Author's Note: This one is for my guest who left the following prompt: "What about one where Klaus comforts Elijah after he killed Marcel?"

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"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" 1 John 4:20 KJV

Klaus stared in shock at the dark water below, watching the ripples as they dissipated from the spot where the body had disappeared beneath the surface. A soft thud drew his attention to his left and he saw Elijah, his normally calm and collected brother, on his knees nearly hyperventilating. Despite the fact that he had once loved Marcel like his own son, he found that he couldn't be angry with Elijah for doing as he had when he saw how devastated he was. He knew that his older brother would do anything to protect their family. He had finally understood that drive, that need, to protect ever since the first time he'd held his infant daughter.

Klaus left the railing and knelt down in front of his brother. He cupped the sides of Elijah's neck and lifted up his head so that the glazed brown eyes met his own concerned blue ones.

"Elijah, listen to me. I need you to slow your breathing." He placed one of Elijah's hands against his own chest, taking deep, slow breaths. "Match you breathing to mine, brother. In through your nose, out through your mouth. In…, out…" He coached encouragingly.

After a few minutes of exaggeratedly deep breaths, Klaus was pleased to note that Elijah's breathing had evened out and some clarity had returned to his eyes.

"Come brother, we should see about recovering the remains." Klaus said when the older man had sufficiently recovered. He stood and reached down to help Elijah to his feet.

The ride back to the compound was filled with a tense, heavy silence as both men were consumed by guilt, though for very different reasons. Elijah knew that he had done the right thing. Marcellus had made it clear that he wanted to destroy the Mikaelsons and Elijah would not risk his family. However, he regretted that it had come to that. He still remembered the boy he had helped raise and he mourned the loss of that boy. But the thing he regretted the most was hurting his brother and possibly breaking their bond permanently.

Meanwhile, Klaus was feeling the remorse for what he'd said underneath the bridge eating away at him. He had done what he always seemed to do when he was feeling vulnerable or hurt; he'd lashed out at the person he loved the most. This time was worse, though. This time he had seen the pain and guilt in Elijah's eyes and he had used his words to drive that knife even deeper into his brother's heart anyway.

All the way back both men stewed in their thoughts and shame, yet neither one deigned to break the silence. Eventually they arrived at the Mikaelson family home where Elijah went straight up the stairs to his room, while Klaus went to the bar. He poured himself a drink and downed it in one swallow, pouring himself another as his older sister strode purposefully toward him.

"What happened?" she asked, exasperated at the situations her brothers always tended to get themselves into.

"Whatever do you mean, sister?" Klaus asked with an attempt at his usual nonchalance.

Freya leveled him with an unamused glare. "I may be relatively new to this family, Niklaus, but I still know when something's wrong. Elijah looks like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders, you're over here drinking like a fish, and neither one of you will even look at the other. I'll ask you again; what happened?" she demanded.

Klaus set his glass back on the bar and toyed with it as he gave a deep sigh. "Marcellus threatened our family, so Elijah ripped out his heart out, and I proceeded to blame him for this whole mess." He summarized, feeling a renewed sense of remorse for his earlier words to his beloved older brother.

Freya looked at him in shock as she processed her younger brother's words. "Niklaus, I understand that you loved Marcel like a son, but surely you know that Elijah would not have acted as he did if he had seen another choice! I know he loved Marcel too, but I have learned that he will do anything to protect you and your daughter. No what it costs himself." Freya said, remembering all too well Elijah's actions when she had attempted to use Hope as bait. She was torn between compassion and exasperation; she loved her brothers dearly, but they could be such fools at times! Why couldn't they just see that they would always do whatever was necessary to protect the other and accept it?

Klaus looked down in ashamed. "I know that, Freya. I was hurt and I lashed out at him like I always do. Why must I always be the one to hurt him the most?!" he finished with a shout, throwing his glass against the wall. He deflated before her eyes, "Why does he always forgive me? Why does he never give up on me? Everyone else has, at one point or another." He said softly, looking at Freya with an almost childlike expression.

Freya smiled gently up at him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Because he loves you and you need him," she explained kindly. "But right now he needs you. He needs to know that you still love him and that you haven't given up on him. You need to make this right, Niklaus."

Klaus looked upstairs uncertainly. "I don't know how." He admitted miserably, "After what I said…" he trailed off.

Freya turned him to face her. "You go up there and you talk to him. Tell him that you don't hold Marcel's death against him. Let him know that you're still brothers." She said.

Klaus looked upstairs again and nodded, gathering Freya into a brief hug. "Thank you, sister." He whispered, before pulling back and climbing the stairs.

He paused at the threshold to Elijah's room and took a moment to study his brother. He was sitting in front of a crackling fire, his usual immaculate suit discarded for a simple white t-shirt and grey sweat pants. His hair was still damp from the shower and he was bent over in the chair, elbows resting on knees and his face was buried in his hands. As Klaus stood there, he observed the small tremors that raced across his brother's taut back and shoulders. He felt a combination of sorrow and guilt drive a hot spear through his heart.

This was the man who had done more to raise him that his own parents had. The same one who had always been there for him, loved him, and protected him the best he could all of his life. If Elijah could forgive him and love him despite his many mistakes, he found it wasn't hard at all to forgive this. Which, if he was totally honest with himself, wasn't a mistake.

He left the doorway, walked over to his older brother, and placed a hand on his shoulder squeezing gently. Elijah's head shot up in surprise and he attempted to assume a neutral expression. When he saw who it was, he rose and began to speak.

"Niklaus, I'm so sorry. I…" he broke off in shock as two strong arms wrapped around his back and pulled him into his little brother's chest.

"It is I who should apologize, brother." Klaus said softly, "You were merely protecting our family. Had it been anyone else, I would have done the same thing without hesitation. So, thank you, Elijah, for doing what I could not." He said earnestly, tightening his arms around his brother.

At Klaus's words, Elijah felt as though the invisible bands that had been constricting around his chest had completely fallen away. He buried his face in his brother's shoulder as a flood of relief washed away the fragile control he had on his emotions and tears began making their way unchecked down his cheeks. Klaus didn't say anything as he felt his shoulder become damp with his elder brother's tears; he just imitated the gesture Elijah had used so often to calm him down throughout the years. He moved one hand to the back of his brother's head and softly ran his hand over the short, dark hair. He continued the motion until Elijah finally started to regain his composure.

Klaus pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against his brother's. "I am sorry for what I said, brother. I simply lashed out at you because you were there; it was not your fault. I am sorry for blaming you. Marcel's decisions were his own and you did what you had to do to protect our family. I do not blame you, Elijah." He said; sincerity in every word.

A few more tears wound their way down Elijah's face. He looked into his brother's eyes and saw only sincerity shining back at him. He nodded his acceptance.

"Thank you, Niklaus. Please know that I never meant to hurt you." He pleaded.

Klaus grasped the back of Elijah's neck and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I know, brother. I know." He assured him.

Elijah closed his eyes and sagged into his little brother as the emotional toll of the day caught up to him and the relief that Niklaus didn't actually hate him for his actions stole his remaining strength. He slumped bonelessly into Klaus who caught him carefully and gently maneuvered him over and into the bed, pulling the covers up around the limp form.

As he started to move away, a hand shot out and latched onto his wrist with surprising strength. He looked down at the appendage and saw Elijah quickly snatch his it back, color rising in his cheeks as though he was embarrassed for needing the continued contact. Klaus heard the unspoken request and toed off his shoes and crawled in next to Elijah, opening his arm in a silent invitation as his older brother had done many times for him. Elijah hesitantly ducked under the raised arm and rested his ear over the hybrid's heart.

Klaus curled his arm protectively around his brother's back. "I want you to know. It means everything to me that you've always loved me and have never abandoned me. I promise you the same; I will always be your brother, Elijah. Nothing will ever change that, I swear it to you." He promised solemnly.

Elijah wrapped an arm around his baby brother's waist. "Thank you, Niklaus." He said fuzzily and, reassured that his earlier fears were unfounded, his eyes closed of their own accord and he knew no more.

Dear guest, I hope it met your expectations!

Next one is a prompt from Emish5: "One about Klaus moonlight rings curse in the end of season 1/ start of season 2?"

As always, I'd love to hear what you thought! :)