Call all your friends And tell them I'm never coming back
When the Originals left their village, there was no celebration. There was no mourning. There was nothing. Everyone was dead. Screams still reverberated off the houses that still stood; most had been burned to the ground as the fire that consumed the great white oak spread. There was nothing but the screams that chased their bloodstained bodies into the forest and they quickly learned how to block out the noise. Except for Finn. Finn remained awake listening to the screams as though they were music. Eventually, he would succumb to exhaustion and fall into horrific nightmares as he slept. Eventually, Klaus took to breaking Finn's neck when he needed to rest. They had discovered a vampire did not dream when they were in a dead state.
There were rare moments though when the screams would be overpowered by another sound. These were the moments where Finn slipped away from the group and hovered at the edge of the tree line, looking towards Aria's home where little Ivan was beginning to walk and his first word was, "Mama." Aria would sing him to sleep and these were the nights Finn fell asleep without nightmares. These were the nights the screams of his siblings' victims were drowned out. These were the nights he convinced himself he was still a man and not a monster.
The dream always ended when he awoke.
Pretend that you want it Don't react
Aria knew, the way she always knew things, that something was lurking in the forest just beyond the clearing her home was built in. Somedays, Ivan would toddle too far away and she'd call him back to her, or catch him before he vanished into the forest. On one such occasion, he slipped away faster than usual and she was unable to catch him. He disappeared into the forest, but turned right around and stumbled into her arms. She had held him as she rose to her feet and stood staring into the darkness of the woods. There was something out there and she knew if she merely reached out a hand, she would be able to touch it. But then a menacing feeling arose and she quickly disappeared inside her home, bolting the door for good measure.
In the forest, Finn let out the breath he had been holding and scowled at Kol who had come to take him away from Aria again. He could've reached out and touched Aria had it not been for his brother's presence that frightened her away. She had always been able to sense the darkness. After all, she was very much a daughter of the sun.
Finn did not allow himself to dwell on the thought that she did not turn away from him. He did not allow himself to think that perhaps he still was a man. There was still good in him. That he could still be with her.
The damage is done
He had come to occupy the chair in the corner of her room. It was a ritual she had subconsciously agreed to as she pulled it closer and closer to her bed. Eventually, he sat so close to her that her breath would fan across his hand. He had often considered lying down beside her and holding her the way he had always wanted, but propriety always won out. Look, don't touch.
One evening though, Aria awoke and he was too distracted by the way her hair was coming undone from her braid to notice until she was sitting up and staring at him. Her eyes, light and clear and so full of warmth, were spilling over with tears as her lower lip began to tremble.
"If you are going to stay," she whispered, "Then stay. If not, please leave. I cannot bear this any longer. It hurts me to have you go."
He didn't touch her. He didn't comfort her and when she realized he would not reach out to her, she turned over onto her side and forced herself back to sleep. When she awoke, he was gone, having removed his chair from her room entirely before he'd departed. Ivan came into her room that moment.
She never found the time to cry.
I would have died I would have loved you all my life
"We're leaving Finn." Rebekah had been kind enough to inform him of the news as he stood at the edge of the forest looking in on the life he would never have. While her attachment was not as great as his, Rebekah understood to a small degree the anguish he was feeling at the thought of leaving Aria. The older woman had never been anything but kind to Rebekah, going so far as to sew her a beautiful dress for her birthday celebration. She had often plaited her hair when Rebekah was younger, before Tatia's blackened reputation had marred Aria's. Rebekah had not been allowed back to Aria's home since then. If she imagined hard enough, she supposed she could still remember the feel of Aria playing with her hair as the sun warmed their skin.
My little sun girls, Finn had called them, his smile aimed at Rebekah initially, but widening when he saw Aria. Rebekah often wondered why they did not marry long ago. It had been painfully obvious to everyone else that the two were very much in love with each other. But alas, Fate seemed to have a different plan and now that they were creatures of the night, Rebekah could understand that plan. Aria would have died had she been made into a monster. The most beautiful thing about Aria was her humanity and without it…
"Are you coming with us?" Rebekah asked, resting her hand on Finn's shoulder. Elijah was her protector, Klaus her friend, Kol her partner in crime, but it was Finn who was the father she had never had. It was Finn she could not live without. Finn whom she needed the most.
Finn tore his eyes away from Aria and her world, the world he would never be a part of, and attempted to smile at his sister. He took her hand and tucked it securely in the crook of his arms.
"Always and forever, Rebekah," he promised, "I will never leave you."
I just want to stay
Finn roamed the world with his sister's hand in his. They saw monuments and even designed a few of their own. They crossed rivers and climbed mountains and went on voyages across the sea. They saw all the world had to offer. While their other siblings would branch out on their own adventures, Rebekah never left Finn's side. He was more fragile than the others and… well, someone had to break his neck at night so he could sleep and not remember the screams and the songs and the little child who called Aria, "Mama." The child who would never have a Papa to his Mama. Or if he did… no. That thought was always the most painful of all.
"We could go back," Rebekah suggested one day as they walked the length of a golden shore they had stumbled upon. As always, her hand was tucked into the crook of Finn's arm. He didn't look at her, merely shook his head and kept his eye on the horizon.
"I cannot cause her such pain anymore," he said and that was the end of the conversation. At least for Finn. Rebekah would go on and break his neck later that evening and search for Klaus who had informed them he would be in the area for a while. The favor she asked of him was outlandish, but Klaus had never been able to refuse his sister anything. And honestly, if he confessed to it, the thought had crossed his mind the same way it had crossed the minds of Elijah and Kol.
He simply disliked the fact it was going to be him who Finn hated for eternity should something go wrong. But he was willing to risk it in hopes of everything going right.
Just remember who I am in the morning
"Niklaus?" Aria said in surprise, tugging the door almost shut until only her head peeked out. Klaus smiled politely and ducked his head so he would not compel her. Aria's eyes flickered to the forest behind him and he followed her line of sight.
"Finn is not with me," Klaus said, "But if you should like, I can take you to him." Aria hesitated, the furrow between her brow more prominent with her age. She was still beautiful and still rather young, having been a mere seventeen when Ivan was born. She was a full fledged woman now and Klaus found himself praying Rebekah's plan would work. Not only would Finn receive his lover, but their darling sister might be given another mother.
"Ivan will be home soon," she said and that was when Klaus realized the flaw in Rebekah's plan. Aria would never choose Finn over Ivan. No matter how much she loved their brother, Aria would never leave Tatia's son alone. Her son. For he had been hers from the beginning.
"I understand," Klaus said, "And do not worry, Finn does not know I am here. He will hear nothing of this." Aria nodded, frown lines prominent as her eyes began to water. He looked into her eyes and saw all he needed to know and nodded, opening his arms to her. She stepped into his embrace and sobbed against his chest as he stroked her hair and whispered soothing things to her. Eventually though, there was no delaying the inevitable. He tiled her head back and smiled at her and she returned the gesture halfheartedly.
"You will have a beautiful life," he promised, "You will fall in love and you will never be sad again. You will not remember me, or my family. You will not remember the horrors we caused. But most importantly, you will not remember Finn or his love for you. Nor will you remember your love for him. You will forget us and you will be happy."
Aria's eyes fell shut. When she opened them, Ivan was running from the forest with a brace of conies in his hand, his excitement at his catch evident in the dark brown eyes of his mother. They did not look back as they entered their house. There was no longer a presence in the forest. They would not have felt it had there been.
Your losing your memory now
a/n: Zizi started the whole Finn/Aria thing because she gave me the suggestion of writing a Finn/OC fic and then she fell in love with Aria and Finn [aka, Faria] and yeah. Here we are. I've put her through emotional whiplash though.
Anyways, I own Aria and nothing else and you should all fave, flame, or faint.
[song fic inspired by "Losing Your Memory" by Ryan Star]
oxox