CHAPTER LXXI
❝ Get up, come on. ❞
Lucy found the wolf pair downstairs, her feet pausing onto the last step as she heard soft sniffling sounds coming from Hayley while a comforting Vaishali hugged her from the behind.
"Are you okay, Hayley?" Lucy's brows furrowed as she rushed to the wolf's side. "What happened?"
"Oh, no, it's nothing." Hayley let out an unconvincing laugh, wiping on her cheek hastily as Vaishali pulled away from her.
"It clearly is something." Lucy gave her a look. "Well, did something happen with that wolf stalker?"
"No." Hayley made a confused face at her. "No."
"Okay." she nodded, casting a glance to Vaishali, "So is it something with Elijah? I saw you rushing out after him."
"Um, no. . ." Hayley murmured hesitantly, avoiding eye contact.
"It's okay, Hayley. She won't judge." Vaishali sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she turned to Lucy. "She went through Elijah's journals to tell Sophie Celeste's bones' location in return of freeing the wolf pack from its curse."
"Celeste. . .?" Lucy trailed off, looking at them with questioning eyes. "The one whose portrait Davina drew, claiming her to be some evil?"
"Yes, exactly that." Vaishali pursed her lips as Hayley gave an almost unnoticeable nod of her head.
"And what's the curse on the pack?"
"They're stuck in their wolf forms except for the full moons." Hayley explained as Vaishali grumbled out an 'uno reverse'. "Marcel made a witch curse them. Sophie said that she'll help me reverse it."
"And did she?"
"That's yet to be found out." Hayley sighed, defeat creeping up her features, before adding. "Elijah's clearly angry with me for what I did."
"Apologise to him. Speak your side clearly." Lucy suggested. "From all that I've heard of Elijah from Nik, he's good with apologies."
Hayley nodded at her, passing a thankful look but Lucy's lips morphed into a frown on seeing the look Vaishali was giving her.
"What?"
"You called him Nik." Vaishali stated. "You haven't called him that ever since the. . . Carol thing."
"Okay. Klaus. Happy?" Lucy gave her an unimpressed look.
Vaishali pursed her lips, looking down. "Look, if you wish to talk about anything, I'm here for you. Please don't hesitate."
"You're barely around, V." Lucy murmured, looking away from her.
"I'm here now, though." Vaishali looked at her before adding. "Besides, wolf business is my thing. They're my people even though I don't originate from that pack. Me and Hayley came to New Orleans to find her family. That's her family."
"I know I sound selfish," Lucy sighed, "but I just feel lonely nowadays. Especially with everything going on. I don't wish to talk to Klaus. I don't like Rebekah. Elijah is simply not that close. And Kol is gone to Australia already. And then there are you guys. You both live with me but most of the time you're in the Bayou."
"Then come with us to the Bayou." Vaishali suggested. "Live a little. We'll love to show you around."
"What about the werewolves?"
"They know their kind." Hayley spoke up, glancing down at her stomach.
"Okay. Tell me when you go there next time." Lucy nodded at them, before her eyes fell on the crates they were standing by. "Going somewhere?"
"What are you doing?" Klaus' voice rang out as he glanced at the crates full of food, making his way towards the trio.
"We were going to take these to the—" Hayley began.
"—if you say Bayou, I will find a nice, comfy dungeon and throw you in it. This is not the night to be out there." he scowled, giving them the look of a parent scolding a child.
"Well, it's because you angered Marcel and he took away Davina after punching you in the face." Vaishali commented, rolling her eyes.
"Marcel punched you?" Lucy shot an amused look to the Mikaelson.
"I was composed enough to not strike back." he said, beginning to pick up the crates. "Now, grab that lot and come with me."
◇◇◆◇◆◇◇
"The weather is becoming worse too fast." Vaishali commented as they entered the St. Anne's Church, the thunder rumbling in the background.
Father Kirrean's head snapped to their direction as he rose up to greet them. "We still haven't gone through all that you've already provided, Klaus."
Lucy's eyes flitted to Niklaus. She hadn't known of anything like this.
"This newest bit isn't from me." Niklaus explained handing over the crate to him.
"Oh." Father frowned, his eyes trailing to the wolf pair as Lucy stepped out of the line of sight. "Well, that's very kind of you. . .?"
"Vaishali." Vaishali introduced herself with a smile as Hayley followed suit.
"And Hayley." she nodded before her eyes swept over the people in the church. "And these people are?"
"I asked Father Kieran to give them shelter." Niklaus explained. "He suffers from the incessant desire to do good. But now, I need you to be useful. Marcel and Davina have disappeared. I assume from the stupefied look on your face they haven't sought refuge in your attic."
"No. Those days are gone," Father Kieran shook his head.
"Then energise your resources. I don't need to remind you how important it is they be found."
The former responded with a nod before walking away.
"This is your clan." Lucy stated, looking around at the werewolves surrounding them.
"Yes." he nodded shortly before turning to make his way out. "I'm waiting by the car outside. Elijah's probably already had information on their location."
"That sounded like something good that Klaus did." Vaishali joked, raising a brow at Lucy.
"He does many good things." Lucy gave her a look, a small smile curving on her lips, before it fell realising who she was talking about.
"Well," Lucy cleared her throat, "I'll wait outside too. Churches are not really my place. Just reminds me of all the blood and gore."
Lucy made her way out after receiving understanding nods from the pair, finding a quiet Niklaus promptly waiting by the car.
"You never told me you found them." Lucy spoke up, joining his side as they looked over at the violent rain pattering onto the gravel.
"It's not been long since." he responded, keeping his eyes peeled to the rain. "You weren't well at that time."
"You mean at the time I was thinking of killing your child?" Lucy asked, letting out a humourless laugh.
"Our child." he corrected, looking at her with a stern look.
"You could breathe a sigh." Lucy continued, not bothering to respond to his correction. "I have decided to not get of it."
"Her." he corrected yet again. "It is a her."
"It was Brie." she snapped, looking at him. "Until I realised I was just mentally ill and conjuring up crazy stuff. So don't expect me to fall in love with it immediately."
"It's our child, Lucy—"
"—please." she let out an annoyed sigh. "I have gone through the same thing with Cami already. And she has enlightened a path for me too."
"And that path must be. . .?" he frowned in confusion.
"That I'll manage." Lucy shrugged with a non-humorous smile. "Don't worry, I won't get your baby killed."
"Lucy," he sighed, "what I said yesterday was only to make you stop."
"Okay, and?" she gave him a flat uninterested look, picking on her nail to annoy him further.
"Oh god." he looked away from her in anger. "How long will things go on like this? I told you my side of that day in the messages. You've read them and yet you remain to act like this. I do not know what else to do. Tell me, please, what should I do to make things right? Do you—do you, what? Want me to get on my knees and beg? I swear to god, I'm ready to do that too."
Lucy stared at him for a good whole minute, her face impassive before she nodded, "I never read those messages you sent me. But, you know what, get on your knees then. Kneel to me. Beg. Serves you right for killing my friend."
Niklaus blinked at her for a moment before nodding. "Alright."
And then he sank to his knees, despite the fact that his jeans would get stained with the wet mud, he got on his knees in front of her.
Niklaus looked up at her, noticing the shock that she hurried to hide, before he took her hand, enveloping them in both his hands in a pleading gesture.
Lucy cleared her throat to herself, casting her eyes away from him as she sighed. "What happened that day? You came home drenched in blood."
"Hayley told me that my hybrids were planning against me." he began, never releasing his hold on her hand, "I was enraged. I slaughtered the lot of them. But Tyler Lockwood fled away. He was the one leading them. Blinded by anger, I wanted to punish him."
"And then I came across Carol by the fountain. I don't how I couldn't stop myself but my anger was boundless. I drowned her and as she took the last of her breath under my hands, it slowly dawned on me what a grave mistake I had made. I tried feeding her my blood, to redo what I did. But she was already gone. And when I reached home and saw your face. . ." he trailed off, his eyes meeting hers, "I felt that everything will fall apart once you come to know of it. I didn't wish to lose you, Lucy. I'm a selfish man."
"And—and," he rushed on, gripping her hands more tightly, "trust me when I say that I tried telling you so many times. But I just couldn't muster up the courage. My therapist in Florida, he completely succeeded in talking me into confessing my sin to you, and yet every time I tried, I saw you, your smile, your happiness. How happy we were together. And then I stopped myself from confessing. I grew selfish and scared every single time. I knew that you would hate me if you came to know of it from somebody else, but still I just couldn't make myself make you hate me. And, look, now you know and now you hate me—"
"—I don't hate you, Nik." she murmured slowly, looking down at him. "Get up, come on."
"No." he shook his head stubbornly, holding onto her hand. "Please tell me what you're thinking. I know I am not a good person. I know I shouldn't have killed Carol. And I regret doing that to the day. But, please, forgive me, Lucy. I can no longer endure this, this anger you have towards me, this disappointment, this wall that you've built up in between us. I can't."
Lucy looked away from him, sighing in exhaustion. "Would have done the same if the roles were reversed, Klaus? Tell me. Would you have forgiven me if I killed a friend of yours?"
"I don't have friends." he shrugged, offering her an amused look.
Lucy rolled her eyes, scoffing, "Please. This is no time to joke around. You have Marcel. Your frenemy."
"Kill him for all I care."
"Lies." Lucy stared at him. "You raised him. He is practically your son. I am telling you, if he died, you are not gonna be happy by any chance. In fact you will be seeking revenge. And if I will be the one to kill him, things will definitely get strained at all costs. So, tell me, Niklaus, how am I to forgive you? Carol has been there for me in the most important phase of my life. She was there when I adopted Brie, she was the only other visitor of hers in the beginning years, hell, even Stefan wasn’t there. And, now, every time I look at you, I am reminded of what you did to Carol and then my mind flashes to her moments spent with Brie and all that inevitably ends up reminding me that Brie is gone.”
"Then tell me what to do to fix this, Lucy." he pleaded, looking in her eyes. "I don't want to lose you, at any cost."
"I don't know." she sighed, gently pulling her hand out of his grasp. "Maybe it's not meant to be fixed ever."
━━━━━━✰━━━━━━
A/n :
Well, well, well, Casper is soon to get what he got coming💅.
And ofc my lil babies😭💔.
Until then,
Ripahhhhhhhhhh.
Word Count : 2048