Chapter 31 – White Oak Stakes

Kol returned to his room, relived to see that Sabrina and Elena were still asleep. Some blood spatter covered his clothes and he rather neither one see him like that. Nodding to his sisters he grabbed some clean clothes and entered the adjoining bathroom. After a quick shower, he got dressed and tossed out the clothes that had blood on them.

"Where are the others?" Sage asked softly.

"Still in the dungeons," Kol replied. "We still don't know if they have more white oak stakes or not."

Rebekah stared at her brother incredulously, "You left in the middle of a torture session!?"

Kol shrugged, "I got bored."

"You bored with torturing someone?" Sage laughed.

Kol rolled his eyes, "Out ladies."

Sage and Rebekah giggled as they left, their brother had it bad! Who would have ever thought that a mate and a new sister could have tamed their brother so much? Little did they know that Kol really hadn't changed that much, he just had priorities; something he hadn't had in the past.

Kol settled on the bed beside his beautiful mate, and soon joined her in slumber. Meanwhile Rebekah and Sage had gone to clean up the mess Elena had made. Well, they piled it up in a big pile, intending to have Elena throw everything out herself since she had made the mess. Then they joined the others in the dungeon.

"What a lovely sight, Damon Salvatore at my mercy." Rebekah said as she approached them just as Damon was regaining consciousness.

"You've got to admit, even for me, it's a little kinky," Damon commented to her.

Rebekah wanted to growl, Damon was referring to the night of her mother's ball, the night that

Finn almost betrayed the family. It was also the night she slept with Damon, which he was referring to now. She controlled herself and didn't reply to his bait.

She merely smirked at him and pulled out her phone and called Stefan, "Hello love, we have your brother tied up in our dungeons and would gladly trade him for the rest of the White Oak stakes you have."

She heard Stefan curse under his breath. "I'm on the way," he told her before hanging up.

"Now the fun begins," she told her brothers with a knowing smirk. "Nik see if he can be compelled."

"Leave." Niklaus told Damon.

Damon regarded Niklaus carefully not sure what exactly he was up to, "No."

"Go on. Leave." When Damon didn't listen, Niklaus grabbed Damon by the throats and compelled him. "I said, go home."

Damon started to pull his wrists from the bear traps, crying out in pain as the traps pulled at his wrists where they bit in deep.

"Alright, stop, stop, stop, before you hurt yourself. Well, seeing that he can finally be compelled. Now." Niklaus grabbed Damon by the throat and compelled him again, "Minus the stake that you stabbed in my brother with, how many more stakes are out there that can kill me?"

"Eleven."

At just that moment a commotion was heard as Stefan barged his way into the dungeons. "Klaus, I'm here! Let's do this."

Niklaus flashed over to Stefan. "Oh good, a hero. What do you want?" Niklaus greeted him.

"I'm here to make a deal," Stefan replied.

Niklaus nodded and beckoned Stefan to follow him over to the cell that held Damon.

"Stefan, what are you doing?" Damon asked weakly as his brother walked into his view carrying the duffle bag.

Stefan threw the duffle bag at Niklaus' feet. "Eight stakes made of white oak. The part of Wickery Bridge that you forgot to burn."

Finn raised an eyebrow, "Really? Are you sure it's not eleven?"

Stefan stiffened unintentionally, not expecting to be caught out in a lie.

"You really shouldn't have lied." Rebekah walked over to Stefan and ran the tips of the fingers of her right hand along his shoulder, circling him.

"I'll get you the other three," Stefan bit out tightly.

"Yeah, that'll be nice." Niklaus said lazily. "Or since you lied, maybe I'll just compel your brother to chew out his own tongue." Finn and Elijah flinched at Niklaus' words, know Stefan would not react well.

"What is wrong with you?" Stefan asked incredulously.

"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." Niklaus laughed.

Stefan rushed at Niklaus and pinned him against a wall with a white oak stake in hand. Niklaus grabbed his wrist. Finn and Elijah tensed but remained still, trusting that Niklaus would have the upper hand. Sage and Rebekah stepped a little behind Finn and Elijah in case they needed to act fast.

"Step down, or you both die." Niklaus told him coldly. Stefan loosened his grip and Niklaus took the stake. "There. Now you only have to get me the other two."

"This is ridiculous." Sage said.

She walked over to Damon and releases him from the bear traps. Damon fell to his knees, feeling too weak to stand to his feet.

"What are you doing?" Niklaus asked her.

"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." Sage picked up the duffel bag, and started out of the dungeons. "Damon can tell you that I'm not to be crossed." She continued out of the dungeons with Rebekah following her.

"Bring us the stakes. All of them. Or you won't like the consequences," Finn spoke up and he followed after his wife leaving Elijah, Niklaus, Damon, and Stefan in their wake.

Stefan moved to help his brother leave, Elijah and Niklaus stood back and let them leave. Elijah sighed as he and Niklaus returned upstairs where they found Rebekah and Sage demanding that Elena, who had woken up and slipped downstairs (leaving Kol and Sabrina still asleep), finish cleaning up. It wasn't that he disagreed with them, she did make the mess, but it had been a long day and he didn't want to deal with it. Then he remembered that Finn was in charge and he didn't have to deal with it anymore.

"I'm going to the Grill. I'll bring dinner home." He spoke up with a smirk directed at Finn.

Niklaus laughed seeing what Elijah was doing, "I'm going with him. Finn we trust you can handle this?"

Finn glared at his brothers, "Of course." He said dryly, "Elena, the girls piled everything up, all you have to do is grab a trash bag and throw it away." Then he turned to his wife and little sister, "Next time don't demand, just state you case calmly and rationally."

"Bekah? Calm and rational? What universe are you living in big brother?" Elena teased as she left the room.

Rebekah squealed in indignity and tried to go after her. Finn sighed and grabbed her before she could.

"Brothers, you had better watch you back," he projected silently, not realizing that he was projecting to all of his brothers.

"What did I do?" Kol whined back, having just woken up when he heard Finn's message.

"Sorry Kol, not you." Finn replied as Niklaus' and Elijah's laughter rang out through their bond. "I was talking to Nik and 'Lijah."

"Oh, what did they do?"

"They left me with our sisters and my wife."

"Ok?" Kol asked more than a little confuse, none of his brothers bothered to explain to him to he was left wondering just what had occurred.

"You're the one that wanted to be in charge," Niklaus told Finn. "We're just letting you do so."

"Uh huh, sure," was the only reply they received.