I walked into the foyer holding Nikolas when Finn was thrown inside the house with both Nik and Bekah walking in after.
"An eventful trip I see." I said walking up to them.
"It was." Bekah told me before turning to Nik. "Gather your witch. Let's get his blood and get on with it."
"You can't force me to help you." Finn told his us.
"Oh, I most likely could, but Nicole offered me thinks that persuation will work better." Nik said, pointing his hand towards the staircase. We all looked up to see Sage walking down the stairs.
"Hello Finn." Sage said, smiling.
"Sage." Finn said in shock at seeing her. He quickly got up and they rushed to each other, holding each other tightly.
"What do you know, true love prevails." Bekah said as we watched them.
"It normally does." I told her.
"It also occasionally has its uses." Nik said sending a text on his phone. "Easier than torturing him. Thank you for the idea, love."
"Love is a weakness for us all: family, friends, lovers. It's the only weakness we all share." I told them, holding Nikolas closer to me.
"I have something to do. What do you need from me for this spell?" Bekah asked Nik.
"Just your blood and your blessing." he told her. She nodded and began walking away. "Where are you going?"
"I have some unfinished business with Damon Salvatore. Ask Sage what he did to me. Then you'll understand why retribution is in order." she called to us as she left and we watched Finn and Sage for a moment longer.
"Give me your blood, brother, and I will leave the two of you in peace." Nik told Finn. Finn turned to us and stared for a moment before nodding his head. Nik and Finn walked off, leaving me alone with Sage and Nikolas.
"Thank you." she said to me.
"I know the pain of being separated from a loved one for a long time. Maybe not as long, but the feeling is the same." I told her.
"How can you love him?" she asked me after a moment.
"You'll have to be more specific, I'm afraid. I have two men in my life." I told her, but I knew who she meant.
"Klaus, how can you love him with all that he's done?" she asked,
"The heart chooses who it deems worthy. I think I read that on a fortune cookie once." I laughed.
"I heard something about you once." she told me. "Is it true?"
"Depends on what you heard." I told her.
"I heard you went looking for Klaus, knowing he could kill you the very next month to break his curse." she said.
"So you heard I went looking for death and survived?" I asked her and she just stared at me. "Yes, I went looking for Nik and things took a different direction."
"Why did you look for him?" she asked.
"I have a twin and I wanted her safe. Love is a weakness we all have and the only way to rid ourselves of it to allow those we love to die or to turn off our humanity. Since I'm human that leaves me one option, one I don't like." I told her and she nodded in understanding. She spent the last 900 years hoping for Nik to undagger Finn, never loving anyone else, never straying from him.
"Nikky." I turned to see Nik and Finn behind me. Finn walked to Sage and they held each other with small smiles. "Let's leave them be." I walked to him and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, escorting me out.
"Do you have a witch to perform the spell?" I asked him.
"Of course I do. Have you ever known me to be unprepared?" he asked me.
"Only once." I told him looking down at Nikolas with a small smile.
"Yes, he was a bit of a surprise." he told me and I leaned my head on his shoulder.
"A happy one." I said to no one. "Who's your witch?" I asked him suddenly.
"Bonnie." he told me and I gave him a confused look.
"Bonnie? She said she'd help you willingly?" I asked him.
"No."
Later that day, while Nikolas slept, I worked around the house towards the sound of something strange.
"I found them in the shed. What kind of monster would trap a poor, defenseless animal?" I heard Bekah ask.
"You've got to admit, even for me, it's a little kinky." I heard someone say. Damon?
"You pretended to be interested in me and then you slept with me so your trampy friend, Sage, could steal my thoughts. Ever since then I felt this incessant need to one up you. So I've decided to bleed the vervain from your system." I froze in my steps at her words. I could see Damon in his traditional black being held with his arms up being held by bear traps with Bekah in front of him holding a knife. she ripped open his shirt and cut Damon's chest, who groaned in pain.
"You want to compel me to be your boyfriend?" Damon asked her.
"Actually, I'd rather compel you to kill your brother. Or Elena. But, since vampires heal, bleeding you may take a while. We should probably stick to the major arteries." Bekah said cutting Damon's throat, making him bleed profusely. I walked to her and joined her standing in front of Damon.
"You look like you're having fun." I told her and she turned to me and smiled.
"I am." she said and I smiled at her before looking at Damon. "Would you care to join me?"
"No, this is your revenge. Not mine." I told her.
"When will you get yours?" she asked me, her eyes burning with sadness.
"Soon." I said. I turned when I heard someone walking up behind us and smiled at Nik.
"Well, look what you've caught. Trying to bleed him of vervain, don't you think it would be easier to hang him upside down?" Nik asked Bekah as he wrapped his arms around me.
"I'm perfectly capable of inflicting pain, thank you very much." Bekah told him stubbornly.
"Well, excuse me, it's not like I have any expertise in the matter." Nik said sarcastically and I smiled.
"You know, why don't you just leave me be and go and manage your witch?" Bekah asked him, wanting him to go away, before turning back to Damon. "Hmm, where were we?"
"Why are you helping them?" Damon asked me and I smiled.
"Ric killed Jenna. You're protecting Ric. Do you see why I'm not on your side right now?" I asked him.
"Klaus killed Elena." Damon reminded me.
"Elena came back to life, as we all knew she would." I reminded him. Nik took my hand and pulled me with him to another room.
"Tick tock. I should hear chanting by now." Nik said to Bonnie as she read a grimoire.
"I'm still studying the unlinking spell. It's not that easy, especially under duress." Bonnie said looking at us. She gave me a confused look and I could see hope in her eyes.
"You've been warned. If you're looking for a way to send for help, I will kill anyone who comes to your rescue." Nik told her.
"This is the spell. I just don't know if I'm strong enough." she told us, getting up and walking away from us.
"Then you should have a little more faith in yourself, Bonnie." Nik said moving towards her, releasing my hand. "Your energy helped my mother link us. Honestly, I think someone isn't trying very hard. Very well." he pulled out his phone and called someone. "Kol. How's the weather up there in Mile High City?" I froze. How could he? He gave me his word. "And how's our friend? May I see him?" Nik walked to Bonnie and held up his phone. I could see Jeremy playing with a dog. "There's Jeremy, playing fetch with his new puppy. Oh, isn't that just the most adorable thing you've ever seen?" He pulled the phone away. "Thank you Kol, we'll be in touch." He hung up. "So, Bonnie, how bout that spell?"
"I'll look it over some more. I'll find a way to do it." she told him, shaking.
"Thank you Bonnie." I said to her before leaving. A moment later I heard footsteps behind me and stopped only to see Nik walking up to me.
"Nicole, what it is?" he asked me.
"You gave me your word." I said to him, trying not to yell. "You said you'd keep Jeremy out of this."
"I swore I wouldn't use your brother against Stefan. I said nothing about using him against Bonnie." he told me and I clenched my fists.
"He has nothing to do with this anymore. Just leave him out of it." I told Nik.
"So long as the people who love him are here he will always be involved." Nik told me and I shook my head at him.
"So if I ever did something to anger you, you would threaten my brother to fix the situation?" I asked him.
"No." he told me. "I would never do that to you."
"Why not?" I asked him. He just gave me a look of pain before walking past me. I stood in place for a moment before closing my eyes and calming myself down. How would he think using my brother against someone would affect me? Did he think I would just roll over and let him do what he wanted with my family? I went back to our room and saw Nik looking down at Nikolas. "I'm sorry. I just don't like my brother being used as a weapon."
"I know you don't." he told me.
"Then why do it? Why use him?" I asked him.
"I needed an effective weapon against Bonnie. I don't know where her mother is, but I do know where Jeremy Gilbert is. She loves him and I can use that like I used Sage against Finn." he told me.
"You know this might just make them retaliate more. Sending Kol to Jer is the one thing that might have them dagger one of your siblings again." I told him.
"You needn't worry. I'll be safe." he told me and I rolled my eyes.
"You will yes, but what about Bekah and Elijah?" I asked him and I could see the cogs in his mind working.
"Rebekah will be fine." he told me.
"And Elijah?" I asked him. "He may be physically safe wherever he is but he also could be in trouble after one of you are daggered."
"Very well. This is the last time I use Jeremy against anyone. I swear." he told me and I glared at him before nodding.
"It better be." I told him before walking back to the Bekah. Wen I got to her she was walking around Damon with a smile on her face. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making him think Elena is coming to save him." she told me and I laughed a little.
"If that's not torture I don't know what is." I told her. "Making him think the woman he loves is coming to save him only for him to awaken still in chains."
"That's the idea." she told me with a smile. "How are you holding up?"
"Elena text me earlier and told me when they plan on having a small funeral for Jenna. I'm not allowed to have either you or Nik with me though." I told her.
"They're making you go alone with no backup?" she asked and I nodded. "This is why I hate your friends."
"Trust me, I know the feeling." I told her.
"Uh, you bitch." Damon said and I turned to him to see him weakly glaring at us.
"It's not fun when someone messes with your thoughts, is it?" Bekah asked him.
"Actually, I was having a pretty good time in there." Damon told her.
"Mmm, well I hope you were nicer to Elena than you were to me." Bekah told him.
"Oh, come on, I couldn't have hurt you that bad. You didn't really think I had a thing for you, did you?" Damon asked him and I glared at him as Bekah looked hurt. "I get it. If Klaus bossed me around for a thousand years, I'd probably be pretty desperate for attention too."
"Bekah, may I?" I asked her holding my hand out for the knife. She smirked and gave it to me. I walked to Damon and saw him looking at me confused and hopeful. I stabbed Damon in the stomach and he screamed as his blood poured over my hand. "Thank you." I said giving her the knife back and walking to Bonnie, where I knew Nik would be.
"What was that?" I heard her ask.
"Don't let it bother you, Bonnie. Bekah and I were just doing some pest control." I told her as I walked into the room. She looked up at me then looked down at my dripping hand in shock and fear.
"Well, it does bother me. You bother me. The way you two use people to get what you want, it's not right." she told us.
"You're being emotional, Bonnie. Get over it." I told her.
"I understand that things have been rough for you. You know, with your mother leaving. Again. It's very sad. I can help you find her, if you want. I have people who can find people who can bring her back to you. Or, if you choose I can just bring parts of her back." Nik told her and she pushed him away from her. "Isn't it obvious that I'm just gonna continue to hurt the people you love until you do the spell? Now, I know it's in the grimoire and I know it requires the blood of my siblings, so here we are." I grabbed the case with the Originals blood in it and opened it so she could see.
"Elijah. Rebekah. Kol. Finn." I said pointing them out to her. Nik's face changed and he bit into his hand and held it out in a clenched fist before looking at Bonnie.
"Where do you want us?" he asked her. Bonnie looked away and grabbed a glass, holding it under his hand so his blood could drip into it. Bonnie started the spell to unlink the sibling, pouring each vial of blood into the cup with Nik's blood. Nik gave me a napkin to wash Damon's blood off my hand as we watched. We watched as she poured the blood onto the table in front of her. All the blood settled into one large spot, not moving. The blood started to disperse into five different circles as Bonnie continued the spell. the flames in the fireplace flared up and Bonnie chanted. The large pool of blood finally became five smaller pools and started moving away from each other. When Bonnie finished the spell the fire went down and I smiled. They were safe. Nik and I walked with Bonnie, escorting her out of the house when Bekah came out of a room, wiping blood off her hands.
"Aw, leaving so soon?" Bekah asked in mock hurt.
"Sister. Be nice." Nik told her and Bekah smirked at Bonnie.
"Thank you, Bonnie. See you in Physics class." she told her before walking to me and linking arms. Bonnie could see inside the room that held Damon and looked shocked.
"Now you know who you heard screaming." I told her with a smile. Bonnie turned to me in shock and horror at my words, realizing who's blood had been on my hands when I'd entered the room earlier.
"Oh my God." she said.
"Yeah, you'll have to excuse the mess. Apparently Damon hurt Rebekah's feelings and Nicole hates him for protecting Alaric. Go on, help him. Save the man who turned your mother into a vampire." Nik told her.
"Just get me out of here." Bonnie told him.
"Very well." Nik said walking with Bonnie again.
"That went well." I said and Bekah and I laughed. Bekah and I walked into the family room and waited for Nik. "You know, she will tell Elena who will tell Stefan who will come for his brother." I told them.
"We'll be waiting." he told me sliding on the other side of me. I sat in the middle seat sandwiched between two Originals. sure enough Stefan called soon and demanded a trade, but with what he wouldn't say. We all waited with Damon as Stefan made his way to us.
"This was much different in my head." Damon told his brother.
"Let's do this." Stefan told Nik.
"Oh good, a hero. What do you want?" Nik asked him. Stefan dropped a duffel bag at Nik's feet.
"I'm here to make a deal." Stefan told us.
"Stefan, what are you doing?" Damon asked him.
"Shut up, Damon." I told him.
"Eight stakes made of white oak. The part of Wickery Bridge that you forgot to burn." Stefan said and we looked at Bekah.
"That's impossible." she told us.
"Actually it's not. Finn is dead." Stefan told us.
"You killed my brother?" Bekah asked him in shock.
"Damon in exchanged for the last eight weapons that can kill you." Stefan offered.
"And how do I know there aren't any more left?" Nik asked him.
"Because there aren't." Stefan said.
"Let's be certain, shall we?" Nik asked walking over to Damon. "Leave."
"No." Damon said.
"Go on. Leave." Nik told him.
"Nik, he's our play thing not yours." Bekah whined. Nik grabbed Damon by the throat and compelled him.
"I said, go home." Nik said. Damon started to pull his wrists out from the snares, peeling the flesh off of them in the process, screaming in pain. "Alright, stop, stop, stop, before you hurt yourself. Well, seeing that he can finally be compelled. Now." Nik grabbed Damon's throat and compelled him again. "Minus the stake that's in my brother, how many more stakes are out there that can kill me?"
"Eleven." Damon answered and we all looked to Stefan.
"Eleven! Really? So, not eight then." Nik said.
"You really shouldn't have lied." Bekah told Stefan.
"I'll get you the other three." Stefan said.
"Yeah, that'll be nice. Or since you lied, maybe I'll just compel your brother to chew out his own tongue." Nik told him.
"What is wrong with you?" Stefan asked Nik.
"What is wrong with you?! Do you really have no appreciation for me? I have given you someone to hate, to loathe, a target for all of your anger; so you don't have to turn it on yourself. I have given your life purpose, as your friend. I really think you should be thanking me." Nik said laughing. Stefan rushed at Nik with a white oak stake in hand but Nik grabbed his wrist. "Step down, or you both die." Stefan did. "There. Now you only have to get me the other two."
"This is ridiculous. Nicole." Bekah said and we both walked over to Damon and released him from the traps.
"What are you doing?" Nik asked walking to us.
"I brought him here. I get to release him. My rules now. Bring us the stakes and you both live. Take your brother as a sign of good faith." Bekah said as I grabbed the duffle bag and she left.
"Bring us the stakes. All of them. Or I will wage a war against everyone you love. I hope I'm being clear." Nik told him and we both left. We all met in the parlor and burned the stakes in the fire.
"I can't believe Finn is dead." Bekah said and I held her hand.
"Good riddance. He was an embarrassment, Rebekah." Nik told her.
"He was still your brother. Mind your tongue." she told him.
"Fine. Let's all say a prayer for Finn, who slept in a box longer than he lived as a man. He was a lovesick fool. He's better off in death." Nik said and Bekah walked over to him.
"Is that how you would speak of me if I died?" she asked him.
"Well, you let the Salvatores loose with two stakes that can kill us, so I guess we'll find out soon enough. And since when did you have a soft spot for them?" he asked her.
"Nik!" I said, shocked at his tone.
"The Salvatores may fight like dogs, but in the end they would die for each other. At least they know what family means. You destroyed ours." she told him.
"Bekah!" I said.
"I wanted a family. They just didn't want me, and now we're unlinked we're no longer responsible for each other." Nik told her.
"So are you leaving?" she asked him.
"As soon as I get my stakes, I'm gone. I'm gonna take my family and grab Elena and use her blood to create a new family. Of hybrids." he told her.
"And if I choose to stay?" Bekah asked him.
"Then you're just as pathetic as Finn." Nik told her before leaving.
