Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait DX i got sick and it was rough to do much of anything for awhile. Buuuut Im better and back :) i realllly could use some opinions on whether she should end up with Klaus, Kol, or both. So leave a review and tell me what you think pretty pleaseeeee. Alright! Heres the update :) enjoy
Chapter 17:
Mari locked her bedroom door once she got back to the compound. For just a little while, she wanted to be left alone. Her date with Marcel had gone terribly thanks to Klaus and Kol, and Mari still wasn't entirely sure how to feel. On one hand, it still felt like that were just toying with her. On the other, they seemed a little jealous. It was hard to know what to think.
She slipped out of her shoes, nudging them under the bed with her now bare foot. She pulled the pin from her hair, letting her bangs fall back into place just above her left eye. Her earrings came out next, then the necklace she wore was put away in her jewelry box.
Mari moved into the bathroom, wiping her lipstick and eye makeup away in frustration. All the effort she put into making the date go well went to waste. She likely stood no chance with Marcel, especially with Klaus and Kol standing in the way. Should she be happy or angry that they intervened? She didn't know. At the moment she was just frustrated and embarrassed.
Once her contacts were removed, and her thin black framed glasses were atop her nose where they belonged, she moved into the bedroom to change out of the form fitting black dress she was wearing. It had gone to waste just like everything else. Mari sighed at the thought. She was so excited when Freya let her borrow it, but now it just made her sad.
Her frustration only worsened when she heard a knock at her door. It was locked still, and Mari had no intentions of unlocking it.
"Mari, love," came Kol's voice. "Perhaps we should have a talk." She half expected Klaus to chime in next since they seemed to have become partners in crime. When Klaus' voice never came, she reluctantly moved to open the door. She peeked around it at him.
"Where's Klaus?"
"Helping Elijah and Freya with something," Kol explained vaguely. "A family matter." He gave a sympathetic frown. "May I come in, Mari?" She looked up at him for a moment, took a deep breath, then stepped aside to let him in.
"I'm going to bed soon, so..." she cleared her throat, leaving the door open so Kol didn't think he could stay for a long period of time. He eyed her for a moment, his eyes unconsciously surveying her in that little black dress. Mari shifted her body to gain his attention again. "What do you need, Kol?" She tried not to sound angry at him.
"You're upset with Klaus and I, Mari. I imagine I owe you an apology." He ran a hand through his shaggy browm hair. He'd grown it out a bit since Davina's death. "We just wanted to make sure he didnt try to hurt you. Marcel will stop at nothing to destroy us, and he knows how bothered we would be if something happened to you."
"Bothered," she repeated to herself. It wasnt exactly a great word for the circumstances. "Well, I don't think he's planning to use me to get to you. He just wanted a date, Kol. Thats all. I could be paranoid and think about it like that, but... I want to believe that he asked me out because he likes me."
"Im sure he does, but that doesnt mean he wont use you," Kol tried not to push or make her angrier. "I wont lie and say that seeing you out with him, looking like that..." His eyes glazed over her again. "It did make me a little envious of Marcel. Klaus, too. The spell was his idea."
"Of course it was. He thinks he owns me now," she scoffed, thinking aloud without really meaning to. Her cheeks flushed at the memory of that night behind the bar. Kol took noticed of her words and her expression, then connected it to Klaus' secretive gaze from earlier.
"Why would he think that?" Kol pried a little. Mari dropped her gaze, then lifted it back to meet his. She looked up at him from under her glasses, her bottom lip between her teeth. There was a pang in Kol's chest. "Mari, why would he think that?"
"I-I don't know, Kol." She was a terrible liar. He could hear her heart racing, and see the guilt all over her face. Kol became a little upset then, wondering what Klaus had done behind his back to their dear Mari. Kol tilted her small face up with his thumb,
"What happened?"
"He fed from me. You know that."
"What else?" Kol demanded to know, though he didnt mean to sound intimidating to her. He didnt understand why she was lying, and it was frustrsting him to no end. "What else did he do, Mari?" Kol fought the urge to compel it out of her, having to blink rapidly to stop himself.
"He..." She swallowed hard in fear. "He g-grabbed me and..." Mari knew she shouldn't tell Kol what happened between her and Klaus. It would hurt him surely, and she never wanted to hurt him. He had been sweet to her, and he was helping her get money together to move her brother away.
"And?"
"H-He..." It was hard to say, and she didnt have the right words to explain it without being vulgar or too blunt. Mari desperately wanted to find words that could cushion the blow it would surely deal to Kol. Then again, she also wanted to tell him in a way that didnt put all of the blame on Klaus. She sighed, then steadied herself.
"Yes?"
"I let him touch me," she blurted out before she could change her mind. Kol's eyes widened a bit, and she could see his jaw tighten. "He pushed me up against the wall, and his hand went into my jeans, and I just... I didn't stop him. He didnt do anything else, Kol, I swear. I wouldn't let him, I won't." She reached forward to latch onto his biceps with both hands.
"Did you enjoy it?" He asked her, and her heart nearly stopped. How could he ask her that? It seemed like he already knew the answer but was asking her just to torture her. She nodded slowly, shamefully. "And if it was me?" He questioned. "Would you have stopped me?"
"No," she said with even more shame, hating that it was the truth. "No, I wouldnt have stopped you either." Her grip on his arms tightened a little as her hands began to tremble. "You must think I'm easy." She felt like it. Letting Klaus put his hands on her and enjoying it while actively admitting she would enjoy it with Kol, too, made her feel like she was being easy.
Before Kol had time to answer or respond, his name was called by Elijah downstairs. He let out a long sigh, then headed for the door.
"Come on," he told her, encouraging her to come with him. Mari hesitated for a moment, then followed him out of the room and down the steps that led to the courtyard. Klaus was sitting at the little metal and glass table by the plants, and Freya was standing near him. Elijah had some kind of knife in his hand, twirling it mindlessly and skillfully.
"Ah, brother, good news," Elijah greeted Kol. His gaze flicked to Mari briefly. "Nice of you to join us, Mari. As I'm sure you are unaware, our dearest sister has been in a bit of trouble. Freya believes she found a way to help. We just require a bit of your blood is all, Kol."
"Take whatever you need," he told Freya, offering up his hand. Freya moved to the table where Klaus was sitting, pulling Kol's hand over a large wooden bowl in the center of it. She sliced through his palm, and his blood spilled quickly into the bowl. "Will this work?"
"Maybe," Freya answered with a sigh. "It's worth a shot." She thanked him, then left the room with the bowl. Elijah fixed the sleeve of his suit jacket, then looked to Mari.
"Mari, it's actually perfect timing for you to grace us with your presence," he looked at her. "Hayley will be arriving before long with little Hope, so I have arranged for you to stay at the hotel down the street until she departs. It's important to keep the little one close. I hope you understand."
"Of course," she nodded. Hope. Kol had mentioned that name before. It was Klaus' daughter, from what she understood. Not much was explained to her, and she didn't figure it was her place to ask. "When should I go check in?"
"Any time before Friday." A scoff from Klaus drew Elijah's attention to him. Mari stayed quiet and near the steps. Kol lingered beside her. "Yes, Klaus?"
"Sending her out of reach seems like a mistake with Marcellus circling us and our loved ones," Klaus noted with an unhappy expression. "I understand that her room must go to Hayley and Hope, but perhaps she could stay with me instead. I dont mind sharing my room. She can have the bed."
"I actually think she may be more comfortable staying with me," Kol argued. There was a deep, audible sigh from Elijah.
"Children, please. If you wish for her to stay close, discuss it with her. She can choose to stay with one of you or sleep at the hotel." Elijah shot her an empathetic expression, then started off towards the room Freya disappeared into. "Let her decide, brothers. Her comfort takes precedence."
Mari was sad to see him go, as his presence gave her a bit of comfort in the situation. He seemed like the one to keep people under control. Klaus stood, taking a few steps towards Kol and Mari. She didn't even have to look at Kol to know he had tensed up dramatically, struggling to maintain his composure.
"Well, love, where would you like to stay?" Klaus asked her with a soft smile.
"With me," Kol interjected before Klaus could respond. "Or at the hotel as Elijah arranged. She will not be staying with you, Klaus." They locked eyes, both glaring at one another.
"You'd rather her be alone in a hotel, then? What if Marcel were to attack her again? Or any of our numerous enemies that still lurk about?" Klaus sounded paranoid, but Mari had grown to understand that being protective and proactive was in his nature.
"She doesn't belong to you," Kol stated bluntly, moving closer to Mari. "She knows as well as I do that your intentions are not pure. They never are, and they never will be." The tension was almost dizzying to Mari. She wanted to disappear entirely.
"Ah," Klaus nodded as something clicked in his head. "She told you about our little moment together behind her work place." That smirk made her blush, but it infurtiated Kol. Klaus reached out to touch her reddening cheeks, and without thinking, Kol just reacted.
He grabbed Klaus by the arm, then flung him into the table clear across the room. Mari let out a surprised cry, bringing her hands up to her mouth. Klaus was up in and instant and ready to retaliate, but Mari stood in the way of Kol. Klaus paused when her small hand pressed into his chest, looking down at her with fury in his eyes.
"Don't," she pleaded. "I'm going to stay at the hotel. You can't refuse to let me. Elijah won't let you." She needed a break from them, and they needed a break from her. It was all becoming too much. "I promise Marcel won't hurt me. I'll be safe. Please just... don't."
"Alright," Klaus let out a breath, taking a step back and dusting himself off. "Next time, little brother, our dear Mari won't be around to protect you." He walked off, thankfully, and Mari relaxed a little. Kol made a move towards her to touch her, to apologize, to make amends.
However, Mari immediately walked away, heading up the stairs and away from his grasp. She didn't look back, didn't say a word. Guilt caused him to ache, but he let her have her space. He couldnt push too hard. Marcel had been right. If he wasnt careful, Kol would push her right into Klaus' arms.