October 19, 2012
Sometimes, Finn Mikaelson worried he'd become an alcoholic.
He'd never taken much of a liking to alcohol. No matter how stressed he'd been in the past, he'd never allowed any substances (and especially not blood) to become his coping mechanism. Somehow, that (and other things) made his siblings find him boring. Now, he drank to forget them. And lately he wanted to forget them often.
He'd been going to Rousseau's every single day for the past four months. Though, until tonight, he hadn't had anything interesting happen there.
Esther had tasked him with getting to know Camille O'Connell. He was to obtain information from her and eventually prepare her to be a vessel. Kol's task was to chat up Davina Claire. Finn was satisfied with his instructions, but it did leave him constantly seated at a bar with nothing to do but drink and listen. Never when Cami was working, though.
He had barely introduced himself to her today. And yet, he already knew so much about her. If he were a better man he might have warned her that her coworkers had a habit of talking loudly about her. Never anything bad, but still... anyone could know her whole life story just from sitting here a few days while two particularly vocal bartenders were working.
The bar wasn't interesting. The drinks were simply fine. Sometimes he tried new combinations. He often forgot his mortality and the fact he could now succumb to alcohol poisoning. Somehow, he enjoyed that.
The bell at the door rang, indicating there was a new customer. He was on his fourth glass of bourbon, and didn't look up.
Until he heard her voice.
"Don't you look absolutely darling," said the woman who stood beside him, leaning over the bar to speak to the female bartender, who was wearing a leather jacket and dark red lipstick.
"Thank you," said the bartender kindly. "What can I get you?"
The woman looked into her eyes to compel her. "Do you know Klaus Mikaelson?"
"Yes," the woman replied unintentionally. "He comes by the bar often."
"Wonderful, dear. Where does he live? I don't have the exact address."
"I don't know the number but I know it's on the corner of Royal and Dumaine. The building is hard to miss."
"Perfect." She slid some money toward her. "Your best whiskey, please. I'm going to need it."
"What's your business with Klaus Mikaelson?" asked the bartender curiously as she went to fix the drink. "My coworker is friends with him. He's a vampire, apparently, a really scary one."
"Is he?" asked the other woman sweetly, as if she had no idea. "How terrifying. No offense, darling, but stick with making my drink. My business with that wretched family is of no concern to you. Forget I ever mentioned his name."
The bartender nodded. Finn realized the woman was now facing him, and he'd been gawking at her like an idiot.
"I suggest you turn away," she said lowly. "Before I pluck your eyeballs from your skull."
He snapped his head down, his heart beating a million miles an hour, ready to leap out of his chest. He hadn't seen that face in a thousand years. And suddenly, she was right beside him. So close, he could touch her. Hold her hand.
But if he did, she'd kill him. She had no idea who he really was, given he bore a face quite different from his own.
He blinked several times, taking another sip from his glass, closing his eyes to bring forth memories he rarely looked back on, because they always hurt too much to think of.
Finn was sick of this.
He wished to leave. Wished to be separated from his siblings, as Kol suggested. They could have each gone their own way. He and Kol, especially, had never been part of Elijah, Klaus, and Rebekah's little group. They'd fare better against Mikael somewhere they could be happy.
But no. They insisted on sticking together like a posse of children. And so, Finn supported Rebekah in her idea, which would allow them to finally sleep in comfortable beds for the night. Maybe, this servant, Lucien, would truly be of some use.
They made it past the Count. They were settled into rooms, and given more clothes to wear beyond what they already had from the people they'd killed.
It felt good to bathe. To be clean after weeks on the road, sleeping behind bushes and hoping that that wouldn't be the day Mikael caught up to them.
"Finn," called Elijah when the eldest brother had settled by the window of his room, gazing out at the land the Count de Martel owned. "We ought to head downstairs."
He didn't complain. He followed his brother out into the long hallway, and down several staircases until they reached the ballroom. Elijah immediately went to the Count, having decided he was the best at distracting him so that his siblings could relax for a while. Finn didn't mind. He hated the Count.
Suddenly, all the attendants started to whisper. They turned to the opposite door, seeing a man leading two women into the room. He glanced over to where Klaus and Lucien were chatting, listening in as Klaus inquired, "Who are they?
"Oh, the Count's children," replied Lucien. "The Lord Tristan. The woman with the beautiful red hair is the Lady Aurora, and—"
"She is exquisite," said Klaus, causing Finn to be left without finding out the second woman's name. She was the one that stood out to him.
She seemed to be older than her sister. Beautiful, with shining blue-green eyes and dark, long and curly locks of hair that had been braided and tied into a ponytail to settle a band of jewels over her head. She had a sad look about her, quite unlike her sister, who was smiling and enjoying the attention. Tristan let Aurora go once she saw Rebekah and wished to greet her. But he kept a tight hold on the other sister, and turned to speak with her.
"Are you quite sure you are up for this?" he whispered. "I can take you back to your room. It may be far too soon."
"Father would be furious if I left," she replied, glancing at the floor. "It has been a month. Apparently, I no longer have room to grieve. Excuse me, brother, I ought to greet our guests."
Finn was approached by Tristan later in the night, seeing as they were both the eldest out of their sibling groups. Both subconsciously watched the still-unnamed de Martel sister that was trying her hardest to be friendly.
"You seem rather worried," noticed Finn after they'd made idle chit-chat about where Finn and his siblings hailed from. All lies, well rehearsed thanks to Lucien.
"I am," replied Tristan, eyes flickering between both of his sisters. "My sister, Elaine," he nodded in the direction of his elder sister, "was recently left widowed."
Finn frowned. "That would explain the profound sadness I see in her eyes."
"She did not love the man she was made to marry, initially. Our father forced the marriage upon them. However, she came to appreciate him, to respect him, and eventually, she loved him."
"How did he die?"
"An accident. Though, Elaine and I both suspect our father played a hand in it. Her husband went on a hunting trip with us, and I do not understand how he was killed from it. Suddenly, all of his lands belonged to my father, as he had no other siblings, and his own parents died not long ago. Elaine has refused to leave her room for a month. My father insisted she make an appearance tonight, given you and your siblings have arrived as guests."
Finn hummed to himself, watching as Elaine drifted to where Rebekah and Aurora were, clearly more comfortable beside her sister. "In moments where our family suffers, we wish more than anything to ease them of their pain. Knowing we cannot is... horrible."
"Indeed," agreed Tristan.
Over the next few days, Finn tried to gather the courage to speak to Elaine. He saw her every night at dinner, staring down at her plate and hardly making conversation. He saw her in the garden, caressing the petals and leaves aimlessly. Several times he passed her in the hallway and she didn't even register his presence. He feared disturbing her. At the same time, he wished more than anything to know her.
At last, he was on his way to his room when he found her in the hallway, hidden behind a pillar, staring out of a window. It was clear of servants, and he chose to make his approach.
"Lady Elaine," said Finn, startling her. She stepped away from the pillar, clutching her chest. "Forgive me, I did not mean to frighten you."
"Lord Finn," she replied, curtsying and turning to look at the floor. "It is good to speak to you, at last."
He suddenly frowned. As she'd been speaking, he heard a strange noise, aside from the usual heartbeat that would sound firm in a human's chest. It was a more rapid series of palpitations, and it didn't take long for him to figure out what it was.
"Are you with child?" he asked her, wondering if she even knew.
The expression she bore indicated she'd had no idea. "With child?" she whispered. "No... I cannot be. Why would you think such a thing?"
"A feeling," he said awkwardly. "After all, I was alive to see my mother carrying all five of my younger siblings."
"It does not mean you can know when a woman is with child." She gave a nervous laugh. "What a silly thing to say."
"I assure you, milady, that I do not say it to be silly. I am not jesting. I have a very... very strong feeling that you are with child. I do not mean to pry, but are you scheduled to bleed in the coming days? Perhaps I could be mistaken. Only then will you know."
"Oh, dear," she whispered, covering her mouth. "I was meant to bleed when you arrived. I assumed I did not due to my grief, my anger..." She clutched her stomach. "This cannot happen," she whispered, her eyes wide when she realized that the baby must have been conceived shortly before her husband was killed. "My husband is dead. I cannot have a child without a husband!"
"Surely they will understand you did not conceive this child out of wedlock."
"They will not believe me! My husband and I... we were married six years and we did not produce heirs... we only just consummated our marriage prior to his death. They will not believe the child to be his! We kept it secret that we did not lie together. I was afraid... so, so very afraid..." she was beginning to panic. "My father will arrange another marriage for me to ensure no one asks questions... to ensure I do not raise the child alone..." she looked at him desperately, "You must keep this a secret! Swear to me you will not tell a soul!"
"I promise, I will not divulge your secret," he said. "What do you plan to do, Lady Elaine? If it has been a month since your husband died, you do not have long before you will be unable to hide it. Did you bleed a month prior?"
Her eyes welled up with tears. "No... no, I did not. I never expected... I could not think it to be related..." She swallowed hard and fixed her posture. "I will speak with my brother when... I confirm it. He will know what to do."
In keeping her secret, Finn became her friend. He would check on her every day, wondering if she'd already told Tristan or not. She had performed the test on herself, which only confirmed what Finn could hear louder and louder day by day: the child's heartbeat.
She kept putting off her conversation with Tristan, and Finn knew that soon enough, her symptoms would become quite apparent, and her dresses would not conceal the bump that'd grow as her womb did. He attempted to convince her that it was proper to speak with him soon. But she was frightened. Frightened that Tristan would see fit to tell their father. Perhaps she would be married to someone worse this time around.
Seeing her fear, Finn made her another promise. To save her from an arranged marriage with someone she did not like or know at all, he could wed her. He would take her anywhere she wished to go, raising the child as his own so that she wouldn't have to do it alone.
"You are serious," she noticed when he pitched the idea. "You believe you could... wed me?"
"I will," said Finn. "I will speak with your brother when you are ready. If he does not believe your father will trust this child to be your husband's, I will claim it is mine. We will be wed quickly, and no one need know the truth if you do not wish them to. Elaine..."
She gasped when he got on one knee. "You are, first and foremost, my friend, and I will not abandon you in this journey. We will marry, and I will take you far from here. I have worked with a midwife many times, I will deliver your child, I will keep you both safe. No one will ever harm either of you."
"Lord Finn!" she exclaimed, thoroughly flustered. "What you suggest, it will tear you from your family."
"You will be my family, Elaine. You are my family. You and your unborn child. I will protect you. You need only say yes, and when you are ready, I will become your husband."
That had been the first time she kissed him.
The second time had been when he brought food to her room, once she'd started to feel ill every morning.
"Elaine," he said, sitting at her bedside and setting the food tray down on her table before helping her sit up. He checked her forehead, seeing that she was running a temperature. "Here, you must eat."
"You are too kind to me, Finn," she whispered as he brought the tray to her lap. She leaned over, pressing her lips against his, caressing his cheek before drawing back to start eating.
The third time had been after she'd told Tristan the truth, and he'd held her hand while she cried, telling him that her brother feared their father would not allow a marriage between her and Finn.
"That is absurd," he said sharply, not meaning to grow so angry and make her flinch slightly. "Your brother must know that your father will pair you with horrid suitors otherwise!"
"We all know the truth now, Finn," said Elaine weakly. "Except my father. We know what you and your siblings are. You are not true lords, if my father were to find out, it would put you in immense danger. Besides, you cannot run away with me if Mikael will continue to hunt your siblings."
"I do not give a damn about them! They have already turned Lucien, have already allowed your sister to become a beast like us. Your father does not need to know the truth. All we require is for him to call forth a priest and we will be wed and gone before he learns that the real Count de Guise has long since been dead."
"Tristan worries, Finn, it will be too suspicious. The maids whisper, they know of our meetings, and though it might support our lie of an affair, my father will think it improper and sinful and he may not allow it! He may prefer to cast me out of the castle! To mark my child a bastard! My father has resented us ever since my mother died. He believes it to be Aurora's fault, and he has hated us more each day since her birth. He is unpredictable, he will hurt us."
"We are running out of time, Elaine, your dresses hardly conceal your bump. If we do not propose this marriage now, your secret will be exposed and your father will take you away from me."
"Tristan knows my father best, if he fears his reaction, we ought to as well."
"I will ensure your father does what we wish him to. I will do it, I will persuade him. I will not abandon you, Elaine. I fear no man, certainly not a Count who mistreats his own children for an absurd reason!"
She pressed her lips against his, shutting her eyes tightly. He wrapped his arms around her, attempting to hold her as close to his body as he could. Her belly now got in the way of that.
"We will tell him, then," whispered Elaine. "And if he does not accept... I will stage an accident just as he did for my husband. Tristan will become the Count and he will honor our marriage."
He nodded, and slipped off the necklace he was wearing. It was a simple string, from which was attached a small circular chip of wood. It had been given to him by Mikael, bearing the symbol of his clan. As the eldest son, Finn had carried it all his life.
He placed the necklace on Elaine. "Keep this, as my promise to you. That we will be wed. And I will love you for all eternity. Always and forever. Until forever ends."
And then, everything had fallen apart.
Elijah had not wanted the de Martel siblings to run with them, though they were all willing. Aurora and Lucien, for Klaus's sake. Tristan, because he knew his sister would lose her mind if she was not able to be with Finn. Elijah refused to allow it.
Unbeknownst to all of them, he compelled Aurora to end her relationship with Klaus. He'd turned Tristan, and had been making a beeline for Elaine when Finn stopped him, only just saving her from the same fate when he revealed that she was pregnant.
"STOP!" Finn had yelled, rushing between them as Elaine shrieked and flinched, thinking that Elijah would snap her neck just as he did Tristan's, moments ago. He grabbed his brother roughly, restraining him. "She is with child, Elijah! If you kill her, the child will not survive!"
Elaine started to breathe heavily, sinking down and holding her stomach. Finn turned to her, kneeling at her side. "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.
She nodded. "Do not go," she pleaded, reaching out to grab his hand. "Stay with me."
"I promise, I will—" He was abruptly pulled away from her by Elijah, who'd just finished compelling Tristan. In the blink of an eye, the Mikaelsons were gone. Forcing Finn to go with them.
"FINN!" she screamed. "FINN!" Tristan put his arms around her, holding her back. Finn could still hear her screams as he was dragged along with his siblings.
He always wondered what had happened to Elaine. He and his siblings had fled, leaving only Tristan, Aurora, and Lucien compelled as decoys for Mikael. He expected Elaine would have gone with them. He honestly hadn't known what her fate ended up being. They'd left her alone with three newly turned vampires who weren't in their right minds. They might have killed her, and her child.
He didn't think much of her, because he knew he could never go back to see her again. Because it hurt him to think of what could have been. He'd met Sage, fallen in love, turned her. Then, he'd been daggered. The compulsion would have ended on the three First Sired, but he wouldn't know what came of it, because he was left in a coffin for nine hundred years. And he'd returned to life only for a brief moment before he was killed.
And even while on the Other Side, when Elaine crept into his thoughts, he couldn't find her. He assumed she had died a long time ago.
Yet, the woman standing beside him looked just as she had a millennia ago. The only real difference was that her hair was shorter. Her clothes, more modern. And Finn couldn't help but look down at the lack of a significant bump on her belly. He had a terrible feeling that she'd lost her child. Perhaps she'd turned and shut off her humanity. Perhaps the Elaine beside him wasn't the Elaine he remembered. How could she be? A thousand years ago, her heart was broken for the second time and she'd been pregnant. It was entirely possible she'd miscarried. An event like that would have changed her forever.
"Excuse me," said Elaine, noticing he was staring again. "I don't take kindly to twits like you eyeing me like I'm a rack of lamb. Leave, or I will make you leave. And it won't be in one piece."
"Forgive me," he said, trying to pretend he was truly an alcoholic who'd had too much to drink. He wiggled the glass in his hand, letting the liquid swirl around. He extracted his wallet and paid his tab, walking out of Rousseau's.
He didn't know where he was going. He thought of returning to the Lafayette Cemetery, but he had no desire to see Esther or Kol. He was still in shock, unable to believe Elaine could still be alive. Alive and well, from the looks of it.
What was her business here? In this city? At this time? She was clearly alone. He feared it wasn't safe for her to go anywhere near Klaus without backup. What, then, was she here to do? Was she going to help him? Had he missed a chapter where Elaine and Klaus became friends? She'd witnessed Elijah's compulsion of her siblings and Lucien. Surely by now she knew Elijah had compelled Aurora to break Klaus's heart. She would certainly hate Elijah, of that he had no doubt. How she felt about Klaus, however, he didn't know. But certainly someone like her wouldn't be foolish enough to trust she'd be safe around him.
He was worried about her. He'd always worried about her.
Elaine, however, was not concerned about her safety at the present moment. She finished her series of drinks then exited the bar, heading back to her hotel room.
"Rory," said Elaine, walking with her phone against her ear. "I'm in."
"And?" she inquired. "Have you seen them yet?"
"No. I'm going to bide my time. Take a moment to observe, to learn more about them. I need to find Rebekah alone to speak with her. I do not trust Elijah or Niklaus with this matter."
"Sister, do you really think this is a good idea? Darling... Finn died a long time ago. I'm not sure Rebekah will have much to offer you."
"I have to know, Aurora," she said softly, beginning to tear up. "I have to know everything I can about him. I was too late. It took too long for word to reach us that the Mikaelsons had been freed of their stupid coffins. I didn't make it in time. I could have seen him, but when I arrived, he was already dead and like a coward, I left. I've waited too long. I must see if Rebekah has anything of his that I can keep. Two of the Originals have died. Rebekah is our sire, and if anything should happen to her... if we should die as a result... then I will forever regret not asking her this while she is still alive. I shouldn't have let Tristan stop me from sending a legion of Strix to annihilate those little brats who killed Finn and Kol."
"You would have alerted the Originals of our interference there. The Strix do not want conflict with them. I am not ready to face Niklaus, I still feel as though my heart might shatter merely thinking about him. Ever since I learned he was going to become a father, all the confidence I had to speak to him simply shattered. Please, Elaine, do not do anything stupid."
"I'll be in and out in no time. Find Rebekah, speak to Rebekah, get what I can of Finn's and return to France. Perhaps this time we'll vacation somewhere tropical." She held up her phone, seeing she was getting another call. "I will speak to you later, Rory."
She switched calls. "How are you?"
"Fine," replied the man on the other line. "You?"
"Heading to my hotel. I will be alright."
"Are you sure you will be comfortable?"
"Quite. I already had one of my associates look for the tastiest humans to drain for a week-long supply of my favorite type of blood."
The man chuckled. "Crafty. I worry about you."
"Rey," she said gently, "I am your mother, it is my job to worry about you, not the other way around."
"You have worried about me for a thousand years, Mother," Reynard de Martel replied. "I do not wish to lose you. You are so far from us."
"I'll be back before you know it, mon bébé," replied Elaine. "I love you, darling. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Mother."
She hung up the phone, tucking it into her pocket and extracting the necklace that'd been tucked in her shirt. She ran her thumb over the indentations where the clan symbol was marked, and kissed the back of it.
"I miss you, Finn," she whispered. "I need more than just this piece of you."