Sorry for the wait everyone, I had finals, then I got caught up in writing a birthday fic, then I started reading fics from other fandoms...you get the idea. But I am back! This chapter is short because I have a lot of other stuff that I'm writing right now, but the next one won't be. Expect another (regular length) update next Saturday/Sunday.
To ahyeon - Thanks! More human Marcel in this chapter!
To Annie - Yep, he is! He's not in this chapter, but he will be coming back soon.
To TwilightHybrid - I love writing their reactions to their grandparents searching for them! There's still more of that to come. I agree, being separated really messed them up and changed them in big ways. Klaus is definitely at a low point, but I promise he won't be forever. Henrik is introduced in this chapter, and there's also more Klaus. Thanks for the follow!
Chapter title from Bleed It Out by Linkin Park.
WARNINGS: a lot of focus on mental illnesses, one f bomb, lots of teasing, child abuse (not explicit), self hatred, confrontation between Mikael/Esther and Ansel.
April 4th, 2013
7.1 - Richmond, Virginia
Tessie excitedly says, "look! 'Newest reports indicate that the eldest three Mikaelson children, Freya, Finn, and Elijah, are in contact. No word yet on when they plan to meet up in person but for now, the world is fine with screenshots from Skype calls and interviews.' Oh my god, it's so sweet!"
Emily leans over to see the phone when Tessie turns it around.
"I can't see," Jason complains.
"Fine," Tessie says, handing him the phone.
Henry leans over his brother's shoulder to see the picture, too. He knows it's going to be about the Mikaelson Manhunt, so he isn't surprised to see Finn Mikaelson there. What is surprising is the two other pictures in the photo collage. One of Freya Mikaelson, with a beautiful smile lighting her up, and one of Elijah Mikaelson, with a serious look on his face.
"Huh," he says out loud. Seeing them together, side by side, makes it easy to see their similarities. Strong jaws in the brothers, expressive eyebrows in all three, laugh lines. The feeling of wanting to know about the other four, which everyone following the story feels, surges up inside him. Will they have expressive eyebrows? Laugh lines?
Jason elbows him in the ribs, pulling him from his thoughts. "What, you think she's hot?"
A blush flames in Henry's cheeks. "No!"
"Ohhhh," he says devilishly. "I get it. You think one of the brothers are hot."
"No," he grinds out, looking to Emily pleadingly.
She sets down her fork and reprimands, "Jason, that's enough, or I'm telling Mom. Give Tessie her phone back."
Thank god for Emily, he thinks. She's the only one who knows he isn't straight, gay, bi, or anything in between. She's also the only one who can make Jason stop.
"When are Mom and Dad getting home again?" Tessie asks, grabbing her phone and then smoothing out her hijab. She'd told them when they first got to the cafe that she'd been in a bit of a hurry and it was looser than she wanted.
"The tenth," Emily replies, helping tug it into place.
"Thanks. Now, about thinking they're hot. Have you seen Elijah? I'd love to - "
"That's enough!" Jason cuts in loudly, waving his hands frantically. "Seriously, that is all I need to know about - "
"My intense desire to fuck Elijah Mikaelson?" Tessie finishes with a cackle. Tears spring to her eyes when Jason makes a gagging noise.
Emily and Henry share a look between their younger siblings. They don't have to speak for him to know she's just as fed up with their antics.
8.5 - October 14th, 1994
Henrik Devon Mikaelson came into this world squealing.
His mother and father both cooed over him for some time once he'd been cleaned. He had no idea of the siblings he had, waiting right outside.
Kol, sitting on the floor of the waiting room, whined, "I'm boreeeeeeed."
Niklaus sighed and pushed one of the hospital's generic coloring pages towards him. "Here."
Kol slapped it away, right into Rebekah's waiting hands. She happily drew all over the page with her crayons. "I don't want to color!"
Elijah sat next to him, patting his back. "What do you want to do, then? We can't do much here, Kol, you know that."
"Ugh!" Kol flopped back onto Elijah, whining again, "I don't know."
"You don't know anything," Niklaus teased.
Kol stared at him, eyes welling up with tears. Abruptly, he wailed, flopping forward, out of Elijah's lap, and nearly hitting his head on the floor. The only thing that stopped it from happening was Finn catching his head with his feet an inch from the floor.
"God, Niklaus!" Freya complained, picking him up and rocking him. "Shh, Kol, you're going to wake up the babies. Remember, this is the baby floor, and they need to sleep. Shh, shh."
She stood, pacing while rocking him. As they passed Niklaus, who looked on, ashamed, Kol winked at his big brother. His tears were for drama and nothing else.
Oh, that little -
4.3
It's one of Klaus' few days off, and he can't be happier.
Well, actually, yes he can.
He loves Davina and Marcel like they're his own, and spending time with them is always nice, but not when they insist on talking about...it.
It is on the TV, on the internet, all over everywhere.
He, Davina, and Marcel are just hanging out, trying to watch TV. That can only last so long, with that commercial coming on every break. Maury goes off, and his grandparents come on, like clockwork.
"So, we've established that you're Niklaus Mikaelson," Davina says conversationally. "And that you're being stupid, not dealing with it."
"Yeah," Marcel supports. "You're being stupid." Even if it's against him, Klaus smiles at him.
As crazy as Klaus is, he can hide it. His problems are things he can keep to himself. Marcel can't, not really. He has selective mutism; he only really talks to Klaus, Davina, and a few friends at school. Any time he talks, Klaus likes to encourage him.
God, if only Caroline could see him now. Taking care of a kid with a mental illness. He denied having one for so long, she would be shocked, he's sure.
"I'm not being stupid. We don't know for sure if they're even talking about me," he says, maybe a little petulantly.
"That picture is a picture of you," Marcel points out, gesturing to the paused TV. Klaus and his siblings' faces are big on the screen, zoomed in on. "Even I can see that, and you know I don't see resemblances well."
"Yeah," Davina copies Marcel, "that is you, Klaus. No doubt. And you know that, but yet, you're denying it!"
Yeah, he's denying it. But he has good reason to. Why would he want to go back to that? He'd kill to see his siblings again, but in the spotlight? In front of the whole nation, the world? Just to tease Kol again? Just to pull Rebekah's pigtails and hug Elijah again? Hell no.
He shrugs, not saying any of that aloud. "Maybe it's someone else." Maybe he's someone else. That kid with shaggy hair and a poorly concealed bruise on his cheek, he's gone. He and Klaus aren't the same person. (He really hopes not, at least.)
Both Davina and Marcel look at him like he's an idiot. But they don't say anything, because they've been together for a while now, and they know him.
Marcel says, in a whisper, "okay. Maybe they'll find him."
Davina unpauses the show. Maury declares that the man on the screen is not the father; Davina groans while Marcel snickers, tense moment forgotten. Klaus won't be forgetting it anytime soon, though.
God, he really hates himself sometimes.
8.5 - Mystic Falls, May 10th, 1996
Niklaus laid in bed, face down and above the blankets. He shared the room with Kol, who happened to have the best table for Rebekah and Henrik to color on. Kol was actually leaving him alone for once, too cautious to approach him after a beating.
Instead, he was encouraging Henrik to color outside the lines, which absolutely infuriated Rebekah.
She was being so loud, Elijah left his and Finn's room to tell her, "Rebekah, quiet down. Everyone in the whole house can hear you. Father is angry enough as it is."
She crossed her arms, "so what Elijah, he won't do anything to us now."
Elijah sighed, copying her pose, disappointed face on. "Rebekah."
She rolled her eyes.
Elijah, fed up, left the room. Rebekah hummed happily, having won the argument. Niklaus groaned, and pulled the pillow over his head. He'd thought for sure that Elijah would be able to shut Rebekah up.
Kol whispered for Henrik to draw the outside of the cloud bright green, causing Rebekah to snatch the crayon away. Henrik wailed, "gimme!" It was the only word he could say.
Niklaus, whose head was pounding, sat up on his hands. "Rebekah, give him back the crayon. Henrik, stop crying and stop listening to Kol. And Kol...shut up! Stop making him do things you know will make Rebekah mad!"
Henrik gladly took the grudgingly given crayon back, while Kol and Rebekah, shamefaced, muttered, "okay, Nik."
"Thank you," he said, flopping back down.
Downstairs, Freya sighed as she got up off the couch. There was somebody at the door - probably Finn's little girlfriend, Samantha. What was the easiest way to say not the time?
When she opened the door, she expected black hair in a high bun, cheerleading outfit too tight and too short. What she got was a Native-white mixed guy in a suit, anxiously peering down at her.
"Freya?" He asked. Dumbfounded, she nodded. "Hi, I'm Ansel. I don't suppose you've heard of me?"
She shook her head. "No."
He bit his lip, shifting from foot to foot. "Okay...can I talk to Niklaus?"
What did he want with Niklaus?, she thought, alarmed. "Uhh...no, you can't. He's busy right now." Busy healing, that was.
From behind her, Father called, "Freya, who's at the door?"
She didn't look at the man outside before responding, "some guy named Ansel."
It happened so quickly, it was hard to keep track of what actually happened. Father and then Mother on his arm came barrelling to the door. Father was shouting, Mother trying to placate him. Ansel looked spooked.
Father pulled Ansel into the house by his shirt, shouting, "what are you doing here?"
Ansel replied, "you know what I'm doing here."
Father's face turned red with anger. "You shouldn't have come here."
Mother said, "Ansel, did you really think this was a good idea?"
Freya's head swung around, looking from person to person. She had no idea what they were talking about. They clearly knew each other, though.
"Probably not. But I have to do what I can for Niklaus, and that means getting him out of here. Neither of you even like him, so why don't you just let me take him?"
Mother cried, "excuse me? Who do you think you are?"
In a growl usually reserved for Niklaus, Father said, "you mean your little mutt of a son? I raised him, not you. You're nothing to him."
Freya watched as Ansel's face crumpled slightly. He said, tone hard, "at least in my home he wouldn't feel threatened every single day. At least with me, he would know what parental love feels like. Esther, you've told me neither of you really love him. You don't want him, you don't care about him. You should want me to take him.
"With me, he'll be with people who detest his very existence," Ansel spit, jaw jumping in a very familiar way. His anger was also very familiar to Freya. She saw it all the time in Niklaus, who Father was saying was this man's son.
Father and Mother glared at Ansel so intensely, Freya's hackles raised and she removed herself from the situation immediately. Just before she hit the stairs, she saw Father reach for the baseball bat.