"You guys cleaned the place up nicely." Damon comments, narrowing his eyes at a spot on the wall where a man was staked last night.
Damon was surprised that the Mikaelsons and Luna would agree to let them all in, but Luna was being an excellent host, just like he'd hoped.
"We wouldn't have to clean up if you hadn't kidnapped our dear Luna." Elijah replies smoothly, as he leads the guests into the living room.
Caroline shares a disturbed look with Bonnie, they had both seen the remains of a broken wall and wondered what the place looked like before the 'clean-up'.
Alaric looks around in amazement, he and Sage were the only ones who had not yet been in the mansion. He admired the chandelier and the many paintings, some of which he recognized from the art books he had studied in the past.
Sage seems less impressed, she was familiar with the status of the Mikaelsons and expected nothing else.
"Nik, Finn, could you please get an extra table and some chairs?" Luna asks. Both men nod at her before swiftly taking their leave.
"Umm, please take a seat, relax, and mingle." Luna starts, feeling a little uncomfortable with addressing the group of family and foes. "I need to do some last-minute adjustments for tonight's meal. Stefan, Damon, let's go."
Stefan nods as if he was already expecting this.
"Me? I'm not going to-" Damon protests.
"You didn't warn us, so you get to make yourself useful." Luna cuts off, snapping her finger while pointing at the door that led to the kitchen. She was wearing an expression that told Damon not to test her patience further.
"Fine." Damon grumbles, reluctantly making his way to the kitchen, following Stefan.
Luna smiles bashfully at the Mystic Falls gang, who were all staring stunned at the fact that Damon and Stefan had just taken orders from a 21-year-old girl they supposedly hate.
Luna glances briefly at Sage before also leaving the room. Luna hadn't exactly wanted to leave Sage outside, especially because Damon was taunting her for being rude, but she also didn't want Finn to be uncomfortable.
Finn had promised Luna that he could manage for an evening. He knew he had to confront Sage at one point and he'd rather it be sooner than later. Finn had promised both Luna and Sage that if the latter were to trying anything to hurt his mate or family, she would not leave the mansion alive.
"Did that seriously just happen?" Caroline asks before bursting out in giggles.
• • •
"I'm not wearing an apron!" Damon objects, looking contemptuously at the flower pattern apron Luna was holding out.
"Is your masculinity really that fragile?" Luna deadpans. "Fine, suit yourself. Don't come crying to me when you stain your fancy clothes."
"Luna? Do you want the tomatoes in cubes or slices?" Stefan interrupts, looking quizzically at his cutting board. He was already wearing his own apron, eager to help out. Stefan quite enjoyed cooking and the large kitchen from the Mikaelsons was drool-worthy to him.
Damon reluctantly rips the apron from Luna's hands while muttering something inappropriate under his breath.
• • •
"I suggest you put that back where you found it, Mr. Lockwood. My mate is quite fond of it." Niklaus warns, narrowing his eyes at Tyler who was playing around with a small figurine.
Niklaus might have stolen that figurine from an important royal family member. He had stored it in the attic and his mate came across it while searching for a replacement vase. She had seen the figurine and fell in love with it. Since then it had its own little spot next to the TV.
"Of course, my apologies Klaus." Tyler replies, nodding his head obediently at Klaus, carefully placing the figurine back to its original spot.
"You can stop that, Tyler. We all know you broke the sire bond." Niklaus replies, rolling his eyes at Tyler's mediocre performance.
"How?" Tyler asks, taken aback at his secret being discovered.
"My little mate told me all about it, how you have struggled, broken each bone over and over again." Niklaus taunts, grinning at Tyler's shocked expression.
"Yeah? And how is that Klaus?" Tyler counters, overcoming his shock. "Having a mate? Is she also to play you little bitch? Like your hybrids." Tyler sneers, glaring menacingly at the Original hybrid. He was so focused on being angry with Niklaus that he didn't wonder how Luna could have known this about him.
Niklaus growls ferociously, he was already on edge with another hybrid near his mat. Implying that he would use his mate, make her suffer under his hand, was enough for Niklaus to rip the boy's head off.
Elijah lays a warning hand on Niklaus' shoulders, stopping him from doing something that might upset Luna.
"I would appreciate it if you would refrain from talking about my mate in such a manner." Niklaus grits with a clenched jaw. Luna had encouraged Niklaus to be a bit more friendly to people, even if they had wronged him in the past. Niklaus had promised to try, but it wasn't always easy.
• • •
"Please tell me there are more of these." Bonnie laughs, looking amusedly at the picture on the mantle. She looks interestedly at the poses the men were in. She had seen sibling fights between Jeremy and Elena before, but this seemed a bit more intense.
Bonnie wonders what the Mikaelsons were fighting about when the photo was taken. It must have been a good reason, this didn't seem like the fight for the last cookie.
"Unfortunately, there are." Elijah replies, also gazing at the photo. He looks a little abashed at the visual reminder of yet another childish dispute he had been included in.
"Now I need to see those." Caroline prompts, turning her head, searching for more photographs.
But to the Mikaelsons regret, there weren't any other family photos, besides a few static portraits. Luna had promised that the walls would soon be filled with family photos. There was however a framed selfie that Luna had made in her home in her universe. Kol, Luna, and Rebekah were all smiling broadly, and Elijah and Finn smiled modestly into the camera. At the time the photo was taken, Kol had made an inappropriate dog joke, which resulted in a scowling Niklaus.
"I'm sure Luna would love to show you someday." Elijah replies, smiling a little at the two girls before leaving the two girls to themselves.
• • •
Finn looks briefly in Sage's direction, which he immediately regrets. Sage had been staring at him constantly, which made Finn deeply uncomfortable. He was grateful that his brothers had occupied the seats on the couch next to him. Finn quickly rises from his seat and strides over to the kitchen. He was eager to see his mate and he also wanted to check in if the Salvatores were behaving as befits them.
"How are things in there?" Luna asks, worriedly, glancing briefly at Stefan who was carefully slicing bread, and Damon who was shaking salt into the soup as if his life depended on it.
"All is well, my love." Finn replies softly, cupping Luna's cheek with one hand and holding onto her waist with the other.
"Are you?" Luna asks, looking up at Finn, concern evident on her face.
"I will be overjoyed when this evening is over, but I'm alright, my dearest. Do not worry for me." Finn replies, smiling softly at Luna.
"I always worry for you." Luna admits, voice barely above a whisper.
"How cute! Luna, when you're done with... that, I need some assistance." Damon interrupts, smiling innocently while waving a cucumber in the air.
Finn snarls a little, ready to maul the Salvatore for his intrusive behavior.
Luna rolls her eyes at Damon before placing a calming hand on Finn's chest. "It's alright, I will see you in a few." Luna soothes.
Finn nuzzles at Luna's temple for a moment and presses a kiss to her lips before taking his leave again.
"You're an ass." Luna scolds, slapping Damon's arm with an oven mitt. "Now tell me, why did you invite Sage? You know she's only going to get her heart broken, or ripped out." Luna asks as she cuts bell peppers into small pieces.
"She invited herself, wanted to see Finn, trip down memory lane, you know?" Damon shrugs, washing the cucumber.
"Hmm, something tells me she didn't want to just see him. Does she know that-"
"She knows and she doesn't believe it." Damon replies softly. He had found it an amusing idea to taunt Luna with Sage. Now, however, he felt a sense of guilt gnawing at him. He had hoped Luna would be angry and annoyed to see Sage, but instead, she was worried for the vampire, something he hadn't expected.
"You told her." Luna remarks, more a statement than a question.
"I did." Stefan comments, he leans forward slightly so that his head came out from behind Damon's. He gives Luna an apologetic smile, not sure if it was up to him to tell Sage.
"Why would she not believe it? I thought soulmates are a sacred thing in the supernatural world." Luna asks.
"Too in love with Finnick I suppose." Damon comments airily, making a dismissal hand gesture in the direction of the living room. He clears his throat uncomfortably.
Before Luna can reply, Rebekah storms into the kitchen. "Luna! I know you wanted a nice dinner, so you better do something about thatbitch before I will!"
"Bekah, love of my life, almost everyone in this house has supernatural hearing, bear that in mind. Now, who are you talking about? Elena? Sage?"
"That red-haired strumpet. She is drooling all over your mate! You need to show her who Finn belongs to! And yes, alsoElena, because she makes me want to break something, preferably her face!"
Luna glances briefly in the direction of the Salvatores who looked amused at the idea of Rebekah going after Elena, again.
"You can't break her face, Bekah." Luna warns. "Break an arm if you must, but no face breaking." Luna jokes, smiling at her disgruntled friend.
"No-fuck, come back! That was a joke!" Luna shouts as Rebekah turns back around, excited at the chance of injuring Elena. "Please don't do that, we'll never hear the end of it."
"Then what am I supposed to do? Watch Caroline make googly eyes at Nik all night?" Rebekah replies, annoyance clear in her voice.
"I did not!" A loud indignant voice can be heard from the living room.
"Or watch Elena whine and sulk at the lack of male attention she's receiving?" Rebekah continues, ignoring the several snorts of the vampires in the living room and kitchen.
"Be... polite." Luna offers. Before Rebekah can protest she continues. "It's only one evening, you can break something later."
With a huff, Rebekah stomps away, back to the living room to surely taunt Elena further.
"You certainly have a lot to deal wi-" Stefan remarks, but he is cut off by Kol, who barges into the kitchen next, looking thoroughly displeased over something.
"Angel! The furry mutt keeps touching your stuff!" Kol shouts, running up to his mate, waiting impatiently for his mate to give him the attention he deserved, and to chastise the Lockwood boy.
"Kol, once again... supernatural hearing." Luna warns. She affectionately brushes her fingers through Kol's hair, hoping to calm him a little. "Furry mutt... do you mean Tyler or Nik?" Luna asks, narrowing her eyes a little. It wouldn't be the worst nickname Kol had used for his brother.
"Honestly." Niklaus groans from the living room.
"Tyler." Kol grumbles, looking disgusted at having to utter the name. He leans happily into his mate's touch before pressing his face against hers, nuzzling contently. "Please, tell him to leave." Kol whines.
"Tyler can hear us and I'm sure he won't do it again." Luna says the last bit a little louder, making sure Tyler would hear her. "Now, go back in there. And don't provoke him, please." Luna sighs, softly pushing Kol back.
"But-" Kol tries, looking disheartened at having to leave his mate in the company of the Salvatores.
"For me?" Luna coaxes, widening her eyes a little, hoping her puppy eyes would still work on her mates.
Kol sighs, slumps his shoulders and nods reluctantly before making his way back to the living room. He looked as if he was being sent to the front line or was making a huge sacrifice by retreating.
"Are you sure you're not their mother instead of their mate?" Damon taunts, throwing Luna a smirk while tossing some garnish on the dishes.
"Shut up." Luna grumbles.
• • •
"This is nice..." Luna comments, breaking the silence before taking another sip of her wine.
Everyone was sitting at the extended table. There was an uncomfortable silence interrupted only by the noise of cutlery scraping over plates. Luna had tried to start a light conversation, but with all the mutual vendettas those conversations did not last long. She hadn't considered that she would have to intermediate between so many rivals.
Alaric, Bonnie, Stefan, and Luna were the only ones who weren't busy glaring at someone else. These four occasionally exchanged uncomfortable smiles with each other.
"The, umm, bread is great?" Alaric compliments, not sure if it was wise for him to speak up at a table with eight uptight vampires and two temperamental hybrids.
"I'm so glad you enjoy it. I tried a new recipe." Luna replies, happy that someone else finally spoke up. "Stefan, could you please hand me the salt shaker?" Luna asks, smiling at the Salvatore.
"Don't flirt with my mate!" Kol growls, tightening his grip on his knife.
"Kol, he was just handing her the salt." Rebekah deadpans, fixing him with an exasperated look. Hopefully, if there was a fight tonight, it wouldn't be because of a damn salt shaker.
"He didn't have to touch her hand." Kol grumbles, stabbing his steak with his fork as if it were Stefan's head.
Stefan, who was now looking a tad disturbed, quickly averts his eyes, ignoring Elena's looks, and staring interestedly at his plate.
Elena had been busy glaring at Stefan, upset that he had given her necklace away. In addition, she was very irritated by the fact that Stefan was being more friendly to Luna than her. At a lack of response from Stefan, Elena shifts her gaze to Damon, who hadn't looked in her direction all evening, even after she had kicked his foot lightly
Noticing that neither Salvatores were going to pay her any attention she glances briefly at Elijah, wondering why her former ally had suddenly become so indifferent towards her. She and Elijah had always gotten along in some way, but tonight he hadn't even bothered to make small talk with her
Rebekah narrows her eyes when she sees who Elena is staring at. She waits until Elena eventually glances at her. When Elena does, Rebekah subtly rubs her right eye while looking straight into Elena's eyes. lifting one eyebrow.
Elena swallows and pales visibly, remembering Rebekah's earlier threat.
Rebekah smiles smugly when she sees the doppelganger dropping her gaze to her plate, not daring to look up again.
Next to Elena was Caroline, who kept throwing scathing glances at Niklaus and Luna, who were seated next to each other. She was not yet used to seeing Niklaus act so calm, almost like a normal human being. "Luna, this dinner was a bit of a last-minute decision, but I do hope we're still on for lunch tomorrow." Caroline eventually says, smile slightly faltering when she sees Kol glaring at her.
Kol chucks a piece of bread at Niklaus's head when he sees Niklaus gazing at Caroline, making sure Niklaus wouldn't forget that he had a mate to look at instead of the blonde.
Niklaus rolls his eyes, refraining himself from throwing a wine bottle at Kol's face in retribution.
"Of course." Luna answers, smiling at Caroline, not noticing Kol and Niklaus' interaction.
"Great-oh and Tyler is throwing a Halloween party, you should definitely come!" Caroline says enthusiastically while nudging Tyler in the ribs.
"We would love to." Luna replies before any of the Mikaelsons can protest.
Niklaus give Luna an exasperated look, he didn't look forward to hanging out with teenagers who liked to dress up.
"I have to ask, did you guys have anything to do with the burning down of the Wickery bridge?" Alaric asks apprehensively, curiosity taking over.
"How presumptuous of you to blame the new family in town for such a disastrous accident. Do I look like an arsonist?" Rebekah gasps while placing a hand over her chest, looking incredibly offended.
Luna snorts while rolling her eyes at Rebekah's dramatics. She remembers quite vividly how Rebekah had cheered while setting her casket on fire.
"Arsonist, psychotic bitch, it both suits you." Sage snarks, narrowing her eyes at Rebekah
"That's rich coming from you. At least I didn't spend 900 years pining after a guy who is clearly not interested, harlot." Rebekah retaliates, snarling viciously at Sage. If Rebekah got Sage to sell her the first blow, she could easily attack Sage in the guise of self-defense.
"So funny, how you keep talking for Finn, like you actually care for him, while you are also to blame for his long imprisonment." Sage replies.
"I see it as a favor. It would have been such a pity if he had spent 900 years in a dreadful relationship with you, only for you to be pushed aside when he finally finds his mate."
Finn clears his throat awkwardly, not comfortable with discussing his past with Sage in front of his mate and all these guests. Looking for comfort he places his hand on Luna's leg while keeping a stoic facial expression. He hoped his mate had not forgotten his earlier promise that he only loved her.
Luna blinks, startled by the sudden touch. Blushing slightly, she puts her hand on his and squeezes it reassuringly. She picks up her fork and continues to eat with one hand, softly brushing her thumb over Finn's hand.
"What an incorrigible scoundrel you are." Niklaus growls at Damon. "You only invited Sage to make both Finn and Luna uncomfortable! After all her attempts to save your life, you just couldn't help yourself!" Niklaus accuses, glaring heatedly at the oldest Salvatore.
"If Damon is an incorrigible scoundrel for making Luna uncomfortable then what the hell do you call yourself? The man who killed dozens of werewolves for his own importance!" Tyler snaps, rising abruptly from his seat.
"Ty, knock it off!" Matt warns, pulling at Tyler's arm to get him to sit back down.
"Don't forget that he also tried to steal your girlfriend." Damon suggests, happily fueling Tyler's rage.
"Damon, do you want me to slam your face into another steering wheel? Because I'd be happy to do it. Pick a car." Luna deadpans, giving Damon a warning look.
"You slammed his head... into a steering wheel." Caroline repeats, amusement clear on her face as she looks surprised at Luna.
"Yeah, she did. It was hilarious." Stefan laughs. "One of my fondest memories."
As soon as the tension came, it was gone again. Only Niklaus was still standing, that was until he was gently pulled on his sleeve by his mate.
"You didn't tell us about that, Elskan." Elijah frowns, looking worriedly at his mate. "Please tell me that Mr. Salvatore wasn't driving at the time?"
"No, we just pulled into a diner after Luna whined about wanting coffee." Damon grumbles
"To her credit, she did ask him if the car was on the brakes." Stefan shrugs. "Remind me, Luna, was this before or after you got yourself out of those handcuffs?" Stefan asks, grinning at Luna.
Bonnie snorts and Alaric chokes on his drink.
"Handcuffs? Handcuffs?!" Kol growls, looking ready to launch himself at Stefan and Damon.
"You're even more repulsive than I imagined." Elijah snaps, fixing both Salvatores with a dark look.
"Thank you, Stefan." Luna deadpans, knowing she would get quite the lecture once the guests were gone. She had not told her mates all the details of the kidnapping for exactly this reason.
Luna jolts a little as she feels Finn tightening his hold on her thigh. She gives Finn a warning look, which he returns with an unamused look and a slight baring of his teeth, telling her not to test him now. Blushing, Luna adverts her gaze back to the table, waiting for the explosion that was bound to happen.
"You put my mate in handcuffs?!" Niklaus shouts while placing a possessive hand on Luna's shoulder. "Only I can put her in handcuffs!"
Caroline and Bonnie share a look before bursting into laughter. Even Elena looked amused at Niklaus's remark.
Luna coughs, reddening even further. She quickly grabs her glass, hoping the chilled wine would cool her face a little. Her mates were apparently all very good at making inappropriate comments and gestures at unsuitable times
"Nik! No one wants to hear that!" Rebekah complains, groaning in disgust at her ridiculous brothers.
"I bet Luna does." Niklaus retaliates, smirking at Luna, who was so embarrassed that she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
"Great, were there any more suggestive comments regarding my sex life? Or can we move on?" Luna groans, facepalming.
"Well, there was this thing you told me about you and-" Rebekah starts, smirking at Luna.
"Don't you dare! I told you that in confidence!" Luna shouts, throwing a grape towards Rebekah, hitting her in the eye.
"Ow, what the fuck!" Rebekah shrieks, glaring at Luna with one eye while rubbing the other.
Caroline blinks, not sure if Luna hurling fruit at the female Original was a regular occurrence.
"Wait, how did you get out of those handcuffs, Elskan?" Elijah asks, eyeing his mate suspiciously.
Luna freezes in place, staring wide-eyed at her plate, not daring to look up. She had also not told them about that event. "I think something's burning in the kitchen, I should-"
"I don't think so, love." Niklaus cuts off.
• • •
"It's so good to see you, finally free. You look well." Sage compliments, glancing briefly at Niklaus in disgust. After an awkward explanation, Luna had hastily fled to the kitchen to grab dessert. The second Luna left, Sage had urged Finn to speak to her in private. Finn wanted to refuse but thought she at least deserved the illusion of privacy before getting rejected.
"Yes, I am quite glad to be among the living again." Finn replies coolly, not bothering to look up from his glass.
"I missed you so dearly." Sage admits, gently touching Finn's chin to get him to look at her. She had longed to gaze into his eyes again.
"Sage, you must stop." Finn replies, pushing Sage's hand away. "I have found my mate. You know this."
"No, she's not. I am your true love, and you're mine." Sage replies, desperation clear in her voice.
"Sage. I only want Luna. I only love her." Finn replies firmly, looking blankly at Sage, who was starting to pace furiously.
"No! They are all lying to you! That-that little bitch is not your mate, I am! We were always destined for each other!"
"How dare you speak of my mate like that!" Finn growls, glaring menacingly at Sage while striding towards her.
Sage halts her pacing and looks taken aback, she had never seen Finn act this hostile, especially not against her.
"I will help you get rid of her! We can be toget-" Sage pleas before halting, she stares in shock at Finn before falling over.
"Apologies, am I... interrupting?" Elijah offers, smirking at Finn while carelessly throwing Sage's heart next to her body. There was no way he would let Sage talk about his mate like that, threaten her in her own home.
Finn shakes his head. "Not at all, brother."
• • •
Luna places the various sweets on the etagere, making sure to pick the prettiest to present to her guests. She must admit that the whole evening went better than she thought. Nobody had been murdered and Niklaus and Kol were... kind of well-mannered towards the guests.
Luna was just starting to wonder if she had been concerned for nothing when she hears several screams and a loud crash, followed by the clinking of breaking glass.
"Oh no." Luna sighs, she should have known. There was another loud noise and it sounded suspiciously like they were doing some unplanned reconstruction work.
"I swear to god, if you broke another wall I will put all of you up for adoption! I don't care if you're not even a member of this household!" Luna shouts as she storms into the dining room.
A/N:
Hello dear friends,
I wasn't sure where Tyler was in canon, so now he is having an awkward dinner at the Mikaelson mansion. I thought he'd bring nice additional tension. I left our friend Jeremiah in Denver, he can come back later.
Right now I am quite busy with my internship, I spend almost every free minute writing, as a way of stress relief. But I don't want to turn my writing into a chore. I am sorry I can't give you guys a real uploading schedule seeing as it depends on how inspired and/or tired I am. (I can be a bit chaotic haha.)
Thank you to all of you lovely readers (pun intended) for 'voting' and commenting. You guys really motivate and inspire me, so thank you (again)! :) 3
Alright, I hope you enjoyed this drama-filled chapter.
Lots of love,