"Mercy was fooling them to believe they were in control. Letting them think that they had a choice that they ever stood a chance. That was the mercy shown, the kindness spared. Because the truth was they had already lost and they didn't even know it.

So do not be fooled, mercy was just another pretty little lie."

~V~

xXx

"She's not going to care." Elena tells the man, the small amount of fear she'd had previously gone. Now she was just sort of resigned as her self preservation started to kick in. The man turned his head to look back at her, his brow raised. He smirked at her.

She could see where Klaus got his frightful nature from.

"What makes you think I care about that little girl? She doesn't matter." Elena shook her head, it was obvious something about Marcella had unsettled the man. Why would he go so far to upset her? Not that Elena really cared about Marcella's feelings at this point she never seemed to care about Elena's. The fact was just curious.

"For someone who doesn't mattered you went to a lot of trouble to hurt her." Elena mutters disbelief on her tongue. She didn't understand and she wanted too. Why did these things keep happening to her. She wasn't a bad person she didn't deserve these things.

The man suddenly chuckled. He folded his arms over his chest before leveling her with a stern look. "Little children need to be taught to respect their elders."

Elena looked at him for a long time after that. She might not have been Marcella's biggest fan, hell at this point she probably hated the blonde who had made her life miserable but to compare Marcella to a child was a grave mistake. The Gilbert girl saw that now, saw the mistake she'd made.

Marcella wasn't a child. She'd likely never been one.

The brunette huffed at him, she rolled her eyes in a display of bravery. Mikael didn't seem like he appreciated the gesture his lips pursed into a thin line and his eyes hardened further. He didn't say anything else.

Elena needed to figure out how to escape, or she needed to pray that somewhere in Marcella's icy heart she'd have mercy on her. Because at the end of it all Mikael didn't scare her as much as the thought of Marcella discovering that she'd been the one to free him. The one who'd set this all into motion.

Was it worth it. Elena wasn't so sure now.

…

Kol's fingers twitched at his side, he wanted to kill someone. He hadn't yet since being returned to the waking side of it. His blood lust was still getting the better of him. He missed the sensation of fresh blood coursing through his veins. All this debating was only adding fuel to that desire, Kol hated sitting still.

"We can't just right out attack Mikael, he's too powerful." Rebekah objected to the current plan. The one Marcella had apparently been cultivating in her mind since before Mikael came to town as if she'd known how this was all going to play out long before anyone else. He watches as she raises a brow at Rebekah.

He could feel her sass. Just from the look in her eye the slight cock of her hips. She was so done with this.

"He's one man, there are eight of us here, ten if you include Roman and Damon. Ten against one seems like good odds to me. Besides we have another advantage." Klaus narrowed his eyes at her before raising a brow. What advantage?

"What are you talking about Marcella?" His brother demanded with a half growl, Kol didn't particularly like his tone. He'd be more than happy to snap his neck again especially considering his current mood. Marcella softly wrapped her hand with his encasing her fingers through his, she didn't look at him or draw away from the intensity of Klaus' gaze it was just something she did.

She wanted him to know it was okay.

"Nature is a funny thing, wouldn't you agree?" Redirection. She seems to pay Klaus' ire no mind when she doesn't straight up answer his question. No one answers her which causes the blonde to pout. Why weren't they taking the bait? This could be a fun game but no one was playing.

Marcella turns her puppy like expression to him, the playful pout on her face causes him to smirk. What games was she playing with them? "Funny is an interesting word to use darling." He tells her and finally the look on her face shifts from playful to serious then to almost wrathful. No one but him is privy to the sight.

What had the witches done to her?

"I suppose vindictive or petty is probably a better descriptive." She muses.

"Yes but what does the nature of nature have to do with this?" It's Finn to finally ask, Marcella beams at him. He was interesting when there wasn't mommy to worry about when there was something worth living for. She gives him the answer.

"An Orginal's only weakness is white oak, it's the only thing besides powerful magic that can permanently kill you lot. That is our advantage." There is nothing confusing about her words but all of his siblings look like they aren't sure. She couldn't be serious. White Oak trees were gone.

"Marcella surely you know that we burned down the last white oak a long time ago." Elijah states, methodically, as if he hated to burst her bubble. Marcella tisk at him sounding almost disappointed. She shakes her head.

"You did. A smart move I'd access, but pointless." Is what she tells him before turning her attention to the current King of New Orleans who had been unusually silent this whole time. Kol has no love for Marcel but he knew his companion found him interesting, and Rebekah unfortunately adored the vampire. She smiled brightly at him which he only raised his brow in response. Marcel wasn't quite used to her eccentrics just yet. He most likely never would be.

"You live in the hottest supernatural hub on this side of the world, from your experience Marcel what can you say about the witches about nature. Could you agree that they are resourceful and that they always right themselves? It's why you have such a tight hold on what they are allowed to do." He crosses his arms.

"How do you know that?" But that's not something she's going to answer so she turns back to Klaus having gotten what she desired from Marcel. Confirmation.

"Nature cannot live without her balance. There cannot be a group of powerful beings without a way to end them and since you killed Ester there hasn't been a witch alive powerful enough to take all of you out, not permanently that is. So nature would need a way to preserve it's balance hence white oak." The front door opens just at the moment, everyone turns to look. Marcella stops as if she'd expected it to happen.

Kol has not yet seen her smile quite like that. The smile on her face is radiant, pure and absolutely filled with love. Marcella lets go of his hand to walk over to the vampire in the doorway. Looking at the new arrival it couldn't be anyone other than her sister.

Marcella embraced Caroline kissing both of her sister's cheeks. "Did you find it alright? Thank you for doing this for me." Caroline rolls her eyes as she handed over the heavy canvas bag.

"Please anything to help, you love them so they're family now. Besides it was a fun distraction. So are you going to introduce me?" Marcella rolls her eyes but makes a gesture for Caroline to follow.

All eyes are on them. Marcella flits back to Kol's side like a butterfly on a flower. The bag still in her hand held low at her side, a few seconds wouldn't hurt them to wait. Caroline gives Marcella a rather amused smile while watching her sister move about. She seemed so content.

"This is going to be quick, mom isn't going to be happy if you miss more than first period." Caroline snorts it was the last few days of school no one cared and she gives Marcella a pointed look. Of course her sister ignores it.

"You've already met Rebekah" Rebekah gives a soft wave a smirk on her face."- the guy with her is Marcel, next to them is Elijah and next to him is Finn and Sage, Nik is the growlly one in the middle and the lastly this is Kol." Marcella manages to get that out all in one breath because they still had stuff to do and this couldn't take to long. Caroline nods she files all that away before leveling her eyes to the dark haired male next to her sister. Taking note of the way Marcella says his name, the slight hitch in her voice the fluttering of her heart.

Obviously she loved him more than any of the others. Not that she didn't love them, that wasn't the case. There was just something about the man next to her sister. By the look in her eyes the way her whole demeanor changed. She needed him.

He needed her.

Marcella watches as her sister calculates something in her head, she can see the wheels turning behind Caroline's eyes. The older Forbes girl vamps over to Kol. There are a few intakes of breaths but Caroline doesn't seem too concerned. Kol meets her intense gaze he knew what this was, he smirks at her. Caroline puts her hands on her hips cocking a sly smile in his direction.

"I'm not going to have to do the whole big sister spill with you, right?" She raises her brow in a daring motion, Marcella shakes her head at them both.

"Of course not darling." Caroline gives a nod and then offers him a genuine smile.

"Wonderful!" She claps her hands together before continuing. "Alright Marcie I'll see you later, be careful." Caroline reaches for her sister places a peck to her cheek before leaving. The blonde baby vampire offers them all one final wave before shutting the door behind her.

Marcella set the bag at her feet and ran a hand through her crown. That went well.

"Marcie." Kol teases as she did not seem like a Marcie not in the slightest, something about that name screamed little child, naivety, innocence and from what he knew of her that wasn't the case. Marcella swats his arm albeit playfully. Now was not the time to be making fun of her various nicknames. He chuckles at her expense.

"Marcella, what is in that bag." Niklaus draws his tone suspicious, he didn't like the looks of it. Marcella gave him the most mischievous yet proud smile. As if she had just won the lottery through nefarious means.

She clap her hands together before bending down to the floor she pulled out ten different white oak stakes. At their appalled and alarmed looks she smiled in what was most likely meant to be reassuring but if anything the words out of her mouth contradicted to notion. "Like I said, nature always has to right itself."

Because there was nothing reassuring about that statement in the slightest.

What else had nature decided to right?

…

Stefan was past the point of panic. Past the point of worry. He was now to a point of blind hysteria. Elena was missing and he hadn't seen any sign of either his brother or the Forbes girl. The boarding house was eerily quiet it wasn't right. Something was happening and he couldn't be sure if that was a good thing or not.

Couldn't be sure that what was happening would prove to help find Elena any quicker. That is would spell out something good for her. All he could see was where all of this could wrong. To make matters worse when he'd gone to Bonnie for help the young Bennett witch denied him.

She couldn't get involved, it was vampire business and she couldn't help him. Stefan didn't know what to think about the line he'd been feed but it just hadn't seemed like something Bonnie would have said. Vampire business. What did that even mean? Elena was her best friend why didn't she want to save her, why wouldn't she want to help.

"Why the long face baby-bro." The abruptness of Damon's voice and his sudden arrival startle Stefan out of his thoughts. There is something about the smugness in Damon's eyes and he nonchalant tone the sets Stefan off.

Didn't he know what was going on? Why wasn't he more concerned? Elena was missing. Stefan flashes to his brother picking up a letter opener from the desk it was a good enough weapon as any. Damon smirks at the frazzled look in the younger's eyes, he'd have to do better.

Stefan was becoming so predictable these days. Brood and then spiral for a few decades. Really it was rather boring at this point.

Damon blocks the attempted attack easily but that was what happened when you weren't up to par. He grabs Stefan's wrist before maneuvering his spiraling brother into a headlock. It was reminiscent of something he would have done when they were still human, innocent children. Those days were long over.

"Tsk, tsk. Gonna have to try a lot harder than that Stef. You're really losing your touch. How about a nice nap?" Then not so gently he shoved a vervain filled syringe in his neck. Couldn't have him getting in the way of the not quite really a rescue mission.

A vervain induced nap might actually do him some good.

Maybe Damon should have felt bad but his brother had once tried to do the same to him. Besides Marcella was closer to family than Stefan had ever been. He wouldn't let his idiotic self-righteous little brother hurt her again.

He locked Stefan in the cellar shutting the door dusting his hands before heading back up the stairs. Stefan could be free once he learned to behave. Damon shook his head as he pushed the tinge of guilt away.

This was just the way it had to be.

He'd already picked his side.

XOXOX

Okay you guys I know I said that I wouldn't be posting as frequently but this chapter actually was really easy to write and I wanted to go ahead at let you all have it! OMG you guys we've reached 400 reviews, you have no idea how much that means to me like it's so freaking bizarre that this has been so well received to me. I'll be honest I cried when I was scrolling through my emails and reading all your reviews, you guys are amazing! Thank you, thank you so much for all your support and love!

You guys are so incredible!

Thank you for reading this chapter I hope that it is mildly enjoyable for you all and that you will keep letting me know what your thinking! Once again you are all so awesome!

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Sincerely, La'Rae