the one to steal the candy and Oliver was afraid of getting the girl in trouble. The boy's trust issues would be something they would have to work on later. For now, he had to deal with Izzy's stealing problem. Not that his moral code condemned something as benign as stealing candy, but he believed the Mikaelsons should be held to higher standards. It wouldn't do for the world to think them thieves.

Turning back to the art shop, he decided that they would go inside to find the girl after all. Then he noticed two police officers exit the store along with a teenage girl and a balding middle-aged man. Curious, he decided to use his vamp hearing to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"And you said this girl's name is 'Isabel Jareaux'?" one of the cops asked.

The teenager nodded. "And don't let the cute face fool you, she's a violent psychopath."

-M-

Marcel woke at the sound of his phone vibrating on top of his nightstand. He didn't remember putting his phone on the nightstand but as he saw his discarded clothes folded neatly on top of his dresser, he knew Klaus must've put it there.

"Hello," he answered groggily as he sat up against the headboard.

"Hello, love," came Rebekah's voice, low and serious. "Sorry to wake you. I tried to come to see you before I left but 'Poppa Klaus' intercepted and told me to leave you sleeping. Glad to see you got your phone back from Elijah."

Marcel wiped the sleep from his eyes and muttered, "What's going on? Where'd you go?"

"On a manhunt for Izzy," Rebekah sighed. "She got into a bit of trouble at a shop and ran off somewhere. Elijah's taken care of the authorities but now we have to go find her before she disappears. I left Oliver with Davina. He doesn't know about Izzy yet but he made a bit of a mess in Elijah's car and feels bad about it. If you can manage to get out from under Klaus's watch, he could probably use some cuddle time."

"Of course," Marcel quickly climbed out of bed. "You go find Izzy, I'll find Oliver."

As they hung up, Marcel wondered how he would manage to get past Klaus to find Oliver and Davina. If they were in one of their bedrooms, it would be as simple as walking a few short feet away. But if they were somewhere else, he'd have to scour the Compound to find them and risk running into Klaus along the way.

He thought about just calling Davina and finding out where she was but if Klaus was in hearing distance, he would know that he was awake and attempting to leave his room without permission.

"This is ridiculous," he bit. "I am an adult with a child of my own to take care of. I can't still be afraid of disobeying Klaus." He got dressed, muttering to himself that he would just go find Oliver and comfort him as any good father should and to hell with Kalus if he didn't like it.

As he opened the door to leave, however, he was paused at the sight of Klaus standing in front of him, hand perched as if he was about to open the door himself.

Klaus frowned at seeing Marcel fully dressed. His eyes drifted over to his son's nightstand to see his phone missing.

"Suppose Rebekah called and told you about Izzy?" He asked.

Marcel nodded, feeling a lot less confident than he did moments before.

"And you were just about to come to find me and tell me that you wanted to be with your son in his hour of need?"

"No," Marcel answered honestly, hating Klaus's compulsion even more. "I was going to find Oliver without your permission because he needs me."

Klaus's jaw tensed with irritation but only for a moment. With a sigh, he stepped aside and said, "Go. Find little Oliver and do what you must. But you and I will have a conversation about your blatant disobedience before bed tonight."

"You're going to punish me for wanting to comfort my son."

"I will punish you for daring to disobey me again. I knew that comforting little Oliver would be something you'd want to do and that is why I was just on my way to wake you, so you could go perform your fatherly duties. But you have once again taken it upon yourself to act as you see fit. The rules I set for you are not to be broken because something else has come up, Marcellus. You are to find me and discuss your actions any time they conflict with an order I've given you."

"That's ridiculous, Klaus. I'm not a child."

Klaus suddenly grasped Marcel's jaw between his fingers. "Do not make me regret letting your father these little witches. You are still my son and must still answer to me just as Davina and Oliver will always answer to you. The continued extension of this family's hierarchy does not erase the lines already drawn, Marcellus. You'd do well to remember that or you may find yourself having more sleepless nights than you'd care for."

Yanking his face from Klaus's grasp, Marcel muttered, "Some things are none of your business."

"Perhaps not. But this is. And I think you knew it was, isn't that right?"

Marcel gritted his teeth as he mumbled, "Yes."

"Good." Klaus gave Marcel's upper thigh two soft pats. "Go on. I'll see you at lunch. And please don't let the lack of proper rest make you ornery for the rest of the day, sweetheart, or I may have to push this evening's conversation to earlier in the day."


This chapter was getting kind of long so I cut it a bit sooner than expected.

P.S. love the reviews on the last few chapters, yall are amazing.