Chapter 19 – Finn Steps Up

*warning- mention of spanking

The evening did not go the way Kol thought it would after dropping Sabrina off and returning home, Finn had called all of them to the living room. Finn was livid, he yelled at Niklaus for losing his temper and retaliating, reminding him that they didn't need problems with the Salvatores. He ordered Niklaus to meet him in "Niklaus' playroom" before storming out ordering Elijah and Kol not to leave the room.

Niklaus was so surprised at Finn's reaction he didn't protest. None of them had ever seen their mild manner brother ever take charge like this and they didn't know what to expect. Niklaus made the way to his "play room" wondering what his brother had in mind. His "play room" had a lot of mid evil torture devices he had picked up over the years. It was mostly a museum, but a few pieces he had used to make someone talk. He had also threatened his siblings with the room instead of threatening them with the dagger, but the most he ever intended to do was a severe spanking or whipping.

He entered the room to find Finn staring out the window, he just waited not really wanting to anger his brother more. Finn was unpredictable right now, Niklaus had never seen him so upset or take charge the way he had.

"Shut the door," Finn ordered not moving. He waited until he heard the door shut before turning around to look at Niklaus, a hardened glint in his eye. "You need to control your temper, I appreciate you jumping to our sister's defense but you seriously damaged our chances of adopting Elena legally with no problems. She doesn't need us fighting with the people who have been protecting her since before we met her."

Niklaus sighed, "I know. I'm sorry."

Finn nodded, "Not as sorry as you are going to be." He motioned to a bench that stood in the middle of the room. "I can't let this go without punishment. We finally have a chance to be happy together as a family and you out it in jeopardy. Bend over the bench please."

Niklaus frowned, staring at his brother, studying him, trying to figure what he was about to do. Finn started to tap his foot, indicating he was impatient, as he took off his belt. Niklaus sighed and obeyed, deciding it wasn't worth fighting, besides he was right. The Salvatores were going to fight them when it came to Elena now.

Downstairs Kol sat on the couch, while Elijah stared out the window. Both wondering what Finn was going to do to Niklaus to them. They didn't speak to each other, just sat quietly, their thoughts running rampant. Not long after Niklaus entered the room telling them Finn wanted to see Elijah in the "play room." Both brothers could see a hint of tears on Niklaus face and they noticed he didn't take a seat upon entering but remained standing.

"Elijah, I suggest you don't keep Finn waiting. He's not someone to cross right now." Niklaus stated quietly.

Elijah nodded and left the room. He quickly made his way to the "play room" where he found Finn staring out the window. He quietly shit the door and waited.

Finn didn't keep him waiting for long. "I'm disappointed in you," Finn said not turning around. "You are usually the level headed one and today Kol was more level headed than you were."

Elijah winced, it was true. He hadn't lashed out like Niklaus but he had lost control of the situation and ended up arguing with people they needed to ally. "I know. I'm sorry."

Finn turned around then and pointed to the bench. Elijah looked at it and saw Finn's belt resting on it. He blanched, he had never received a spanking from Finn so he had no idea what to expect. In the old days, Finn didn't interact with his siblings much and Elijah was the one that handed out the discipline before their father could when possible. Everyone agreed it was better to face Elijah than their father.

Downstairs the silence was stretching thin, Kol was getting antsy not knowing what to expect from Finn. He got up from the couch and went to stare out the window, he had an inclination that Sage had told Finn that he had tossed Elena in the lake that morning. He knew Finn would want more details and then determine he had acted childishly and put Elena at risk, which he had done.

Elijah entered the room with Finn following behind, the barest hint of tears remained on Elijah's face. Elijah opted to sit in a cushioned chair, to get it over with quickly, a sharp intake of breath punctuating his decision. He shifted slightly as Finn turned to Kol.

"Want to fill us in on this morning?" He asked Kol coldly.

Kol turned from the window shifting slightly. He took a deep breath, "Elena was bothering me through our link, purposefully annoying me, taunting me. So I went to her room only to find she had gone outside. I followed her, and almost caught her but she took off to the falls. I caught up with her there and threw her in the water."

"And what happened then?" Finn asked.

"She tackled me. We rolled on the ground for a bit her trying to get the upper hand and me trying to do so as well without hurting her. She ended up with the upper hand and threatened to stake me with a branch, I managed to take it from her by distracting her. We got up and that's when we were attacked. I pushed her towards the house and told her to run while I tried to stop the attacker."

"Did you see who the attacker was?" Niklaus asked.

Kol replied in the negative, "they were there and then they were gone. They just left, not going after Elena or me again. They would have had the perfect opportunity to strike again, when Elena fell because I fell to the ground in pain when she blacked out but no one attacked then."

"So they wanted to separate you from Elena." Elijah mused, wincing slightly as he shifted in his chair. "Shouldn't have sat down big brother." Niklaus told him telepathically.

"Shut up Nik, you're going to have to sit eventually." Elijah replied back silently.

Kol nodded, "That's what I'm guessing, but I'm not sure why."

"To have her run the way she did." Niklaus said. "The ground at the site of the cave in was wet, but I don't think nature had anything to do with it."

"What do you mean?" Finn asked.

"He thinks our mother had something to do with it," Elijah said. "And I agree with him."

Finn nodded, "I suspect you are right. Kol I wish to talk to you now."

"Go easy on him," Niklaus said to Finn silently, allowing Elijah to overhear his statement. "He might have acted a bit immature this morning, but he acted maturely when it mattered."

"I agree, Elijah chimed in. "There was no harm done this morning and he was careful with Elena.

Finn nodded discreetly at Elijah and Niklaus to show he heard and understood their viewpoint and would take it into consideration. Kol didn't notice the exchange, he only nodded and followed his brother out of the room. Finn led him to the room he shared with Sage instead of to the "play room" as he had expected.

Kol glanced around the room, none of them had ever seen Finn and Sage's room before; they had never let anyone in their room. The room was surprisingly comfortable, a king size bed on one side of the room. A couch and a table on the other side near the window.

"Take a seat on the couch," Finn ordered walking over to stare out the window.

Kol obeyed, taking a seat on the couch watching Finn carefully. He wasn't sure what to expect, from Niklaus or Elijah yes, but Finn no. They had never been close, Kol was closer to Niklaus and Henric.

"We've done you a disservice," Finn started speaking pacing the room. "We've expected you to act like an adult, but have never given you a chance to grow up."

Kol frowned, "Elena said that this morning. I guess I never thought about it before."

Finn looked over at him with a smile, "Our sister is very wise. She sees things in a different way." He walked over and sat by Kol on the couch. "I wanted to tell you I'm proud of you. You handled yourself well today."

Kol blinked in surprise, this was not going the way he expected. Usually by now Elijah would be lecturing him about throwing Elena in the water or Niklaus would be threatening to dagger him because he dared to step in and take over. "What? You aren't mad that I dared give orders or that I was immature around Elena and threw her in the water?"

Finn smiled sadly at him, "No I'm not mad. Would I have acted that way with Elena? No, but she needs that and you are perfect for that role. You handled it well, being playful but not rough and when necessary you stepped up. We've underestimated you and I'm sorry for that."

Kol stared at Finn uncomprehendingly. "Who are you and what have you done with Finn?"

Finn laughed, "Well, you inspired me to step up and lead for once. I've sat back and let Niklaus and Elijah run things, judging them but never bothering to step in. I was wrong, and I'm sorry for that."

"I'm sorry too, I've gotten caught up in my own feelings forgetting that what happened was to all of us not just me."

Finn smirked, "By the way, I think Sabrina is very good for you. You better marry her."

Kol smirked back, "I'm planning on it, she's already bonded with me, and so she's definitely here to stay."

"You're bonded?" Finn asked surprised.

Kol nodded, "All I've wanted for years was to settle down with someone special, like you did with Sage. Sabrina's ancestor promised to me that one of her descendants would give me that, I just never expected it to take so long."

"But why decided to bond with each other?"

"Because of the closeness it brings between us, because it gives me back a little of what I lost. For a lot of reasons really, because I care for her a lot."

Finn grinned and ruffled his hair, "My little brother all grown up."

Kol frowned, "Not the hair!"

Finn laughed and then sombered, "Now what's this about you teaching magic to Henric?"

Kol got up and walked to the window looking out, "I showed him easy spells, hoping that he would tap into his magic. I didn't want to be alone, you and Nik were always mother's priority. Bekah and Elijah were our father's, not that I wanted to be on his radar. Everyone loved Henric, but I was left out a lot of the time."

Finn frowned, "I never thought about it that way before.

Kol shrugged, "With that many kids, someone was bound to get lost in the cracks. I had my magic, but no one but Ayanna to share it with. So I showed Henric, I never knew he had performed magic though."

Finn nodded, "Well, I think it's time we joined our brothers for some bonding time."

Kol laughed, "What do you have planned?"

Finn smirked. "I think you should introduce us to these video games you like to play," He said on his way out of the room.

Kol stared after his eldest brother in disbelief before shaking his head and catching up with Finn. They entered the living room finding Elijah reading a book in the chair he had chosen earlier and Niklaus standing up working on a sketch.

"Come on brothers," Finn broke the silence that still covered the room. "Kol here is going to introduce us to video games," he smacked Kol hard on the butt unexpectedly.

"Ouch," Kol muttered jumping at the impact.

Finn laughed and Elijah and Niklaus let small smiles cross their faces. They all accompanied Kol to his room where he shared the finer points of the video games he enjoyed playing. Finn, Elijah, and Niklaus were surprised at how much though went into playing and how much they enjoyed it. They played late into the night, bonding all together for the first time in their lives.