So once again, I'm sorry for the late update. I'm married to my sport and had to actually do homework yesterday because seven hours of school isn't enough. I wrote this while I'm supposed to be studying for midterms. So yeah thanks for listening to my life story in two sentences and here's the next chapter, as always please review. I plan on going more in depth with the answer to some of your questions next chapter (I actually have a whole conversation planed out). So thanks and please review :)
"The Salvatore's have Nik, Elijah's already made a deal with them to get him back. Do you want to come get Nik with me or disarm the history teacher?" Rebekah asks as soon as we step out of the gate.
"I need some girl time, Kol can stay and help though." I say not missing a step. I stand up on my toes and kiss Kol on the cheek before letting go of his hand and following Rebekah.
"So you and Kol?" She asks behind the wheel.
"Me and Kol," I confirm. "So Alaric's life is tied to Elena's. Alaric also has a white oak stake that can kill originals plural. Not to mention the Salvatore brothers or brother has Nik's desiccated body somewhere like a sitting duck. I leave for one moment and my family is once again on the verge of becoming no more than a big pile of ashes. How did Nik manage to render himself completely useless anyway?"
"Went after Alaric with the Salvatore brothers. He ended up kidnapping Elena and the Salvatore's did what they do best and saved her desiccating my dear bastard brother."
"Just to be clear, once we get him back he will spend more than six hundred years in there just to be clear. Maybe it'll teach him some manners," I mused.
"Elijah said the same exact thing. He didn't set a time though."
"Drive faster. How far away are we?"
"Ten minutes if you stop asking questions and let me drive faster, an hour if I obey the speed limits, and twenty if you keep chatting."
"I want Nik's body in the back of the trunk before sunrise. Hurry up," I command leaning my head against the window and watching the world blur by.
We didn't speak the rest of the ride but the silence wasn't unnatural, it was sort of peaceful. The peace shattered as soon as Rebekah whipped the car into the loading dock of the storage units. We got out quickly and started to walk separately down the long halls searching for Damon. I thought about calling the vampire's name but stopped Rebekah from doing it an icy feeling settling over me. I frowned at all the open units and glanced behind me in time to see a figure move. I followed it slamming it into a wall seeing a sandy-haired middle-aged man clutching a decorated stake recognizably white oak.
"You're not supposed to be here," I said mockingly surprised when he was able to push me off him, furious when he snapped my neck taking advantage of my surprise.
I snarled as soon as I was no longer in the dead/undead/unconscious faze. It took me less than thirty seconds to find Damon, Alaric, Rebekah, and a coffin near the open door of the black car we drove here. I was a second too late. I was aware of Rebekah screaming and Damon's screams accompanying hers on some level, but the world seemed to fade to the background leaving me to drop to my knees in shock trying to make myself speak, or do anything.
"Rebekah run!" I managed staring at the flaming body that used to be Nik. "It's too late," I whispered getting up and turning around, pushing Rebekah away with Damon's help as Alaric drew the stake from Nik's body and turned to her ready for his next kill. I hesitated wanting to snap the guy's neck before taking off and following her back to Mystic Falls on foot ready for blood.
"I never knew you were an artist," his voice ringed out from behind me. I turned and smiled at the mischievous blue eyed man in front of me.
"I've always loved drawing. I steal knives from my father from time to time but the ground and a stick works fine." I say returning to my scratched drawing of the tree I was sitting at the base of. "Oops," I added aware I had just told someone I did what only men were allowed to do.
"Your secret's safe with me Tia, if you teach me how to draw," Nik said a mischievous smirk on his face I smiled seeing a way out of my duties for a few weeks. They were so dull and just gave my parents reasons to yell at me. I'm just waiting for them to disown me already, they already killed my baby I doubt they can do much worse.
"I would love to Nik, but it's really not that hard." My voice rang out a small smile on my face. "Go find a stick."
I recoiled from the memory of my past, one where Nik was a contender for my heart and not some villain that threatened my beloved and stowed my best friend in a coffin for safe keeping.
"Hey hey hey," familiar arms grabbed me and pulled me to him setting his chin on my head. "I know love, I know. It'll be alright, we'll get through this," Kol murmured stroking my hair. "Come on Elijah and Bekah are just ahead of us." We walked a few feet through the woods to where Elijah and Rebekah were hidden talking about the Salvatore bloodline.
"Yes, he did. Sybelle turned Mary, and Sybelle was turned by Nik." I said leaning on Kol's shoulder as he wrapped an arm protectively around my waist.
"Then how are they still alive," Elijah asked his voice hindered by grief as he avoided looking at Kol and I.
"I don't know how that matters seeming as the history buff is still out to get our family," Kol said unemotionally I frowned and grabbed his chin forcing him to look at me as I searched his eyes making sure I didn't lose him. He certainly wasn't taking this too hard but what can you expect, Nik locked him in a coffin for over six hundred years.
"I'll take care of it," I heard Rebekah say.
"Rebekah we made a deal with them," Elijah said cautiously.
"But now Nik's dead, there is no deal. I'm not asking for permission Elijah. I'll ask for yours though Tatia." Rebekah said to me and I remembered that to kill Alaric you had to kill Elena.
"Make it painless. The girl's already been through much." I paused and pulled away from Kol enough to face both Rebekah and Elijah. I looked at Elijah my gaze concerned. "If there was another way then I would take it Elijah. But the man killed Nik. As much of a bastard as he was his killer is going to pay for it. He'd do the same for us. I'm going back to the house. This has been a particularly long and terrible night. I can't wait until it's over." I said sincerely before turning away and running desperate to leave.
I woke up against Kol's chest like I'd gone to sleep. For a minute I let myself lay there not thinking at all until I remembered the last time I woke up like that was the first night I spent here and Nik decided to play. I got up wincing at the memory at walked out of my room detached from the world around me. I ended up in the small ballroom where Nik and I danced the other night.
Automatically I started dancing by myself. Stepping where I did not so long ago imagining that Nik was dancing with me urging me to consider him. I spun around again and found myself dancing with Elijah. We continued dancing and it seemed peaceful for a few moments. We slowed to a stop as the non-existent music stopped.
"How are you?" He asked softly taking a step back his tone the same as it was last night.
"We both know the answer to that," I said softly.
"I don't think I do," he said looking at me his gaze searching mine. "The girl I used to know would've killed Kol last night, and she certainly wouldn't have doomed her descendant to that fate."
"The girl you used to know grew up Elijah. I thought you knew that. They say age makes you wiser," I say taking a step away from Elijah and glancing over my shoulder at him before continuing, "and they're partly correct. But it's not age itself, it's life. What it takes and gives you. I've had people taken from me soon after they've appeared. I grew up had a kid, thought it died, then died myself. I've lived for longer than I needed. I watched the world grow old and in the end, it changes you. I'm not the little girl you met over a thousand years ago. She died at the same time the strange family from the old world did. Good luck Lijah, good luck." I said pausing at the doorway and looking over my shoulder at him where he stood looking at the ground in the middle of the room.
I got to my room and saw Kol was still asleep. At least I thought he was until he cracked his eyes open holding my gaze. I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed and he grabbed my hand and then tugged me down until I was lying down again using his chest for a pillow.
"Are you okay?" He asked carefully breaking the silence.
"He's really gone isn't he?" I ask instead of answering.
"I keep denying that he is. He deserved what he got, but in the end I will never get used to the fact that he's gone. I know I'm an idiot for missing him."
"No, he was your older brother just like Finn. Finn's life may have been brief but he died your older brother like Nik did. Besides he was the one that taught you how to fight."
"How'd you know that?" He asked playfully. "Did you spy on us men my dear Tatia?" I smiled at this recalling the one rule I never felt like going through the trouble of breaking.
"No you just fought like him, all the time. Not like your father in any way, or Elijah for that matter. You learned some tricks from Nik and he taught you to come up with your own. You were his little brother, his favorite even over Henrik."
"Henrik went on all the good adventures though," Kol thought ruefully.
"He didn't bring you because it was too dangerous. He loved Henrik, but not enough to not let him go into a dangerous situating like he did you. Besides, I saw Henrik beg Nik to let him go with, on his knees and everything." I saw him smile grimly and matched his smile with my own.
"So what do we do now?" He asked softly. I looked up at him and watched him thinking over my words carefully. "Lie here and remember my brother wish he was still around-"
"We move on," I say cutting him off. "There's nothing left that we can say or do that'll bring him back. we might as well move on and try to forget. That's the reason immortality is a curse. People die and you go on living wishing things could be different." We sat up when we heard crashes but sighed and went back to reminiscing.
"I'd guess that Rebekah threw something at Elijah, or a wall. Six hundred years in a box and she still doesn't change."
"The one constant in this world." I say shaking my head.