Elijah closed his eyes in frustration as the chauffeur drove him to Niklaus' club. He had to figure out how exposed his family was because of his brother's despicable actions. To think the night had started on such a positive note. A few hours ago, Alaric had called to ask him out for drinks. Elijah had been genuinely excited about spending time with his long-time friend. Both men had been unable to socialize lately because of upheaval in their respective families and businesses. He was also concerned about his friend's state of mind. Elijah knew that Ric was on the outs with his wife and his mistress. Judging by the content of their daily text messages his relationship woes were only the tip of the iceberg.
The first hour had gone just as Elijah had expected. The two men squirreled away in the backroom of their favorite cigar lounge to talk away from prying ears. They drank eighteen-year-old single-malt scotch and smoked cigars Elijah had picked up on his last trip to Nicaragua. They talked about the drama in their families. Elijah was especially eager to talk about his nephew coming out. He supported Andrew's decision to live openly. However, he was worried about how he would be perceived in their line of work. Meanwhile, Alaric laid out a winding tale of his missteps that led to Jo and Abby excluding him from their lives. Both men felt woefully inadequate in the face of their struggles.
However, as the night grew later Ric's attitude had shifted unexpectedly. Alaric became more serious and admitted that he needed to ask a favor of him. Elijah wasn't concerned in the beginning. The men were good friends and there wasn't much that he would deny Ric. The best friends knew what lines not to cross when asking for favors and Alaric had always been that kind of friend. Nevertheless, it felt like the room started spinning when he began talking about an unknown assailant that had raped Bonnie as a teenager. Apparently, Zacharias had tracked down Father Kieran believing that he had heard the young girl's confessions. The bastard had promptly directed them to Finn.
In theory, the favor was simple enough. What reason could Elijah have for protecting a rapist? He wasn't particularly religious so it wasn't as if he cared about the seal of confession. Frankly, Finn being excommunicated from the church would be good for their family. He could use his older brother's sage advice on business matters. Finn might have rejected his birthright but it wasn't for a lack of aptitude. Mikael had never been a particularly demonstrative man but he was vocally proud of Finn following the mob war in the 80's. He once heard his father say that Finn proved that it was his blood that flowed through his veins during the war. Elijah often consulted his brother on the more difficult matters.
Elijah had known the truth for nearly a month. He was smart enough to put together the pieces of Niklaus' story. However, he had never asked for confirmation because he wanted plausible deniability. Moreover, he just didn't want to think of his younger brother committing such a heinous crime against an innocent girl. When Elijah tried to picture 16-year-old Bonnie in his mind's eye, all he could see was a shy little girl with a beautiful smile. She was a girl young enough to be Elijah's daughter. Somehow, his brother had looked at the same girl and saw a sexual conquest. It disturbed Elijah more than he cared to admit.
He had promised Alaric that he would try to reason with Finn. What else could he do? He wouldn't ruin a more than 30-year alliance over the identity of a rapist. However, Elijah also wasn't going to hand Niklaus over to the Salvatores. He had no doubt that his brother would die painful and bloody in their hands. No matter Niklaus' crimes, Elijah would do his level best to protect him. He had sworn that Bonnie was the only underage girl he had ever violated. Elijah chose to believe his brother because he couldn't stomach the alternative. Although, he was having a hard time dealing with this option as well. What he wished for was a return to ignorance because ignorance was bliss.
Elijah had to figure out a way to send the Salvatores down the wrong path. First, he had to know if Bonnie was leading this hunt. If she was the person that lit a fire under Damon then all was lost. Elijah would have to get Niklaus out of the country before he was identified as Bonnie's rapist. He would deal with the fallout that happened afterwards. Elijah would only agree to Niklaus' death to prevent war. Even then he would never allow the Salvatores to get their hands on his brother. If Niklaus had to be put down, Elijah would be the one to do it-quickly and cleanly.
He opened his eyes when the car came to a stop. Elijah sighed and climbed out the car without waiting for the driver to open his door.
He walked up to club's door and the bouncer automatically waved him past the long line.
"Good evening, Mr. Mikaelson."
Elijah nodded and gave a half-smile. He continued into the club and went to his brother's office. Niklaus spent most of his nights holed up in that office. He no longer enjoyed the club scene as much as he once had. Elijah wasn't sure if the five years in prison changed his brother's outlook or if this was just the natural progression of maturity.
He knocked on the door and then walked in without waiting for permission.
Klaus was sitting behind his desk talking to Marcel. He looked up and smirked. "What are you doing here, brother?"
"Give us the room, Marcellus. Now," he ordered in a tone that brooked no argument.
Marcel's was surprised by the demand. He gave Klaus a pointed look and then he quickly exited the office.
Klaus rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "You stormed into my office uninvited. Now you are ordering my friends about. Why are you here, Elijah?"
Elijah locked the door then he took off his suit jacket. "You have fucked all of us, Niklaus. You have fucked us because you are bloody selfish and reckless."
The younger man blinked because Elijah rarely cursed. He didn't see the need to debase himself with vulgar language. He always claimed that curse words were the language of the poorly educated. However, he wasn't particularly concerned because he had been on his best behavior. He asked, "What have I supposedly done, brother?"
"I met with Alaric Salvatore tonight," he said while trying to tamp down his anger. Elijah was moments away from strangling his arrogant brother.
Klaus asked, "Why would seeing your boyfriend get you into such a tizzy?"
"I am in no mood for your brand of humor, brother. Alaric came to me because Damon knows that Bonnie was raped five years ago. Father Kieran pointed them in our brother's direction. Damon wants me to convince Finn to give them a name."
The color drained from Klaus' face in response. He swallowed thickly and said, "Finn won't say anything."
Elijah's anger was calmed somewhat after seeing his brother's reaction. It was nice to know that Niklaus realized that this was serious. It wasn't just his life that was in danger now. The Salvatores would never believe that Elijah had been ignorant of his brother's crimes until now. Their righteous anger was dangerous because there could be no negotiation.
"No, our brother isn't going to violate his vows. He also won't endanger your life. However, that still puts us in a very uncomfortable position with the Salvatore organization. Damon wants blood and he will have it, Niklaus. I just need to make sure it isn't yours."
Klaus' mind raced and he supplied, "You want to arrange a patsy to take the fall for me."
"Yes, that was my initial thought. However, that only works if Bonnie isn't the one goading Damon into this. Could this all be some elaborate form of revenge?" he asked.
He shook his head and slowly started to relax. "Your worries are misplaced, brother. I do not know how Damon arrived on this path but it was not Bonnie's doing. She has plans of her own and none of them involve my death."
Elijah studied his brother's face. Satisfied with what he found, Elijah slowly sat down in front of the desk. "How can you be so sure? As of late, the girl's mind seems to be a mystery to even those who know her well."
"Bonnie has had ample opportunity to kill me. My cellmate was in her pocket. He's actually still on her payroll. She could have had me murdered in prison. She certainly thought about it," he explained.
Elijah raised an eyebrow at his brother. It was hard to imagine Bonnie doing that when she had been a mere teenager at the time. "How do you know this?"
"She told me a few weeks ago. I had a burner smuggled into his cell so that I could verify her story. It's the truth. A man approached Bam-Bam, maybe a year after I started my sentence. He was paid handsomely to keep me in his sights until the order was given. However, the order never came. I have apologized to Bonnie and she has extracted her pound of flesh. She and I are as square as we can be under the circumstances."
Elijah had a hard time imagining Bonnie arranging something like that. He was more puzzled about why she never had Niklaus killed if the assassin was in place. However, he knew that she had recently taken the reins of her family's organization. It appeared that the young woman was calculated and measured in her actions.
His eyebrows furrowed in contemplation. "What do you mean that Bonnie has already extracted her pound of flesh from you?"
Niklaus held up his bandaged hand. The surgery to reattach his severed tendon had gone off without a hitch. However, the healing process would take another couple months. He also had to complete rehabilitation exercises everyday that caused him a great deal of pain. In hindsight, he realized that Bonnie had arranged a devious punishment for him with long lasting effects. He carried around a physical manifestation of the pain he caused her.
Elijah's eyes narrowed as he examined his brother's injured hand. He said, "You told me that you cut your hand on broken glass here at the club."
Niklaus took a healthy gulp of his drink and chuckled darkly. He said, "I lied."
"What happened?" he asked carefully.
The younger man looked uncomfortable for a few moments. He said, "Once I accepted Bonnie's recollection of events I had to apologize to her. I never meant to hurt her. Even my most disgraceful moment after father's funeral was a drug-fueled blunder. I only ever wanted to love Bonnie and I wanted her to love me in return. I made a terrible mistake and hurt someone I care for deeply-still. I wrote a detailed apology and gave it to Bonnie. I also promised to leave her alone if that's what she truly wanted."
Elijah was marginally relieved to know that his brother recognized the error of his ways. An apology would not erase his crimes but it was more than he had hoped for when he arrived. Perhaps his brother wasn't irredeemable. He said, "I take it that Bonnie did not accept your apology."
He chuckled wryly. "One day, Bonnie called me quite out of the blue. She invited to a little place in the middle of nowhere so that we could speak privately. She wanted to discuss my apology. When I arrived, I was accosted by several men. They suspended me from a beam and beat me with rubber hoses for...I don't know how long. Then someone used a scalpel to severe the tendon in my hand. Bonnie arrived sometime later and tended my wound."
The older man was dumbfounded as he listened to his brother recount Bonnie's revenge. He was even more confused by the odd smile on Niklaus' face. He saw a grudging respect or perhaps some sort of appreciation for the girl.
He continued, "Bonnie said that she wanted to accept my apology but found that she couldn't. I had hurt her and words, no matter how genuine, were not sufficient recompense. She had her men mutilate my non-dominant hand because she refused to impede my love of painting and drawing. She also wanted me to live with pain as she had during those weeks that I...raped her."
Elijah saw how his brother struggled to say the word. "Then she just let you go?"
He nodded. "Her cousin drove me to Marcel's house and I came up with a lie to tell you."
"Why would you lie to me, Niklaus? I needed to know about this," he argued.
The younger man rolled his eyes and took a sip from his glass. "You did not want to know, brother. You proved as much to me in this very office. The night I fought with Damon, you knew that Bonnie was the girl that I...raped. However, you chose not to verify your own suspicions. I allowed you to continue on in feigned ignorance. Telling you about Bonnie's brand of retribution would have required an explanation of her motivations."
Elijah massaged his temples and heaved a sigh. Niklaus was right of course but he did not enjoy being blindsided. "And you are sure that sending Damon after her attacker isn't another elaborate ruse on her part?"
"No, I get the sense that Bonnie isn't the type of woman that needs anyone else to defend her honor. She extracted her pound of flesh from me and then immediately offered friendship. She followed up that gracious offer by brokering a lucrative deal for me with Tommy Morra. I made quiet inquiries before accepting the deal. The rate Morra gave me is better than what he offers some of his long-time associates. Bonnie used her father's connections to make that happen. She wouldn't turn around and throw me to wolves after burning a favor of that magnitude," he declared.
Elijah nodded in agreement. He said, "And she stands to gain a lot by washing your profits from the deal."
Klaus smirked. "Perhaps but I assure you that Bonnie wasn't thinking about the money. She made this deal happen to raise my profile in the organization. When the money starts rolling in, my power and influence will increase. Just as Alaric has your ear, she will have mine. Her marriage to Damon is in shambles. She wants to establish her own alliance with us. It was the smart play to make. Now Bonnie has my loyalty because she didn't expose me to the Salvatores or her family. I owe her my life for that reason alone. Then she doubled down by ensuring that my profile in the organization will rise. My success...will in no small part be owed to her. There may come a time when she will have to use that leverage."
Elijah laughed wryly. "That is the price of her friendship?"
"You know better than most that friendships in our line of work come with agreements spoken and unspoken. It is the reason that Alaric approached you tonight. He decided to leverage your friendship to accomplish has family's goals."
He said, "You are correct but there may come a time when we are caught in the crossfire, brother. A choice will have to be made."
Niklaus sat up in his chair and looked into his brother's eyes. He said, "I would have never sided against Bonnie in a major conflict. She may not return my affections but I do love her. The most I could ever offer you would be a promise to remain neutral. As your second in command, that would be my suggestion even without my connection to Bonnie. The Salvatores and Benedettos are intertwined to their very core. Any conflict between them would be akin to a civil war and it would be unwise for anyone else to interfere. Because after they come to a resolution, they will remember who was for or against them."
Elijah hummed in agreement. Bonnie had abandoned Damon but the man obviously loved her still. He would not look kindly on anyone that hurt her-even for his own benefit. Ric had learned that the hard way and his only crime was saying a few unkind words about Bonnie in a heated moment.
"Besides, you are paying too much attention to the present, brother. Damon may be the head of the family now but in 20 or 30 years time there will be a Benedetto at the helm of his organization and another married into our family. Damon may be the father of those children but Bonnie is the one raising them. Or have you missed that Sarah lives with Bonnie and only visits Damon at the weekend?"
Elijah took a moment to consider what his brother was saying. He realized that Niklaus could be onto something. Bonnie was well on her way to overthrowing the Salvatore family without shedding a single drop of blood. She merely needed to be patient and her revenge against Niklaus suggested she was capable of such. She married into the Salvatore family and adopted Damon's daughter. She had raised the girl since she was a toddler and had an undisputed bond with her. Bonnie would soon give birth to the heir to the Salvatore organization. Her family's influence would only continue to grow as her children came of age.
He didn't know if this was truly Bonnie's plan. Afterall, his brother was only theorizing. However, it was definitely something for him to consider. Niklaus was right to say that he could not merely focus on the present. He had to be able to predict the future with some accuracy. His father had done so when he chose to align himself with Giuseppe Salvatore during the war. Mikael knew then that together they could crush their enemies and elevate their families to new heights. Now the Mikaelsons and Salvatores had a stranglehold on the West Coast in a way that would have been unfathomable before the war.
"I need to know that you are seeing this situation with Bonnie clearly, brother. But you are obviously incapable of being impartial."
Klaus nodded. He admitted, "I could never impartial where Bonnie is concerned but I am also not blind. I know that she is using our friendship to her benefit. However, I do not believe that she is lying to me...there would be no reason to do that. If she wanted me dead, I would be. If she wanted to drive a wedge between our family and the Salvatores, she could have done that. I can say with certainty that Bonnie has decided that I am more useful to her alive."
"And you are fine with this? She mutilated your hand," Elijah pointed out. That fact still didn't sit well with him.
He shrugged, "I was angry in the beginning. But I understood her point of view once I was calm. She asked what I would do if someone hurt Hope the way that I hurt her. I...it was never my intention to harm her but I did. You would not like to know the details of what I did. It was wrong because she was a minor at the time but it is made worse knowing now that it was unwelcome. Bonnie is giving me another chance and I will take it."
Elijah scowled and asked, "You still love her? How did that even happen?"
Klaus looked reluctant to answer that question. "Bonnie caught my eye years before I ever touched her."
The older man looked horrified.
He quickly explained, "I wasn't attracted to her, Elijah! She was a child for God's sake. I noticed Bonnie because she was a loner. I would see her at events and she just seemed lost. She was swallowed whole by everything around her and no one else seemed to notice. I used to watch as she tried to make herself as small as possible. It reminded me of my own childhood. I never felt that I belonged in our family. I always felt wrong in some way that I couldn't explain. I felt as if everyone that laid eyes on me knew it, too. Father certainly knew that something was wrong with me. I figured that was the reason he was always so cold and cruel towards me. Mother never intervened on my behalf so I assumed that she knew what was wrong with me, too."
Elijah's stomach turned as he listened to his brother speak so many hurtful truths. "There was nothing wrong with you, Niklaus. Our parents…"
"I am not a little boy anymore, Eli. I do not need you to reassure me. Mikael hated me because I was a bastard and our mother didn't love me enough to protect me from his wrath. I was a constant reminder of her betrayal. They would have done me an immense favor by smothering me in my cradle. Instead, they allowed me to live and proceeded to treat me like shit. I saw the same black hole in Bonnie. Her parents abandoned her. Sheila loved her but the woman was too busy to give Bonnie the love and attention she needed. She was homeschooled so she had few friends. The worst part is that when I see Bonnie now, I see the same black hole inside her. She hides it better now but it is still there. Because the thing about black holes is that once they are created, they can never be filled. It doesn't matter how much shit gets sucked into it. The night at my party, I heard her crying as she changed her ruined clothes. Bonnie has been utterly humiliated by Damon's latest plaything. She was as lost and lonely as I was and...I thought we could make each other better. I thought she would save me from this horrible thing that I was becoming. I delighted in hurting other people because it was the only way to mute my own pain. But I thought Bonnie could save me...it was selfish to seek that from a 16-year-old girl."
It pained him physically to listen to Niklaus talk about the pain he still carried around. Elijah shook his head, "I should have killed him sooner."
He looked at his brother with a perplexed expression. "Who did you kill?"
Elijah shook his head. "Mikael. I waited too long. Telling you about Hope to hurt you was the last straw. I knew that I had to get rid of him, but I should have done it sooner. I shouldn't have let you suffer for so long under his abuse. I am sorry, Niklaus."
The wheels in Klaus' head began to turn. Suddenly his stormy eyes widened in understanding. "You killed him...but the police said he was drunk."
The older man waved off his brother's query. "The police were paid to say what I wanted them to say."
"Does anyone else in the family know the truth?" he asked slowly.
He was still trying to make sense of Elijah's confession. His brother had always been the obedient and dutiful son. Klaus had a hard time imagining him putting a hit out on their father.
"Finn knows the truth and now you do. No one else can ever know, Niklaus. I didn't mean to tell you," he muttered and raked his hands through his hair.
Klaus wouldn't tell his other siblings the truth. They all loved Mikael even if they didn't like how he treated Klaus. The truth would only further complicate their complicated family. He exhaled slowly. "I am jealous. I dreamed of killing Mikael for years but I could never bring myself to do it. Thank you, Eli."
Elijah glared at his brother because he assumed the gratitude was insincere. However, he saw the sincerity when he looked into his brother's eyes. In a stern voice, he said, "It was the right thing to do."
"Does Finn share your belief?" he asked cautiously.
The older man chuckled. "Yes, Finn supported my decision fully. But you can ask him yourself. He should be arriving soon enough. I asked him to join us. We're going to need to get our stories straight in order to find the right person to take the fall for you."
Klaus shifted in his chair and looked very uncomfortable. He had not seen his brother face-to-face since learning the truth. "Does he want to see me?"
Elijah was surprised to see Niklaus look so ill at ease. He said, "He's disappointed in your actions, just as I am, Niklaus. He sent you to prison because he couldn't think of another way to protect Bonnie without jeopardizing your live. But Finn still loves you."
"He barely knows me," Klaus muttered softly.
Finn joined the priesthood when Klaus was six-years old. He barely remembered his brother even living at home with them. Truthfully, Freya and Elijah were the only ones to have a deep connection to Finn.
Elijah didn't know what to make of his brother's reaction. He didn't know how to reassure him. "That isn't exactly true but perhaps you could spend more time with him. He would certainly welcome your company at the rectory. I have been known to arrive unannounced to bother him."
He snorted derisively. "What do you talk about? God?"
"Occasionally, but we usually talk about family, sports, and business issues."
Klaus was intrigued by the last part. "Really?"
Elijah laughed heartily. "Our brother is still a Mikaelson. His piety only goes so far."
"While we are being truthful about things...you should know that Andrew has been spending time with one of Bonnie's cousins," he said.
Elijah was discomfited by this news. "I hope he isn't thinking about working for her. I know he isn't happy that I haven't been allowing him to do much for me."
"No, it's nothing like that. Besides, he is getting enough work with me. His involvement with Cristian Benedetto is a romantic type thing. Frankly, it seems like a rebound arrangement. I am keeping an eye on the situation."
He nodded wearily. "I should take Andrew out to dinner soon. I've wanted to talk to him but I haven't had much time. Has anyone given him any trouble?"
Klaus frowned and then chuckled darkly. "It is well known that Andrew is my favorite nephew."
Elijah made a disapproving noise since Klaus had many nephews.
His brother waved off his concern. "It is the truth and everyone knows it. Andrew is my favorite nephew and I would not be pleased if anyone gave him a hard time about his sexual orientation. If anyone has an objection they have wisely kept quiet."
"You won't always be able to protect him…"
Klaus said, "I won't be able to protect him forever but I am teaching Andrew how to protect himself. I was not respected when I got my first start. People knew how Father treated me. There were those that pitied me and others that believed it was carte blanche to disrespect me. For the men that pitied me, I proved that I was deserving of respect. For the men that showed me disrespect, I proved that I was deserving of their fear."
Elijah wasn't sure that he liked that idea. Perhaps it was because he didn't truly want Andrew to follow in their bloody footsteps. The boy had a kind heart. Finally, he said, "I am glad that Andrew has you to show him the ropes. Your indiscretions aside, I never worried about your capabilities. You showed promise from the moment I put a gun in your hands."
Klaus chuckled softly. "The first time I went out on a collection run, you had to be a little scared that I would off someone."
He shook his head with a wry smile. "It did cross my mind. It's why I sent you to a habitual offender. I figured if you killed him it would not ruffle too many feathers. Instead, you came back with what he owed and he never missed another payment. You never told me what you did to get him the pay the debt."
"Trust me, Brother, you don't want to know..."
There was a knock on the door.
Klaus called out, "Come in…"
Marcel opened the door and said, "Father Finn is here…"
Finn walked into the office. He was dressed down in a pair of jeans and a crimson sweater. "Good evening."
Marcel quickly backed out the office. He didn't know why the three eldest Mikaelson men were meeting but he knew it couldn't be good.
Klaus walked around the desk to greet his eldest brother. He asked, "What would your parishioners think of you in my house of ill-repute, Father?"
Finn chuckled and said, "First, a house of ill-repute would be a brothel. Second, a good shepherd tends his flock wherever he might find them."
Niklaus smiled wryly and extended his hand.
Finn looked at his brother's hand before pulling him into a hug.
He was caught off guard by the hug and his brother's strength. However, he found himself returning the hug. "Thank you."
Finn pulled back and looked at him curiously. "For what?"
"Thank you for protecting Bonnie from me," he replied in a strained voice.
Finn sighed while pulling his brother into another hug. He pressed a kiss to the crown of his head as a feeling of relief washed over him. For weeks, he feared his brother's justified anger. Finn had betrayed him but he did not make his decision lightly. Sending Klaus to prison had kept him up so many nights.
Elijah watched the exchange quietly. He knew in his heart that killing Niklaus would break him. They would have to make this patsy situation work because the alternative was war. Perhaps it was time to make use of the lovely Bonnie Bennett-Salvatore. If she wanted an alliance with his family, then she would have to work for it. Who was more capable of steering Damon onto the wrong path than his own wife?