Freya had disappeared into her room with Keelin hot on her heels. Freya didn't even get to speak to her eldest brother. The one person she knew would understand her and he was gone as quickly as he came.
Elijah and Klaus had to drag Kol's unconscious body down to the cellar and lock him up with enchanted shackles. Elijah and Klaus shared a look. One minute they were apologizing and the next minute he was daggered. It seemed a bit too much for them too look at. With one shared look, Klaus gently slid the dagger out.
Kol was coming to. He saw all his siblings lest Freya and jangled the shackles against the bars. Klaus and Elijah started with the speech of family and Finn was a part of that and now he is gone. However, all Kol could continue on with was Edie must have had a reason. She would not do this without a reason. He pleaded with his family just to trust him.
Rebekah was in shock. Why was her younger brother not seeing reason? His Edie was gone. She had officially turned her backs on them. Which made sense, but shouldn't it also make sense that he, their younger brother, see this common theme. She may have saved them, but all those warm and fuzzy feelings retracted once she learned how they all put the wheels in motion to erase her. Kol begged for them to just trust him on this.
"We will trust you, once you learn to trust us, Kol!" Rebekah raised her voice. She was staring at her younger brother and tried to force him to see that what they are doing is for him, and for the family.
Kol looked up into the eyes of Rebekah and Elijah with contempt. He knew their reasoning. It was the same reasoning they always used. Always and forever. We are a family.
"I know that you have always been reckless, dear brother. But I know you are not immune to reason. You must see we are only protecting you through this tragic sacrifice. We need you to comprehend the gravity of the situation now," Elijah exasperatedly sighed.
Kol flexed his wrists against the chains that bound him to the wall. He looked up at the moonlight that had shone directly on him and smiled.
"Edie would've loved to be here."
Rebekah and Elijah silently shook their heads before walking up the stairs leaving Kol alone with Klaus in the cellar. Klaus looked at his younger brother smiling and for some reason he saw Henrik. His youngest brother was sitting there, chained in their cellar, smiling at the moon without a care in the world.
Klaus took a step away form the apparition, before analyzing the boy closer and he slowly approached him until he features melted back to the haggard Kol that sit before him. Klaus knelt down and Kol listlessly raised his head to meet his older brother's gaze.
"We are Mikaelsons. I know I have an odd way of showing it, but you are my family, Kol and I need you by my side. If I didn't care for you, I would have put a White Oak stake through you... I-"
"If you don't know and you don't understand then just leave, Nik. Leave me here to rot," Kol spat with distaste. He was tired of constantly being forced to prove his intentions. To prove to his family that he knows what is best for him. For her.
Klaus made a move towards the stairs, before stopping. He looked back to see Henrik again and he couldn't force himself to move any further. He blinked and his youngest brother faded away as if he were never there. Because he wasn't, he was dead and gone. He let out a moan before returning to his spot next to Kol.
Kol's surprised expression only increased when his brother suggested, "then help me understand, brother."
Kol looked uneasy at the proposition, but slowly he began to explain himself. Why he steals form his siblings, why he constantly tries to outsmart them, why he is always wanting their approval.
"I have never felt I was apart of always and forever, but I always hoped I could be."
Klaus stared at his younger brother and thought of all the antics, schemes, betrayals... Not one of them was ever an attempt on their lives, but a cry for help.
"And Edith?"
"She is the only one who made me believe that I was already apart of always and forever."
Klaus studied the floor and his younger brother stared up at the moon. Klaus turned and hugged his younger brother so forcefully, it caught Kol off guard. Then Klaus broke away and clasped his brother's right hand for a proper gentleman's farewell.
"Then I think it's best we go and find your little witch."
Klaus unlocked his brother's shackles and held up a finger to his lips to quiet him. They heard shuffling just above the cellar. It must have been Elijah and Rebekah. Kol assessed the room and then he saw it. A drain in the far corner. He craned his neck towards it and Klaus gave his regard of the idea by glaring at him. Kol smirked before they both slid into the small opening and started marching through the sewage.
"Elijah... What is happening? I thought you were here to make amends with Kol and Edie. Now she is public enemy number one and Kol is locked in the basement?"
Rebekah had actually returned to her eldest sister, while Hayley had just arrived back home after leaving Hope with Marcel in the wolf territory. A lot of politics and glowering, but it was the safest place for Hope to be.
"Hayley. I don't know what to do or what I thought I was doing but seeing my eldest brother reduced to a pile of ash for the third time... I just didn't think I would have to see my family continuously picked off."
Hayley slowly walked over to Elijah. She knew she was still mad at him about Edie, but seeing the man she loved so broken made her remember what she loved most about him.
"I know having your faith constantly tested and your hope constantly broken makes you see the world through a darker lens, but the reason you're still here and still you is because of who you are. I know it hurts Elijah, but what I love so much about you is how even when your hope is diminished, you put your faith in it readily all over again."
"I sound like a fool."
"There is no such thing as a fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain something he cannot lose."
Elijah looked at the gorgeous woman before him and he felt everything go still. He slowly walked towards her and Hayley smiled at his shy approach. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her lips softly. She smiled into his embrace and felt the darkness fade.
"Does this mean you forgive me?"
"I don't think I heard an apology, yet."
"I'm sorry for not telling you what we were planning. For thinking of going through with something that was selfish and prideful."
Hayley smiled very wide and kissed him deeply as he hoisted her onto the kitchen counter.
"Forgiven."
Klaus and Kol made quick work of getting to Birmingham. They stopped off to quickly feed and recalculate their strategy.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what we're supposed to do exactly."
"I just need to know she's alright."
Klaus groaned, "I did not come all this way to check on her well-being. My trust is a fragile thing brother, especially after a long trip. Finn is dead. There will be some sort of interrogation."
"I know she must have had her reasons."
Klaus stopped feeding on the girl below him and looked at his brother. He quickly threw Kol into the nearby tree and pinned him there.
"Kol, let's be perfectly clear. I am very new to this good, big brother role. I trust you. I thought I trusted this Edie until I saw my eldest brother reduced to dust due to her reasons. Now, this blind trust is asking a bit too much of me so, what exactly are we going to Mystic Falls for? Because I can tell you if I don't like the answer you give me I am shipping your bloody body back to New Orleans."
Kol sighed. He knew he was asking a lot of Klaus. He searched the ground for the answer and only felt his eyes become heavy.
"Her life has become a consequence of us. She has spent almost all of her life either hunting us or helping us. Then, her one chance to come back a free woman and live her life and we hijack that too. I need to know she is alright. I need to know why she killed Finn. I need to know if she still loves me."
Klaus released his brother and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Kol looked up at his older brother and felt something he had never felt before. Always and forever. Klaus nodded towards their prey and they quickly finished them before getting back to the road.
When Edie came to she was in a new place. It looked like a different apartment but she could tell it was still in Mystic Falls.
"So, you're up. That was an interesting stunt you pulled back there. Wanna tell me what you did or wanted to do?"
Edie ignored Alaric's question and started examining the room to find the escape route. Alaric quickly dashed her hopes by explaining they were not going anywhere until she gave them some information. Why the sudden interest in equivalent exchange magic? Why did she cast the energy release exchange?
Edie swallowed and noticed they had purposefully turned up the heat and the sage in the room was started to cloud her brain. Alaric explained he didn't want to torture her, but apparently Edie really pissed off Bonnie.
Edie only smirked. So the young witch was not happy. Great. Edie then noticed they had the equivalent exchange books just sitting on the desk Alaric lent his shoulders upon. So they are either too cocky or too prepared. She wasn't sure yet.
Alaric suddenly stood up and left the room and her beloved babysitter entered the room.
"I heard you weren't happy with Bonnie. Hopefully that won't influence my treatment here."
"I'm sure you've noticed it already has. So let's just skip this part and go straight to where you tell me why you're here and what did you do?"
Edie remained silent and then she realized why Bonnie was so confident. She saw the glint from the sun shining through. A devil's star was poking out of her pocket. Bonnie followed Edie's stare and saw exactly what she was looking at.
"Oh, you saw this. Well then I guess I don't need to explain myself. So, again, why are you here?"
• • •
This is what I meant by soon!
I was so excited to write again that I decided to release two chapters this weekend. Please let me know what you think with a comment or a vote. And as always feel free to add this to your library for all the updates.
Enjoy and see you next Saturday!