My siblings and I stand facing each other ready to fight. Nik is holding a white oak stake. Elijah is holding Papa Tunde's blade. Elijah slowly starts to approach Nik. "Walk away."
"Don't move!" Nik shouts.
Elijah turns to face Bekah. "Leave us now."
Bekah looks scared. "I can't. I'm stuck here. Elijah, he has the white oak stake."
Nik points the stake in Bekah's direction. "I brought it for you, sister."
"Get out of his sight. Your presence here only serves to anger him. Leave him to me now," Elijah instructs Bekah.
She vamp speeds away. I don't hesitate to follow after her, even though I can hear Elijah call after me. He doesn't follow after me though. He is more concerned with Nik and the white oak stake. He knows I can't do much harm to Bekah, only a bite if I really wanted to cause her some discomfort.
Bekah doesn't go far, only to a tomb just out of our brothers' sight. I listen to her as she talks on the phone with Marcel. She is worried that Nik will kill her. I think if he is given the opportunity he will.
When she hangs up the phone I finally make my presence known. "Why?" Bekah turns towards me and all the fear on her face from earlier turns to sadness. "Why would you bring Mikael here? I was happy. Elijah was happy. Nik was under control. Our family was in a good place."
Bekah has tears in her eyes. "I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I didn't even mean for Niklaus to get hurt. I just wanted to scare him."
I shake my head. "No you were willing to risk our lives for Marcel. That's all you wanted, Marcel. Tell me the truth. You weren't thinking about anyone but yourself."
Bekah looks angry. "If I don't care for myself who will. I have spent a thousand years caring for Nik, and what has that ever gotten me?"
"You know as well as I that we make sacrifices for the ones we love, no matter what. We have been there for one another, always and forever," I tell her.
Bekah shakes her head as she steps towards me. "I have always been there for this family, Else. For once I wanted someone to be there for me. Marcel was my future, one where I didn't have to worry about Nik daggering me, or killing whoever I dared to love."
I look at Bekah sympathetically for a moment. "I want to believe you Bekah, but a part of me is still mad that you could be so reckless." I gesture with my fingers. "Mikael was this close to killing me. What would you have done then?"
"I don't know!" Bekah shouts. She quickly recomposes herself. "I tried to get Genevive to keep Mikael from coming here. I tried to get her to undo the spell, but she couldn't." Tears come to her eyes again. "I never wanted to hurt you."
I start to tear up myself. "I want to believe you. I need to believe you. Unlike Niklaus I don't want to lose my sister." I smile slightly. "Us girls have got to stick together."
"I've never seen him like this before. He's out of his mind with rage. He's gonna kill me," Bekah worries.
"Elijah is doing everything he can to keep Nik away from you. Everything he can to keep you alive," I tell her.
"And what about you? Whose side are you one?" Bekah asks me.
"I'm not on anyone's side. I just don't want to see you die," I tell her truthfully.
Bekah and I can hear Elijah and Nik arguing. We head out to see what is happening.
"You ask me to show mercy to one who has wronged me. You really don't know me at all, do you, brother?" Nik asks.
Bekah steps in. "Enough. Whatever I have done wrong, my guilt is nothing compared to yours. You want revenge? Fine. But, before you have it, I will look you in the eye and tell you why it was your cruelty and your spite that led us to this."
Nik gestures with his arm. "Go on, then. Speak your piece, and when you are finished, I will grant you the punishment you deserve, even if I have to go through Elijah to do so." He perches himself on top of a tomb pretending to be a judge. "Let it begin. The trial of Rebekah Mikaelson."
"What a relief. His ego is in check," Bekah mutters.
"Just speak your truth," I tell her.
"I'll make certain he behaves himself," Elijah adds. Him and I both sit down on a grave.
"You stand accused of betraying your own blood. How do you plead?" Nik asks.
"I plead you to shut up and listen," Bekah states.
"You summoned our father. You brought him to our home. What possible defense could you have?" Nik questions.
"I knew he was the only thing that you feared, and I wanted you to run," Bekah explains.
"Because you hated me," Nik says bluntly.
"Because you were hateful. You denied me the freedom to love," Bekah insists.
"Oh, so that's your defense? You called Mikael, the Destroyer, the Hunter of Vampires, because I detained you from pursuing some dull suitors," Nik states.
"You were cruel, and controlling, and manipulative," Bekah argues.
"I was trying to protect you!" Nik shouts. "From imbeciles, and leeches. Not to mention your own poor judgment."
"And what about the one that you loved enough to call friend? Why did you forbid me to love Marcel?" Bekah questions.
Nik stands up and points at Bekah. "Do not mention his name."
"What has happened to you? I remember the sweet boy who made me laugh and gave me gifts, who loved art and music. How could you have fallen so far?" Bekah wonders.
"You say you despise Rebekah for her betrayal, and yet no one has stood by your side for so long, not even I myself. Perhaps it's you that's forgotten," Elijah states.
"So, you would paint her as a loyal sister, but she betrayed me out of lust for Marcel. Perhaps that was why you did it, for love. Perhaps I might temper my rage if Rebekah will admit she was a victim of her own idiocy. That her great love, Marcel, used her to oust this family and to take my city," Nik shouts.
"Marcel did not manipulate me," Bekah insists.
"You defend him, and yet you can't help but wonder, what if I'm right?" Nik questions.
"We loved each other. It was your refusal to respect that that led to your ruin," Bekah states.
"Then why didn't he chase after you when you fled New Orleans? Oh, yes! That's right. He was here stealing what I built!" Nik shouts.
"You want me to renounce Marcel, to beg for your forgiveness? I won't. Marcel is not at fault. I called Mikael," Bekah explains.
"Rebekah, you must," Elijah tries to step in.
Bekah starts screaming, "I was the one who brought him to New Orleans because of your wickedness! I wanted love and happiness, and you denied me the freedom to have either. Yes, I hated and I was afraid of our father, but he was a lesser evil than you. My bastard brother who loomed over me, threatening me as you are now. I wanted rid of you, and given the choice, I'd do it again!"
Nik lunges for Bekah. He pushes her back against a tomb. He is about to stake her in the heart when Elijah tackles her. When my brothers stand up Elijah is in possession of both the white oak stake and Papa Tunde's blade.
"Sisters, leave us," Elijah demands.
"I'm not going," Bekah starts.
Elijah cuts her off, "I said, leave us, please." Elijah watches Bekah leave, but I don't budge. "Else."
I cut him off, "No. If I can forgive Bekah, Niklaus can too. If not he can deal with me."
Nik looks at Elijah, when they realize I won't leave. "So what's it gonna be? You hold both weapons. Tunde's blade would put me down, but the stake could finish me off for good."
"Well, unlike you, brother, I have no taste for fratricide." Elijah holds up the stake. "I only hold this to keep it from you." He holds up Papa Tunde's blade. "This is just my insurance."
"Why must you defend her? Both of you? Rebekah betrayed you, as well, when she brought Mikael here," Nik reminds us.
I step towards him. "Because she is our sister, and because I like to remember her the way that she was before we became what we became. She was an innocent girl, quick to laugh, full of life."
"My memories serve to make her betrayal more painful," Nik states.
"Can you not then accept some small part of the blame? After all, Niklaus, it was your cruelty that led her to do what she did," Elijah tells him.
"Do you not see, Elijah? She didn't mean to chase me off. She wanted me dead," Nik inststs.
"You're wrong," I tell him.
"She has always hated me. You know that's true," Nik inststs.
"You have no idea, do you? You have no idea what she was prepared to do for you. When our sister sees something that she perceives to be an injustice, she can be stubborn, impetuous, and, at times, downright dangerous," Elijah states.
"Niklaus, sometimes our sister acts without thinking. She's short of temper, she's quick to fall in love, but she loves you. But, your malicious treatment has broken her heart. So, yes, she responded by summoning our father," I add.
"Yes, that was a mistake. I'm not entirely sure that I can blame her," Elijah finishes.
"I can." Nik vamp speeds off to the tomb Bekah is in.
Elijah and I beat him there. Elijah holds a weapon in each hand. "Niklaus, so help me..."
"Are you really going to stand against me? And not with that pathetic blade. You'd just have to pull it out someday, and then I'd hate you as I do her, now. If you want to protect Rebekah, you'll need to use the white oak stake." Nik starts towards Elijah and I.
"I don't have to listen to this nonsense," Elijah says.
"Oh, don't pretend you haven't thought about it. You look at me, and you see everything you abhor in yourself. Sure, you dress it up with your fancy suits and your handkerchiefs. You, with your mask of civility and eloquence, you're every bit the abomination I am. Or worse. Go on, Elijah. Go on. Use the white oak stake," Nik taunts as he holds his arms out.
Elijah throws the white oak stake far away and glares at Nik. "I'm not so cowardly that I have to kill you, Niklaus, but if I have to make you suffer to protect Rebekah, that is what I will do."
Nik smirks. "You see? I knew you couldn't do it. You still cling to the hope that I can be redeemed, and if the bastard can be saved, then maybe there's hope for you." Nik vamp speeds over to Elijah, grabs Papa Tunde's blade, and stabs it into Elijah's heart. "There. Now you know how it feels."
"Niklaus!" I shout.
Elijah falls to the ground, gasping in agony and glaring at Nik. I rush over to him. Elijah looks at me, knowing I cant take the blade out.
Suddenly, Rebekah appears behind Nik. "That was supposed to be my line." She holds up the white oak stake that she just picked up from where Elijah threw it. "Now, I have this. So I decide who lives and who dies. I'm taking out that blade."
"You'll have to kill me first, and now you hold the means to do so. Why not finish what you started a century ago?" Nik questions.
"I did not want you dead. I wanted you to run," Bekah tells him again.
"Liar! You wanted revenge," Nik insists.
"You drove me to betray you, and now you want to twist it and make it worse so you can justify killing me instead of accepting your own fault? All I did was love your friend! You could've been happy for us, but instead, in your paranoia, you feared losing us both. And, because of that, you did. There is no one else to blame, Nik. Only you," Bekah states.
"Where is Marcel now, hmm? I thought he loved you, and yet he left you trapped in here with me," Nik tells her.
I move away slightly as Nik inches closer to Elijah's unconscious body. "You against me. It's hardly a fair fight, is it? I mean, perhaps, if Marcel were here, you'd stand a chance, but I expect he's already found another girl. No doubt younger and prettier."
"You take joy in other people's pain, and then you wonder why I hate you," Bekah states.
"Yes, and that hatred led you to do what you did. Admit the truth. Admit you wanted me dead," Nik insists.
"I wanted you to run, that is all despite your delusions," Bekah states.
"Elijah lies suffering, and I will allow you to help him. All you have to do is admit it," Nik reasons.
"You're insane," I tell Nik.
He smirks at me. "Yes! Yes!" He turns back to Bekah. "I am a vicious, heartless monster, and so you summoned Mikael to kill me. Admit it."
"It's not true," Bekah states.
"You know what you did. Admit it."
"I didn't," Bekah says again.
"You wanted me dead! Admit it." Nik shouts.
Bekah hesitates for a moment. "Maybe I did." Nik backs a way for a moment. "Nik.."
Nik suddenly stabs her in the stomach with the white oak stake. "Bekah!" I shout as she falls to the floor. I turn towards my brother, who has sat down on a tomb. "Nik." I sit down next to him.
"Why did you take Rebekah's side?" Nik questions.
I sigh. "Nik, I didn't take anyone's side. I just didn't want to see you kill our younger sister. She betrayed us yes, but can't you see how upset she is about this?" I gesture with my hand. "About all of this?"
Nik looks at me with sadness in his eyes. "She deserved to feel fear like you and I did when Mikael came to town. Like you and I did our whole lives."
I look at Nik sympathetically. "Nik, no matter what anyone else in our family does, I will always be here for you, whether you like it or not."
Nik smiles at me slightly.
When Bekah finally awakens she walks towards Nik and I. "You missed my heart."
"Perhaps I did. Or, perhaps I never meant to kill you. Perhaps I just wanted you to feel a fraction the fear I felt when Father came for me and for Else," Nik explains.
"Do you yourself know the truth?" Bekah questions.
"I know this. You accuse me of being evil, and yet you are the one who conspired to kill your own blood," Nik argues.
"You made our lives a living hell. You tormented us," Bekah says through tears.
"I love my family... You, Elijah, Else." Nik gestures. "I loved all of you." Nik walks toward Rebekah and looks her in the eyes. "I know I can be difficult, but I did not make myself this way. It was Mikael who ruined me."
Bekah is in tears. "He ruined me, too. That's what you forget. Centuries later, each of us is broken. You with your anger and paranoia, me with my fear of abandonment. Else with her violent outbursts. And poor Elijah." She looks over at where he's laying, Papa Tunde's blade still stuck in his chest. "He dedicates himself to everyone but himself."
I walk over towards my siblings tears in my eyes. "We are the strongest creatures in the world, and yet, we are damaged beyond repair. We live without hope, but we will never die." Nik starts to cry. "We are the definition of 'cursed.' Always and forever."
Nik walks over to Elijah and removes the blade from his chest. Elijah awakens with a gasp. "Now, we're even."
Nik, Bekah, and I stand, waiting for the moon to reach its apex.
I look at my sister. "You said our father ruined us. And I can't help but wonder, what if his father ruined him?"
A strong gust of wind blows the gate to the cemetery open.
"The barrier is down," Nik states.
"I know you hate me, but what's done is done," Bekah tells Nik.
"What's done is never done. It remains within us, a story we tell ourselves so we know who we are. Vicious father, a bastard son, and the sister who betrayed him," Nik says.
"Perhaps it's time for a new story. What is it you want, Rebekah?" I ask her.
"Same things that I've wanted since I was a child. I want a home. I want a family. I want someone to love me, and I want to live," Bekah tells us.
"Then go. Go far away and never come back. We are far too damaged to remain together, less a family now than a volatile mix of ingredients. New Orleans will be mine. Ese will not leave the father of her child. No doubt, Elijah will choose to stay, but you? Sister, you are free," Nik tells her.
Bekah looks shocked as she takes one last look at us. Nik and I watch her leave. I wrap my arms around Nik and cry softly. "Thank you, Nik."
Nik looks down at me, cheeks tear stained. "Let's get you home, little sister."
I nod my head. When we return to the compound Marcel is in the courtyard with the rest of the vampires.
"Is there a reason why you lot are loitering in my home?" I ask them.
"I asked them to be here. Klaus and I need to settle this out in the open," Marcel states.
"I thought you would've run off by now," Nik tells him.
"Yeah. Well, this is my town. You may want me to beg forgiveness, but I'm not sorry. I may not be able to beat you, but I came here to face you, to end this in front of my people. If you're gonna kill me for that, get on with it," Marcel taunts.
Nik doesn't say anything as he walks out of the room. I throw Marcel against a wall. This town is what Nik wants and I am going to make sure he gets it. I just want to see him happy.
"You all know this was once my family home. Tonight I'm taking it back." I look around at the vampires. "Your privileges here have been revoked. "I turn towards Marcel, as he stands up. "Marcellus, out of respect for my sister, I will grant you this one mercy. I will allow you to keep your life." I point at him. "However, you're hereby exiled. If I so much as find a trace of you in the French Quarter, it will not end well for you. Do you understand?" I wait a moment then turn back to the crowd. "That is all. Run along."
The vampires do as I tell them and leave, including Marcel.
"Nicely done, sister." I look up and see Nik standing on the balcony. "You're beginning to sound like me. I'm impressed."
"Well, Bekah said it herself I am prone to violent outbursts," I remark.
I head back out to the Bayou to check on Hayley and Eve. I want to make sure they are alright. I find Hayley sitting by a small fire.
She smiles when she notices me. "Where have you been?"
I smile slightly. "Dealing with sibling drama like always." I pause for a moment. "I need to be with my brothers in the Quarter right now. I'm going to keep checking in, but I know that I can trust you to be here for the wolves."
Hayley smiles. "I get it. The Mikaelsons are your family and the wolves are mine."
I frown slightly. "It's not that, Hayley. These wolves are my daughter's pack, my daughter's family. I want to be there for them, I do, but I just can't spend every waking moment out here like you."
Suddenly Bekah is standing behind Hayley. She turns around, "I'll leave you two alone."
Bekah looks at me sadly.
"Bekah, what are you doing here?" I ask her, surprised.
"I came to say goodbye," Bekah states.
I smile slightly. "For now Bekah. A thousand years with Klaus? I guess you deserve a few vacation days."
"Be careful Else, do not get on our brother's bad side. I want nothing but for you and your baby to stay safe," Bekah tells me.
"Don't worry, I know you will be back in time. Until then I will tell my little girl stories of her crazy Auntie Bex. And let her know, despite your absence, you do love her very much," I assure.
Bekah has tears in her eyes as she pulls me into a hug. "I love you, Else."
I hold back my tears. "I love you too, Bekah. Now go live your life." Bekah smiles slightly. "Don't forget to call me every once in a while."
As Bekah leaves I see Jackson standing by a nearby tree. I let the tears flow. "The next full moon can't come soon enough. I need you here Jack."