Thank you for all the feedback. Nadine didn't marry Elijah, it was Tristan the whole time. He was compelled to think that he is Elijah. They got their memories back when Elijah was daggered in Italy. Please ask if you have any questions.

Part 30

Lucien was completely numb when he held his sobbing sister. His sobbing naked sister. A sister who he had groped more than once. A sister who he had tried to kiss. A sister who he had wanted to… No, he really couldn't finish that thought. He felt sick to his stomach. This whole thing was nothing but foul. He would have actually bedded his own baby sister if she wouldn't have turned him down. More than once. Dear Lord… He felt the need to throw up.

"Nadine?" Tristan's cautious voice said.

Lucien's eyes darkened and he tightened his embrace. Tristan was standing in front of them, he was only wearing pants and he had a blanket with him.

"Stay away from her!" Lucien snarled furiously.

"She is naked," Tristan replied tensely.

"I can see that!" Lucien shouted. "Get out!"

Tristan pressed his lips together and handed Lucien the blanket.

"Here. Put this around her. Please."

Lucien forced himself to take the blanket and calm down enough to use a much kinder tone when he spoke again.

"Nadine? May I put a blanket around you?"

She didn't say anything, she was still crying.

"Sister? It's alright, I will just…"

"No!" she cried out and desperately clung to him when he tried to pull away. "Don't… Don't let go."

"I won't, I won't," he assured as calmingly as he could. "I will just put this blanket around you, alright? Will you let me do that?"

She didn't say anything, but she didn't fight either when he wrapped the blanket around her. Lucien was too occupied to notice Aurora who had just entered the room. Tristan zoomed over to her and hugged her tightly.

"Sister…"

Nadine was shaking in Lucien's arms; he sat down on the floor and leaned his back against the wall. Gently he guided Nadine with him and tucked her head into his shoulder. She still hadn't stopped crying, he felt her tears soak through his shirt. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling right now. Her past and her whole life had been taken from her; she had been completely helpless and vulnerable. An easy prey for Tristan. Just the thought made Lucien furious. He had sacrificed his life to save Nadine from Tristan and it had all been for nothing.

Selling his sister for a noble rank… No, he hadn't done that. He had tried to kill Tristan and died when the guards had stopped him. Fortunately Lucien had run into Niklaus before that and attacked him for hurting Nadine. When Niklaus had dared to say that it had been an accident, he hadn't meant to hurt Nadine, Lucien had completely lost it and stabbed Niklaus. Things hadn't ended well, Niklaus had accidently cut Lucien with that same knife while trying to calm him down. The wound had healed immediately, thanks to Niklaus' blood on the knife.

Lucien had thought that he had become like Niklaus and attacked Tristan. Sadly Lucien hadn't known that he needed to die before he would actually become like Niklaus. He looked up and saw that Tristan and Aurora were also sitting on the floor, he was holding her. There was no expression on Aurora's face when Lucien met her gaze. What had happened to her was even more brutal than what had happened to Lucien. Niklaus had cruelly toyed with her feelings, made her fall in love with him and then abandoned her. She had cut her wrists and would have bled to death if Rebekah wouldn't have found her.

Lucien had loved Aurora with all his heart and Niklaus had treated her like she would be worthless. How Tristan had become like them, that part Lucien didn't know. All he remembered was Elijah's compulsion. He hadn't been Lucien anymore, he had been Niklaus. Tristan had been his brother, Aurora had been his sister and Nadine… She had been a pretty little human who he had wanted to toy with. He remembered exactly how he had admired her body. The thought really made him sick.

The worst part was that he had been with her the whole time, unable to protect her. He had let Tristan wed her and use her for one hundred years. Granted, he did owe Tristan for turning her, but that didn't change anything. Besides, Tristan had only turned her because he hadn't wanted to lose his little toy. Lucien, or Niklaus, had used to tease Tristan about that.

All the "brotherly" moments they had shared felt nothing but grotesque now. Lucien had no idea how long the four of them had been sitting on the floor when he noticed that Nadine had stopped crying. She didn't move or make a sound. Tristan had kept looking at her, but Lucien didn't pay any attention to him. The only way Tristan would ever touch Nadine again would be over Lucien's dead body.

"They did this to us," Aurora's voice said after a very long silence. "I think they deserve to pay."

"I most definitely agree," Lucien replied and touched Nadine's hair. "And they will pay."

Aurora nodded approvingly and looked at Tristan.

"What say you, brother? Are you with us?"

"Yes," Tristan murmured, he was looking at Nadine.

"Good. Nadine?"

She didn't say anything; her head was still leaning on Lucien's shoulder.

"Nadine?" Aurora repeated. "Are you with us?"

There was no answer.

"I do not think she can…" Lucien started, but Aurora had already zoomed in front of them. She grabbed Nadine and yanked her to her feet.

"Hey!" Lucien protested when Aurora slapped Nadine.

"Pull yourself together," Aurora ordered firmly.

Nadine blinked few times and looked at Aurora.

"Thank you," Nadine muttered, her voice held no emotion.

"No problem," Aurora replied. "So, are you with us?"

"Yes, I am."

Aurora tapped her shoulder and took a step back.

"Alright. I say the four of us will make a pact, right here, right now. The four of us against the family who took everything from us. We do not have to like each other or even tolerate each other, but for now on, we shall watch each other's backs, no matter what." Aurora paused and giggled. "We shall become even worse travesty of a family than what they made us."

"That is not going to happen," Lucien snapped and glared at Tristan. "I will never…"

"What did I just say?" Aurora cut in. "We do not have to like each other, that makes no difference."

Lucien crossed his arms and glanced at Nadine. Her face was completely blank.

"Nadine…" Tristan started.

"Do not talk to her," Lucien snapped.

"She is my wife," Tristan replied tensely.

"No, she is not; she was "Elijah's" wife. Not yours. I will kill you if you ever try to touch her again."

Tristan's eyebrows furrowed.

"That is almost amusing coming from you. If I recall, you were the one who harassed her after couple of steins."

Lucien growled and attacked Tristan; no more than a second later they were wrestling on the floor.

"I will kill you!"

Aurora giggled and wrapped her arm around Nadine who was frozen like a statue.

"Should we do something?" Nadine murmured absentmindedly.

"No, I think they need to settle things. See, we are just like a real family already."